Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-02
PUCK MYERS DUST.
Extraordinary Performance on
the Liberty Statue.
VERY JOLLY TIME AT A FUNERAL.

The Last Wishes of a Staten Island Ho-
tel Keeper Carried Out to the Letter
His Body Incinerated and the A shes
Taken TO the Top of Liberty and
Scattered to the Four Winds Amid the
Popping of Champagne Corks.
NEW YORK, March "A funeral pro-
cession woun up the spidery iron stairs
of the statue of Liberty yesterday after
noon as the sinking son spread a filmy
counterpart of gold upon the bay. At
the head of the procession was Capt.
Frank Rir ."blAr, of the Staten Island
SehuetZen rs. He carried under his
arm japanned canister which contained
the ashes of Henry Myer, Familiarity
called Puck" Myer, whose ante-mortem
wish was about to be fulfilled by his
friends Mr.. Myer died on Feb. IS. His
body, escorted by a brass band that played
nothing but cheerful music was conveyed
to the Fresh Pond crematory and inciner-
Grated on Feb 81.
Four Pounds of "Remains''
In pursuance of his dying request his
ashes, except a small part that was given
Wegerle, who, with other members of his
corps, the New York Schuetzen corps and
Germania Benevolent association, were
instructed to scatter them to the four
winds from the top of the statue. That is
what took Capt. RinschIer and five Others
up the steep and winding stairs YESTERDAY.
Two quart bottles of champagne protrud
ed from Lieut. Winters overcoat pocket
Capt. Riuschler had received the jovial
beer drinkers remains from Mr.. Wegerle
in the Staten Island ferry house before he
left for Brooklyn. Mr.. Wegerle had di-
vided the ashes in four equal parts, each
weighing nearly a pound, and put each
part in little brown paper bag.
At the Top of the Statue.
When the party got to the top of the
gra mite pedestal of the bronze girl they
stopped, and Capt. Rinschler opened the
canister, which he took from a sachel, and
took out he ashes, handing a bag to ca,
OF the three others. Jut before opening
the canister Capt. Rinschler remarked:
Here are the ashes of old Puck Myer.
He was good men. l never knew of any
wrong thing that he ever did" All the
rest of Mr. Myers friends bowed in ap-
proval of the sentiment. The procession
then moved on, with the four be4r1rs Of
the ashes in front There wers five
women in Lberty's head when 4, proces-
sion got there
Here Goes the Last of Puck
Each man with bag of ashes stood at
an open window. Capt. Rinschler said:
I'VE have come here to carry out the last
wishes OF jolly Puck Myer" Then the
four men threw the ashes out into the air.
saying IN unison as they had been re-
quested to do by Mr.. Myer: Here goes the
last of Puck Myer. Happy daysm Peo-
pie who happened TO be looking up at Lib
erty's crown just then say that the out
coming of the ashes looked like cannon
pulls from the embrasure of a distant
fort. While the wind was carrying the
ashes down toward the Staten Island
home of Nr. Myer his quartette of friends.
who had been especially requested to be
Just as jolly as they could be, and to drink
TO his memory, produced from their peck
cts champagne glasses.
Drank Peace to His Ashes
The two bottles were opened, and every
body in the party drank: peace to the
ashes OF old Puck Myer. Happy days."
The women looked on in wonder They
50 were invited to drink to the repose of
Mr., Myers ashes, hut they declined. Mr..
Myer was born in Hamburg So years ago.
and came here when % years old. He
was Union soldier, and was shot in the leg
He kept saloon downtown for several
years, then had one in Stapleton, and
finally opened the Puck hotel in Port
Richmond. Happy Days" was his only
toast His friends gave him his nick name
because OF lis alliance to the pictures
OF Puck IN the illustrated paper Of that
name.