Wednesday, April 10, 1968
THE DAILY TAH
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Pag3 5
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l'. Students wait outside of one of the few open restaurants Tuesday
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.Recniiiiem
Woman with child mourns King's death in Sunday memorial
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ATLANTA (UPI) The
body of Dr. Martin Luther
King, flanked by the great
and the humble, was borne
through the streets of Atlanta
in a funeral tribute un
precedented in the nation's
history.
His resting place will be
white marble crypt inscribed
with a refrain from an old
slave song:
"Free at last, free at last,
"Thank God Almighty, I'm free
atlast" .
Many grim-faced, other sob
bing, Americans, black and
white, came by the tens of
thousands to pay their final
respects to the integration
leader who was killed by a
sniper's bullet while i ri
Memphis last Thursday to lead
a protest march for striking
sanitation workers.
The mourn ers-oinciais
estimated there were 150,000
of them walked with the
creaking, mule-drawn wagon,
"anthem" of the civil rights
movement, "We Shall
Overcome," and others
striding along with arms linked
in a symbol of brotherhood.
The procession, a sea of
humanity stretching out for
four miles, wound its way from
Ebenezer Baptist Church,
where King's father is pastor,
to the quadrangle on the
Morehouse College campus,
resplendent with the pink and
whiteblooms of dogwood, the
"crucifixion flower,' and fresh
green grass " in the warm,
spring sunshine.
;The cortege reached the
campus for the public services
after a two-hour procession
through the streets.
The crush of humanity was
so great outside the college
gates that the mule train, with
Hosea Williams, a King aide,
leading the animals by their
halters, was unable for a time
to get through.
Once inside the grounds, the
African mahogany casket was
hoisted atop a platform
covered by a blue cloth.
Temperaturs climbed into
swarmed around the casket,
those at the speakers stand
urged: "Get back please. My
friends, this is a worship
service and I know we all
knew and loved Martin Luther
"King and all 1 wish to make
our expressions, but Jet's all
make them as orderly as
possible."
During the main eulogy Ben
jamin Mays, president
emeritus of Morehouse College
and the man who steered King
into the ministry, praised the
slain Nobel Peace Prize winner
as a "prophet of the 20th cen
tury" and "champion of all."
He noted that he had pro
mised to preach King's eulogy
in the event King died before
he did. King was 39. Mays,
73, said it was like asking
a man "to eulogize his own
son so precious he was
to me."
Before Mays delivered his
20 minute talk, those on the
speakers stand had to appeal
repeatedly to the crowd to
"move back. . . people out
there are fainting.V
They also urgently re
quested: "Please, no more
flowers on the grounds."
Negro spiritual singer
Mahalia Jackson, wiping tears
from her own eves, sang the
hymn that King requested just
before bis death, "Precious
Lord Take My Hand."
Never in the history of the
nation had there been such
an outpouring of mourners and
tributes for a person outside
government. Much of Atlanta
suspended business operations
and ambassadors and
representatives from foreign
lands streamed into the city
to pay their last respects.
The service finally ended at
4:17 p.m. EST. By this hour
the skies had darkened and
thunder rippled overhead.
King's body was carried to
a waiting hearse and taken
to South View Cemetery, south
of the city. The cemetery was
founded in the 1890's by
Negroes who rebelled at being
asked to bring their dead
through the rear entrance
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Photos
by
Wang
and
Adams
Joe Shedd solicits signatures f or open letter to Mrs. King
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Preston Dobbins waves trampled Confederate flag
Flag flies at half mast in front of the Post Office