The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-22
ROYAL REMAINS.
Funeral Services held
at st. Petersburg.
0rder.Maintained and the dead
Emperor laid at Rest.

ST. PETERSBURG. March 22.-At noon
the signal gun was fred which gave notice
that the procession would start. When a
sable standard bearing in white the initials
of the murdered monarch was unfur!ed
over the fortress, the artillery began to
IRE minute guns and all the bells ia the
city began to:toll. The whole ro1te was
lIned by the troops of the garrison. imme
dIately behind whom the public were per
mitted to stand. The police had taken
exceptional measures to preserve order, in
the maintenance of which the public, by
hand bills, were invited to co operate. u
MOURNING.
All houses and public buildings TOO.
showed the same amount of sable flags and
drapery as when the Empress. not a year
ago, was similarly conveyed from the
palace to the fortress.
The route taken was, froms the great
plain in front of the winter palace, by
Admiralty Quay and English Quay. to
chslaivsky bridge, crossing which the
procession took the street ca the line of
the Island of assibostrof, across the
Tootschkof bridge, and by Alexander park
to the fortress, entering the gate called
Ivaneskaia.
at the funeral ceremonial OF the EN-
press, last summer,the route taken was by
Trinity bridge, wooden structure of
barges, which is removed at the approach
of ice, although the roadways across the
frozen Neva are much used, The fortress
is almost im nediately opposite the palace.
SUPERSTITION.
There is a superstition among Russians |
against transporting dead over frozen riv |
ers. The route by which the cortege |
passed was some four miles in length. The
procession consisted in all of thirteen
sections comprising 172 groups, TO describe
which would occupy many columns.
Among the noticeable features of the pro-
cession was the knight of the Golden Aar-
row, mounted upon soreeously
harnassed steed carrying drawn
sword. and supposed to SYM
bolizs the bright and spotless character of
the departed sovereign Following the
priests, came a gorgeous catafalque on
which rested the coffin under a rich canopy L
of cloth of gold surmounted By white os-
trich plumes.
HEARSE.
We were asking what next and next.
when the hearse came suddenly in view,
and the prodigious mass of humanity,
rapidly, so to speak, as a fash OF light
ning was uncovered. 1t was most won
droue sight TO behold. the black sea of hats
and caps transformed into an immense
mass of pale upturnei faces. The funeral
ear was bier OF ebony and silver Oh
wheels with heavily carved silver spokes,
and superstructure of black and silver,
The whole was canopied By superb mater
ial. encircling the columns of the bier
The coffin of the i'lustrious deceased was
almost hidden by the golden pail lined
with satin, and the vast car itself was
drawn bv eight black horses, completely
shrouced in sable draperies. Four gen.
eral aides de camps stoed one at each
corner of the catafalque. the polished
metal wheels of which glistened in the
sunlight Sixteen general ofioers held
the slken cords of the canopy. Behind
the bier of his murdered sire va ked
Alexander Ill in his imperial solitude.
bearing alone his flial sorrow and his
state cares and symbo!izing in this last
respect his unique position.