Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-05-20
A COMMUNITY MOURNED.
BURIAL OF THE LATE ECkLEY B.
COKE ON THURSDAY.
A Great Crowd Was Present to Witness
the Simple Ceremonies in Connection
With the Last Services Over the Body
ofathe Dead Millionaire.

the Simple Ceremonies in Connection
With the Last Services Over the Body
ofathe Dead Millionaire.
The high esteem in which the late
Eckley b. Coke was held was shown in
striking manner on Thursday after
noon at his funeral. The whole coun-
try round poured its population into
Drifton. Special trains brought hun
dreds of the Coke employees from all the
towns along the d. S. e S., and there
was every indication of sincere and un-
affected grief on every hand. St.
James Episcopal church. of which Mr..
Coke was communicate, was early
thronged with the relatives, personal
friends and those who had come from a
distance, and outside was a concourse of
900. No hearse was used in conveying
the corpse from the house to the church.
the body being borne by the following
employees: John Wagner, John R. Wag-
ner, John Rowlands, Edgar Kudlich,
Thomas Tilson, David James, Stewart
Macfarlane and Samuel Salmon. The
funeral services were extremely brief,
being the simple ritual of the church
without word of eulogy or reference to
the deceased. Rev. j. p. Buxton, the
of Mr.. Coxes, officiated, assisted by Rev.
c. w. living, of Freeland. Several
other ministers and priests were present
at the services.
The remains were then taken from
the church and the burial service was
concluded at the grave, which is located
in the northwest corner of the church
yard. Mr.. Coke is the first to be buried
there. After the coffin was lowered it
was completely covered with flowers
and twigs of palm, dropped from the
hands of the hundreds of friends who
reverently pressed about the spot. No
brick walls or marble slabs were used to
protect the tomb. 1t was an ordinary
trench, dug down well into the earth
No opportunity had been given to view
the body.
The floral display was beautiful and
among the offerings were wreath from
the Clover Club of Philadelphia; large
pillow of roses from the Freeland bor-
ough council; a pillow from the mine
foremen in the employ of the company;
a broken column from the employees of
the machinery department.; wreath
from the employees of the shops; large
circle of roses and lilies with star in cen
tire and inscribed "Our Noble Friend"
from the heads of departments, and
numerous others from the family and
friends.
Specials trains arrived about o'clock
with the officials of the PENNSYLVANIA,
Reading, Jersey Central and Lehigh
Valley Companies on board. The gath
ering was made up of people from every
walk of life, and it is doubtful if there
was ever an occasion in the history of
the state when greater number of per-
sons from more widely separated sta
tions was drawn together for the sole
purpose of paying respect to the dead.
Thursdays demonstration was the
greatest testimonial that could be paid
to Mr.. Coxe's memory.
Throughout the entire region every
thing was shut down, all the collieries
being closed for the day, and there was
nothing to mar the solemnity of the oc-
casion. Around the buildings and
works at Drifton the black draping was
everywhere. In town here every place
of business was closed, even the saloons,
and the streets were lined with flags at
half-mast.. At 100 o'clock the bells of
the churches, regardless of sect or creed,
rang out the funeral chimes.
Those present from distance, besides
the relatives of the family, included
railroad presidents and minor officials,
county judges, members of the Pennsyl-
vania senate and house, college profess
sors and students, trustees of various
charitable institutions, delegations from
scientific and mechanical associations
and representatives of the coal ex-
changes of New York and Philadelphia.