Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-01-24
A BORDER BURIAL.

lfSnoO III GQ6 SC. LOFTS OD0-OoDOCfdG
some years ago, may be of interest:
Many of the border burials were pa
'thetic in the extreme. but connected
with some of them were circumstances
80 unexpected that their relating
almost resolves itself into q kind of
humor. One of the first funerals to
occur at Great Bend, Kan. possessed
unprecedented circumstances enough
TO make it humorous, if the unexpected
is an attribute of IEamor.
An old and somewhat disliked man,
Henry Turley by name, had been con-
fined to his bed for several weeks by
disease which baff3ed the skill of the
weuld-be physicians who attended him.
Heeseemed to grow steadily worse, and
his. death was hourly expected. Then
the cold weather. which had continued
for, nearly a month, was broken by a
few springlike days. The citizens
of the little settlement took Turley's
case in hand and decided that, as his
death was certain to occur in few
days at most. it was better TO take ad-
vantage of the mild weather and dig a
grave foF him than to await his death
and the probable return of cold
ysather, when grave digging would be
extremely difficult. The graEe was ac-
cordingiy dug. Turley was so full of
wrath at having his grave prepared in
advance that he rose from his bed and
sthe same day left town in disgust. 1t
appeared that he had been shamming
all the time in order to obtain free
.victuals and care. Regrets were ex-
pressed that he had not been buried
without waiting for the preliminary of
death.
The pleasant weather was soon fol-
lowed by severe st0rm OF snow and
sleet. During the first night of the
blizzard blbulously inclined attorney,
Godfrey by name, being, as was his
won't, in an advanced state OF intoXi-
cation, lay out all night ia the snow.
Two,days later he died from the effects
of his freezing.
His relatives were telegraphed fer,
and responded that they would come
Immediately. The storm increased in
violence, and, lasting nearly week,
blocked the avennes Of travel ia 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.,
to swap stories, eat crackers and i'm
bibe whisky. When all hands were
pretty well warmed %. the subject of
Turleys shamful deception and unOccu-
pied grave. Was freely discussed. l.
was decided that such . good grave
ought not to be- wasted. and that in
order to make use OF it. Godfrey's re-
mains should be speedily inferred in it.
This met the approval OF ali present.
and with the rude coffin in one wagon,
as many as could crowd into another,
and a number of horsemen at either
side, the funeral eortege started in the
falling snow.
Several times on the way q dog be-
longing to q member of the party
started jack rabbit and each time the
horsemen assisted in the chase. The
further the procession got from the
starting point the more of the mourn
ers 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. pro-
posed as there was no minister Of the
gospel present to do his best to deliver
a funeral grafton. He had hardly got
more than well started when some one
shouted that the dog had started an
other rabbit.
Away went horsemen, footmen. or
ator, mourners and all in pursuit or
the rabbit and dog. leaving teams,
coffin and corpse to take care OF them
selyes The chase was long and excit-
ing, as the dog, while always seeming
about to get the rabbit. failed to do it.
Left to themselves. the team got
tired Of standing in the storm and ran