Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-08-28
AN UNsEEMLY WRANeLE,
Talk Over the Great Funeral Expenses
Leads to Strange Developm ents.

insss propriety toward the feelings of the
family and chief mourners of the illustrious
dead, is now about clearing up all accounts
and summarizing each item of expense,
in order to, within this week, be en-
abled to forward to the appropriate
parties or authorities for settle.
ment, the bills or statements for the entire
cost of furnishing, conducting and fully
carrying out the arrangements Of the burial
of the hero of Appomattox. There has
been put in circulation by a sensational
morning newspaper and some reckless out
of-town correspondents, stories to the etfec,
that when the cost of the ex Presidents
burial would be made known the people
of the whole country would be shocked al
the exorbitant rates charged. In order to
ascertain the truth of these rumors, Mr.
William Merritt the son of the head of the
establishment, who is in charge of the &C
counts asd correspondence, was seen, and
on being interviewed he said, substantially.
The statements published that we in.
tended to charge excessively for General
Grants funeral are erroneous. That the
bill will be for an unusual amount in com.
parison with any ordinary burial, of course,
any one with an ounce Of common sense
can understand. But 30 far as it's coming
up TO $40, 900, because II may have to be
paid by the government is concerned-thst
is nothing but stretch Of Imagination for
sensational purposes. When our bill is put
in there will not be one item that cannot
t,n
We have not yet completed the whole max
ing out of the bill, and as to whether the
expense will all be borne by the govern.
ment even that / cannot now state as a
certainty.
Various Orders Received.
"You see, in the first place, when the
General died, we received a telegrsphlc dis
patch from Colonel Fred Grant, at Mount
McGregor ordering US to come up that
night and take charge Of the body aud
funeral arrangements. Then after that We
received q verbal order from Colonel
Hodges, Of the Quartermaster' Department,
to have the carriages and attendants on
hand for the President, Vice President,
General Hancock and staff and the other
military and official dignitsries Then
came the verbal order from the War De-
pntment, as TO the canopy or funeral car,
aud other details. Well, the bill to the
Quarlermaster we sent down yesterday To
supply the carriages we secured them all by
being 800 in all while the President, Vic
President aud General Hancock aud stats
carriages will foot that expense up to some.
thing like $1,000. The bill for the War De-
partment we will now send in, but the ex
pense relating TO the arrangements a.
Mount McGregor aud the casket, case aud
more private details we will hold 10 receive
further orders about. But we expect, how
ever. the government may take the whole
expense on it shoulders, as the General was
one OF the country 8 great men. There is
no fear OF us not receiving our pay on time,
or thought that an item will be disputed,
because we have not attempted to swell any
of our charges. Why. the heavy steel case
which was ade for the cssset was furnish
ed to us at cost price, aud so it will go on
the bill
1T does seem strange to me how some of
the papers will place things. Here one sheet
has our bill fixed already as going to be
enormous and extortiopate. Another in
Philadelphia states that we got the funeral
through political considerations. Then the
disposition of few small flags that did ser.
vice on the canopy comes IN for a share OF
hsrth criticism, and finally an evening pa.
per of more cynical turn spreads tselt on
setting forth that the canopy thai was used
over Grant is to be kept on exhibition by
us. All this is bosh.
Where the Blame for the Rumor Rests.
Said one Of Mr.. Merritts assistants;
The bottom Of that sensation about the
errible sum Mr. Merritt is going to charge
he Government for Grant funeral lies up
ut Mt. McGregor, | understand, and to tell
7ou the truth, ii has connected with itpoints
ut what might have proven some pretty
lively reading from Mt McGregor on the
night of the Generals death. | will tell
bow il was now. You see, as soon as the
ierritts got the dispatch down in New
10, 10 come right up 10 Mount McGregor
md take charge of the body, they saw at
nee it would be impossible to get the nee.
-sary things up in time for icing the body,
&C., before the next morning, SO, to lo'e
10 time and to have the body Immediately
sred for, they telegrsphed up to another
I6crtsker at or near the mountain to go
vcr 10 the Drexel cottage and place the
,cdv on ice and remain in charge until
morning. Well, the undertaken in question
id ~ he was ordered by Merritt and
seemed delighted 10 get the chance
The next morning young Merritt aud
his assistants from New York arrived But
the trouble was that the country undertaken,
instead of then removing his things aud
ending bis work as directed, actually re.
fused 10 do ANYTHING Of the kind, and de-
clared that so lorg as he was the first in
charge Of the Generals remains he meant
10 stay so Young Merritt politely told him
he vas making mistake, He was no. en-
gagged by the family, but by him-Merritt-
only temporarily But even this did not
deter the Mount McGregor man in his de-
termination, and he began 10 speak rather
loud, and threatened to arouse the whole
Grant household to witness wraugIe.
ling over the remains. Young Merritt
better serse OF reasoning came to his rescue,
He pulled Col Fred Grants telegrsphic
order from his pocket, and going to that
gentleman explained the situation Of affairs,
The Colonel had not spoken ten words to
;he ambitious country undertaken, when his
fleets soon after-with himself-hurried
from the death chamber which he
would desecrate in his anxiety to bulldoze
a fellow professional out Of job who had
already sought to benefit him.
Nov, to get square on Merritt, they say
the country undertaken got hold Of re-
porter and gave him the story that Merritt
vas going to charge at least $4,000 for the
funeral"