The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-06-15
FAREWELL TO GREE"
Freeman London Inferred i'm the
City Cemetery Yester-
day Afternoon.
The Funeral COrtege - Floral
Tributes The Remarks
of Capt. Bridges.

Freeman London, whose death at
1918 p. m. Monday was chronicled
in yesterdays BAzOo, Was buried at
4:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon, end
considering the fact that rain fell dur
ing the greater portion of the day.
the funeral cOrtege was much larger
than had been anticipated.
Throughout the forenoon scores of
visitors called at Third and Moniteau
streets to take farewell look at the
remains, and of the number were
several christian ladies who had done
all within their power to comfort the
invalid in his last hours. Several
beautiful floral tributes were placed
upon the casket, and two of the
largest, one a wreath and the other a
basket Of the choicest flowers, were
laid away with the body in the ceme-
terry.
At o'clock p. m. the funeral
cortege left the house, during slight
shower, but before the cemetery was
reached the rain ceased. On arrival
at the grave. the pall-bearers, Capt.
L. l.. Bridges, A. Farnham, A. r.
Blair and John w. Menifee, assisted
by 'Pink" Wilfong and Abe Labaugh,
lowered the handsome casket into the
earth. Half a hundred mourners
stood around with barred heads, paying
the last sad tribute t. the dead,
when Capt. l.. l.. Bridges. who had
been requested to make a few brief
remarks at the grave, spoke as fol-
lows
My FRIENDs:-We are met here
to-day to perform the last solemn rites
over the remains of one of the most
remarkable men this country has ever
produced. His mother dying in his
infancy, he was deprived of the be-
nign influence of a mothers tender So
licitude; and, before arriving
at maturity, for a youthful indiscre-
ton, he was forced to desert his pater.
nal roof, and ever since has been
tossed upon life's stormy sea, bereft of
a mothers love and fathers wise adj
mOnitions. Is it to be wondered at,
then, that he has encountered the
shoals and quicksands of life?
With but limited EDUCATION, but a
surprisingly wonderful amount of
hard common sense, and a sense Of
wit and humor as shal p and keen rs
a Turkish cimeter, he went forth to
battle with the world. To those who
knew him intimately, nothing that |
can say will add to or de
tract from his merits; but
like most men of his class, his vices
were published broadcast to the world,
while his virtues were known but to
his intimate friends. His purse
was ever open to his friends, and to
the poor and distressed, whether friend
or foe. Could l but gather here to-
day all those who have shared his
generosity in distress, your eyes would
greet the largest assembly ever gath
cred in this silent resting place of the
dead.
His life was an eventful and tur-
bdlent one, and his death
a peaceful and contented one.
His dying pillow was smoothed by
the kind hand of christian women,
and although he could not share their
hopes and expectations of a blissful
hereafter, yet his eyes were often
with grateful tears for their
kindly and tender ministrations, and
| am sure that | but utter his senti-
ments when say, "GOd bless those
noble, christian women"
His belief was that this world is all
there is of life or Immortality; and
while We cannot accept his belief, yet
who shall say he was wrong?
No traveller ever returns to tell Us
of that mysterious realm. No signal
lights are ever waived back to us to
tell of the safe arrival
of our departed friends.
Science and philosophy may strive to
solve the problem, but they strive in
vain. Faith can only exact; death
alone can solve the fearful mystery.
With the belief that death meant
oblivion, no martyred saint ever
faced death with more cheerfulness
than did he. In truth, he approach
ed the grave "like one who wraps the
drapery of his couch about him and
lies down to pleasant dreams"
And now, as we consign his remains
to their last resting place, let us con-
fidently trust that the Great Architect
of nature will, like us, forget his
faults and remember only his virtues.
During the delivery of Captain
Bridges remarks strong men wept as
they had not wept in years, and, at
the conclusion, the silent mourners
returned To the CITY. LEAVING the dead