The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-02
A FRoNrIER FUNERAL.
Singular Effect Produced by a Last Look at
Deceased.

Deceased.
Boston Record.
The Congregational minister out a -ton
the story of whose interview with the local I'M
dertaker was told in the Record the other day,
spent, prior to his call to ton, some time in
charge of a church out in Montana, where clergy
men were extremely scarce, and the population
extremely indifferent to their ministrations
under ordinary circumstances. When the from
tiersman comes to die, ho-wever-especially if he
dies. as he quite often does, with all the glorious
eelat of the pistols ring, or after the dull rhud Of
the bowie through his ribs-he must be buried
with due respect to traditions and all the pomp
and circumstance that can be mustered.
One day the minister had a visit from a mes
senger from Helldive Gulch. a charming locality
in the Bozeman range, which had the reputation
of being the wickedest place in the Rocky mount
aims.
'Tim Peoples be dead,n said the messenger,
IAN he wants you to coma tomorrow and run
his fune rip"
Happy to accommodate Mr.. Peoples said the
clergyman, and the details were arranged.
1t was about 2 in the afternoon when the
minister arrived at Helldive Gulch next day, and
he found that the entire population of the place,
together with the visitors from a distance, had
had time to get very drunk. There was not the
visage of u sober man or woman in the gulch to
sustain the clergyman, or a sober tongue to give
him points on the career of the late Mr.. Peoples.
He entered the cabin, which seemed to be the
center Of the festivities. us this the widow Of
our departed brother?r he asked of the woman
who unsteadily met him at the door.
Right you are, parson," said she; Tn the
departed widderI'
A particularly blear-eyed resident now adj
vanced and announced himself as the nearest
friend of the deceased. He said Mr.. Peoples had
made but one dying request, and that was that
he should be buried in a favorite pair of slippers
that he owned. The nearest friend, having got
in his message in good shape, subsidized into a
corner.
The undertaken was apparently the drunkest
w. N ~, tho portu hJ1t tho ynipiefor fold hin,
about the slippers, and urged him to get some
sort of shoes, at any rate, and put them on the
uncovered feet of the deceased, who lay in state
in q long, open pine box, the cover of which was
leaned up against the wall. Presently the
| minister saw the undertaken emerge with an
enormous pair of miners brogans, which he
managed to get upon the dead mans feet. The
minister noticed the effect of these brogans was
particularly weird. especially as the toes were
brought close together, while the heels were
wide apart. While the minister was trying to
open the exercises, he heard the cover go upon
the coffin with a terrific bang.
In his sermon the minister did the best he
could with the limited data at hand, and en-
larged upon the lesson to his hearers of the Sc
rene, sober and virtuous life of their departed
brother. 1t was observed that during its de-
livery the congregation were visibly moved. and
some were quite overcome with their emotions
| over the minister said:
''Those who would like to view the remains of
| our deceased friend will now step forward"
They began one by one to 'step forward"
! One massive citizen, who seemed to step all the
way from the door in one step, had no sooner
glanced at the space that the undertaken had
left open at the~end of the coffin, than he stag
gered back, thunder-struck, with his hands at
his head and his eyes bullying out. Another
citizen reeled up, and he, too, was overcome
with unsteady establishment. A woman came
| up, and shrieked as she gazed on the. departed.
Evidently he seemed greatly changed, for every
mourning friend staggered back in horror from
the coffin.
The minister thought he would see what had
happened, and stepped to the coffin. The sight
he beheld froze his young blood.
The undertaken had put on his coffin cover
wrong end to. and the space that he left uncov-
cred revealed the gigantic and corrugated brogans
of Tim Peoples, with their assured pigeon toes
brought gracefully and peacefully together in
the repose of death.