The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-04-20

skirt the only one in the city, Q sheet
was converted into-a shroud, and
Charley Holt soon lay in q rough pine
box upon bier of logs. This was not
all, q Gre was built 10 the corner of that
black, deserted cabin, the root opened to
allow the smoke to escape, and then .
half dozen noble men sat and watched
until daylight They wersi bound To
start a graveyard, With the sising of
the sun came ladies-yes, ladies; kind
hearted pioneers who had woven II
wreath Of pine twigs, winter IVY pine
cones and four little fragments of white
tarlatan, and pieces OF the white silk
strings of Mrs. Droginond's bonnet,
This wreath was laid lreveren;ly upon
the implanted 1ii9pine ip box; it.
was all these five noble-hearted women
could do, ard they did it we'll. But still
the graveyard was not inaugurated. Here
was corpse neatly shrouded, wreathed
and confined, and no graveyard; but q
site for city graveyard was fe1nd-s
natural cemetery already planted with
groves of trees, and land out by nature
into broad, irregular avenues, all sodded
dna hbit SiCGh. SdsIud0oy oihSul0uScu
with glittering icicles, lent their aid to
the frosted evergreen foliage and snow
white gretto Of quartz to beautify the
newly.selected site for the city of the
dead. A half-dozen brawny athletes,
with pick and shovel, tore open the virgin
soil, and made the grave. They were
generous sections, these amateurs, and
sunk q hole like unto q mining
shaft. 1t was at least twelve feet
long-this grave for the halt grown boy.
But the trouble was only half over. Who
would net as parson? There is no
preacher in Custer, and two hours
canvass of the city failed to find pro-
fessor Of religion among 800 people.
Worse than that, close search failed TO
find prayer-book. The Mayor, honest
man. appealed to one OF the two lawyers
in the city 10 Say few words at the
grave, to be Christian-like," but such
pleading was not in his line; 80 the three
doctors were applied to, but with like sue.
Cess. Then a committee Of Judge,
Mayor and Marshal came to the reporter.
Surely, "paper- man" knew something
about funerals; "and," said the Mayor.
tive want to put the poor lad away O
Christian like; not like dog" Besides,
q graveyard had to be started.
Then came Miss Ida Simms, like
an angel of goodness. with a small gilt
edged Bible, the only one in the city,
and The funeral cortege moved on through
the main street Of the city. 1t was
scene on the bright, sunny
day. A wagon containing the implanted
coffin, upon which lay the lady's ever
green wreath; then the Mayor, Judge,
Councilmen and Marshall, rough, blue
shifted men in minors boots and SLOUGH
hats, dozen or two miners, merchants
and hunters brought up the rear, and
the procession moved silently on.
Then shallow grave on the hillside.
sunk, as one of the amateur sections said,
cellar down to the bed rock, gentlemen,
down whar the dirt shows good color"
Silently the body was taken from the
wagon and tenderly Land in the golden
earth upon the bedrock. Then every
head was barred and every bronzed coun-
tenance bowed while one or two selec-
tons of Scripture were read. The grave
wss soon flied and white pine headstone
set in the earth, and thus the city of Gus.
ter inaugurated its graveyard.
The saddest point about this affecting
incident is yet to be mentioned. No
letters, papers, or even the slightest clue
to his home or friends have been found,
All that Is known is that he walked all
the way from Sioux City to the Black
Hill to die and start Il grave yard.