Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-01-31
TO OAK HILL FAIR
The Mortal Remains of j. G.
Blaine Are Borne.
NEAR THE SCENE OF HIS TRIUMPHs

His Loved Ones Lay Him In the Lap Of
Mother Earth-The Rulers of the Nation
He Served Attend the Obsequies and
Representatives of Foreign Countries
Pay Final Tribute to His Memory
Services at Home, Church. and Grave
Intense Emotion of His Bereaved Wife
Memorial Service at Augusta, Me.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 91.-With heads IN
covered and bowed the greatest of the ma
ton stood round an excavation in Oak
Hill cemetery yesterday afternoon, while
in continuously extending circles an i'm
mense throng of citizens from all walks of
life spread abroad into the beautiful
grounds of the cemetery and strove to
catch the words of the minister-"Earth to
to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust"-as
the clods rolled upon the casket which
held the mortal remains of the great
leader of men, James G. Blaine The cere-
monies which had began at II a. m. We're
thus brought to a close and the concourse
slowly dispersed, leaving the great dead in
the embrace of mother earth
The Ceremonies at the House.
1t was an assemblage of notables which
gathered at the house services. There were
the president of the United Sta es, the vice
president and his wife, the secretaries of
state, the treasury, war, navy. and agri-
culture; the postmaster general and attor-
ney general, Secretary Noble, the chief JUS
tice Of the United States-senators, repre-
sentatives, and prominent officials from
every department. Many prominent civil
fans were there also, including Andrew
Carnegie, General Alger, John r. Mclean,
Theodore Roosevelt, and the diplomatic
corps was we'll represented. The services
were simple, being those prescribed for
burial by the Presbyterian church.
Damrosch at the Instrument.
The services were in charge of Rev Mr.
Hamlin, of the Church of the Covenant. and
Walter Damrosch, the dead statesman's
son-in-law, presided firt at the piano in
the residence and again at the organ in the
church. The casket, buried under beau
tiful floral tributes, was lifted mt the con
clusion of the home services and taken TO
the church through an immense throng
which lined the whole route. The honor
airy pall-bearers were: Senator Hale Sena-
tor Frye, Senator Morgan, eX-Speaker
Reed, Representative Boutelle, Representa-
tive Hit, Representative Bingham: Cen
eral Thomas Ewing, of Ohio; John Hay,
Joseph Fl. Manley, Almet +. jerks and p.
V. 7. Ely.
The Scene at the Church.
All of those enumerated in the foregoing
as well as hundred of other prominent men
and women followed the hearse from home
to church. Here the decorations were of
the most beautiful and appropriate charac
ter. There were flowers and evergreens
H,- I'D
even then the church was packed to the
doors Nearly every foreign nation having
a representative at this capital was repre-
sented in the audience. And here while
the body rested in front of the chancel the
church services were continued, closing
with prayer-the Lords prayer, in which
part of the congregation joined-and a ben
ediction. 1t was then 1910 o'clock.
Mrs. Blaine Overcome with Grief.
It was then noted that Mrs. Blaine was
not among the mourners, as had been sup
posed. Among so many deeply-veiled fig
ures her form had not heretofore been
missed but it was soon whispered that,
overcome by grief, she had remained at the
house. Prior to the starting of the fu
neral procession from Lafayette square
Mrs. Blaine had requested to be left alone
for few minutes with her honored dead.
The parlor had been cleared for this pur-
pose, and when Mrs. Blaine emerged after
from five to ten minutes silent commun-
ion with her grief she made her way. sup
ported on the arms Of her son and daugh-
ter, Miss Hattie, to the room where her
husband had died, and there gave way to
her grief in utter prostration. Mrs. Hale
and other sympathizing friends followed
her to the death chamber. Their friendly
II
Blaine was compelled to remain behind.