St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-04-17
THE SADDEsT FUNERAL,
That OF the Victims at the Wedding
Party at Rice-s.

Special from STAFF Correspondent.
RIcE's STATION, April 16.-The funeral
of the cyclone victims who were at the
Friday-SehulZ wedding party occurred this
afternoon. Much difficulty had been eX-
perienced in procuring eoffins, and the last
one arrived on the noon train to-day. The
bodies, ten in number, had been cared for
in the town-house, where they were the
objects of curiosity to crowds OF people
from the surrounding country. All the re-
mainSl.were inclosed in neat collins,
silver mounted, except two boxes
being used in those cases
because of the haste necessary in dispOsing
of the remains. The boxes, however, were
neatly covered on the top with black cloth
and draped around the sides with the same
material. 1t had been decided that the only
services should be held at the grave, and
about 1 o'clock the work of moving the
collins was begun. For this purpose ordi-
nary farm wagons were used. and as these
drew up in front of the town house, each to
receive its dead, the spectacle was one of
the Saddest yet witnessed. The remains of
Rev. and Mrs. GustavuS Smith were left
in the town house to be shipped to Pains
vile 10 relatives. The other eight, each in
its common hearse, formed funeral pro-
ceSsiOn the like of which is, fortunately,
seldom seen in a small country village.
But two carriages followed. but nearly all
the villagers turned out and marched be-
hind the remains to the graveyard, half a
mile away. Five graves had been prepared
for the eight bodies. The first was made
THE LAST RESTING PLACE
of Mrs. John Schulz, William Schulz and
Henry Friday, being the mother, brother
and husband of the unfortunate bride who
survives them. The second grave was the
receptacle for Mrs. John Trabaunt and her
ten. year-Old daughter. The other three
were for the bodies of Mrs. William
GaumnitZ, John Sauer and Mrs. Frederick
Vogt respectively. Slowly the unique
funeral procession approached the burial
place, entered, halted for the first coffin to
be lowered, started little, halted again
while a son was placed beside his mother,
again for the bridegroom to be placed to
rest with the family he had just joined;
another halt and mother and daughter were
laid side by side, Only eight sur
vivers of the five families were able
TO be enumerated in the list of
mourners, all the others being too badly in
iured to leave their beds. Even some of
those in attendance appeared with bruised
faces and bandaged heads The work of
placing the collins in their graves was in
terrupted fOra few minutes that the Ire
baunt family could view the remains of
their mother and sister. When all the
bodies had been lifted and laid gently down
for the last time, the half dozen mOurners
gathered about the central grave, while
around them eongregated the fifty or sixty
people in attendance, and all with barred
heads listened to the words of the clergy
man. Rev. Joseph KrenhOlz of Wadena, of
the Evangelical association. He read two
lines of hymn in German. then the group
sung them. lie then read two more lines,
and these were sung, and so ON through the