The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-25
VIRGINIA ITEMS.
BURIAL AT LEXINGTON Of GEN.
FRANCIS h. SMITH.
Corps Of Cadets as an Escort-Suiclde AZ
farmviile 90 Investments OF Northern
Capital In the CommonweaIth-N Of
tho Dominion.

INV oNtAitfNhN OF NNIInfln
Capital In the COMMONWEALTH Notes Of
the Dominion.
LEXINGTON, VA, Mar. "A. Special. F.
The remains Of the lamented Gen. Francis
II. smith, late Superintendent Of the Viz
ginia Military Institute. and for half a
century its guiding spirit from its founda-
tion in 1889, were laid TO rest Sunday even.
I ing at four o'clock.
The funeral took place from the lee Me
mortal Episcopal Church. of when General
smith was communicate and a member of
the vcstly. being one OF the original promo
ters in the organization. Promptly al sun
/ rise, half hour guns were fired hy the ariil-
/ lery at the Virginia Military Institute. and
the flags placed at half mast ON the bar
racks. The boom Of the cannon was kept
/ up all day. until the hour of the funeral.
when minute guns doomed "a solemn re-
/ QUEEN with the t0iling bells during the fun
oral hour.
Long before ( o'clock the spacious church
edihce was crowded with an audience of
prominent people from AN sections OF the
state and elsewhere, and when the cortoge
entered there was not siauding room, ana
many hundreds had % be turned AWAY
Rev. X. 5. Mcbride, the rector, read the
impressive funeral service. The funeral
procession, from the house 90 the church
and thence 70 the cemetery, was in the f0,-
/ lowing order:
Corps cadets, Virginia Military Institute.
/ under command of Major A. l.. Duncan.
side arms. no music, two hundsed strong
Faculty, Virginia Military Institute. Aca-
demlc and Military stall; representatives of
I the Board Of Visitors, visiting Alumni from
Richmond and elsewhere: faculty and Oili-
GERS Of Washington and Lee University.
prominent citizens and officers of the town.
pastors OF the various churches. and other
/ distinguished visitors. These were an on
[ foot.
Next came the hearse with the remains
in a metallic case covered with beautiful
floral designs, the tributes of friends
alumni, the corps Of cadets and persons
/ from distance.
The pall-bearefs were: Cadets. Ainslie,
! Virginia; Lewis. Virginia; hrst-class.
/ HOge, Kentucky; Bidgood Virginia; second
class. Taylor, Virginia; Lee, Virginia:
third-class Mckinney. Virginia: spillman.
/ Virginia; iOurth-class.
Following these came visiting members
of the alumni i'm hacks representatives of
/ the board of trustees of Washington and
] Lee University. General q. w. &. Lee. pres
/ ident of Washington and Lee; Hon. ". g..
Anderson. state Treasurer, A. W. Harmon.
Ex-Governor Lee, General Dabney II. Maui
/ ry. Adiutani-General Mcdonald, repre-
senting the State; Colonel Edmund PEN
dleton, one Of the first graduates Of the
class Of 1912; Colonel W. T.. Cui~haW and
others; the family and friends and "a long
| line Of cOnveyances.
The streets were lined with the pOpulace
as the procession passed up Main street 10
the cemetery. AT the cemetery fully "a
/ thousand people had c0ngregated around
/ the grave before the funeral train reached
there. As the venerable. Venerated and ll-
men.ed christian man was laid 10 rest
many was the tear-hedlmmed eye
/ in the vast thrOng before the open
grave. Never since the funeral OF
jackson, Maury and Lee and Pendleton
has there been such turnout To a funeral
/ here, or the spontaneous and united expires
sion of regret az the death of public man.
and the day will long be remembered I'M the
local and State history. The Richmond
Alumni returned home ON the Sunday nigh
/ train. The corps Of cadets ordered for the
/ funeral floral designs % the amount of one
| hundred dollars.
Col. Cameron, young lawyer from Char
I lOtte, \. c., and an aid TO Governor FoWle,
drove twenty miles over the country from
/ Goshen. and reached Lexington just in time
% be present az the funeral ceremonies.
The press of the state has paid, edit0ri-
ally. glowing tributes % the memory of
General smith. The Dauyille Register said:
'.The whole State mOurns for General
Francis III. smith, The Virginia Military
I Institute owes its very existence 20 the un-
firing Efforts Of the distinguished \irginian.
/ aud SO long as Nirginidus hold in reverence
their institutions of learning. so long viii
the name Of General smith DE en-hrined i'm
the hearts Of the people,
The Norfolk Nirgnian said: "Ihe death
OF this distinguished \ir-inian will cause
expressions of regret throughout the c0un-
| try. North as we'll as South. I'm this city,
the place of his birth and early associa-
tions, his death will bee specially lamented.
lie was "a marked type of manhood, without
fear and without guile, and whose Efforts
i'm the cause of education will always oe
warmly praised. The character of General
Smith was strongly impressed upon those
who were under his charge. and the alumni
Of the Virginia Military Institute will ever
esteem his memory and recognize his great
services. He has passed away after years
Of duty faithfully discharged, beloved ana
lamented by his cOuntymen.'
The Norfolk Landmark says. The his
tory Of General Francis II. Smith and his
life at the Virginia Military Institute is too
well known % the people OF Virginia 90
need repetition here lie was born in Nor
folk October 18th, 1872, and there are many
men here and an over the Commonwealth
who hear the news of his death with keen
pang of sorrow. lie lived life of honor %
himself and of usefulness 90 his fellow
men,
The Charlotte. y. c.. Chronicle said:
.sThe death of General Francis III. Smith. at
Lexington. Va. viii De regretted all over
the south. lie was the founder of the Viz
ginia Military Institute, and the record Of
that institution is his crown Of laurels and
his monument. The "\. NJ. L. was the
"West Point of the Coniedoracy' and De-
fore the war. during. the war, and since The
war, its rolls have held many honored
names, and It's work has made its impress
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