Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-01-18
Touching Scene nj IL Funeral.


VIM. S. Pontin a steady young clerk in
New York was to have been married Fri
day night, but that evening instead of 60
Ing to his wedding got on a Ferry boat
and blew his brains out, the body falling
into the river. The bridal party assem-
bled at the house and dispersed. the groom
not appearing. The body was found next
day, and was buried from the residence of
his uncle in Brooklyn, The N. Y. "Sun"
Says
The parlors were filled with large COM
pany of young persons, and many who had
expected to attend his wedding gathered
about the coffin. Miss Rose II. Plant, the
young woman left desolate by the suicide,
sat, dressed in deep mourning, at the head
of the coffin, with her hands clasped toge-
ther as in the attitude of prayer. A heavy
Grape veil vas draped about her face,
throwing into strong relief her light blue
eyes and the tresses of light hair that fell
about her face. Her eyes moved restless
ly, and she seemed to be crazed with a grief
which could not find vent in tears. She
kept up continuous low moan, saying !;
ooh, my darling! Oh, my darling ~
Her mother sat close to her, and young
Pontin's brother sat behind her, almost
broken hearted.
The coffin lid was off, and the body SEEM
Ell wonderfully lifelike. An anchor OF
tuberoses and geranium leaves, entwined
with smilax. rested on the coffin lid.
The Rev. H.sR. Nye. the pastor of the
Clermont Avenue Universalist Church,
who was to have married young Pontin to
Miss Rose Plant, conducted the services
He read from the Scriptures, AMI theM
read, by request, a beautiful bit of poetry,
expressing the sadness of saying the last
farewell. In his address he said that he
violated no propriety when he spoke of the
fact that the young man who had gone
out from the circle of that house had died
by his own hand. A wild moan filled the
parlors, coming from the lips of the young
woman thus bereft of her lover. She said,
ooh, oh, my GOd!" and more that was
not Ineligible.
The minister was choked with emotion.
but he soon proceeded in consoling words,
AS he spoke of the desolation of the che
sen bride she knelt by the coffin, and then
arose and kissed passionately the pale lips
of the corpse.
AS the company filed by the coffin, NJ ISIS
Plant scanned the face of each person.
Her eyes we're CLASSY and fearless. AS one
lady reached a gloved hand into the coffin,
to arrange the dress, she grasped the hand
and pushed it forcitly aside, saying, HES
mlne-my darling" Then size clasped the
dead face between her hands, as though it
was lying in her lap. She spoke in soft,
musical tones, which expressed such in
tense despair that those who saw and heard
her were at once moved to tears.
AS the undertaken drew near to close up
the coffin, the young woman uttered a
prayer, and all bowed in deepest silence,
broken only by the violent sobbing of these
in intimate sympathy with her. She then
took up the head of her dead lover and
covered it with kisses. She chung to the
body so long that it was necessary to take
her away by force. AS she was led to a
seat, she refused to take her eyes off the
coffin. Turning to her companion, she
said, "Oh, they have notcovered him yet :"
and then she added, almost in a " hisper,
Don't you think that could get just one
more kiss ?''
Pontin's father, in this scene, reeled
about like man intoxicated, and fell into
his wife's arms. Mrs. Plant tainted.
Miss Plant followed the body to Green
wood Cemetery, where it was buried.
Her friends greatly fear the consequences
of the shock to her.
terry # the suicide. The only reasonable
theory advanced is that something occurr-
ed on the day of the suicide in the resi-
dence of his intended bride, at 307 Eas;
Thirty-third street, New Y DIRK city. His
brother-in-law, Mr.. Thomas Burch, saw
him at o'clock on the afternoon on which
he killed himself. He gave him wedding
present, with which he started to Miss
Plants house. AT O'Clock lie killed him.
self AT 2 o'clock he was in good spirits,
and there was nothing to indicate that he
did not expect the greatest happiness from
his marriage.