The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-13
DIM MED
Were the Eyes
and Bare
THE HEADS OF ALL.
Tender and Loving Tributes
to Brave Benchley.


a fitting tribute yesterday by Worces-
ter people, who had known and loved
the young officer who fell while fight
ing so CALAMITY on the battlenelds at
San Juan. The sorrow of the people
was shown everywhere. and as the
hearse containing all that was mortal
of Lieut., Benchley passed. the rich and
the poor alike instinctively barred their
bowed heads and faces that were
bathed in tears, could be seen every
where. The silence of the crowds was
very impressive and spoke more elo-
| quently than words could have spoken
of the true feelings of the populace.
| The gallant boys of the Second and
| Ninth regiments, who fought upon the
same battlefields with the dead officer,
and the respected and aged veterans
who bring back memories Of that great
conflict between the north and south,
| marched in solemn silence as a guard
of honor for the dead boy they knew
and loved SO we'll Colors were fuPled
and draped with crepe, and every roll
of the muffled drums told the story that
a hero who had sacrificed his life for
liberty and honor, was about to be
laid away forever
Since the announcement of Lieut..
Benchley's death, which was first made
in special edition of The Spy on July
4, notified the Worcester people that
| this city had lost one of its braVest
heroes, the mourning has been almost
universal, and yesterdays tribute was
a fitting climax. But the young soldier
will never be forgotten, and his name
will be placed upon the tablets of the
city's history.
Today Lieut.. Benchleys body will be
laid at rest upon the shores of the
beautiful Hudson and within hearing
of the bugle that for several long
years he answered as a cadet at the
military school at West Point 1t is
certainly a fitting place to bury Wor-
cester's revered hero.
Inc crowds upon the streets began ia
gather long before the hour set for the
funeral services. Shortly after ]
o'clock the four local companies of
volunteers in command of Mai Harry
Il. Fairbanks, anG the Grand Army OF
the Republic, headed by the Worcester
Brass Band, marched to the home
where the dead body lay. and it was
turned over to the guard of honor. The
cortege marched slowly to the First
Universalist Church, which was crowd
, ed to the doors, but seats had been re-
: served for the soldiers the family an6
, their friends.
The soldiers lined up in front Of the
sanctuary, the squad of armed mer
presented arms, and the soldiers stood
with barred heads as the casket, which
was wrapped in 2 handsome American
flag, on which lay the dead hero.
sword, was lifted by the bearers anC
carried reverently through the por
tails,
On the steps ana in the yard of the
chui oh were naSSed hundreds of PEG
{ pie who all raised their hats in quie
reverence. After the casket had beer
deposited at the foot of the pulpit, the
soldiers, two by two, marched in anC
took the seats that had been reserved
/ for them in the body of the house Of
: worship The PEOPLE crowded into the
/ church behind the soldiers, and wher
the services began, every available inch
of space was taken.
i The family and friends of the de-
ceased occupied seats near the pulpit.
Il Among them, with her head bowed
down with sorrow. sat Miss Duryea,
the young lady who betrothed herself
| to Lieut. Benchley the night before he
departed to Join his regiment which
/ was on it's way to the scene of the con-
fiict
Mayor Rufus B. Dodge. Jr., and 20
/ members of fine city government also
occupied seats in the body of the
Il church.
/ The funeral services opened with the
] singing of LEAD, Kindly Light by
the Schumann Quartet, which was fol-
lowed by a Scriptural reading by Rev
! DR.. Gunnison, after which the quartet
sang another selection.
DR. Gunnison eulogized the dead hero
and then introduced Senator HoaI,
saying that Senator Hoar was a rrieno
of Lieut.. Benchley, who had known
and appreciated him during his life
time.
The prayer and benediction was pro-
nounced by DR.. Gunnison. The sol
diers left the church and formed a
line in front OF the doors. The armed
squad presented arms and the casket
was placed again in the hearse and
then the cortege reformed and sol
emily escorted the body to Union sta
ton, where it was left in charge of an
armed guard of honor from the En-
met Guards.
The body left Worcester at 5.06 p. m.
The relatives and friends and Under
| taker Waldo Sessions went with the
| body to West Point.
The First Universalist Church was
handsomely decorated with flags, flow
ers and draping of black and white.
| On the front of the organ was hung a
large flag. Over the pulpit chairs hung
the national colors draped with black,
and the front of the platform was
strewn with the flowers which were
tributes from the dead lieutenant's
family, his friends and the soldiers.
At the right Of the platform was a
! white bust of the lieutenant, which is
an excellent likeness.
The bearers were Capt. Allen, Capt.
Barrett, Capt. Holden, Capt. Moynihan,
Lieut.. Hurley, Fred P. Dean and Carl
Bonney.
Lieuts. Plummer and Warren were in
command of the representatives from
A. C and II companies.
The armed squad from the Emmets
was in command of Sergt. Koran and
| Corp. Greene, Privs. Kenney, Larner,
Burns Kellerher, Hurley and T. KEEL
lerher made up the personnel of the
| guard.
| Senator Hoar's address was a. glow
ing tribute to Lieut.. Edmund N. Bench
| ley. He said:
We have come to pay funeral honors
to brave and noble boy, to express our
sorrow for the loss to Worcester and to
| the country of a precious life and a
/ great hope, and to bring comfort, If
there be comfort in human love and
| human sympathy, TO those to whom he
was nearest and dearest.
The most tender and pathetic incident
of human life, fullest of sorrow and
pity, is when a brave young soldier is
brought home dead from the field of
battle. The earliest literature, the old
| est history, tell the same story. The
great drama of the return from Troy
has the same tale that we are thinking
of today.
Such are the sights, the sorrows fell.
About our hearth--and worse, whereof l
may not tell.
| But all the wide town Ger
| Each home that sent its master far away