Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1899-08-03
HIS DUST IN THE URN
Body of Col. IngerSoll Cremat-
ed in New York. His We'll
WlSherS.
ndeSCribable Grief of the
Family of the Dead
Orator..
His Biography to be Written
by his Private Secretary, a
Close Friend.

New Ork, July 2i-IDe OOdy or lIoO-
ert G. Ingersoll was removed from
Dobbs Ferry to the Fresh Pond l.. L.
crematory this morning. The body was
in plain black cofti a without ornament.
The top of the coffin WAS covered with
roses.
The funeral party Included Mrs. In.
Qersoll, her two daughters, Clinton g.
Farrell, Walston H. Brown, Maj jor o. j.
Smith and Mrs. Smith and Frederick
G. Penfield.
The body was placed in the retort IN
the Fresh Pond cremstory shortly after
noon. 1t will take from SIX to eight
hours for the incineration to be COM
plete. Only the members of the funeral
party we're allowed in the crematory.
The grief of the family is lndescriba-
bic. At the funeral held IN the room
where the great orator died. Mrs. In
gersoll sat beside her dead husband and
beside her were her two daughters Mrs.
Walston II. Brown and Miss Maud ln-
gersoli They we're very much agitated
and wept almost continuously. There
were some forty Others present and they
renamed standing throughout
The intense silence was broken by DR..
John CLARK Rldpath, who in voice full
of emotion said:
my friends, 1T ls a very sad duty to
read in the presence of the dead the last
poem written by Col. Robert e. lnRer-
soil, entitled Declaration of the Free. ,
This poem Col. Ingersoll had read and
altered in some parts only few hours
before he was strlken down"
After the reading by Dr.. M. Elliott
OF New York, of the favorite funeral
oration delivered by Col. Ingersoll ever
his brothers grave, most touching
incident occurred. After all present had
taken parting look, an old friend, Mr..
Rous arose from his chair, and he is
totally blind, passed bis hand over the
face of his departed friend, and said :
"Perhaps be is better now. No one can
understand it, Mrs. Ingersol said to
| bin: "The colonel wanted you to put
your hand upon his heart and suitipg
! the action to the word, she directed his
| hand to the left breast of the deceased
II cant give him up she SAID. II
cant put him IN the ground. can't
bear to think of it. We're going to
bring him back home
Daring the mornng there we're many
visitors to look upon the face Of the de-
ceased. Among them were several old
colored servants of the family who had
come from Washington and took four
days off and paid their expenses to pay
honor to their beneiactor.
Many additional telegrams OF sym
psthy were received, one Of them being
from Gen. Miles. Floral tributes were
received all the morning and there were
two rooms full Of them.
Col. Ingersoll's biography will be
written by his private secretary, close
personal friend.
For long time there had been al un-
derstandng between them that when
the colonel's time should come to cross
| the mysterious river. Mr.. Baker should
! take up his pen to tell the story OF the
| departed life; and to this end the young
er man kept a regular diary, TRANSCRIPT
ing day by day the words and deeds OF
the alder. Mr.. Ingersoll was particular
in his desire that in his dying hours his
secretary should be at his bedside TO
| carefully record his last words and the
manner in which he met his final SUM-
mons. But so sudden was the sgnos-
tics taking off that no time WAS per-
mitted Mr.. Baker for the performance
Of this duty.
Many and persistent have been the et
gersolD. He has been the most prayed
for man outside the pale OF the church.
The organized movement of the Young
Peoples Society of Christian Endesvor
a few years ago to pray him into the
fold-an impulsive, youthful effort
which failed to impress the older and
more worldly wise clergy-wlll be re-
called. But the almost daily attempts
OF visionary people, both in person and
by mail, to change the unbeleiver into
a good Christian. often made life bur-
den to the object OF their sollcitude.
He has been deluged With letters and
tracts Of religious literature OF all forms.
Perhaps nost OF this sort Of mail came
directed to Mrs. Ingersoll, the senders