Omaha daily bee., 1888-09-03
STOPPED THE FUNERAL
Jabob Welling's Little Girl Was All
Ready for Burial.

noon. Jacob Welling's pretty little
girl, Clara, who was drowned in the
South Branch, was buried, and her re-
mains were followed to the cemetery by
large coterie of mourners. George
Heitm an, an undertaken at 1853 South
Halsted street, did his best to stop tho
obsequies, and for time it seemed as II
success were going to crown his efforts.
He had made a contract with Wcllirg
to bury the child for $40, of whica
amount it was stipulated that SO
In cash should he paid before the funeral
started and the balance in sums ranging
from 81 to S5 whenever yelling could
spare anything from his meager wages
Friends in the neighborhood attended
the funeral, a hundred or more of them
One o'clock was the hour when the
funeral cortege was to start for the Gem
ctery, and when it came around it
brought Heitman, the undertaken, glum
and silent. He entered the parlor where
the little casket and its lifeless contents
lay, but instead of closing the coffin, as
everybody present expected, he glided
up to Yelling, and, in an undertone,
demanded the balance of $50 due him.
but / have not got that much" pro-
tested the unhappy father, and he stared
blankly around the room.
''Then this funeral does not go on"
said the undertaken.
"But ! will pay you as I agreed"
pleaded yelling.
THAT won't do. I've changed my
mind and must have the money now,"
was the reioinder.
The father looked at the coffin and
then at his friends. The latter. not
knowing anything about the nature of
the dialogue between the pair, We're get
ting nervous over what seemed to them
to be unnecessary delay in inc proceed
ings. Mr.. Welling's mind was soon
made up. He tol3 few friends of the
undertaker'c demand and they quickly
communicated it to the rest of the mourn
e;s. The funeral must go on. That was
the verdict of everybody and there was
a general emptying of pockets and
purses, which proceeding netted the
father few cents over S25. yelling
rendered the amount to Heitman and
said he would pay the rest when the
coffin was in the ground, but the under
taker wanted $50. He would not have a
cent less. The mourners threatened
and became demonstrative in their
wrath when the undertaker's obstinacy
was explained. but Mr.. Heitman stood
his ground, looking as sad and glum as
he did when he entered the house Of
death. AS a last resort yelling
ran over to a neighboring grocery
store, communicated his distress to the
proprietor and begged for a loan of S.
He got the money, paid it to Heitmnn,
and the funeral 'cortege started only an
hour after the agreed time. But the
number of mourners who accompanied
the remains to the cemetery was con
siderably less than that which originally
contemplated going, for in contributing
to the undertalier's fund a good many
had to give up the cash with which they
intended to pay for their ride.
Undertaken Heitrnan was found at his
place of business. To the Herald re-
porter he said: Jake yelling came to
me Friday night in> company with Pat
Keefe. He said: My little daughter
Clara was found drowned in the river.
l want you to take charge of the body
| says, 'All right / went over to the
house and embalmed the body. He
said: III come tomorrow and pick out
| a coffin He came and selected one. |
says. THAT three-foot nine-inch white
coffin is worth 500, with the box. If
you have not the money to talk that, q
| cheaper one may answer: that would
save me the trouble of going to the fac
| tory to get one. There's nice brown one
forSlO. Ifthe fiat glass is too expensive
| here's nice one for So He said: L
must see my wife about it. She must
help me to pay for it, and | want her to
be satisfied | replied: We'll, I'll
come right over to the house. So |
telephoned to the coroner and then
| went to the house. told yelling the
coroner stated he would be there be-
tween IL and II o'clock. yelling
called me out on the sidewalks, took me
by the arm and said: You've got to do
little better. My wife wants the white
coffin, but 800 is Il little steep. | have
to work very hard for my money. All
now on the coffin. I replied: All
right, Jake, let it go The same
night one of my drivers went
over to Welling's house, and Jake or
dered hearse and five carriages to ST.
Boniface cemetery. | had two other
funerals that day. The driver came
back aud said: 'He wants the white
hearse and five carriages We could
get the coffin in IA carriage easy, so long
as he had little money to pay. l said tG
Fritz, my head driver: You go and
attend to the yelling funeral What
do they want with the white hearse
already boon warned against trusting
them. | says to Fritz; Don't you
start with that funeral until yor
have got the money | gave him
the bill for $50. After he had gone
to the house he came back. | was
away. He stated the case to my wife
She said: Forty dollars will do. We
will risk the rest, but unless you get $iO
drive the hearse and carriages bach
here Fritz told them he must hav,
the $40 before he went further. The.
gave it to him, The funeral then pro
ceeded. That's all there is to the story
| have been in the undertaking business
in this neighbOrhood for the last tilteeI
years, and am not afraie of IL little thing
like this hurting my reputation. All
want is my money for services rendered
| am union man and charged uniol
: prices. I'd like to see the other $40 the.
owe me. | have $1,000 owing me TO
funeral expenses from various parties.
: The little girl who was drowned wa
! member Of the parish school of tn
: Church of the immaculate Conception
| and upward of tifty,of her schoolmate
} were selected to assist in the song ser
Y vice over her remains at the church
;, They were on hand at the appointe
hour, and so were the priest and the OF
ganist, but as time went on the funera
, ! procession did not come they were a
| sent home because the priest suppose