St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-12
QUEER FUNERAL NOTIONS.
Eccentric Men Who Have Left
Peculiar Instructions for Their
TntQprnQnf


Peculiar Instructions for Their
Interment.
Cassell's Journal.
The story is told Of certain French
man, vino had been great collector of
coins. By his will he directed that his
obsequies should be performed with
every accompaniment calculated to in
spire mirthful feeling. His body was
to be wrapped in tanned pigskin, and
buried coffinless, in standing position,
upon pile of charcoal. Laurel
mOurners, and on returning from the
church they. were to throw open the
chambers in which his treasures were
deposited, and all corners were vel
come to help themselves as they pleased
to the contents. 1t was sore disap-
pointment, to the public, however, to
find that before they were admitted the
servants of the deceased had decamped
with everything that was portable.
The wishes of curious character
who was named Hilkington, better
known as Squire Hawley, were fully
carried out, few years ago, at place
near Dorchester. He was buried in his
own garden, amid the graves OF his own
dead cattle, which had been stricken
down by rinderpest. He was laid out
in full hunting costume, including spurs
and whip, and was laid in stone coffin
weighing upward of ton. which had to
be lowered into the grave by means of
a crane. His old pony was shot and
buried at his feet. and at his head were
laid the bodies of his favOrite dog and
an old fox. ALI his property was left to
his groom, on condition that these flu
neral obServanceS were fully carried
out; in default, the estate was to go to
the priest of Dorchester, for the benefit
of the Roman Catholic church. The
groom, however, did not suffer the be-
quest to himself to lapse.
1t is related that a certain crotchetv
old YOrkShireman some years since left
directions that On the day of his burial
a great public breakfast should be given
in the town where he might die, and
that his coffin, slung upon towels
knOtted together, should be borne along
by relays of men and bumped" three
times upon a particular heap of stones.
and that 1.-The Lamentations of Sim
ner" should then be sung. A still more
important provision was made regard
| ing the presence of mOurners in the
churchyard. Every man, woman and
| child who entered the ground with or
| after the procession had to receive
| dole of siXpence. Never before or
since, we are told, was churchyard so
full of people.
A Sussex gentleman named Jack Full
Ter ordered his executors to bury him
in a pyramidal mausoleum in Bright
ling churchyard. His reason for desir-
ing to be inclosed in stone above ground
was his unwillingness to be eaten by
relatives process he considered in
evitable if buried in the ordinary way.
''The worms" he declared, would eat
me, the ducks would eat the worms and
my relatives would eat me-"
A gentleman named Underwood left
$4,000 to his sister on condition that she
had him buried in particular fashion.
Six gentlemen were appointed to follow
him to the grave, where they were to
| sing the last stanZa of the twentieth ode
of the second book of Horace. Mourn
ing was forbidden to be worn. no bell
had to be tolled and no relation was to
follow the corpse. The six chosen gen.
tlemen were to be the only moHrners.
The coffin was painted green and the
deceased was buried with his clothes on.
Three copies Of Horace were placed in
the grave with him. together with Bent
ley's Milton and Greek testament.
After supper the six mournerS sang the
ode, all being in strict accordance with
the will of the deceased.