Morning journal and courier., 1893-01-31
MIR. BLAINE,s FUNERAL.

Beautiful Floral Oherings-Maine,s
Tribute to Her Eminent Citizen.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-Every effort was
: made to comply with Mr.. BlAine's under
stood wishes and with the expressed de-
sires of his family in the direction of q
private funeral, but the surging wave of
public interest swept over the barrier and
made the occasion one of the most impress
sive of public demonstrations. ALI bust
ness was suspended.
The parlor on the second floor, where
the body lay in its cedar casket, was fairly
embowered with floral tributes. The
; casket itself rested on hugo bed of roses,
violets, palm leaves and ferns, about nine
feet long by four feet wide. Around the
pedestals on which the coffin rested and
upon the coffin itself was q wreath of
orchids and roses from President Harri.
son; wreath of white roses and violets
from Mrs. Zach Chandler; single wreath
of violets, tied with ribbons, from J. g.
Blaine, jr.; garland of violets from Mrs.
Eugene Hale, and many other floral offer
ings.
The parIor was far too small for the dis
tinguished mourners who by invitation
sought access to 1t. The immediate mourn
ers grouped round the casket were the
widow, her married daughter, Mrs. Dam
rosch Miss Hattie Blaine, James q. Blaine,
jr., Mrs. Emmons Blaine, Miss Abigail
Dodge Gail HsmiltoD), Mr.. Blaine's cousin;
Mr.. R. G. Blaine, brother of the dead
statesman, and his wife and daughter; Mr..
Hampton Denman of Missouri, cousin of
Mr.. Blaine; Frank Henry, Horace and Au-
gustus Stanwood, Walter Stinson and Mr.
W. 81. Hatch, all nephews of the deceased
A concourse of several thousand people
occupied Lafayette square, facing the
Blaine residence; the doors and windows
of the houses adjoining were thronged
with spectators, and a double line of car
| riages, $50 or more in number, extended
far along Pennsylvania avenue, yet there
| was no disorder or confusion; on the con-
trary, a marked air of decorous solemnity
attended even the outside demonstrations,
The ceremonies inside the house were
marked in their simplicity. Rev. DR.. Ham
lin of the Church of the Covenant In low
tone delivered the prayer. As he did so
Mr.. Walter Damrosch touched the keys of
the piano to a slow dirge. Then the casket
was closed; in silence the family and
mourning guests left the house, and the
sad procession wended its way slowly to
| the church. The pallbesrers were: SEN
| ators Hale and Frye of Maine; Morgan of
Alabama; ex.Speaker Reed, Representative
Boutele of Maine; HIT of Illinois, and
Bingham of Pennsylvania; General Thomas
Ewing of Ohio, and James Hay.
At the Presbyterian Church of the Gov
enant the decorations were very rich and
effective. Exactly at IL O'Clock the solemn
organ music announced the arrival of the
funeral party.
AS the sad procession moved up the
aisle Mr.. Walter Damrosch, Mr.. Blaine's
son-in- law played an improvisation of sew
eral themes of hymns which Mr.. Blaine
loved. DR.. Hamlin, the pastor, walked at
the head of the mourners and read as he
advanced selections from Scriptures. When
all were seated the deep peals of the organ
ceased and DR.. Hamlin began the church
services.
At the close of DR.. Hsmlin's prayer the |
Lords prayer was repeated by the pastor |
and part of the congregation, and the |
benediction was invoked upon all present. |
At 12:45 O'Clock the church services closed |
and the casket was raised and placed once |
more in the hearse, all the distinguished |
concourse standing as 1t was borne from
the church. 1t was then noted that Mrs. |
Blaine was not among the mourners, as |
had been supposed. Among 80 many deep |
ly yelled figures her form had not hereto |
fore been missed. Prior to the starting of |
the procession from Lafayette square Mrs. |
Blaine had IT quested to be left alone for a
few minutes with her dead. The parlor |
had been cleared for this purpose, and |
when Mrs. Blaine emerged after five or ten /
minutes she made her way, supported on
the arms Of her son and daughter to the |
room where her husband had died and |
there gave way to her grief in utter pros
tration. Mrs. Hale and other friends fol- |
lowed her to the death chamber, but their
friendly ministrations were of no avail and |
Mrs. Blaine was compelled to remain be- |
hind.
The masses of people in the vicinity of |
the church pressed closer as the stir about |
the main doorway told them the services |
were over. The procession was soon NOV |
ing in the direction of the cemetery head |
ed by platoon of police. 1t moved west |
thence north to street, crossing Rock /
Greek into Georgetown. Oak Hill ceme-
terry is one of the most picturesque burial /
grounds in the United States. 1t Is at the |
summit of Georgetown Heights. Mr..
Blaine's last resting place was chosen by /
himself after the death of his son Walker,
who, as we'll as his daughter, Mrs. Cop |
pingsr, lies buried near him, is on the |
eastern part of the cemetery half way |
down the terrace on the western bank of |
the creek. On the succession of terraces |
that border the winding pathway leading |
to the grave, scores of spectators were
standing, some reverential in their bear |
ing; others indiferent-all curious. Many |
pressed forward to pluck a flower from a
wreath or column that adorned the dead
mans bier, but the police and attendants
stopped this. The floral tributes, 60 num- |
erous that five wagons were necessary to |
convey them to the cemetery were ar
ranged artistically back of the grave on a
huge strip of canvass Mud and melting
snow were everywhere under foot. and
temporary plank walks had been placed
near the grave. On these tho family.
friends and Official associates of Mr.. Blaine
stood during the last ceremony. Overhead
| the sky was hidden by clouds that fore
Swallowed rain. At one side and near the
| head of the grave stands a tall hickory
/ tree, particslly decayed. With the excep
| ton of Mrs. Blaine, all the family and the
| relatives were there. Behind them stood
| the president of the United States, the
distinguished pallbearers, members of the
cabinet, vice president and many intimate
friends and political associates. DR.. Ham
lin read the simple burial service of the
Presbyterian church. This was fol-
lowed by brief extemporaneous
prayer. Then came the benediction,
and all that was mortal of James G. Blaine
| was consigned TO earth. The cortege
entered the cemetery at halfpaet one
O'Clock and the interment was over in
fifteen minutes. Slowly the crowd dis
persed. President, cabinet, senators, the
family and the others entered their car
riages and were driven away.
James G.. Blaine, junior no longer, stood
beside the grave of his father, until the
masons had bricked in the ca.ket and the
grave diggers had filled in the remaining
space. When all this as accomplished he
returned to his home and the last group of
spectators dispersed.
The desire of the friends who attended
the services at the church to carry away
some memento resulted in the complete
stripping of the blooms from the pulpit
and the organ rail, almost before the
cortege had fairly begun its march to the
cemetery.
The will of Mr.. Blaine will be probated
in Augusta, Me-, his legal residence.
Every thing is left unreservedly to Mrs.
Blaine. She ia the sole executrix and is
not to be required to give any bond. Mr..
Blaine's estate is estimated at about $500,
600. It is composed of improved real es-
D tate in Washington and in Maine and OF
8 coal and timber lands in West
8 Virginia and other states, and small
3 holdings of personal property. Mr..
: Blaine's expenses, especially in late years,
: were very heavy. Had he devoted his