The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-05-09
An Immense Procession Accompanied
the Remains to Their Last
Resring-P Place.
civic Sorieties anl Military Companies
in Line With a Large Number
of Carriages.
Impressive Funeral Services con
Quoted by the Masonic Fra
ternity Taps.

Regardic.s of Il drizzling rain the
funeral Of the late William scott
Wetzel Friday was attended 10y q very
large number Of people. 1t is safe to
say that such AN occasion has not up to
date in Montana drawn together a larger
concourse. while few. if any funerals yet
held in this state can in any way ON
pare with it as % numbers. If the weather
had been a little plcasanter the attend
ancc would have been greatly increased,
and many more old friends and admirers
Of the deceased would have participated
in the obscquics.
The great throng Of people who were
unable to obtain admission to the hall in
which the services took place. but who
helped to swell the number in the pro
cession to the grave. were not
all residents of this city. They
came from ~nrighboring towns and
communities. from the ranch, the work
shop and the mine. and they came de
termincd that no storm that blows should
in any way interfere with the previously
planned outdoor exercises. Nor did it..
Though the rain for a time descended
quite severely each kept his place in line.
determined TO fulfill to the last the part
allotted him in paying proper tribut" to
the dead.
Business was temporarily suspended
yesterday afternoon. few attending to
the cares and duties of life till the last
carriage was ont OF sight. Owing to the
prominence of the deceased in the Ma.
sonic and other societies, members Of
those orders turned ont to a man, and as
Il result little business could be trans
ac ed.
The long procession to the grave was
made up of the representative men of
this and adjoining towns and it surpassed
anything seen before in this city, in
numbers and department. The Grand
Army was well represented in the Sheri
dan post, and those veterans, grizzled
and gray, escorted by Company 4 First
regiment of Montana, made an imposing
appearance at the head of the column.
Then camc the odd Fellows. the Knights
of Pythias. and the United Workmcn. in
the order named. and finally the Masons
under whose direction the funeral was
conducted, brought up the rear forming
Il guard around the heHrse. \ long
string of carriages scvcnty-thrcc in
number. by actual count. followed those
ON foot.
The Masonic hail was filed with the
members of the various societies and the
friends and relatives of the deceased. by
two o'clock yesterday afternoon. at which
time the ceremonies were to
commence. j. \. Carrier. Worshipful
Master of this lodge, presided
during the Masonic ceremonies
and Rev. ". i. Copmbr, the chaplain,
performed the services. which were in
tcrspcrscd with appropriate sacred songs
10y a choir.
At the closc of the services the caskct
was opened to enable any one who
wished to take IA final look at the re-
mains, after which the societies filed u
in the same order in which they were to
march in the procession. The Masons
came last, following the casket carried
by the pail bearers Mrssrs. Roosevelt,
iLdlC'I'. ~ IT, iiuSil'E WIEN IN
Coombes.
When the remains had been placed in
the hcarsc the procession. headed by the
band which played Nearer My God to
Thee and other selections, started down
Central avenue en- route for the cemetery.
The line of the funeral march was west
On Central venue to Second street,
south on Second to Second avenue, east
on Second avrnu to Fourth street. and
south on that street. then by
road to the b~urying ground.
The entire party took carriages for the
cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
The services at the grave were con-
Quoted by the Masons, and az it had
stopped raining the beautiful ritual of
that order was carried out, after which
the Grand Army gathered around the
grave and with bent heads and solemn
mein listened to that sound so familiar in
military life which marks the close Of
day taps. \ young buglcr stepped to
the head Of the grave and with his huglc
blew taps, or, as the old soldiers call it,
Lights out" and the mortal remains Of
William Scott WctZcl were consigned to
the grave,