St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-14
GOING TO THE CRAVE
Hundreds Crowd to Attend the
Funeral Services Of Mart
Williams.
Men OF Honor and Influence
Sought Opportunity to
Speak Of Him.
Rev. H. M. Simmons Discusses
the Preaching of the
Public Press.
S. K. Hanscom Killed by a
Train Meeting Of the
Eight-Hour League.

|
quiet, plain, unObtrusive in all he did.
He was not prominent figure in the
city's history in any way. He was a
poor man, for he left no property of any
| description. His deeds were never
heralded from press and pulpit and
| rOstrum: he was not famous. He never
did anything that caused his name
to fly from lip TO lip. Outwardly
he was as ten thousand other men
who walk the streets of Minneapolis
day after day, die and are buried with
out the knowledge of any one beyond a
! small circle of intimateS. But Martin
| Williams was good man. He had lived
IN Minneapolis almost since its exist
| ence, and was widely acquainted. He
never did any man an injury, never did
aught that was. not honorable. In his
daily work as reporter he
came i'll contact with hundreds of men,
and SO many and 50 marked were his
| virtues and so few his vices that noman
ever met him who did not learn to value
him as friend. That is why men who
have won wealth, honor and exalted
public station craved the privilege of
saying a few words over his dead body.
and Why the Grand opera house was
packed yesterday afternoon by the hun
dredS who had learned to love him. 1t
was the greatest funeral ever seen in
the state of Minnesota.
The Minneapolis Press club met at 2
O'Clock and marched in body to War
ner'S undertaking rooms where the
body lay. George \. Morgan Post, G.
a. r.. cO-Operated with the press club
in the funeral demonstration. Headed
by the Morgan Post drum corps, the
funeral procession formed on Washing
ton avenue and First avenue south. The
| line was composed of George n Morgan
Post, the Minneapolis Press club,
| twenty-five members Of the St.
| Paul Press club and the Minneapolis
| park board. The hearse and pallbear-
| ers brought up the rear. J. Newton
| Mind. j. L. ManIiX. II. c. Chapln aud
| /. 5. King, newspaper associates, and
! f. w. Mortimer, Washington Pierce, J.
K. MertZ and j. A. Fettchette, from
Morgan Post, attended the caSket. The
| line moved up Washington to Nicollet,
| thence to Sixth street. Thence the cas-
ket was borne through the opened, un-
covered lines to the stage of the Grand
opera house.
At the Opera House.
The stage was BEAUTIFULLY decorated
with pOtted plants. A craYOn portrait
of the deceased, draped in black, occu-
| pied the center of the stage. The desk
| and chair of the man who had only laid
down his pen with his life were on the
right-hand side, draped and covered
with flowers. The casket was almost
hidden beneath the floral emblems.
The stage was occupied by the Morgan
post guard of honor and the distin-
guished speakers.
James Gray, president of Minneapolis
OH In
said:
I'VE are gathered here this afternoon
to bid last farewell to man who Oc-
cupied unique position in this cOmmu-
nifty; man Of no fortune, who never
| held an exalted position, who never
! posed as public leader, simple. quiet
| man who passed ont of the world as he
| had passed through it-S0 unobtrusiyely
| that only those who watched him closest
knew he was going. A man might 1--we
and die so in any community. his career
| might merit no passing comment. but
! the departure Of such man would be
followed by no such high wave of sor-
! row as rolled over this state when it
became known that Mat Williams
was dead. We observe the existence of
this universal grief. We find its eX-
| PLANTATION not in the deeds but in the
| character Of the man. 1t is often easier
| to do great things than to be truly
! great, and we believe that our friend
| had accomplished the larger task.
| The simplicity, the genial kindliness,
! the sturdy virtue of his character will
! pass into a prOverb in this community,
and hereafter to be called good as old
| Mart Williams Will be to receive n
passport to the heart of hearts of every
true man. 1t is fitting that this tribute
should partake of the simplicity of the
! man, and so without regard 10 estab-
! liShed forms his fricndS-the companions
! of his early years, the comrades of his
campaigns, those who trusted him i'm
! plictly in his profession and those who
| had learned to love him by daily con-
tact-are here to testify to these homeIy
virtues which made him the man Of all
| men in this community whose character
! illustrates the sterling probity of an
| earlier age"
Following Mr.. Gray's remarks. the
Cecilian male quartette sung Shall
! We Meet" The G.. A. r..
burial Service Ritual
| came next, conducted by Rev. c. S.
| Pillsbury, chaplain of Morgan post.
Then the Sapph0 Ladies' quartette sang
"Rock of Ages
Mayor p. B. Winston was the first of
the distinguished gentlemen proud TO
say a word about Mart Williams to
speak. He said:
For tifteeu years | have known Mart
Williams as journalist. While others
struggled for success. he won the re-
Spect and admiration of all who knew
him by his kindndsS. We have lost a
good citizen, brave soldier, an honest
Journalist. We leave him now in the
care of God. Good night"
Il suppose, as his immediate chief"
said Senator G.. 4. Pierce, lit would be
proper for me to say few words TODAY,
although have known him but a short
time. Death is always sad, but if it
must come, let 1t come as it come to our
friend. quietly and without pain. Our
dead friend had lived longer than the
allotted time of man and had done more
than his allotted amount of work. But
l must leave eulOgiums to those who
knew him better The words OH that
beautiful floral piece expresses his con-
ditIOn-'he is at rest
uerrIman and IIcGiI.
o. c. Merriman. an old citizen of
Minneapolis and an eX-mayOr. followed.
No words of mine," said he, 'scan
speak so elOquently of him who has de
parted as does this great gathering. L
cannot tell you how long it is since
first met and became acquainted with
him. | could relate incidents to show
how his past work, so difficult. was per
formed so easily. He had such entire con-
ndence of every one with whom he came
in contact that he could secure all the
information needed for his work; and
often matter not for publication was
given to him as from brother to brother
Since he has gone L have thought many
times what power the press of this
country would be if all its representa-
tives possessed the qualities that marked
this man."
After the rendition of an appropriate
hymn by the Sappho and Cecilfan quar-
tettes, eX-Mayor George A. Pillsburv
arose. He was The only one of the speak
ers who so far forgot himself as to air
his grievances against newspaper men
in general, while cOmmending Mart