Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-05-01
THE FUNERAL GRAFTON,
A COMPLETE REPORT,
GENERAL VIEW.


Saturday, the 10Th of April, 1865, win be a
day long held in remembrance by the citir
zens of Ohio. On that day. all that was
mortal of the late President of our Repub-
lie passed through 0hio's Capital City on
its way to its final home in Illinois. Many
funeral pageants had been seen in our city
several had passed through our State
before this; but the grand obsequics of Sat-
urday threw them all far into the shade,l
and totally eclipsed all former demonstra-
tions in honor of the illustrious dead. But
it was not mere pageant that we beheld|
on Saturday. There was accompanying the1
procession and the solemn exercises OIL
the day, deep and HEARTFELT grief that per-
vaded every bosom and pierced all hearts-'
A great State seemed to be throbbing at
her center-at her very hearts core-with|
unutterable sorrow at the great calamity
that had so suddenly, and at so inauspicious
a moment, befallen her and her sister States
Whose mortal remains were those that
ELECTED all this grand funeral display and
caused profound grief and mourning in our|
Capital, throughout the State, and all over|
our beloved country? They were those Of
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, the sixteenth President
of the United States. Fifteen Presidents
had preceded him, of whom only three sur
vive. The first twelve Cesars or Presidentsj
of our Republic had gone to their reward
in the spirit-land. Each had made his exit
by what we call natural death. 1t was|
the lot of the sixteenth to fall by the hand
of an assassin-an unprecedented event in|
our national history and the most deplora-'
bic and saddening disaster that has occurred
since the first settlement was made on our
shores. Other Presidents have been sum-
moned away by the hand of death while in
the exercise of their high Office; but 1t was
at time when the country was at peaceI
and enjoying comparative quiet. Not so'
with President LINCOLN. He was called
awav when to human ken the nation mostI
needed his services, when great civil war;
was in progress, but when he seemed toI
be about to become its great pacifcator and
to restore Peace and Union to q bleedingI
and distracted country.
Saturday, when the body of the deceased
President arrived in our city, was just twoi
weeks from the day on which he died at
the National Capital. He expired on Satur-
day, the 18th of April, from the effects OF
the wound inflicted by an assassin the
night before. Two weeks from his death
his remains were carried in mournful pro-
cession through our streets, at about the
same hour in which the sad news of his as
sassination and its fatal result, was COM
municated to our horror-stricken COM
munity. The two weeks interval between
the reception of that news and the great
funeral here, was one long season of sorrow
and mourning. Everywhere were to be f
seen the emblems of grief that defied con-
ISOLATION. Private and public buildings,
Offices, halls, stores, places of business, and
even the resorts of public amusement K
were draped in deep mourning. The Cap
,tol expressed on its front and in its Interior
the absorbing sorrow that had taken pos
session Of the people in Ohio's Capital City
and State.
Two weeks ago, when the news Of the +
Presidents death was made known, busi-
ness, al by common consent was suspend
ed, the bells were stolled, and flags which
had been gaily flying the day before, hungl
at half-mast, or we're folded and draped in
mourning. a deep gloom settled over our
city. On the Wednesday following, the
day Of the President's funeral at Washing
ton, business was again suspended, the BELLS
tolled, and minute guns were fired at noon
in Capitol Square. AS the tidings came on'
from time to time Of the progress of the fn- !.
neral cortege from Washington, through
Baltimore, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New
York. Albany, Buffalo, and Cleveland, andI
the honors paid the remains in these, and
the intervening cities, and Of the deep man
ifestatIons Of public grief we seemed to be-
partakers in one great national funeral, un-
iii Saturday morning, when the obsequies|
began In our midst. -
saturday, as we said at the Cntset, is dayI
never TO be forgotten. The procession was|
the largest and the most imposing that
ever passed along our streets. The specta7|
cles presented 1t different points far ex-|
ceedod our feeble powers Of descriptioa.-|
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