in
a A
I
El It
$1.00 a Year, in Advance.
FOR GOP, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH."
Singl? Copy, 5 Cents.
VOL. XII.
PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 1901.
NO. 30.
V
The Closing Scene in The Nation's
Sad Tragedy.
"DUST TO DUST; ASHES TO ASHES"
The flortal Remains of Our Late, La
mented President Laid In the Tomb
Deep and Universal Mourning
His Devoted Wife Unable to Attend
The Public Funeral Eloquent Trib
ute to the Dead Chieftain.
Canton, Special. With majestic so
lemnity, surrounded by his ' country
men and his townspeople, in the pres
ence of the President of the United
States, the cabinet, justices of the
United States Supreme Court, Senators
and Representatives in Congress, the
head of the military and naval estab
lishments, the Governors of States, and
a great concourse of people who had
known and loved him, all that is mor
tal of the third President to fall by an
assassin's bullet was committed to the
grave on Thursday. It was a spectacle
of mournful grandeur. Canton ceased
to be a town and swelled to the propor
tions of a great city. From every city
and hamlet in Ohio from the remote
corners of the South and from the East
and .West, the human tide flowed into
the town until 100,000 people were
within its gates, here to pay their last
tribute to the fallen chief.
The final scene at the First Metho
dist church, where the funeral service
was held and the beautiful West Lawn
Cemetery, where the body was consign
ed to a vault, were simple and impres
sive. The service at the church con
sisted of a brief oration, prayers by the
ministers of three denominations and
singing by a quartette. The body was
then taken to Westlawn and placed in
a receiring vault, pending the time
when it will be finally laid to rest be
side the dead children who were buried
years ago. The funeral cortege was
very impressive, and included not only
the representatives of the army and
navy of the United States, but the en
tire military strength of the State of
Ohio and hundreds of civic, fraternal
and other organizations. It was
miles long.
two j
One' of the most pathetic feature.? of
the day was the absence of Mrs. Mc
Kinley from the funeral services at the
church and in the cemetery when the
body of her husband was laid to rest.
Since the first shock of the shooting,
then of the death and through the or
deal of state ceremonies, she had borne
up bravely. But there is a limit to hu
man endurance and when the day came
it found her two weak to pas.3 through
the trials of the final ceremonies.
Through the open door of her room she
mains of the late President, from the
hotly was borne out of the house. After
that Dr. Rixey remained close by her
side, and although the full force of the
calamity had come upon her, it was be
lieved by those about her that there
was a providential mercy in her tears,
as they gave some relief to the an
guish of the heart within.
The streets of the little city of Can
ton were filled with plumes, prancing
horses and densely packed bodies of
moving men assembling here for the
procession which was to esiort the re
mains of the late President from the
church to Westlawn Cemetery. Thirty
special trains, in addition to the regu
lar trains, "had arrived before noon.
,The biggest crowd in the history of
Canton, which was here durjng the
campaign of 1896, estimated at over
JO.0000, was exceeded today. The awe
stricken crowds upon their arrival all
moved as by a common impulse to
ward the old familiar McKinley cot
tage, where the remains were- lying.
Military guards stationed at the four
corners of the lawn paced their beats,
but there was no other .-'ign of life
about the house of death. The window
shades were down. A long border of
black which had been put in place after
the body was removed to the house
last night fringed the roof of the porch
from which President McKinley had
spoken to delegations from every State
In the union and where he had met anl
talked with all the chieftains of his
party. No badge of conventional
mourning was on the door. Instead
there was a simple wreath of palms
bisected by a beautiful band of wide
purple satin ribbon.
The face of the President, was seen
for the last time when It lay in state
Wprinpsriav in the court house. The
casket was ne-c opened after it was re-
mo red to the McKin'ey residence and
the members of the family had no op
portunity co look upon the silent feat
ures again. The casket was sealed be
fore it was borne away from the court
house. When Mrs. McKinley came ;nto
the death chamber for her last mo
ments beside her do-vl husband she
wished to have a final look at the up
turned face. But this was impossible
and the sealed casket with its flowers
and flags were all that she.gaw.
The collection of flowers was proba
bly the most beautiful ever seen in tho
United States. The conservatories of
the country had been denuded to sup
ply them. From the four quarters of
the earth came directions to adorn the
bier of McKinley with flowers whose
fragrance might be symbolical of the
sweetness and purity of the ended life.
But these tributes from foreign coun
tries were buried beneath thj floral
tribute of McKinley's countrymen.
There were tons and tons of them and
a list of those who sent them would be
almost a complete roster of those
prominent in the official, commercial
and social life of the United States.
As the time approached for bearing
the body of the dead Persident from
the McKinley home to the church, the ! formed a black canopy above the chan
little cottage on North Market street ! cel. From this, directly above the low
was the centre of a vast concourse of ! flag-covered catafalque on which the
people. Regiment after regiment of casket was to rest, hung a beautiful
soldiers, acting as guards, were in tri- ! silk banner with a band of crepe about
pie lies from the curbs to the lawns.
The walks had been cleared and the
multitude took refuge in the great,
sweep of lawns where they formed a
solid mass of humanity surging for
ward to the lines of soldiers. In front
of the McKinley cottage were drawn
up the two rigid files of body-bearers,
eight sailors of the navy and eight
soldiers to go within and take up the
casket.
Just at 1 o'clock the black chargers
of the Cleveland troop swept down the
street, their riders four abreast, in
their brilliant hussar uniform, with
flags and banded by crepe and every
sabre hilt bearing its fluttering emblem
of mourning. Their coming was the
signal for the approach of President
Roosevelt and the members of the cab
inent. The presidential party moved up
the walk to the entrance of the house
and formed in a group to the left. The
President's face looked very grave and
he stood there silently with uncovered
head awaiting the body of the dead
chieftain. Beside him stood Secretary
Gage, Secretary Root, Secretary Wil
son and Secretary Hitchcock and just
across Attorney General Knox, Post
master General Smith, Assistant Secre
tary of State Hill, representing Secre
tary Hay, and Secretary Cortelyou.
Extending further down the walk was
the guard of honor, the ranking gen
erals of the army on the right and the
chief figures of the navy on the left.
Lieutenant General Miles, in the full
uniform of his high rank, with bis
sword at his side and the band of crepe
about his arm, stood alongside the
members of the cabinent and with him
were Major General Brooke, Major
General MacArthur, Major General
Otis and Brigadier General Gillespie.
Across from them was ranged Rear
Admiral Farquhar, representing Ad
miral Dewey, ranking head of the na
vy; Rear Admiral Crowninshield, Rear
Admiral O'Neil, Rear Admiral Kenney
and Brigadier General Heywood, the
latter commander-in-chief of the Ma
rine Corps.
As the presidential party came up
the black chargers of Troop A swung
into batallion front facing the house I
and the long line of llasmng saDres ad
vanced to salute. Now the deep-toned
wail of the church bells began and
every steeple in Canton gave forth its
dolorous plaint. It was 1:15 o'clock,
and the time had come for taking up
the body. A brief private service had
been held within the darkened cham
while the relatives gathered around
while the relatives gathreed around
and Mrs. McKinley listened from the
half-open door of her adjoining room.
The double file of body-bearers now
stepped into the room and raising the
flag-wrapped casket to their shoulders,
bore it through the open entrance. A
solemn hush fell upon the multitude
as the bearers advanced with measured
tread. Not a a bugle blast went up; i
not a strain of the hymns the dead ru- i
ler had loved so well. The scene was
majestic in its silence. As the casket
was borne along above Che line of
heads could be seen the enfolding
Stars and Stripes and on top great
masses of white roses and delicate la
render orchids. Tenderly tjie coffin wa3
committed to the hearse and the silence
was broken, as the order to march
pissed from officer to officer.
It was about 1:45 o'clock when the
procession passed the court house and
turned into Tuscarawas street to the
stately stone edifice where the funer
al services were to be held. At the
church entrance were' drawn up deep
files of soldiers with bayonets advanced
keeping a clear area for the advancing
casket and the long train of mourners.
The hearse halted while President
Roosevelt and members of the cabinet
alighted. Again they grouped them
selves at either side of the entrance and
with uncovered heads awaited the pas
sage of the casket. Then the coffin was
brought from the hearse and taken In
to the draped entrance, the cabinet
following the President. The mourners,
too, passed in, but the stricken widow
was not among them. She had remain
ed behind in the old home, alone with
her grief.
The scene within the church when
the casket was carried in on the braw
ny shoulders of the soldiers and sail
rkr was nrnf oundlv impressive. . A
Iblack border twenty feet high relieved
at intervals by narrow white bands
falling to the floor, swept completely
around the interior. Only the gilt organ
pipe back of the pulpit rose above it
The vestibules on e'.ther side of the
chancel leading into the church wero
black tunnel3, the stained glass win
dows on either side wero framed in
black and the balcony of the Sunday
school room to the rear, thrown open
into the church by large sliding doors,
was shrouded in the same sombre col
ors. Graceful black streamers fes
tooned along the arches of the nave
it.
Dr. John A. Hall, pastor of the Trin
ity Lutheran church, then read from
the Bible the beautiful Nineteenth
Psalm and Rev. E.P. Herbruck verse3
41-58 of the 25th chapter of First Cor
inthians. With great feeling he read
the inspiring words, telling of the mys
tery that all would not sleep but all
would be changed. The quartette tnen
j sang Cardinal Newmans' grand hymn,
j the beautiful words floating through
all the church. Dr. C. E. Manchester
I then delivered an address which lasted
! minutes, on me me 01 me ia,ie nc
ident and the lessons taught by his no
ble character and death. Dr. Manches
ter said in part:
"My friends and Countrymen: With
what language shall I attempt to give
expressions to the deep horror of our
souls as I speak of the cause of h's
death? When we consider the magni
tude of the crime that has plunged thfc
country and the world into unuttera
ble grief, we are not surprised that one
nationality after another has hastened
to repudiate the dreadful act. This gen
tle spirit who hated no one, to whom
every man was a brother, was sudden
ly smitten by the cruel hands of an. as
sissin, and that too, while in the very
act of extending a kind and generou3 j
greeting to one who approached him
under the sacred guise of friendship.
"Could the assailant have realized j
how awful the act he was about to per- j
form, how utterly heartless-the deed.;
methinks he would have stayed his
hand at the very threshold of it. In
all the coming years men will seek in
vain to fathom the enormity of that
crime. Had this man who fell been a
despot, a tyrant, an oppressor, an in
sane frenzy to rid the world of him
might have sought excuse, but it was
the people's friend who fell when Wil
liam McKinley received the fata!
wound. Himself, a son of. toil, his
sympathies were with the toilers. No j
one who has seen the matchless grace
and perfect ease with which he greet
ed such, can ever doubt that his heart
was in his open hand. Every heart
throb was for his countrymen. That
his life should be sacrificed at such a
time, just when there was abundant
peace, when all the Americans were
rejoicing together, is one of the inscru
table mysteries of providence. Like
! many others it must be left for future
revelations to expNin.
"In the midst of cr sorrow we have
much to console us. He lived to see
his nation greater than sver before. All
sectional lines are blottM out. Thsre
is no South, no North, tto East, no
West. Washington saw the beginning
of our national life. Lincoln passed
through the night of our history and
saw the dawn. McKinley beheld hi?,
country in the splendor of its noon.
Truly he died in the fullness of his
fame. With'- St. Paul he could say and
with equal truthfullnes3. 'I am now
ready to be offered. ?
"The work assigned him had been
well done. The nation was at peace.
It had fairly entered upon an era of
unparalled prosperity. Our revenues
were generous. Our standing among
the nations was secure. Our President
was enshrined in the affections of a
united people. It was not at him that
the fatal shot was fired, but at the very
life of the government. His offering j
was vicarious. It was blood poured !
upon the altar of human liberty."
"NEARER MY GOD, TO THEE" THE
LAST HYMN.
Bishop I. W. Joyce, of Minneapolis,
followed with a brief prayer, and the
services were, concluded with the sing
ing of the hymn vhich President Mc
Kinley repeated on his death bed,
"Nearer, My God, to Thee." The entile
congregation arose and joined In the
last stanza. Father Valtman, of Chi
cago, chaplain of the Twenty-ninth In
fantry, pronounced the benediction.
Then the notes of the organ again rose
The coffin was taken up and borne
from the church. The relatives and
those in official life went out in the or
der they had entered.
It was after 3 o'clock when the si
lent and anxious througs outside the
church saw the solemn pageant re-appear
through the church doors. Out
Tuscarawas street the long procession
moved through a section of the city
where the sound of the dirge had not
been before heard. But it presented
the same sorrow-stricken aspect that
had been observed in the heart of the
city. Funeral arches spanned the
street, some of them, it is under3tooi,
having been erected by school chil
dren. The houses were hung In black
and even the stately elms along the
way had . their trunks enshrouded in
black and white drapery.
The line of the funeral march from
the church to the cemetery was about
one and one-half miles in length. For
hours even before the time set for the
commencement of the funeral exercises
at the McKinley home, the street along
the entire length of the line of march
was crowded with spectators. From
the gates of the cemetery to the doors
of the church there was on each side
of the street an almost unbroken line of
soldiers, and at the intersecting
streets, detachments of the military
were posted about 100 feet from the
line of march. It was exactly four
minutes after 4 o'clock when the fu
neral car bore the remains of the dead
President through the gateway of thi3
last resting place. Twenty minutes
after that time the brief services at tha
vault were over, the members of the
family and the distinguished men of
the nation who had come so far to do
him honor had passed through thi
gates on their homeward way.
One hour and forty minutes after the
hearse had entered the cemetery the
place wras clear and the dead President
was resting alone under the watchful
care of men of the regular army. A
sentry's measured tread resounded
another kept vigil on the grassy slope
above and at the head and aUthe foot
of the casket stood armed men. Be
fore the door which was not closed to
night was pitched the tent of th3
guard and there it will remain until
the doors are closed to-morrow. Sen
tries will then guard the vault every
hour cf the day and night until tho
body has been borne to its final resting
place.
Bishop Joyce, of Minneapolis, read
the burial service of the Methodist
church slowly, but in a voice that
could be plainly heard by all who
were grouped around the vault. As his
words ended there was a brief pause,
for it had been understood that a quar
tette of the Knights Templar was to
he present to render a hymn. Through
a misunderstanding, however, it had
not arrived, and after satisfying him
self of this fact, Colonel Bingham
waved his hand to the Canton band,
which had taken station on the side of
the mound above and to the south of
the vault. Instantly from the sign of
bugles rang out the notes of the sol
dier's last call, "taps." It was beauti
fully done and the last notes of the
bugles died away so softly that all who
heard it remained listening for a few
seconds to hear if it was really ended;
When the last note had floated away,
Secretary Wilson was in tears, Secreta
ry Hitchcock was almost weeping and
the President was gazing grimly at the
walk. It wras the last moment for the
men who had been so closely associa
ted with the President for so long and
the thought seemed greater than most
of them could bear. It was all ended
at last and Captain Biddle, of Company
G, of the Fourteenth Infantry, who
will command the guard which isto
be placed around the vault, stationed
sen-tries at the head -and foot of the
casket and in front of the vault.
The President, the members of the
cabinet and the officers of the army
and navy then entered their carriages,
and, followed by the members of the
family, passed out of the cemetery and
returned to the city. The delay caused
by the services at the vault being over,
the procession resumed its march.
Every man in the line save those :n
uniform who rendered appropriate)
honor in other ways, went past the cas
ket with uncovered head. As the hea l
of the division containing the Knights
Templar wheeled into the cemetery,
the quartette that had been delayed In
reaching the place for the previous
ceremonies, took up a position to the
south cf the vault and sang "Fare
well, my Brother." This hymn was
followed by others, including "Rock of
Ages, "The Christian's G-ood Night,"
and "The Wayside Cross." The selec
tions were beautifully rendered, and
no part of the funeral ceremonies in
Canton was more impressive. Tho
darkness was gathering fast as th
Knights sang on and many in tho mul
titude around the casket were moved
to tears, and the sound of sobs was
distinctly audible in the crowd that
lined the fence beyond the line of
national guardsmen.
The last of the procession passed tha
bier at 5:45 and then orders were given
by Captain Biddle that the cemetery
should be cleared. The order wa3
quickly carried out and the President
was left in the care of his guard of
honor.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND
CABINET AT THE VAULT.
From the first carriage that stopped
at the foot of the walk leading up to
the vault, President Roosevelt and
Commander Cowle3, of the Navy,
alighted. The President walked slowly
toward the vault and took a position
on the south side of the walk close to
the door. As secretary Root oame up
the walk he assumed a similar position
on the north side of the walk and the
other members of the cabinet arranged
themselves by the side of the President
and Secretary of War. With tared
heads, the President and cabinet and
others stood at the side of the walk,
the lines reaching just to the edge of
the roadway. Within a minute after
the formation of tho lines, the funeral
car came up the walk. The coffin was
gently lifted from the hearse ard
borne to the door of the vault, where
it rested upon the catafalque.
CLEVELAND ON M'KINLfcY.
The Only Living Ex-President's Feel
ing Tribute.
Princeton, N. J., Special. All
formal exercises at Princeton Uni
versity were suspended, and at 11
o'clock memorial exercises were held
in Alexander Hall. President Patton
introduced Mr. Cleveland, who was
visibly affected and with tears in his
eyes eulogized the dead President. Mr.
Cleveland said in part:
"Today the grave closes over the
man that had been chosen by the peo
ple of the United States to represent
their sovereignty, to protect and de
fend their constitution, to faithfully
execute the laws made for their wel
fare and to safely uphold the integ
rity of the republic. He passes from
the public sight not bearing the
wreaths and garlands of his country
men's approving acclaim, but amid
the sobs and tears of a mourning na
tion. The whole nation loved their
President. His kindly disposition and
affectionate traits, his amiable con
sideration 'for all around him will
long be in the hearts of ni3 country
men. He loved them in return with
such patriotic unselfishness that in
this hour of their grief and humilia
tion he would say to them, 'It is God's
will, I am content . If there is a les
son in my life or death, let it be
taught to those who still live and
have the destiny of their country in
their keeping.'
"First in my thoughts are the les
sons to be learned from the career of
William McKinley by the young men
who make up the students today of
our University. They are not obscure
nor difficult. The man who is uni
versally mourned today was not de
ficient in education, but with all you
will hear of his grand career and his
services to his country, you will not
hear that that which he accomplished
was due entirely to education. He was
an obedient and affectionate son, pa
triotic and faithful as a soldier, hon
est and upright as a citizen, tender
and devoted as a husband, and truth
ful, generous, unselfish, moral and
clean in every relation of life. He
never thought any of those things too
weak for his manliness. Make no mis
take. Here was a most distinguished
man, a great man, a useful man who
became distinguished, great and use
ful because he had, and retained un
impaired, qualities of heart which I
fear university students sometimes
feel like keeping in the background or
abandoning.
"There is a most serious lesson for
all of us in the tragedy of our late
President's death. If we are to es
cape further attacks upon our peace
and security, we must boldly and re
solutely grapple with the monster of
anarch'. It is not a thing that we can
safely leave to be dealt with by party
or partisanship. Nothing can, guaran
tee us against its menace except the
.teaching and the practice of the best
citizenship, the exposure of the ends
and aims of the gospel of discontent
and hatred of social order, and the
brave enactment and execution o
repressive laws.
"By the memory of our martyred
President let us resolve to cultivate
and preserve the qualities that made
him great and useful, and let ui de
termine to meet the call of patriotic
duty in every time of our country's
danger or need."