Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-02-06
EuneroI 81 4. a. LeIehtoh.

U0stOtut ~ "s - sosOt
From the extended and exceeding.
ly we'll written account of the funer'
al of Mr.. Leighton, on Monday last
which appears in the State Register
of this morning we clip the follow
ing extracts:
The procession, as formed, wal
very imposing, there being about six
hundred Masons in line, some two
hundred and fifty of them being
Knights Templar in uniform, whose
beautiful and elegant equipments
and dignifed bearing, added greatly
to the impressiveness of the occasion.
Some eight or ten Communicates
were represented-among them those
of Des Moines, Newton, Marshall
town, Grinnell, Montezuma, Ottum-
wa, Abba, Keokuk, Burlington, and
Monticello. The Des Moines Com
mandery and that of Marshalltown
went by special train each in full uni
form, and each presented a fine APP
pearance,-the first having twenty
five uniformed knights, and the Sec
ond some twenty. The music was
furnished by the Ottumwa Brass
Band, which was in full uniform, and
which is one of the finest bands in the
West. From all the towns named
above, too, werc large delegations Of
citizens.
The press was largely present
some thirty or forty papers being
represented-among them being MI.
S. M. Clark, of the Keokuk Gate
City, Col. Shannon, of the Elkader
Journal, MI. Raymond, of the Hamp-
ton Leader, and Maj. Hamilton and
Gen. Hedrick, of the Ottumwa C0ur-
tier, and all the editors of the Newton,
Ottumwa, Abba, Marshalltown,
Grinnell. Sigourney, Montezums,
Knoxville, New Sharon, and Eddy
vile papers. The Journalists congre-
gated at the Office of the Herald, in
Mr.. Leightcn's room, so painful and
SO eloquent in its silence and loneli-
ness, and joined the procession OH the
way to the residence, and remained
with it throughout all the ceremonies,
receiving at the hands of the Mason
ic order every possible attention and
courtesy--the two fraternities thus
joining to celebrate a common sor-
row and mourn common loss.
X 4 4 Y r x
At the conclusion of the services
the body was removed to the vesti-
bule of the church, and the face ex-
posed in order to crafty the univer-
sal desire for me more look at the
dead. This greatly delayed the SER
vices. But it was the scene of touch
ing incidents-old and young alike,
and all classes, breaking down at the
final parting with a friend so dear to
them all.
The procession reached the ceme-
terry very late-so lengthy had been
the services, and SO reluctantly did
the great throng pass from one step
to another in the closing rites. At
the grave the Knights had formed in
the grand square, and the coffin been
placed upon the grave and the funer-
al services began, just as the lower
edge of the sun touched the earth and
threw on the assembled thousands a
red flush Of farewell and benedictiOn.
The coincident was m of striking
beauty-and the last of Henry Leigh
ton on earth went down in the grave
with the setting sun. The solemn and
beautiful Templar service at the grave
was conducted by Sir Knight Sher-
man, assisted by others, the place of
Prelatc being filed with exceeding
grace and merit by a Knights of the
Ottumwa Commandery, whose name
we did not learn. Darkness had fair
ly fallen before the ceremonies were
concluded-and under the shadow OF
his first night under the open sky, and
in his couch in the silent earth, Hen.
ry Leighton was left to his rest. Blu,
how many tender prayers we're left
pressing the sod above him-almost
enough in their fervor to warm the
still heart back to life again, ifhumar
warmth could do it-God alone
knows, and GOD alone can count.
- .