The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1879-11-29
AN OUTCAsT's FUNERAL.
Touching Scenes That Attended the Buri-
al Of Ruined WOman-Liberality of her
Frail COmpanf0ns.

Scenes That Attended the Buri-
al Of Ruined wOman-Liberality of her |
Frail Companions.
cleveland Herald.
Not long since, in certain house on Cross
street, young and beautiful girl lay dying.
For DAYS she he'd tossed in feverish delirium
upon her sick bed, without friendly hand
to soothe her throbbing head or wet her
parched lips with drop of water. A few
weeks before she had moved into the house
an entire stranger. Several persons were
seen and heard TO enter her room when she
first became an inmate of the house, but the
people that saw them knew them not, and
cared so little that they made no endeavor
to become acquainted. After awhile the
visits ceased and the girl was seldom seen.
Occasionally she would go out with bas-
ket and return short time afterward with
a few vegetables. The balance of the resi-
dents of the building seldom or never
thought of the strange girl that always APP
peared so sad and friendless.
One morning as a woman was passing the
door of the girls room she thought she heard
a groan, but paid little attention to it, as she
was used to such things. Later in the day,
as she was again going through the hall she
heard a faint moan and, stopping at the door,
looked in. There lay the girl burning and
raving with fever. All that poor ane labor
ing people could do was done for the sufferer,
but it was without avail, for few days
afterward the liking of terrors laid his rude
hands upon her lovely form, and blasted her
beauty with his icy breath" No friend was
near, nor did she leave behind her any trace
that she ever had any one that was near or
dear to her. The people in the building
were too poor to pay for her burial, and so
one of them told policeman ofthe case, and
he informed the authorities.
The same day AN undertaken with pine
coffin proceeded to the house to prepare the
dead for her last resting place. 1t so hap
pened that he was kind hearted man, and
when he saw the sad but beautiful face of the
dead girl he could not place her in ii pauper'
grave until he had satisfied himself that she
had really no friends. So he began to search
and before long ascertained the dead girls
history, and beside found women that had
known her before she had became a resident
of the place wherein she died He learned
that she was one of the many women that
had fallen She was the promised wife of q
man whom she loved better than her own
life. and in moment of weakness was
crushed by the one whom she worshpped
Time passed on, and the girl entered on {
life of sin and wretchedness. Little by littl,
she sank lower and lower, until finally, be-
coming almost driven to frenzy she forsool
her companions and took up her abode ii
the room where she died
Upon learning the fate of their old friend
the women, hardened by sin anC
neglect, proceeded to the bedside
of the deceased and did all they
could toward preparing her for tn
tomb The pine coffin was ordered sen
back, and handsome casket took its place
Beautiful flowers of pure white were wreath
ed in the tresses of the dead, while hand
some wreath was placed upon the caske'
These women, Stunned by the world, de
spised and denounced, freely spent thei
money in giving one of their own class
good burial. The day of the funeral came
The hall and room of the dead girl wer
crowded with genuine mourners. The I'm
, dertaker and hackmen arrived, and were tn
only men present The hour approache
for the funeral procession to take up its so
solemn march toward the city of the deaG
when the undertaken noted that there wa
| not person present to conduct the buris
|. service Going up to one of the women pr,
5 sent he inquired whether the girl was to b
7 buried without the aid of minister, eve
a prayer. The women said they had though
5 of that. but they knew no one near at han
: who would attend such a funeral and offt
UP a prayer for a woman of that characte
g The neighborhood was searched for mir
l ister, but none could be found, and the bu
g ia was to take place without eve
0 prayer being offered for the soul
1 the poor dead girl. TIE women were al
y pealed to by the undertaken to say fe
r words but none of them had prayed sine
r they were children, and considered it noel
t cry and sin for such as they to attempt
: Finally an old colored woman was called il
: who said she would offer up prayer to tn
e throne in Heaven for the dead. She kne
e down, and the courtezans followed. I'll
aged colored woman began, and solemn
Q proceeded to ask God to deal gently and
\ Judge mercifully. As she prayed for til
souls of the living, and asked God to forgiy
: the company for the lives they had lived an
!, to make them better women, not dry ey
] was to be seen among all in the assembling
d some of whom had not wept before since I'll
e time that they knelt at their mothers kne
n After the prayer solemn line was forme
t and the body taken to its last resting plac
t There the colored woman offered anoth,
d prayer, and as the clods fell into tho ope
a grave, giving dull sound as they struck I'll
rough box, the scene that ensued was indee
touching The events of that day will III
doubtedly exert good influence among eve
; those outcasts.