Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1896-07-17
WILD-WEST FUNERALS.
oome Humorous aud Pathetic
fales OF Borderland Burials.
q CevAicsde OF Mourncrs Who Broke
Ranks and Chased Rabbits on tn.
Way to the Grave-A Girls Jour
Aey with Her Dead Lover.

WY " tne oTnve-A GIFTS Jour
Aey with Her Dead Lover.
everyone who has had a good taste
OF life upon the border and great
plains Knows the peculiar pathos of a
burial there. Poets and writer's of ro.
nance have done some of their most
pathetic work in telliu q of deaths
among the pioneers on the borderland
OF civilization and of the lonely graves
there, hundreds of miles from anv com.
munity or home. But the re have been
some circumstances connected with in
terments in the west, as known to the
cowboys of twenty-five years ago, that
was SO unexpected as to be highly
humorous. One of the first funerals to
occur at Great Bend, X an, says the
Philadelphia Times, possessed unprece-
denied circumstances enc ugh to make
1t humorous, if the unexpected is an at
tribute of humor.
An old and somewhat disliked man.
Henry Turley, had been confined to his
bed several weeks by q disease which
baffied the skill of the W ould-be phv-
sicians who attended him. He seemed to
grow steadily worse and his death was
hourly expected. Then the cold wealth
er, winch had continued for nearly a
month, was broken by "a w spring-like
days. The citizens of tho little settle
ment took Turkeys case in hand and
decided that as his death was certain
to occur In few days ut most, it was
better to take advantage Of the mild
weather and dig grave fl Or him than to
await his death and the pr ba BILE return
OF cold weather, when grave-digginp
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. 1t appeared that he had been
shamming all the time in order to OBJ
tain free victuals and Re. Regrets
were expressed that he had not been
buried without waiting for the usual
preliminary Of death. The pleasant
weather was soon followed by a severe
storm Of snow and sleet. During the
first night Of the blizzard bibulouslv
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 4 eezing. His
relatives were telegraphed for and re-
sponded that they would come immedi-
ately. The storm increased in violence,
and, lasting nearly W eek, blocked
the avenues Of travel in eve cry direction.
A few days after Godfrey's death
nearly the entire male population of
the settlement congregateh at the COM
bined post Office, saloon, grocery, ETC.,
to swap stories, eat crackers and i'm.
bibe whisky. When all hands were
pretty we'll warmed up, the subject of
Turkeys shameful deception and un-
occupied grave was freely discussed.
1t was decided that such q 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 all present,
and, with the rude coffin in one wagon,
and as many as could crowd into an
other, and number OF horsemen at
either side, the funeral cortege started
in falling snow. Several times on the
way dog belonging to member of
the party started a jaclzrab bit and
each time the horsemen assisted 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 filed with
snow. Then another attorney, who
differed but little from the one in the
coffin except that the latt er was dead,
proposed, 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 another rabbit. Away
went horsemen, footmen, orator,
mourners and all in pursuit of.the rabbit
and dog, leaving teams, coffin and
corpse to take care of themselves.
The chase was long and exciting, 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 away
toward home. When the crowd strag.
gled back the snow had flied the grave
and obliterated the wagon tracks. As
the cemetery consisted Of only that
one grave and had no other marks to
distinguish it from the rest Of the prai-
RE, they were by no means certain of
its location in the snow. So they
trudged off home in the snow, and ar.
rived to find the teams We're there be-
fore them. The "tailboard" was out of
the impromptu hearse, and the coffin
had disappeared. 1t was not recovered
till the snow had partially melted,
more than n week later. Then the
relatives arrived and took the BODY
east with them.
There is little world Of pathos in
the simple story of the first burial at
Lawrence, Kan. Moses Pomeroy ar
rived from Illinois in 1854 and set
bravely to work to make home for
dear one left behind. By dint of much
labor he improved his no mestead 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.
PRED the day before. The day after
the girls arrival the body of her lover