Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-08-16
SHERiDAN'S FUNERAL.
All That is Mortal of the Late General of
the Army Quietly Laid to Rest at Airing

| SHERIDAN y FUNERAL.
All That is Mortal of the Late General of
the Army Quietly Laid to Rest at Airing
| ton.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.-The last rites for
| the dead were to-day performed accord
ing to the ordinances of the Roman Catho-
lie Church for Philip Henry Sheridan, Gen.
eral of the army Of the United States, and
his body was laid to rest in beautiful Ar
lington, the city of the soldier dead.
The event was marked by general sus-
pension of public business. The ceremo-
mics throughout were in keeping with the
character of the man. The strict adhe-
renee to an almost military simplicity in
the arrangements, the heavy cais
son for his hearse, which had seen service,
best beftted the closing scenes in the life
of so great soldier.
St. Matthew's Church, where the re-
mains of General Sheridan had laid in
state since Thursday afternoon, and where
the principal burial services We're held, is
an ancient edifce of modest pretensions,
with succeed walls, and but for its CLASSY,
piIlared front, would attract little atten-
ton from a stranger.
1t is the most popular Catholic church
in Washington, and for many years it has
numbered among its congregations the
members of many OF the foreign legations,
Cabinet members, Senators and Congress-
men.
At nine O'Clock the doors were thrown
open and those of the large crowd passed
inside who had tickets of admission. They
were conducted to their seats by ushers
dressed in full military uniforms, under the
direction of Colonel John NJ. Wilson of the
corps of civil engineers.
Among the prominent persons present
were Senators Ingalls,. Edmunds. Evarts.
Jones, of Nevada, Sawyer and Far
we'll and Justice Harlan and wife. At about
$50 the pail bearers, headed by General
Sherman in full uniform, entered at the
left of the catafalqde. Soon the joint COM
inittee of Congress appeared and was con-
Quoted to seats reserved for them in front
and to the right of the catafalque. Four
, of them occupied General Sherman's pew.
About 8: 40 the President and Mrs. Cleve-
land and Secretaries Farchild and Villas
came in and took seats in the front pew to
the right of the center aisle. Mrs. Folsom,
; Secretary Bayard and Postmaster-General
; Dickinson followed and were seated in the
vicinity. About five minutes after the
Presidential party arrived Mrs. Sheridan
; was escorted to a seat to the left and near
Cardinal Gibbons delivered the sermon.
Before the completion of the services the
caisson and the Generals horse were re-
moved to a point near the church en-
trance, and after the casket had been
placed on the caisson the column was
formed by wheeling to the left and moved
en- route far enough to permit the forma-
,, ton of the column of carriages in the
, rear.
In accordance with the wishes of Mrs.
, Sheridan the funeral was a strictly mill
: tary affair, and the escort was formed
precisely as prescribed by the army regu-
, flations for an officer of the rank of the de-
ceased.
The pail bearers were: General Sher-
, man, Secretaries Endicott and Whitney,
!. Speaker Carlisle, Senator Hawley, Gen.
eral Augur, General McFeely, General
. Wesley Merritt, General Joseph Fuller,
MI. George w. Childs, Colonel Charles P.
, Lincoln, department commander of the G.
:. A R., Marshal Field and Vice-President
Frank Thomson, of the Pennsylvania rail-
road.
The joint Congressional committee was
composed of Senators Hawley, Mander-
: son, Cullom, Stewart, Hampton, Gibson
L and Gray, and Representatives Hooker, OF
Mississippi; Cutcheon, of Michigan
Wheeler, of Alabama; Henderson, of Illi-
: nois; Cox, of New York; Grosvenor, OF
Ohio, and McShane, Of Nebraska.
The route was by H street to Pennsyl-
; vania avenue to the Arlington road by way
4 of the aqueduct bridge. Crowds lined the
> entire route, and all available places for q
view of the line were occupied.
As the caisson came to hault at the
| q Ial
procession from the carriages to the grave
Bishop-elect Thomas F. Foley, of Detroit
brother of Bishop Thomas Foley, of Chi
cago, who married General Sheridan, was
the officiating priest. His assistants
= acolytes and trained choir of Dominican
a monks numbered more than a score in all
= Next came the pall-bearers, General Sher.
n man and Secretary Endicott, Speaker Car.
$ Isle and Secretary Whitney walking a
Q the head, and behind them, leaning heavily
= on the arm of Colonel Sheridan, came he
t grief stricken widow. The mourners in.
d cluded John Sheridan, brother of the de.
K ceased, General and Mrs. Rucker, parent:
q of the widow, her brother and sister, and
r the military staff and several other init
: mate friends of the General. The Presi-
+. dent and Mrs. Cleveland and the commit.
:, tees of the two houses of Congress witt
o bare heads followed the mourners.
e With sprig of fir plucked from neigh.
k boring branch holy water was sprinkleG
d over the grave and the casket was lowered
}. by the sergeants.
n The regular burial service, beginning
S with the canticle of Zachary or the bene
d dictus, and ending with the chanting o.
h "De Profundis" by the choir of Dominican
n priests, brought the religious features o.
J, the obsequies to an end. The priests ther
stood aside and remained in group neal
the head of the grave. Every breath wa!
hushed while the widow came step for
a ward and for one brief moment looked
u upon the casket which held her beloved
: dead. AS she turned away the othel
: mourners in a body paid their tribute o
: love and respect and then at signal tn,
y artillery fired salute of seventeen guns
The Legion of Honor moved up in a lint
I and looked in upon the still uncovered
casket and then filed away.
The great hollow square now contained
but one figure, that of a stalwart cavalry
bugler who stood facing eastward, hi
. bugle under his arm, at the head of thu
q grave. There was hoarse command a
n the left, echoed and passed on down tn,
9 line of infantry, a rattle of steel, momen
of expectation and then the simultaneou.
9 fash and roar of 500 muskets. Again anC
q again the volley was repeated. Then tn,
S bugler came to attention, raised his bugl,
d to his lips and blew "taps," the signal fol