Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1886 — A LONG FAREWELL. [ARTICLE]

A LONG FAREWELL.

The Mcrtal Remains xf Chester 72 Alan Arthur Consigned to Earth. “ A Large Gathering of Eminent * f ho monies. [New York telegram. | The last night of the loving watch beside the bier of Gen. Chester Alan Arthur, ex-President of the United States, has passed, President Cleveland and Postmaster General Vilas arrived in a carriage direct from the train at 8:20 a. m., and entered the house of mourning. Many people uncovered their heads when the President stepped out of his carriage. Shortly after, Gov. Hill and Judge William Muller airived and entered the house. They were followed by the Senate committee. By tfiis time there was a m’ghty throng of people on the avenue, and the windows of every house were filled with sad faces. There were up services at the house. At 8:30 the black casket, covered with palmetto leaves, sprays of violets, and a wreath of white roses, was lifted by the undertaker’s assistants and borne irom the room. The silent form of Chester A. Arthur passed through the door of his earthly tenement for the last time, and was reverently placed in the funeral-draped hearse. As the casket camo in view of the people in the street every head was bowed reverentlv, and many eyes tilled with tears in the throng thus hushed in the presence of death. There was no display of pomp or ceremony, no military music or procession, but the mighty throng of sorrowing people bore witness to their love and respect for the deceased statesman. Next came out of the residence Chester Alan Arthur, Jr., the son of tt:e ex-Presi-dent. . Leaning On his arm, clad in gar—ments of mourning, was his sister, Miss Nellie Arthur, They’ passed quietly to their carriage, accompanied by Mr. an d Mrs. McElroy. Thencame Mrs. Caws, Mrs. Hayneworth, and Miss Arthur, the sister of the ex-President; Postmaster Musten and his wife, of Cohoes, N. Y., with their son and daughter: President Cleveland. Post-master-General Vilas,• Gen. Martin T. McMahon, John H. Draper, Secretaries Bayard, Whitney, and Lamar; the pallbearers, consisting of ex-Po.-tmaster General Gresham, ex-Secretaries Lincoln and Chandler, ex-Assistant Postmaster General Hatton, ex-Attorney General Brewster, Lieutenant General Sheridan. Dr. Cornelius R, Agnew, Cornelius N. Bliss, Robert G. Dun, G.en. George H. Sharpe, Charles L. Tiffany, , and Cornelius Vanderbilt; ..Chief Justice Waite and Justices Harlan and Blatchford, Senators-Edmunds. Sherman, Logan, Evarts, Hawley, Vest, aud Gorman, Gen. Stone, and Gov* Hill. The mourners filled twenty-five carriages, but over one hundred carriages filled with friends, who had been unable to gain admission to the house, followed the • procession to the church. All along the line were immense throngs of people who waited in respectful silence while the funeral train passed. As the casket was borne into the church the choir formed in two files and the clergymen passed between them heading the procession intoning the opening lines of the beautiful Episcopal burial service; the casket was borne up the aisle on the shoulders of the four undertakers’ assistants, followed by the pall-beareßg, the family, and the immediate friends. After the services the undertakers’ assistants lifted the casket on their shoulders and proceeded slowly out of the church, followed by the pall-bearers, members of the family, President aud his Cabinet, Gov. Hill and his staff, and the representatives of the army and navy. The remains were placed on a train for Albany, where Bishop Doane recited the committal service at the grave. Earth was thrown in the grave and pressed down, and when the dusk of evening began to settle on forest and hill, deft hands covered the newly made mound with sheets of sod.