Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-08-02
WILD-WEST FUNERALS.
Some Humorous and Pathe tic
Tales Of Borderland Burials.
Csvnicade or Mourners Who Broke
Ranks and Chased Rabbits on the
Way TO he GraNe-A Giris Jour
ney with Her Dead Lover


nance have done some OF their most
pathetic work in telling of deaths
among the pioneers on the bordcrland
of civilization and of the lonely graves
there. hundreds of miles from any com
munity or home. But there have been
some circumstances connected with in
terncnts i'm the west. as known 10 the /
cowboys of twenty-five years ago. that /
was 50 unexpected as 10 be highly .
humorous. one Of the first funerals 10 /
occur at Great Bend, Kan. says the /
Philadelphia Times. possessed unprece-
dcntcd ,ir"ume. anccs enough 20 make /
it humorous. if the unexpected is an at
tribute of humor.
An old and somewhat disliked man. /
Henry Turlev. had been confined - hi, )
bed several week, b. a di,casc which
bafllcd the skill of the woud-be ply
sicians who a.;eu led him He ~ccmed 10
grow steadily worse and his death wa
hourly expected. Then the cold wealth
err. which had consumed for nearly a
month. was broken by "A few spring-hAe
DAYS. The citizens of the little settle
ment took Turkeys case in hand and
decided that as his death was certain
20 occur in few days at most, it was
better 20 take advantage OF the mild
weather and dig a grave for him than 20
await his death and the probable return
Of cold weather, when gravc-digging
would be extremely difficult. The
grave was accordingly dug. Turley
was so full of wrath at having his grave
prepared in advance that he rose from
his bed and the same day left town in
disgust. II appeared that he had been
shamming all the time in order 20 OBJ
tain free victuals and care. Regrets
were expressed that he had not been
buried without waiting for the usual
preliminary Of death. The pleasant
weather was soon followed by severe
storm of snow and sleet During the
first night of the blizzard a bibulously
inclined attorney, Godfrey by name,
being. as was his wont, in an advanced
state of intoxication, lay out all night
in the snow. Two days later he died
from the effects of his freezing. His
relatives were telegraphed for and re
sponded that they would come immedi-
ately. The storm increased in violence,
and, lasting nearly a week, blocked
the avenues of travel in every direction
A few days after Godfrey's death
nearly the entire male population of
the settlement congregated at the com
! bined post office, saloon, grocery, etc,
20 swap stories, eat crackers and i'm
bibe whisky When all hands We're
pretty well warmed up, the subject of
| Turlev's shameful deception and un-
e. 4 4 a.,.t
1t was decided that such "a good grave
ought not 70 be wasted. and that in
order TO make use of il. Godfrey's re
mains should be speedily Inferred in it.
This met the approval of all present,
and with the rude coffin in one wagon,
and as many as could crowd into an
other, and a number of horsemen az
either side. the funeral cortcge started
| in falling snow Several times on the
way dog belonging 10 a member OF
the party started a jackrabbit and
each time the horsemen tlssisted in the
chase. The further the procession got
from the starting point the more the
mourners jumped from the wagon and
aided the horsemen and dog in chasing
the rabbit. The grave was reached
and found TO be partially filled with
snow Then another attorney, who
differed but little from the one in the
coffin except that the latter was dead
proposed. as there was no minister OF
the gospel present, to do his best tC
deliver funeral grafton. He haC
hardly got more than well started
when some one shouted that the doc
had started another rabbit. Away
went horsemen, footmen, orator
mourners and all in pursuit of'the rabbit
and dog. leaving teams, coffin anc
corpse to take care of themselves
The chase was long and exciting, "a
the dog. while always seeming abou
70 get the rabbit. failed to do it. LET
- themselves. the team got tired O
standing in the storm and ran ava.
toward home When the crowd strag
, gled back the snow had filed the gray,
and obliterated the wagon tracks "A
, the cemetery consisted of only tina
one grave and had no other marks Z
( distinguish it from the rest of the prai
: rie, they were by no means certain o
its location in the snow. So the.
: trudged off home in the snow, and ar
! rived TO find the teams were there be
fore them. The ''tailboard" was out o
, the impromptu hearse, and the cofiii
! had disappeared. 1t was not recovere'
till the snow had partially melted
more than a week later. Then tn
e relatives arrived and took the bod
east with them.
5 There is little world of pathos il
g the simple story of the first burial a
r Lawrence, Kan. Moses Pomeroy al
q rived from Illinois in 1854 and Sc
I bravely TO work 10 make a home for
dear one left behind. BY dint of muc
labor he improved his homestead cor
siderably, and erected tiny but CON
= Portable house. Then. full OF hig
r hopes for the future, he wrote for hi
n waiting sweetheart 10 come. TIL
>. Journey, mostly by stage and Wagon
n was a long one, and when She arrive
/. the girl found that her lover had eN
Y pired the day before. The day afte
r the girls arrival the body of her love
). was borne 20 the tomb. The rude cot
II