Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-01-09
Funeral of Colonel Rdvara McGurry.

The funeral of Col. Edward McGarry,
who committed suicide at the Occidental
Hotel n few days since, took place at IL
o'clock A. N. to-day, from the Unitarian
Church, on Geary street. 1t was numer-
ously attended by civilians, and by the
military, according to the discipline of
which the solemn ceremonies were con-
Quoted. Rev. Mr.. Stebbins oficiated at
the church. The remains Of the de-
ceased were inclosed in q handsome
coffin, aud wore the uniform designating
his rank in the army. On the top Of
the coffin lay his sword and the National
flag. Seated near the pulpit wero OBJ
served Gen. Halleck and o large number
| of other military gentlemen Of the regu-
lar army, Ex-Gov. Low, Gen. Miller,
and several Judges Of the State Courts.
The ceremonies were brief, but very
impressive. Mr.. Stobbins said some
thing was due to the unhappy man
whose death had caused them to assem-
bic there ; something was due to the
consecrated place to which his remains
had been brought. he then referred to
the estimation in which suicide is held
by most men now, and the estimation
in which it had been hold by men of
past ages. Blackstone had called a
suicide q moral coward Of the school Of
stole philosophers, and by the old law
of England, the man who destroyed his
own life, and thereby escaped q part Of
human retribution, was still pursued by
the vengeance of the law he was buried
Mt the cross roads, and u stake driven
through his mangled body. Tho spirit
Of that barbarous law, he said, still
lives; lives, he regretted to say, in the
bosom of tho Church, and the moral
and spiritual teachers Of millions of the
human family held that the poor victim
Of suicide ought to be denied a decent
and christian burial. He would there
fore have his hearers ask themselves
whether they did right in coming there
to shed a tear over the mortal remains Of
u poor, weary fellow man and brother?
He would have them ask whether the
place consecrattd to God, wa dcsccra-
ted by the presence Of the ashes Of one
whose spirit has assembled to the judg-
mcnt and the merciful r%etribution Of its
Father he would have them inquire of
their W consciences whether their
tears were q proclamation and their
prayers blasphcmy of God? He would
answer them: They did right to come
there, all Of them, and the service of
the hour was consecrated by the mercy
and benign forgiveness Of the Father.
"This poor man," said he, " whom
many of you loved rs n brother-loved
for his devotion to duty in the service of
his country, loved for the warmth Of
heart which he always manifested-had
q mother once. She pillowed him over
her loving heart, and when hc looked
up into her face, his eyes were windows
to the radiance Of Heaven. If she were
here to-day, would she look coldly upon
his poor remains or chidc the weary
spirit which has gone from this world
Of sorrow, disappointment and misery,
to SEQ if it q find rest in the realms
beyond? She would bend over him
here, and weeping, kiss those cold lips,
forgiving, forgetting his sin and COM
mending his soul rs we commend it now,
to the merciful justice Of God" He
said no mar could undertake to draw
the line which should mark the respon-
sibility Of tho dead for his act. Philos-
ophy has never succeeded perfectly in
discovering the true relations of the
mind to tho body, but it was enough for
him and them to remember that their
brother was o human creature like them
selves, and entitled to their sympathy
and respect, their prayers and tears, for
the good which they knew to be in him.
The ceremonies were closed with II
prayer and the singing Of a dirge, when
the remains were conveyed out Of the
church by a guard, placed in the h%carsc,
and taken to their last resting-placc.
Company D, Battalion of Engineers,
Battery b, D and G, Second U. S. Artil-
lery, composed the military escort, and
a large number of tho friends of deceased
accompanied them to the cemetery.-S.
+. Bulletin.