Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-09-30
Misfellaug.
ATragi.Csmic FuneraI.


Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears are
separated by no insurmountable barrier,
and not unfrequenily even the boundary
line between them is lost. We have rarely
met with more striking instance Of this
than in the following narrative, which we
find in a recent number of the New Orleans
Crescent:
On Friday, when We visited the Third
District Guard House, we found an Irish
man monopolizing the attention Of the
loungers around. He was drunk-and in
q very lugubrious mood, half laughing and
halt. crying, was telling how "lhat felly
yonder" didn't want him to go to his wife's
funeral. He was as bloated, and dirty, and
ragged customer a. We had seen for a year.
We looked ..yonder," and saw the Street
Consaissioner's wagon 1.-THE hearss of the
friendless aud moueyless dead) standing
nearly square of, downGreatmen street, in
care Of the drEes. whilst the horse was in
stable taking his midday feed. ( 81
In the wagon was cheap fimsy coffin,
containing the unwashed, the unlaid- bout
body OF poor woman, who had died of
yellow fever, and by that obtained bless
ed relief from life of poverty and indi-
gence, with worthless, drunken husband.
Now that the poor thing was dead and on
her way to the grave, the poor beast who
had been her husband, drunk as he was,
showed still enough of human feeling to
temper the disgust of the spectators with
some share of pity. Some of the crowd
told him that it was no use to follow his
wife to the grave-yard-that the wagon
was used only for carrying dead people, and
that the driver had orders not to let any
but The dead ride with him. "Come Pat
said one, "let's 60 over and take drink;
your wife will be decently buried, and there's
no use Of your going along and raising a
fuss J" But Pat, for that time was not, to
be lured by The offer of drink. He con-
tinued to complain Of the drivers s, treatment
and in his incoherent remarks seemed to
want to find out if he hadn't the riokt to
ride in the wagon.
wns.,lst he was talking, the driver bro't
out his horse, thitched him up, mounted his
seat, and resumed his hi way down to ST. Viz
cent de Paul. Pat was s:old of this. He
Immediately started in pursuit; but bis
shoes, great large concerns, ragged and torn
looking like old ralises with the lids up,
impeded him. He stopped, ierked them
of, and flung them into the street, discos-
ing feet almost bare-there being strip
of dirty sock, without toe or heel, aon each
foot. Free of his shoes, be took the mid
die of the street, and ran staggering after
the wagon. In good time he caught up,
ard clambered up on the tail of the wagon.
The driver stopped, and quarreled awc lie. i
In the distance We could see his violent
gesticuls.ions, and his threats with his whip
but poor Pat, poor drunken Pat, never
minded him; and so be concluded to take
him along without further fuss.
And as The wagon disappeared amid the
dust down Greatmen street, the widowed
drunkard could still be seen banging linn
berly over. orrr the tail board of the wagon
with his head bent down upon the coffin in
side-a sorrowful and al the same time n
most disgusting spectacle. 1t was certainly
one OF the most picturesque funerals We
ever saw. ~