Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1895-07-06
WlLn-WEST FUNERALS.
Some Humorous and Pathe tic
Tales Of Bordorland Burials
Csvsicsds 81 NoUrn.rs WAC Wshs
hsnts ant ths..d W.bbu. "n the
Wsy 60 the Uts,e UtrIs Joup.
s.y 9th Nsr iI-sd Lever

I
mHh,' lut" done .,nur ~ their NUS,
I"'h"h' ''tk ~ telling ~ deaths
hm"ug a., PIONEERS 20 th, hurdrrlnud
/ ~ civilization aud ~ tie, lonely gravc,
/ ih"i'. hundreds ~ mile, from anN com
/ immunity ~ home Hut there have. been
/ som" circumstances connected with IA
| nrih'ntS ia The west ~ known To- TIA,
Cow boys ~ twenty i've year, aye. that
was ~ unexpected ~ ~ hr hiyhI,
| humorous Our - th, iirs, funerals e.,
| occur ~ Great Ihud Kan. SAY, the
Philadelphia Tune Ir~s'>,rd unprrcc.
d"ht'h circumstances enough tn make
It huruuruu~ II the unexpected h. an al.
'rihut, ~ humor
Au uid aud soInrw hat disltkrd man,
Henry lurlry had been confined ,o hi.
iced several weeks by "a disease which
han'rd th, skill ~ ~" would ~, phy
sirinus Who attended hun II, seemed I,
grow steadily worse aud his death was
hourly expected Then thee wealth.
~. which had continued Tor nearly "A
month, wa broken by n few spring like
days tn" citizens of the little settle.
in'ut t"uk Turkeys cAse IN hand aud
decided that ~ his death was c.p,ain
:" p'cur Ia n few days at most. /, wa,
better :" taxi advantage ~ the mild
weather and dig q grave for him than tu
await nIs death ana the probah ic return
~ cold weather, when grav.-digying
would hc extremely difficult. The
grave vas accordingly dug Turh\
NhN ~ full ~ ~ ruth at having his yrnyr
prepared In advance that he rt-,- from
his bed aud the same day left t,up In
disgust II appeared that he had been
shammng all III" time IN order 10 Oh.
tain free vlctual~ and care Regrets
were expressed that he had not been
hur'"d without waiting for the usuaI
preliminary ~ death The pleuau,
weather was som followed 10y sever.
storm of snow aud slrct During tn.
first night ~ the blizzard hihuluusly
inclined attorney. Gndfrey 10y name,
being ~ was his wont, in an advanced
tate Of intoxication. lay out all night
Il the snow Two DAYS later he died
rom the effects uf hih freezing. His
clativ-s were telcgraphed for and re-.
'P"nhed that they would come imnrdi.
itcly The storm increased ia violence.
and. lasting nearly week, blocked
the avenues Of travel in every direction.
few days after Gohfrcys death
nearly the entire male population of
the settlement cungregated at tn. com.
bincd past office, salupn, grocrry, etc
Ia swap storics, eat crackers and i'm.
bbe whisky. when al hands w,r,
pretty well warmed up, the subject OF
Turkeys shameful drccptiun and I'm.
occupied grave was freely discussed
i vas decided that such q good grave
ought not 10 b wast",. and that in
order To make Use ~ II ,ioLfr-ys re.
mains should br sI~-dily Inferred in IL
This met the approval = all present
and. with the rude coffin la On. wagon.
aud N many ms could vowd into Oh
other. and IA number q hursenrn at
either side. the funeral curt-g- started
IN falling SNOW Several times ON the
way dog belonging ~ n Iiwinirr ~
the party started IA ja"krahbit and
each time the hors-incn assisted IN the
chase. The further the procession w,
from the starting poin, the more III.
mourn-rs jumped from the wagon and
aided the hors,inrn aud dog IN chasing
the rabbit, The grave was reached
and found Ia br partially filled with
snow Then another attorney. who
differed but little from the one in thr
coffin except that the latter was dead.
proposed, ~ here was no minister ~
III" g"Sp-l present, Ia do his hest Ia
deliver funeral Grafton lie had
hardly ~, more than we'll started
when som" on" shouted that tn. dog
had started another rabbit. Away
went hurS'mrn, foo,mcn, orator
monrnera and all in pursuit., IT the rabbi,
and dog, leaving teams, coffin and
corpse tn tab" care 81 themselves
TIL" chase WAS long sud exciting. as
the dog, while always seeming about
To get the rabbit, failed tu do IT, Left
To themselves the team got tired Of
standing in the storm and ran away
toward home When the crowd stray.
gl"d back the snow had filed the gray,
and "blitcratrd the wagon tracks Az
the cemetery consisted 81 only that
one grave aud had no other marks .o
distinguish II from the rest OF the prsi.
rie, they were by no means certain Of
its location In the snow. So they
trudged on home In the snow, and ar.
rived 20 md the teams were there be.
fore them. The "tailboard" wan out Of
the impromptu hearse, and the coffin
had disappeared. IL was not recovered
till the snow had partially melted.
more than q week later. Then III.
relatives arrived and took the body
east with them.
There 10 . little world Of pAthos In
the simple story Of the nrst burial at
Lawrence, Kan. Moses Pomeroy n.
rived from Illinois in 1854 and set
bravsly to work To make home for a
dear one left behind. by dint Of much
labor he improved his Homestead con. |
siderably, and erected . tiny but com.
Portable house. Then, full OF high
hopes for the future. he wrote for his |
waiting sweetheart TO come. The
journey, mostly by stage and wagon,
was long one, and when she arrived
the girl found that her lover had ex. |
pired the day before. The day after |
the girls arrival the body OF her lover |
was borne to the tomb. The rude cot. |
I'm had been taken 70 the grave IN Ad. |
vance. Laid on bed Of fragrant prni.
RE flowers, the body wss carried In q |
lumber wagon 70 the cemetery. Tho |
head Of the dead man rested in the
Lap OF the living girl, who shielded tho
form ~ vol as possible from all Jar