The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-08
The LAST RITES
Ex-President Arthur Laid Quiet
" in the Grave.
Simple Ceremonies in Church and
at the Cemetery.

/. The funeral Of ex-Presidsnt Arthur in New
York on the 22d was conducted with cere-
monies Of the simplest character. Large
crowds appeared in the vicinity Of the Ar.
thur residence on Lexington avenue at an
early hour. President Cleveland and Post
master General Villas arrived in a carriage
direct from the train at 500 A. H., and entered
the house. Soon after Governor Hill and
Judge William Muller arrived. They were
followed by the Senate Committee.
By this time there was an increased crowd
on the avenue, and the windows Of every
house were filed with observers. There was
no service ut the house. The few friends
early in the morning, and the coffin
was closed for the last time. At $3.50
the coffin, covered with palmetto leaves,
sprays of violet, and wreaths Of white
roses, was lifted by the assistants and borne
from th, room in which it had rested and
was placed in the hearse. As it came in
view every head was barred. There was no
display nor ceremony. The first person to
leave the house after the coffin was Chester
Alan Arthur, the son of the ex-President
Leaning on his arm, clad in deep mourning,
was his sister Nellie. They passed quietly to
their carriage, accompanied by Mr. aud Mrs
McElroy. Then came Mrs Cav, Mrs.
Haynesworth, and Miss Arthur, the sisters
of the ex-President, Postmaster Masten and
his wife of Cohoes, with their son and daugh-
ter, President Cleveland, Postmaster-Gen.
John e. Draper; Secretaries Bayard, Whit
ney and Lamar; the pallbearers, e1-Post-
maSter-General Gresham, ex-Secretaries Lin
coin aud Chandler, ex-Assistant Postmaster
General Hatton, ex-Attorney-Genera Brew
ster, Lieutenant-General Sheridan, DR.. Cor
nelius r. Agnew, Cornelius n. Bliss, Robert
G.. Dun, General Geo. H. Sharpe, Charles l.
Tiffany, and Cornelius Vanderbilt. Chief
Justice Waite, and Justices Gray, Harlan
and Blatchford, Senators Edmunds, Sher-
man, Logan. Evarts, Hawley, Morrill,, Vest.
and German, General Stone Governor Hill
and other friends of the deceased.
The mourners filed twenty-five carriages,
but over one hundred followed tho hearse to
the church, filled with friends who were un-
able 10 enter the house. The carriages passed
between long lines Of police through Lexing-
ton avenue to Thirty-fourth street, to Madi-
son avenue, to Forty-seventh street, to Fifth
avenue, arriving at the church at Forty-ffth
STREE at $50 A. II. Ali along the line were
immgnse throngs Of people, who waited in
respectful silence. Every window was flllei
with spectators.
As the back-coverei coffin was borne into
the church, just before nine o'clock, it was
followed by the pall-bearers, the family, the
President and members OF his cabinet Pres
ident Cleveland and e2-PreSident Hayes
walked together, followed by Secretaries
Bayerd and Lamar, Secretaries Villas and
Whitney, General Sherman and Chief Justice
Waite. Next cana Supreme Court Ju,tices,
Judges Blatchforj, Gray and Harlan and
the members of the Senatorial delegation.
The Army and Navy delegations in full uni
form were headed respectively by Major
General Schofeld and Rear Admiral Luce.
Other prominent people present were Gen.
erals Sherman, Butler, and Banks, James G.
Blaine, Mayor Grace and Mayor-elect Hewitt,
numerous Congressmen, delegations from all
the City Exchanges, aud many more; in fat
the church was completely filled with people
Of note in the political and social world.
The coffin was met at the entrance to the
church by the surpliced choir of men and
boys and BY, the clergy, who were the Rev.
Rev. E. w. Babcock, assistant minister; the
Rev. DIR. ". s. Rainsford. rector Of St
Georges Church; the Rev. DR.. ". A Leon
ard, rector of st. Johns Church, Washing
ton, D. c.; the Rev. Mckay Smith, of st.
Thomas's, and the Rev. DIR. Humphreys, pre-.
centor of the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
As the toffin was borne up the aisle to be
placed in front of the chancel, the choir sang
as the professional hymn Asleep in Jesus"
The raIl-bearers and family, and the official
delegations took the seats reserved for them
near the front of the church. The opening
sentences of the Protestant Episcopal service
were read by Mr.. Morgan, and the choir
sang the anthem, "Eord, let me know mine
end" The Rev. DR.. Rainsford read the les
son, taken from l Corinthians, xv., and the
choir and congregation then united in sing
i,N Ii koT Tbo
Greed followed AID the choir next sang
the anthem, ~ Heard Voice from Heaven.
After prayer by DR.. Leonard, the choir and
congregation sang hymn 5l4, "Art Thou
Weary, Art Thou Languid," and this was fol-
lowed by the offering Of a prayer for the
family Of the dead by the rector, who con-
cluded the service by pronouncing the bsne-
dictlon. the receSsional hymn was "Abide
With Me-" and the choir filed out of their
stalls and marched down the nave and back
by the south aisle to the vestry, followed by
the clergy.
As the coffin was borne out Of the church to
the hearse there was roll Of muffied drums,
and the military and naval escort presented
arms. The escort then wheeled into column,
and the funeral procession slowly passed be-
tween two compact lines Of police to the
Grand Central Depot. while crowds Of gpec-
tators stood uD IN the sidewalks.
At tho Grand Central depot it took but
lew moments to transfer the coffin from the
hearse to the funeral car and have the family
and friends take seats in the three following
parlor coaches composing the special train.
At exactly 1000 o'clock the train startad on
Its journey to Albany. Neither President
Cleveland, Ex-President Hayes, nor Mr.
Blaine accompanied ths remains to the State
capital.
Fl The funeral train arrived at Albany at Log
P. 81, and after q short pause proceeded to
the cemetery station, whi:h it reached at
40. A hearSe, carriage and several huu-
arcd people were there in waiting. Drawn
up on either side OF the car door were four
poldiers and four sailors of the regular army,
lad in line with the hea. So were the pail
bearers. Between the lines they formed tie
porters bore the coffin
Nearly 500 persons had gathered ut the
grave in Rural Cemetery where General Ar
thurs wife is buried. 1t was precisely 2:l5
p. N. when the funeral procession reached
tho burial plot, aud it was but the work Of q
few moments to take the coffin from the
hearse, pla e it in the rough box, and lower
1t into the grave The Right Rev. William
Croswell Doane, Bishop Of Albany, clad
in full canonicals, stood at the head of
the grave. At his left were Miss Arthur,
supported by her brother. The brief but inn
pressive Episcopal bur al service was said by
the Bishop with depth Of feeling and i'm
pressiveness that touched every heart. Then,
after brief prayer and the benediction, the
earth clods-their sound nu'fiei by the ever
greens-were dropped upon the coffin.
During the afternoon many hundred peo-
IA IN oil froin