Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-08-14

New YORK, Aug. 8-Chief of Police
Murray, at one o'clock this morning
was in command of men, and affairs
at the city hall. At that hour the iron
gates were about to be closed, when he
observed there were five hundred or
one thousand people yet waiting a 1.-THE
foot Of the steps, and across the piazza.
LET them come in," commanded the
Superintendent to the officers who
were in command and had shut off the
people, and then followed ten minutes
Of the most expeditions hustling of
human beings that has probably
been known since the emancipation
proclamation. The material was COM
posed almost entirely Of men, and
Justify the policemen supplemented
their admonitions Of haste with ex.
ceedingly effective persuasion of a
muscular character. Men and boys
were shot through the city hall with
such celebrity as will render the occa-
sion to them, doubly memorable. The
last person had, at last, passed the we'll
worn Threshold, and the iron gates
changed shut. The public had taken
its leave of the dead general. Officers
of the Seventy-irst regiment were on
duty, and the usual detail of the
Grand Post was present as i'm
mediate body guard, while the
Loyal Legion, was represented by one
of its member, who stood at the head
of the casket. A representative of
Wheeler Post, Of Saratoga, which first
mounted a guard detail about the
mountain cottage, the day of Gen.
Grants death was also present. The
last Of the general public had shufled
away through the black draped cor
ridors, ard out of the building. The
hour was 1:18 am; none but police
and guards, and all night reporters
were present, when the undertaken
took charge of the remains. "Any per-
SONS here, who now desires to view the
remains will step forward at once"
said the undertaken, and his voice
reached through the dark still ccrri-
doris.
All who were present passed by the
casket, and the lying in state of the ex.
president had ended. Undertaken
Merritt brushed the glass plates above
the body, and drew from their places
the two lids which covered the casket
The four screws in each were turned
down, and the face of the dead had
been closed forever from view; unles:
there shall. in the future, come from
the family a request to remove thu
lids. Then the dead was left in carr
of guards, who stood erect and SILENT,
within the closed iron gates, ant
beneath the black drapery. The nigh
wore on, and the gray of daylight wa
creeping up the east. The still air o
the tOmb-like corridor became heav,
with perfume of the whitening flowers
Near the dead a huge piece" The Gate
Ajar," had a place at the heat
Of the casket, and the swee
smell of lilies were borne down tt
those who stood and watched; Grea
horse shoes Of red and yellow ros'
buds added their fragrance and (
Cross and crown from Mayor Satrob'
Of Baltimore, sent out its quota to th,
sePulchural air. But there was on,
tribute that bore no fragrance excep
such as will come tenderly to tn,
family Of the dead. 1t bore no per
fume save that which lives in it
memories. This token was a plail
wreath of oak leaves pinned to
gether with stems of oak leave
and formed in the shape o
the letter &c" The leaves grew
on the oaks in the forests o
Mount McGregor, and fiuttered in tn,
mountain breezes while Gen. Gran
was dying, and during the Afternoon
Of Thursday, the day he died, little
Julia. his granddaughter, and little
Josie, DR.. Douglas child, had gathered
the oak leavesin the mountain roads
then as the children pratted they knit
with innocent fingers and loving
hearts, the wreath Of oak leaves that
to-day is the only tribute that touches
the Generals casket. The little ones
with their offering finished, had taken
it to Col. Grant, whose eyes filed wher
his daughter said Papa, Josie and !
have made this for grandpa, anC
please won't you give it to him ?
The Colonel placed the oaken wreatl
in the casket and there it rested il
Albany, and still remains as the chill
dren's offering.
Four o'clock had passed; the gra,
dawn had deepened to red; dayligh
was near. The strains Of dirge mu
sic crept on morning air; at first dis
tant, then they drew nearer and near
er. The red deepened in the east
sunrise was near; the strains of mu
sic slow and sad, grew more distinct
and then the blue coated veterans o.