Arizona republican., 1892-09-06


 obtainable, and men after days of hard work in the mines were obliged to sleep in that frosted atmosphere wherever they could.
 Rev. T. J. Mackey was the most pop ular clergyman in town at that time. He was loved by the good people and respected, almost venerated, by the gamblers and the miners, which doesn't imply that miners were not in them selves reputable people. Whenever a miner or sporting man or woman died it was Parson Mackey who was called in. There was one day in particular when the parson held four funerals, and that was the record. Four was ire quently equaled, but it stood as the top notch for one clergyman.
 Mir. Mackey, who was an Episcopal clergyman, held services in the Tabor opera house. Fifty dollars day was the rent, and the collection never fell short. It was necessary to close the doors then long before the time for the beginning of the service to keep back the crowds. This four funeral day spoken of was the day on which J. B Omohundro, known all over the world as "Texas Jack, was buried.
 Leadville never did funerals by halves A brass band was a regular thing. No funeral was held without one. The band attending upon Jack was made up of fifty pieces. being a combination of several. Fay Templeton's opera com pany was playing an engagement in Leadville then, and Fay agreed to sup ply her company to act as choir. The coffin was set upon the stage loaded with flowers, and flowers were rarer than mines in Leadville, and Rev Mackey appeared in his regimentals as chaplain of the Tabor Light Guards to preach the funeral sermon. As he pro- ceeded, whenever he made an illusion to any good quality in Jack the congre- gation applauded as vociferously as though they were approving a fine feature of play. There was no dis order-these people meant it all. They wept at the preachers words and stamp ed their feet in approval of his hope for Jacks chances over there.
 Before the services Mir. Mackey had been waited upon by the Tabor Light Guards. They recited to him the fact that all the senior officers but the chap lain were absent from the city, and told him that as he was ranking officer of the day he must don his regimentals and lead the company. At first he de- murred vigorously, but finally, equipped with blue and gold and a sword that knew not it's place and the propriety of keeping it, he marched upon the stage to help Jack along. When the services were over he found they had provided a horse for him to lead the column.
 The preacher wasn't the most remark able horseman in the world, but he was game, and he mounted and started away. Directly the band struck up the Dead March in Saul" the preacher and his steed became almost as prominent as the corpse-or they would have been elsewhere than in Leadville. Here everything went. The dominic waltzed to the graveyard on his fiery charger actually waltzed, but nobody noticed that. That was regular thing, or at least not striking innovation.
 At Omohundros funeral, as at all funerals in Leadville, work of all kinds was suspended. Men and women thronged upon the sidewalks-packed them. One could really have walked on the heads of the people and nobody would have noticed it. In those days the undertaken took great pride in the turning out. Riding in the carriage with the preacher he would look back lov- ingly and say:
 "Ah, now, this is a funeral that is d funeral. This is something like. Look at the crowds, parson, and we've got seven more pieces in the band than at tended the Swede that McCloskey buried yesterday. Cor. Omaha World Herald.