Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-22
THE DEAD PRESIDENT
LYING IN STATE at THE CAPITOL.
THE REMAINS VIEWED BY THOUSANDS.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR TO-MORROW'S CERE-
MONIES.
Scenes at the Capitol To-day.

AN ENDLESS LINE OF PEOPLE-vIEWING THE
REMAINS OF THE DEAD PRESIDENT.
There had never before been such scene as
the Capitol witnessed to-day. The stream OF
people was endless. They stopped passing by
the body of the late President about o'clock
this morning. There was respite then until
o'clock this morning, when they commenced to
come again. They have kept it up all day long.
and will continue until the funeral. 1t would
be simply impossible to estimate the number of
people, of all ages. who passed by the clay OF
President Garfield to-day. 1twas bewildering,
constantly moving stream. A STAR reporter
stood by the catafalque. and, after counting
number OF times made the average that IL peo-
pie every minute loOkedin through the glass upon
the features of the dead. Outside the Capitol
from the east porticO there was a scene of
moving life AS far as the eye could take in,
the stream OF people were formed into line. BY
noon the line reached to 1st street, to A and
along to I'd street. At one o'clock the line
had extended much further, and it was still be-
ing added to. The additions were greater at
the end OF the line than the number who went
out OF the west door of the rOtunda after glanc-
ing at the face of the dead as they passed by.
There was no pushing anywhere along the
line. There was no excitement. The peo-
pie waited for hours. content to stand
in the sun and advance towards the
bier inch by inch. Some people had stood
in line fully three hours before they passed the
C.
Immediately in front of the east portico there
was Heterogeneous gathering. People who
did not get in line stood by in crowds and
watched the faces of those marching on to the
entrance as they slowly filed by two and two. No
more than that number were allowed abreast in
the line of march. Carriages were parked all
around the plateau east of the Capitol. Their
occupants did not get out, but seeing
the rush cOntented themselves with watching
the pilgrimage of the thousands who slowly but
oh
started. Many colored peoplefrom Virginia and
Maryland had come afOOt and in the oldest kind
of vehicles to take look at the late chief of the
nation. They were but poorly clad. They
showed in their faces and general appearance that
they had travelled far by the highroads. Those
in conveyances- -whichwere drawnb lean horses
or hungry-lOOking mules-parked alongside
the gaily trapped carriages. fell in at the end of
the line and waited hours to accomplish the
pilgrimage upon which they had set out The
old country darkey fresh from the fields of the
farm, the young of the same race decked out
with red ribbon in his hat, or displayed
somewhere on his person, and the mid
de-aged cOlOred citizen fell in with
the Caucasian and took his turn. One of the
most interesting couple of the whole moving
thrOng was an old cOlOred man who tottered
along with his stick and his wife. The latter
was evidently as old as he. They could not
stand without the trembling that indicated ex-
treme old age But they had Joined in the line
and had waited two hours before IL ey finally
saw the face that they were anxious to see. They
stopped longer over the glass than was allowed
to any one else. After gazing with theirweak old
eyes for fully twominutes they passed on. Hand
somely dressed ladies, and men young and old;
handsomely and shabbily dressed of both sexes
preceded and followed that old couple of colored
folk, but none of them were allowed to stop as
long as they. The police were on hand in force
to preserve order. But there was no need of
them. All they had to do was to tell the multi
tude as they joined the end of the line that only
two abreast could go in, and there was no further
trouble. Nobody remained inside the rotunda
but the guard from the Army of the Cumber-
land (sOme eight in number) and several men,
bers of Columbia Commandery. These sat on
the benches around the circular space
or divided time in posting the line
one to either side of the catafalque
Flowers were strewn around the projecting
ledge of the platform. The flowers were Mar
shall Neil roses with their leaves and stems still
attached Beyond the bier to the west door
there were beautiful flowers. They were upon
the left of the line as it passed out. There was
first wreath of natural ivy, lying fiat upon the
stone floor. Beyond this was broken column
about three feet high, surmounted by milk
white dove, whose head was bent towards the
bier. Next to that standing in the flowers, was
an allegorical picture of THE Gates Ajar." The
posts of the gate were of white roses and buds,
surmOunted by globes of immorteles The
posts were in beds of yellow and white flowers.
The gate was double one. The two wings
of it were 6 fern upon wire.
with white flowers here and there. The bars
| were of fern. One Of the gates was slightly
pulled open towards the line of people which
passed by and admired them. This triumph of
the floral art was sent by the members of the
Christian church of this city. Next to it was
beautiful crown made of white f1owers-prin-
cipally of buds Of roses and having around it's
crests the same delicate fern of all the other
floral offerings. The crown was surmounted by
immOrtees. Beyond it was apillOw of flowers,
from which sprung column with dove alight
on its top, with head looking up and ready for
flight. The bed Of white flowers which formed
the pillow below, had worked upon it in i'm
mOrtelles the words ''Our Martyr President"
The row of flower beauty was
finished as it commenced. A wreath
of ivy lay there fiat upon the floor.
The ferns which were so abundant in the maxi
ing of these artistic designs was the species
which were used at the death Of Senator Sum-
uer. Then they were seen in this country for
the first time. Going by them the people went
out Of the rOtunda. Many of them went home
Many also str0lled around the Capitol and were
constantly getting lost in it's many corridors and
by-passages. The dome was ascended by thou
sands. All the seats in the grounds were occu-
pied all day long.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE FUNERAL.
The Official Program ISSnpd To-day