The evening times., 1896-10-12
ARRANGE THEIR OWN BURIAL
Washing onians Who Buy Cof-
fins for Themselves.
WRITE FUNERAL SERMONS
Number of People Who Make Minut-
est Preparations for Their Own
Demise Seems to BE Increasing.
What the Undertaken Say About
the CuriOus Custom.

Provision for the future would seem to
have reached an extreme stage where all
the arrangements in detail for their own
| burials are made by people in the prime
of ,:c.
Nevertheless, there are in Washington
dozens OF men who have made such an
arrangement Coffins have been selected
and paid Tor, burial lots reserved. cpl
taphs written and ordered to be carved
on the tombstones, anu in scms instances
even the newspaper notices of the death
have been written, all by the person for
whom they are to do service
In one case a man, AMI Il very prominent
mau at that, has written the sermon which
will be delivered over his body 1T his
death, whichever that may occur.
striking example of this practice was
seen in Washington rccently, when :, man.
who had at enc time been one Of the
weaithiest men in town. dlrh by MS own
hsfId because he was lIupeI.ssly bankrupt.
Notwithstanding the fact that this mans
wife ami children We're lacking In many
of the very necessities of life, his funeral
was the most gorgeous that had occurred
in Washington for many "A day. His cof.
trimmings, the bearse and all the car
riages We're of the very best, aud the
stone put over his body is today one of
the most beautiful in the cemetery
MONEY FOR MAGNIFICENCE.
Everybody wondered where the money
came from 10 pay for all this naguificcnce
until it was developed that everything had
been prepared and settled many yea rs pre-
viously. A knowledge of this instance
caused q reporter to make u systematic
inquiry into the matter i'll order To see how
extensive the practice is. The results were
most surprising.
1t was found that almost every under
taker in the city has several orders of this
nature, and several OF them have special
| rooms where the Coffins are kept until
wanted. The reporter was taken into one
of these roou's. 1t looked like an ordinary
storeroom, except for the fact that there
| were about ten cOffins of different sizes and
qualities lying side by side on a low plat
form which was built along the walls.
Every coffin that you see here" Said
| the undertaken, lis the property of some
| person who is at present on the streets Of
| the city, and is, so far know in perfect
| health. This branch of our business has come
TO be regarded by us as nothing extr;l-
ordinary, and, as you see, we now make
| regular provisions for it.
In fact, 1t is reported in undertaking cir
| cies that one OF the most prominent funeral
directors in town is about to give up his
| regular business aud embark entirely in this
| branch.
He will, so it is said, have a regular
| scale of prices, 50 that one can, by the
payment of a fixed amount, be assured Of
| funeral of any degree of maSnficence
| desired.
| another branch of his business will be-
| conducted on a kind OF insurance plan,
wherein the payment of a stipulated sum
| yearly during life VIII insure the member
decent burial after death.
''ln rare cases the purchasers OF coffins
have taken them home, aud in one IN
| stance the person, young woman. other
| wise perfectly sane, insisted on having her
| coffin taken to her bedroom and put under
| her bed
| another case which came to my notice
| was that of an old miser, who bought the
| cheapest coffin he could find for fear his
| heirs would pay too much for it, and then
hid his money in it,
| UNDERTAKERS PURCHASE, TOO.
Men aud women, so say the undertakers,
| OF all ages and conditions are numbered
| among the Number OF those purchasing their
own coffins, and the number is increasing
every year. Men who apparently have many
| years To- live aud WHO have not the slightest
trace of morbidness are among them.
The idea is not without its usefulness.
Men without families dropped dead On the
streets, and had il not been for their arrange
| ments with the undertakers the wouldhayc
| been buried in POtter's field.
In some cases. the man has made arrange
ments to have the undertaken notified
in case of his demise. but generally the un-
dertaker has to keep his eye open for deaths
among his patrons himself.
They keep the addresses of these people
in books. prepared for the purpose, and re-
quest that they be notified OF any change of
| address.
often il is a matter OF great surprise to
poor relatives 20 find that the expense OF a
lavish funeral Will not come from their
pockets.
The plan at first seemed ghoulish TO many
people. but the public is gradually getting to
look upon 1t as only a step fusthcr than those
| fraternal societies which bury, their meni-
bers in case of death.