The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-08-24
FIRST FUNERAL BY FIRE.
charleston s. c. Sew and ConrIet.


A strange and solemn even thas recent
tly occurred in this country, which carries
the mind back to those ancient days
when the remains of the dead were dis,
posed of by cineration, and when the
tablet and tombstone had not super.
seeded the memorial urn. The subject oil
this remarkable funeral ceremony was
Mr., Henry Berry, an aged and highly
respectable citizen of this county, those
rare tact, industry and economy, honest
ly exercised, enabled him to amass a
very large property. His habits of
thought were bold and Independent, and
his individuality Of taste and tempera-
ment was marked to such degree that
it is scarcely to be wondered at that he
should have prescribed for himself an
exequial form not in cOnsOnance with
the usual custom. Many years ago,
in attempting to remove the remains Of
beloved relative from the spot where
they had lain for some time, he enCOun-
tered sight which created in his mind
an unconquerable aversion to being
buried, and to such an extent did this
prejudice possess him in after life, that
he enjoined it upon his heirs, on pain Of
disinheriting them, to see that his body
WAS burned after death. He was careful
to designate the spot where the ceremony
should take place and the lightwood
trees that should be used as fuel on the
occasion. The old gentleman, after
lingering for many months, died on
Sunday, the ninth instant, and on the
following Tuesday his strange desire
respecting the disposition Of his remains
was carried out to the letter. The
funeral service of the church of which he
had been member was read, and an
discourse delivered by the
pastor, on the Monday evening previous.
The next morning his remains, encased |
in nothing but square box, which, by
his directions, had been handsomely
lined inside and encased outside with
black velvet, and Ornamented with trim
mings, were borne to the spot which he
himself had selected for the purpose.
Here three large IightwOOd logs, each
nearly two feet in diameter, cut from
The very same trees he had indicated,
we're placed alongside on the ground, and
Upon these logs the box was deposited.
Iightwood pieces Of sufficient length and
were then piled upon the logs
md around the coffin until the latter
vas hiden from view. The lightwood
vas than piled in cross layers until the
oyre reached a height of seven or eight
eet A torch was then applied at diff
erent corners of the pile, and in a few
minutes the raging fire resembled the
BURNING Of large building, the flames
Gaping many feet in the air, and sending
of feet higher a vast column
f pitch-blaCk smoke, that was seen for
many miles around. It is said that the
ire died out without entirely consuming
he remains, and had to be replenished
efore the cremation was complete. 1t
yas the old gentleman's express desire
hat his ashes should disappear amid the
anne and smoke, or be mingled with
he soil beneath the pyre, and so no
recautions were taken to preserve them.
he burning began at eight o'clock in
ne morning, and was finished in six
ours 1t was witnessed by upward of a
undred persons. Mr.. Berry resided at
'erry's Cross Roads, locality that took
Is name from HIM. 1t is about fourteen
lilies from this place. Thus was the in
melton, "ashes to ashes," carried out
nder conditions that made it impos-
bile to fulfill the other precepts, "earth
} earth, and dust to dust"
gvVrEs SrFr Nlrpg n ~ man