Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-07
THE HONORs OF WAR.
FUNERAL Services Over Soldiers Dead
from Cuba.

from Cuba.
WASHINGTON, April S'-WIi6 f1Ii
honors OF war. upon the crest OF the
southern slope Of Arlington Cemetery this
afternoon, the nation. represented by
PRESIDENT Mckinley. his Cabinet. and
o'her high dignitares OF the government.
'he commanding general of the army. and
other distinguished officers. all the regular
hihua organizations Of the District. and
| a vast concourse OF 1900 people paid the
,ast tribute OF honor and respect 10 the
! oooles or 3S6 officers and men who gave
'heir lives on distant battlc-feds for their
! country during the Spanish-American
1 war, and which were to-day mustered
INTO the silent army that sleeps in the
last Divouac Of the brave. The spot Sc
lected Is In the new addition 10 the ceme-
| tery looking out upon the broad sweep
| ing Potomac. In this burial lot, when
covers two acres IN extent. in paraIiei
rows. the wooden boxes containing the
caskets were ranged, separated by great
mounds OF earth. over each box an
| American flag was drapcd.
There was no particular order In the
disposition Of the remains. though an eX-
! ception was made I'm the case Of othcers.
The boxes containing the bodies OF cap
tain Edgar Hubert Of the Eighth United
! Infantry: Lieutenant Barnett. Ninth
| United states Infantry: Lieutenant VIII
| liam Wood Twelfth Infantry: Lieutenant
! 5. Turman. sixth Infantry. and Lieuten-
ant Francis Creighton. United states Vol
untccr Signal Corps were placed at the
| head Of the line Of graves. Immediately
under the eve Of the presidential party.
THIRTY PER CENT. UNKNOWN.
OF the others. fully 20 per cent are
identified. About 20 per cent. are wholly
unknown. or known only by the regiment
to which they belonged.
a platform had been erected. enclosed
with Gags and draped in mourning. to
accommodate the distinguished person
ages in case Of inclement weather. but
the day was an ideal one and the plat-
form was practically unocrupied.
Long before the arrival OF the military
thousands Of people had surrounded the
enclosure where the dead soldiers lay. At
2:3O the presidential party. which had
been caught in a jam at the Potomac
bridge from which il required a dozen
mounted police to extrcate them. reach
ed the enclosure. They were followed by
General Miles and his staff. the military
attaches Of the British and German en-
bassies, all mounted and the military
escort. As they arrived the solemn
strains Of the Dead March in Saul" si-
fenced the vast assemblage, and with
heads barred the crowd stood at the
graves side while the presidential party
advanced and the military dispositions
We're made. The military was under the
command Of Colonel Francis J.. Guenther,
and consisted Of the District Of Columbia
National Guard the Light Battery. with
two HOtchkiss guns; a battalion of naval
la
Arsenal and Fort Myer
AT THE GRAVES.
The troops were formed upon three
sides Of a rectangle and files Of soldiers
were marched into the ranks Of the dead.
Thanking the open space al the head Of
the graves were the relocated artillery
men who We're 10 fire the last salute. and
on the left was stationed the Fourth Ar
tillery Band. The President. accompa-
MED by Secretary Gage. Secretary Long,
POstmaster-General Smith, Secretaries
Hay Hitchcock. Adjutant- General Corbin.
and Colonel Bingham. came forward with
uncovered head. and took his place in
the open space facing the graves. He was
by General Miles and his staff i'm
fun uniform. and other distinguished |
guests, including some of the representa- |
tives of foreign countries.
Just as the President arrived pathetic |
incident occurred. when aged Mr.. and |
Mrs. O'DOwd pressed through the lines |
and placed a bunch of roses on the cas- |
ket of their son, John ODowd, Of the |
Seventh Infantry. The parents of Lieu
tenant Wood also came forward and de- |
posted a beautiful wreath of flowers and |
the sword Of that gallant officer upon his |
casket.
AND CONSIDERATION |
SERVICES.
Immediately the band broke out In the |
sweet strains OF Nearer. My God, to
Thee" and the post chaplain, c. W. !
Freeland. Of Fort Monroe, in his robes of |
office. with Rev Father McGee. Of St. |
Patrick's church. followed by three pur-
acOlytes. advanced to the |
graves. and the funeral services began. |
They were very simple, but very impress
sve.
Rev. Mr. Freeland read the military |
cCmmittal service of the Episcopal |
Church. beginning with Man that is
born Of woman" and concluding with |
the promise Of Heaven contained in the
words, Il am the Resurrection and the
Life" AS he pronounced the words.
Dust TO dust earth to earth" the sol
liers at the side of each grave crumbled
clod Of earth upon each casket. The
vast concourse barred their heads to the
solemn words and scene. and thousands
Joined i'm the Lords Prayer.
Rev. Father MCGEE then consecrated,
With the Churchly power invested in him,
the earth into which the bodies of the
Catholic soldiers were placed.
Meantime, from Fort Myer. booming
lOwn the wind, came the dull crack of a
gun every half hour. and the national
ansigns on the STATS there and at the
Lee mansion were run down to half-mast
THE SALUTE AND TAPS"
As soon as the religious services had
leen concluded the fanking detachments
IF the Fourth and Fifth Artillery fired
e-soul-upliftng volleys-and in the
solemn hush that followed the salute the
lugle sounded taps" The last religious
md military rites TO the dead heroes
yere over, and the presidential party and
he military departed. leaving the work
If actual interment to follow. As each
# the caskets weighed almost 800 pounds,
md required eight men TO handle it. it
yill be two or three days before all the
,odies are in their graves.
DEPARTMENTS CLOSED.
In order to permit all to attend the SER
ices this afternoon, the departments and
he Federal courts were closed. by an
Executive order of the Presidents, and
4 1