The sun., 1898-12-25
WHEN WASHINGTON DIED
Paper in This City Has Story Of
His Death by an Eye Witness
Of the Event.
RECALLING THE pay LONG PAST
"MOck Funerals Were Held in
Delaware and Maryland Towns
While the Great and Noble
Patriot Was Being
Buried.

On that December day, nearly Ger
tury ago, when the body Of Genera
George Washington was laid away in tn
vault at Mount Vernon, "mock fur
erals" were held in many towns in Della
ware and Maryland and some few i
Pennsylvania. Our grcat-grandparent
were in their infancy in those farawa
days, and many of them saw thes
mock funerals" which were conducte'
Of course, with all solemnity..
From these sights of childhood spring
the conviction in the minds OF centen
arians here and there that they were wit
nesses of the real funeral. Such is th,
trustfulness Of old age in memories o
times long agone!
Ninety-nine years of national life hayt
passed since then, and America has
given far more attention to anniversary
celebrations Of that happier event-tht
birth of it's first President-than to the
yearly recurrence of the day of the fun.
eral.
Next year, however, the centennial O.
that day will take place, and the obser
vance at Mount Vernon will be on De
cember IA, the anniversary of the dav Of
the death, instead of on the 18th, which
was the date of the funeral.
1t is intended, nevertheless, that the
observance shall take the form OF dup.
lication of the funeral services, going
over the same ground as in 1779. So
elaborate are the contemplated cere-
monies that already plans are being put
into shape for the great event of next
year.
As General Washington was Mason,
the services over his body were conduct
ed, in part at least, by the Masons, and
so the anniversary services will be
under the direction of the Grand Lodge
of Virginia, Free and Accepted Masons.
The Grand Lodge will meet in Alex
andria, and escorted by Lodge No. 4 of
Fredericksburg, in which Washington
received his first degree; Washington
Lodge No. %, of Alexandria, of which he
was the first master, and Federal Lodge,
of Washington, and representatives of
every grand lodge in America, will 60 to
Mount Vernon and there repeat the SER
VICES VI llUO.
1t is expected that President McKin-
ley, himself a Mason, will make an ad-
dress, and after the ceremonies ban
quet will be given in Washington.
The march to the tomb will pass, of
course, the old tomb in which Wash
ington's body was buried, and in which
it rested for more than thirty years,
though the objective point of the pro-
cession will be the new tomb, where the
coffin now is.
In his will Washington stated that
"the family vault at Mount Vernon re-
quiring repairs, and being improperly
situated, l desire that a new one,
brick, and upon larger scale, may be
built at the foot of what is called the
Vineyard Enclosure, on the ground which
is marked out, in which my remains and
those of my deceased relatives (now in
the old vart) and such others of my
family as may choose to be entomed
there, may be deposited.
Notwithstanding his request, it was
not until 1881 that the new tomb was
built and Washington's body placed
therein. And then the old vault was
allowed to fall into state of decay. In
recent years it has been rebuilt from
in the Congressional Library,
and it is now surrounded by an iron
fence, and is kept up with the same care
as the new tomb.
In 1887, when the marble sarcophagi
in which the coffins of Washington and
his wife rest were placed in the new
tomb, the key of that tomb was thrown
into the Potomac river
At the request of Martha Washington
a door was made to the old tomb at the
time of the Generals burial instead of
closing it with brick, as has been the
custom at previous burials. The widow
was sure that she would soon follow her
husband. She lived only eighteen
months after the death of Washington,
keeping entirely, it is said, to her room
On the third floor of the mansion, and
upon her death, in 1901, her body was
laid beside that of her husband in the
old tomb.
Washington was buried in nahog-
any coffin, lined with lead, which was
put in case covered with black cloth.
The most faithful, as, indeed, the
most touching, account vi the illness,
death and funeral of General Washing
5on, is contained in the account OF the
Ulster County Gazette, written by an eye
witness.
A copy OF this paper was brought to
The Sun office on Wednesday by a sub.
'criber. 1t is worth while reading.
"wednesday, Dec. 18, 1899.
"About II o'clock numbers of people
began to assemble to attend the funeral,
which was intended to have been at IL,
out as great part of the troop expected
'ould not get down in time, it did not
AXE place till 3.
"Eleven pieces of artillery were
brought from Alexandria, and a schooner
belonging to Mr. r. Hamilton came
lown and lay off Mount Vernon to fire
minute guns.
"About 3 o'clock the procession began
o move. The arrangements OF the pro-
ession were made by Colonels Little,
'imms, Deneale and DR.. Dick. The pail !
'earers were Colonels Little, Simms, t
'ayne, Gilpin, Ramsay and Manteler,
)olonel Blackburn preceded the corpse. {
jolonel Deneale marched with the mill
ary. The procession moved out of the
ate at the left wing Of the house and ;
'roceeded to sound in front of the lawn !
nd down to the vault on the right wing t
+ the house. The procession was as {