The Cecil Whig., 1878-07-13
THE CLOSING SCENE.
The Burial of James and
Thomas Armstrong.
Large Attendance of Sympathizing
Friends.

The last act in the Port Deposit tragedy
took place on Tuesday last. Thomas Arm
on Friday last and fingered in great an
guish till death relieved his suffering on
Sunday morning. James Armstrong body
had, in the mean time, been removed to the
residence of William, the only surviving
brother, which is a mile or two back from
Port, on the summit of one of the highest
hills that skirt the Susquehanna, and from
which the spectator can obtain fine view
of the bay and the rugged forest crowned hill
tops along the river. 1t was the intention
of the family to have buried James on Sun
day, but after the death of Thomas, his
funeral was postponed till Tuesday, in or
der that the two funerals should take place
at the same time. The two brothers were
members of Cecil Lodge, No 81, Knights of
Pythias, and Mount Pisgah Lodge, No. 81,
/. o. o. F., who had charge of their funerals.
The members of these respective lodges
met at their rooms and marched to the late
lCSiuChSC VI "lllCu 10 q HcaG llttlC
structure about midway of the town shortly
after l p. NJ, when the funeral procession
was formed and left the town about 1.30.
Besides those in the procession, number
of the citizens and others took the cars and
went to Frenchtown, station on the Per-
ryvile and Port Deposit Railroad about
three. quarters of mile from ST. Marks
Chapel, where the bodies were inferred.
The procession reached the residence of
William about q p. NJ, where it was joined
by a large number of the people of the
immediate neighborhood and slowly wound
its mournful way among the everlasting
hills to the place of interment. Besides
the funeral ceremonies of the Orders
to which the deceased belonged, that
of the Episcopal Church, of which they
were members, was read by Rev. George
Easter, rector of st. James Church, at
Port, and Rev. Mr.. Miller, rector of St.
Mary AIMS Church, at North East, the lat
ter having Joined the procession at Will
liam Armstrong;. The mournful process
sion reached the pretty little chapel, which
is in a quiet neighborhood about mile
northeast of Perryville, at 3p. NJ.
Dark clouds had loomed up in the west
ern horizon for some time BEFORE and
shortly after the arrival of the funeral cor
tege at the place of interment, they quite
overspread the sky as if nature sympa-
thized with the woe that rent two widowed
hearts and strove to shut from the face of
day the sorrow of the twelve disconsolate
orphans who wept for the loss of their
father and uncle. 1t was fitting that the
heavens should be hung in black, for it
was the final act in the most startling
tragedy ever enacted in this vicinity. The
rain that had been threatening for some
time began to fall thick and fast before the
conclusion of the service in the chapel, and
in the midst of the lightning and the
storm, the bodies of James and Thomas
Armstrong were lowered into their last
lations and mourning friends turned sor-
rowfully away. Near the graves of the
two murdered men lie the remains of their
relative, who, in a moment of frenzied ex-
citement, sacrificed their lives and his own.
He is well spoken of by those who knew
him best, as are also the victims of his
maniacal excitement. The ways of Provi
dence are indeed inscrutible, And now
let the curtain drop, and the veil of OBJ
livion enshroud the sorrowful scene. What
we know not now we may know hereafter