The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-07-07
PETE MULLINS FUNERAL.
The Impressive Ceremonies in a. frontier
Town.

From the Brooklyn Eagle.
It's all very we'll to tap about your
Brooklyn funerals" said "a Dakota man,
as the mou1ners crowed up to the bar,
but you don't put re life ana spirit into
a plant that we IN our parts, and the
western gentlemsa shook his head lugu-
briousiy, II w.tched this yere racket to-
day, but wasn't satisfied. You thrcwed
lots O. weeds and the pa'son cut it fat, but
the who'll thing was tame business COM
pared to the time when we drove Peter
Mullids into the turf
tDid you have superior article Of fu-
neral on that occasion?" asked one of the
bereaved.
!, You called the turn, pardner," returned
the Dakota man. Compared with that
game, your little play to day was deuce box.
was ivingin Bismarck city then, and I'm
languaging when say that your style to-
day wasn't as even spotto that layout -
Would you object to giving US the par
ticulars Of that sad AFFAIR."" asked one Of the
lamenting.
The Bismarck man called for refresh
ment and braced himself for the relation
"Pete had some trouble with seven or
eight soldiers, and when they'd all played
their hands we laid out to lock up shop and
slide him under in shape. Pete wasn't no
summer coon. He wore meat and hair all
the year round, and he was the first man
agreed to start a bone yard and plant him
for crop. There wasn't any pa'son there
them days, but Lounsberry. the postmas-
ter, kno we'd hymn, and John Mclean, the
mayor, was dog fight on speech. So We
got out the engine for hearse, and built a
box for the stiff and started in. We staked
out q claim on the Buford road for grave,
and Tom Fortune had drilled hole to put
Pete in. Everything was in gay shape fo-
business, and the boys was braced for a
time that would be credit to the lamented
You bet your life! Well, sir, we held the
funeral in Keno hall. The corpse was
stretched on the faro table, all fixed up
with dandelions and cactus, and the boys
sat around in rows. You can bet blue
stack it was stylish, stranger! The mills
was all closed, and we had a niger fiddler
for the orchestra, and Mclean had bought
white shirt to give tone to the racket.
"Lounsberry announced that the game
play about Dearest Petty, thou has left us,
and thy loss is deeply feepd, but no bean
eater could bereaft us it thou hadst have
just been heeled.' He said he made it up
himself, but reckon he heard it some
where in the states. Then John Mclean
started in on the Declaration of Independ-
ence, and whenever he throWed up his
hand the boys howled amen, You can
smile, stranger, but I'm remarking that
you don't often light into high toneder
spread than the send off we gave Pete.
When Jack got through with the declar-
alton we liquored up, and Jim Emmons
took hold. He'd found an act of the Ill
mons legislature somewhere, and he read
so that you could hear the stove rattle.
Then Lounsberry sang Marching Through
Georgia, and by that time we were all feel
ing pretty good. You never seen better
shake up in all your life. Jack Richards
was keeping cases, and he proposed three
gamble he got 'em. We was just warming
up to the work when George Peoples SHE'D
his hat and made the dog-gondest best ora
ton that was played in that kind of a
game. George is humorous cuss, and he
got of the best conundrums you ever listen
ed to. Fun! Well, now, pardner, you may
blush!
Well, sir, after that part of the exercises
was over we hammered the lid down on
Pete and histed him up on the engine. Me
and Richards steadied him, and the gang
laid hold of the rope General Peoples
was foreman, and the Niger fiddler strad-
died the coffin, playing We Won't Go
Home till Morning We stopped twice on
the way to brace, and we made the last
mile in something like five minutes. Talk
about your steam macknes!! That was the
best fire engine company in eight terri
tories.
"When we got to the grave we found that
Tom had built a hole seven feet deep, and
just the size of the box He had to,put him
standing up, but that did not hurt him any.
Lousnberry started up tGood-by, Sweet
heart, and Mclean Reads poem about a
boy on ship, who wouldn't go home for
fear his dad would warm him. Jim En-
mons started on prayer, and then things
grew lively. We didn't want no airs over
the funeral, and we told him that he could
lay no political pipe that way. But he al
lowed he'd cash that prayer in, or there'd
be row. That settled dit" And the Da-
kota man paused.
"How did you come out?" asked one of
the listeners.
was dragged out, replied the Dakota
man, simply. "Leastwise, i was foundsome
distance off when they looked FIR me. I
did't see the turn called, and did'n know
nothing about the next deal. I didn't get
out for month"
Is that the kind of funeral you have in
Bismarck" asked mourner.
The same, stranger. Many one since
then; but I'll neverforget Pete. The coyotes
are singing about his graEe now, and in the
summer the little boys shoot jack rabbits
near his plant. We put in few asparagus
to make shade for him. 'but I'll tell you,
gentlemen, the billiards never howled over
a>squarer boy than Pete, sad no man was
ever put to root in better shape than we
laid out for that lad. Lets beer; I'm
hoarse."
And they liquidated, the mourners won-
dering, prehaps, at the aspirited" style Of q
frontier funeral, but recognizing at the
same time that the Dakota man had spoken
his last lines with an obvious humidity of
nttsrance
A Rinse For Ni,,,,or