Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-10
ROW AT BRiDGETS WAKE.
The Wiiiinmses, Deprived of n Drink,
Took the Corpse with Them.


From tn New York Herald
This crowd Is too mean even for a corpse
to be with 1 never saw such a wake
Help me with the body, Billy and wen
take her out. II Bridget was living sncd
blush to have her dead body sit in company
with such mean lot"
Mrs. William H., Williams and her inebri-
ated husband thereupon took the coffin and
began to carry it away from the wake
That was more than the guests would have,
and there was a free fight, which lasted
several minutes The Williams family were
eventually elected and then arrested by
three policemen who heard the row.
All hands repaired to the police station
and saw the Williams family safely put in
cells. Then they returned, replaced the cof-
fin on the treStles AMI resumed the wake
where it had been SO ru1ely Interrupted. 1t
broke UP very late yesterday morning. but
there was no more lighting, although few
Satirical remarks were made by friends of
the deceased.
The Williams family weren't invited, any
way, it Is said. The wake was Thar of Mrs
Bridget Burke, and it was held at the cor
ner of Manhattan avenue and Java street,
Greenpolnt. She was WlsherWOman, forty
years ola far from prosperous, but with a
great many friends and relatives Nest OF
whom gathered TO do the last honors TO her
body.
Wake Manager Ready Foresaw IT,
Patrick Ready was the manager os the
wake. lie has charge of many Greenpoint
affairs of this kind, a manager who can d.
rect a wake without friction and send all
the guests home with enough to drink, but
still in a peaceful mood being a good deal
of a rarity. At only One-third of Mr.
Keady's wakes are there any fights, and
hardly ever is one of them raided by the
police, 50 Iactful and diplomatic is he.
When Wake Manager Ready saw The
Williams family, lie whispered 10 one Of the
guests: They re going to get all the liquor
they can, and when It's all gone they're go
ing to Kick up a row because they weren't
invited"
The first four rounds of the WHISKY bottle
were partaken of by the Williamses, who,
however, kept nudging each other anu
whispering. But after that Wake Manager
Ready, suspecting their good faith and dis
liking to divert any more alcohol, gave the
order that in passing the bottle the VIII
lamses be skipped.
Patrick Kelly, who sat on Mrs. Williams
left. took the bottle when it came to him,
helped himself to a hearty Swig, and then
pointedly leaned over the Wlliamses and
handed it to Mrs. O'ConneI. The Williams
es, who sat between Kelly and Mrs. OCon-
nell, made an Intellectual grab for it, but il
eluded them.
Resented the Slight.
Williams rose in his wrath and spoke
We'll I'll be good and well gormed if this
isn't the meanest lot of scarecrows l ever
sat with. Did you see that, Annie?'
did l?' screamed his wife, land l think
l did. Here are we, the best friends the
corpse ever had, and they leave us out OF
the drinking"
You weren't invited" put in Wake Man
ager Ready, ard If you don't like the way
the whisky bottle circulates, you can co.
Did you hear that, Anne?" exclaimed
Williams. Then, seeing that the lighting
blood of the crowd was up, he added: Lets
go. / know where there's wake on that's
better than this. It's twins
where's your manhood, Billy?' sneered
his wife. Go and leave the corpse with
crowd like that2 Bridget was a decent wo-
man, and it's her ghoast that would haunt
us If we left her with such folkses. Let's
take her with us."o
Then began the fight, which preceded the
arrest OF the Williams family