Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-10-20
FUNERALS OUT IN LEADv.LLE.
Wild Life In Colorado'a Historic Mining

U oN6nAIS wi in ICAOVhGLE.
Wild Life in Colorado's Historic Mining
Camp.
To one who passes along the streets
of Leadville. Col, now there is just one
feature in particular which serves as a
mark of comparison of the Leadville of
to-day with the mining camp of thir-
teen years ago. Leadyille now is re-
spectacle. staid and as solemn as a
mining city can be, but il isn't the
sosemnity in the abstract that strikes
one now. 1t is a specific solemnity
which concerns itself with funerals
To one who has lived in, the past, when
every funeral was an occasion for as
much celebration as circus, the quiet
and sedate cortege moving along Chest
nut street to-day is something not to be
considered. 1t is too gloomy to suit the
old-timer; but, alas. the old-timer is no
more.
In 1879 the town was wild. Every
body carried a gun" Not in his
pocket, mind you. Only the natural
born fool did, and he rarely lived to
repent 1t. The weapon WIS stuck in
his belt, right handy for immediate
action. AS a consequence rarely day
passed without a violent death. Added
to this the work of pneumonia kept the
grave-digger over in the valley at work
night and day. This may sound like
exaggeratlon, but it isn't The twink
ling lights in the valley presented a
grewsome appearance at night, and
more so when their purpose was known.
They lit the grave-diggers at work.
Pneumonia was fearful enemy.
Men were strong, fearless, healthy
in the morning, and when
evening came with it was the
physician, AID the next day the
undertaken. No accommodations fit to
be called such were obtainable. and
men after days of hard work in the
mines We're obliged to sleep in that
frosted atmosphere wherever theycould.
Rev. L. J. Macley 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 miners, which doesn't inn
ply that IN ners were not in themselves
reputable people. Whenever miner
or sporting man or woman died 1t was
Parson Mackey who was called in.
mere was one ufV III '" itu
the parson held four funerals, and that
was the record. Four was frequently
equaled, but it stood as the top notch
for one clergyman.
Mr.. MaclIey, who was an Episcopal
clergyman. held services in the Tabor
opera house. Fifty dollars day was
the rent. and the collections never fell
short. 1t was necessary to close the
doors then long before the time for the
beginning of the service to keep back
The crowds. The four-funeral dav
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 one of fifty pieces: being a combi-
nation of several Fay Templeton's
opera company was playing an
engagement in Leadville, and Fay
agreed to supply 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. Mr.. Mackey ap-
peared in his regimentals as chaplain
of the Tabor Light Guards to preach
the funeral sermon. AS he proceeded,
whenever he made an allusion to any
good quality in Jack. the congregation
applauded as vociferously as though
they were approving a fine feature of a
play. There was no disorder-these
people meant it all. They wept at the
preachers words and stamped their feet
in approval of his hope for Jacks
chances lover there.
Before the services Mr.. 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-
INJURED vigorously. but finally. equipped
with blue and gold and a sword that
knew not its place and the propriety of
keeping it, he marched upon the stage
to help Jack along. When the services
We're over he found they had provided
a horse for him to lead the column. The
preacher wasn't the most remarka BILE
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 promi-
nent 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 Omohundro's funeral, as at all
funerals in Leadville. work of all kinds
was suspended. Men and women
thronged upon the acknowledgements
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 turnout Riding in
the carriage with the preacher he
would look back lovingly and say.
All. now, this is funeral that is
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"
Undertakes were put to it sometimes
There is a tradition which has almost
enough substantiation to it to be truth,
revolver and the active pneumonia en-
tirely cleared out the stock of collins in
Leadville, and the undertakes were
actually obliged to rob graves at night,
not of bodies, but of collins Quite fire.