The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-03-01

ike those of the typical Englishman. well
fed, and Nth the regular English side
WHISPERS. The deceased was a man of
immense stature. weighing over $50
p unds. and the casket was next 10
the largest size made. us cost was over
$500, as his numerous string OF relatives
ad ordered only the Dest-lhe best Of
everything. About fifty of the family of
deceased were present. His second wife.
a Mrs. Wharton, who was a member of
another gypsy tribe, was married to de-
ceased thirteen years ago at Sacramento.
She was present yesterday, with her two
children. All OF the children of dec astd
five girls and two sOus-were present
together wi b a number OF the grandchil-
dren, who numbered in all sixteen.
At the parlors the venerable Father
Akerly of the Episcopal church read the
simple seTvice OF that church, and BECAUSE
of his age and consequent inability to go
to the cemetery, he sprinkled earth on the
casket in he undertaker's rOoms.
Father Akerly has officiated at the
funeral of every gypsy belonging to mis-
Palmer tribe, as ali are members of the
church and all have been buried in sthe
beautiful gypsy plat in Mountain View.
The venerable pastor tod how, in June,
1880, he performed the funeral service over
the remains OF the gypsy queen, the first
wife of Palmer. and how, on that occasion,
81. johns Church contained bigger
crowd than ever before or since. FaI her
Akerly told how he afterward fficiated at
the funeral of he son of the king. Samson
Palmer, who had been killed In MINES ia
by a relation. The aged minister was
loud in his praise of the dead king, and
SAID hat despite his peculiar life he wss a
conscientious and honest man, and was
respected by all who knew him.
The pallbearrrs were chosen from among
the short-coated members of The tribe and
were as follows: Ben Palmer, Nelson
Palmer, Hammy Palmer, Mercy Boswell,
Dave Wharton, Ben Lowell, Isaiah Whar-
ton, Nelson Wharton. Elijah Wharton and
Ernest Palmer.
There were eight hacks in the funeral
procession and all contained relatives of
the dead monarch.
At the cemetery there was large crowd
gathered about the gypsy plat, but II il
expected to see anything of peculiar
character in the burial, or any mysticism
IN the last rites, 1t was disappointed, for
the coffin was lowered into he tomb and
the earth heaped upon 1t, while the dusky
followers stood about in silence with un-
covered heads. Not word or sob was
heard.
The dead king was buried beside
the body of the first queen and In
a grave from which the body of his
dead brother BendigO, buried In 1887. had
royal dead beside that of the wife of bis
early manhood
Then the gypsies filed silently away TO
view the recovering OF the body of the
dead Bendigo in an other part of the ceme-
terry and far removed from the gypsy band
which lie silently sleeping in he little plat
chosen by the dead king many years ago.
In this plat lie twelve of the kings fam
lily. On each headstone Is told a story, and
one bears this peculiar inscription: "Sam-
uel Palmer, killed by Dick Woodruff in
Mimi, Oci. %. 1885, aged As" This is the
dead son Father Akerly spoke of. BE was
killed by Woodruff, his nephe6, in St.
Paul. in quarrel over the custody of the
children of Palmer. Woodruff wanted to
take charge of Palmer's little ones after
the death Of the wife OF the latter, quar-
rel ensued and Woodruff shot his uncle to
death. The body was brought all the way
from beyond the Mississippi for burial
here.
Some of the Woodruff branch of the
Palmer tribe are also buried in the gypsy
lot and sleep beside the Palmers.
The gypsies were anxious that only the
best should be provided for the late king.
aud Will erect handsome monument over
his grave. de was born on the day of the
coronation OF Queen Victoria and was al
ways PROUD OF this fact He was born a
gyp.y, and his early days were passed in
roaming about over the green hills and
along the hedge roads OF Merrie England.
Like al his people he was born horse
man. he bought, sold. road and raced
horses, and IN his early days was said TO
be worth quartz of n million dollars
accumulated IN horses. 1t was through
horses. too, that he lost his fortune, for
the racetiack proved his ruin. He was an
inveterate gambler. but the modern book.
maker and his intricacies were too much
for him.
There was little scene at the grave of
the dead brother. Bendigo, whittier the
dark-skinned band wandered after the
king was duly buried. Here the widow
Of the br Their fell at the edge of the open
grave, and sobbed long aud loudly over
her dead, begging that God might take
her. too. Her lamentations extended to
her fellows about her. and one of her sons
fell In faint, at sight of which the mother