Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-09-08
WILD-WEST FUNERALS.
Some Humorous aud Pathetic
Tales OF Borderland Burials.
4 CavAlesde OF AIournen Who Rroke
Ranks and Chased abbtts on tho
Way to the GrRve-A Girls Jour
ney with Her Dead Lover.

Piuiho hhoNS the peculihr patnOS OF n
burial there. Poets and writers of ro-
nance have done some Of their most
pathetic work in telling of deaths
among the pioneers or the borderland
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.
ternients in the west, as known to the
cowboys OF twenty-five n ago, that
was so unexpected us to be highly
humorous. One Of the first funerals Ia
occur ut Great Bend. Kan, says the
Philadelphia Times, possessed unprece.
denied circumstances enough to make
1t humorous, If the, unexpected is an ut.
tribute of hunor.
An old and somewhat disliked nun,
Henry Turley, had been confined to his
bed several weeks by u disease which
baficd the skill of the would-be pby.
sicians who attended him. He seemed To
grow steadily worse and his death yyas
hourly expected. Then the cold wealth.
or, which had continued for nearly n
month, was broken by n few spring-iike
days. The citizens OF the little settle.
ment took Turkeys case in hand and
decided that rs his death was certain
to occur in n few days Mt most, il was
better to take advantage of the mild
weather and dig n grave for him than tc
await his death and the probable return
oil cold weather, when grave-digging
would be extremely difficult. The
grave was accordingly dug. Turlcy
was SO full OF wrath ut having his gray,
prepared in advance hat he rose from
his bed and the same day left town In
disgust. 1t appeared hat he had been
shainining all the time in order TO OBJ.
tain free v~ictuals and care. REGRETS
were expressed that he had not hc,n
buried without waiting for the usual
preliminary of death. The plensani
weather was o followed bv n sever.
storm of snow and sleet. During the
first night of the blizzard n bibulously
inclined attorney. Godfrey by name.
being, AS WIS his wont, in an advanced
state OF intoNication, lay out all night
In the snow. Two days later he died
from the effects of his freezing. His
relatives were tclcgrnphcd for and re.
sponded that they would come immedi-
htcly. The storm increased in violence,
ana, lasting nearly II week. blocked
the vcnuc Of travel in every direction.
a lew days after Godfrcy's death
nearly the entire male population of
the settlement congrcgatcd ut the COM.
bincd post office. saloon, grocery. etc,
to swap stories, eat crackers and i'm.
bibc whisky. When ull hands were
pretty well warmed up, the subject of
luricys shhmeruI deception and un-
occupied grave was freely discussed.
IL was decided that such q good grave
ought not to be wasted, and Tint in
order to make use OF IL. Godfrcy's re-,
mains should be speedily Inferred in il.
This met the approval of all present.
and, with II rude coffin ia one vapon.
and rs many as could crowd into an.
other, and n number OF horscmcn nj
either side, the funeral cortcgc started
IN falling o Several times on the
way n dog belonging to IL member of
the party started "a jaclsrubbit and
each time the horscmcn assisted in thc
chase. The further the procession 90,
from the starting point the more the
mourners jumped from the wagon and
aided the horscmen and dog in chasing
the rabbit. The grave was reached
n found to be partially filled with
now. Then another attorney. who
differed but little from the one in the
coffin except that the latter was dead.
proposed, rs there was no minister of
the gospel present, tn do his hes, tn
deliver u funeral grafton. He Ind
hardly got more than well started
when some n shouted that the dog
had started another rabbit. Away
went horscmcn, footmcn. orator.
mourners and all in pursuit OF the rabbit
and dog, leaving teams, coffin and
20 tall.
The chase was long and exciting, IN
the dog, while always seeming about
to get the rabbit, failed to do Il. Left
to themselves, the team got tired OF
standing In the storm and ran AWAY
toward home. When the crowd strag-
glcd back the snow had filled the grave
n oblitcratcd the wagon tracka. As
the cemetery 'l,rSiStcd of only that
one grave and had no other marks tn
distinguish II from the rest OF the prai.
RE, they we're by no means certain Of
its location In tho snow. So they
trudEcd off home In the snow, and mr.
rived to find the leans were there he
fore them. The "tuilhoard" WIZ out Of
the impromptn ~licarsc, and the coffin
Ind disappeared. IL was not recovered
TIL the snow had partially melted.
than week later. Then the
arrived and took the body
east with them.
There is u little world OF pathos in
the simple story OF tho first burial Mt
Lawrence, Kan. Moses Pomcroy ar,
rived from Illinois in 1854 and set
bravely to work To make a home for n
dear n left behind. by dint OF much
labor he improved his homestead con
sidcrnbly. and erected n tiny but com.
Portable house. Then, full OF high
hopes for the future. he wrote for his
waiting sweetheart TO come. Tho
journey. mostly by stage md wagon,
was n long one, and when she arrived
the girl found that her lover had OK.
pred the dry before. The day after
the girls arrival the body Of her lover
was borne to the tomb, Tho rude cot. ,
hn had been taken to the grave in adj.
vance. Laid On n bed Of fragrant prni. I
rio flowers, the body was carried In n
lumber wagon to the cemetery. The
head OF the dead man rested In tho
lap OF the living girl. who shielded the
form as well as possible from nil inr
that came from the passage of tho
springless wagon over the unworkcd
roads o.