The times., 1899-07-25

New York. July 24--Col Robert C.
Ingersoli's funeral will be held
tomorrow in the simplest manner at his
summer home in the highlands at Dobbs
Ferry, where he died last Friday. After
three full days of mourning beside bis
body his wife and daughters this after
noon took up the consideration of the final
disposition of his body. 1t was decided
that such observanees as they deemed ap-
propriate should take place tomorrow
afternoon at O'Clock in the house and in
the presence of only immediate relatives
and intimate friends. There will be no
music, because the family do not feel that
they could listen to airs which he loved.
The funeral observances will be confined
to readings from Colonel Ingersoll's works
by two of his old friends. DR.. John Clarke
Ridpath, of Boston, and Major Orlando S.
Smith, of Dobbs Ferry Dr. Ridpath anS
Major Smith will read such selections from
the colonel's writings as his family nay
decide upon. These are likely to include
extracts from the funeral oration which
he delivered over his brother. some of his
deliverances upon the question of immor-
tality, and the last thing that he wro..,
The Declaration of the Free" If the fam
lily desired the body might repose upon
veritable bed of flowers and the funeral be
held in a floral temple so many have been
the tributes of remembrance sent. These
continued to come this afternoon.
There are to be no pallbearers. The body.
which was placed in a coffin late this af-
ternoon, will remain at the house until
early tomorrow morning. when the family
will go with it in a special train to the ere
matory at Fresh Pond, l.. l. They decided
today to have il cremated. The cremation
will be absolutely private. The ashes will
be placed in an urn and will be brought
back by the mourners to the home in the
highlands. George Gray Barnard, the
sculptor. who this morning took cast of
Colonel Ingersoll,s head, was commissioned
when he left the house to procure an urn
for the ashes. Mr. Barnard took not mere
ly a death mask of the colonel's face, but
a complete cast of the head. The cast was
successfully made. 1t is to be used as a
model for sculpture in marble.
Mrs. Ingersoll and the two daughters
Mrs. Walstein H. Brown and Miss Maud
Ingersoll-have been constantly beside
Colonel Ingersoll's body since last Friday.
They have not left the room on the second
floor, where. upon q couch and covered
with folds of linen, reposes the form of
their dead. No entreaties could induce
them to leave; weeping together. and at
times refusing to believe that the bright
faced, CHEEKY man was really dead, they
crouched beside the bier.
The family physician advised Mr.. Brown
and the late Colonel Ingersolls private Sec
retary, Mr.. Farrell, that the health of the
three women demanded that the funeral
occur soon; the mental strain was too
great. This led today TO the first positive
step toward the disposition of the body. Att
er the plan was announced the grief of the
three women was as violent as il had ever
been, and they remained in the room as be-
fore.
Decision in the matter was hastened by
the arrival at Dobbs Ferry this morning
of Judge C. B. Waite, of Chicago, life
long friend of Colonel Ingersoll and th=
author of The History of the Christian
Religion Up TO the Year 200 1t was under
stood that when Colonel Ingersoll's brother
died in 1879 in Washington, the women o.
his family were overcome just as the mem
bers OF Colonel Ingersoll's family are now
and that their reluctance TO give up their
dead was pointed to everywhere as an argu-
ment against agnosticism. Judge Waite
urged this morning that repetition of the
painful scenes just referred to be avoided
as far as possible.
Letters and flowers continued to nour
in upon the widow and daughters of
Colonel Ingerson today. There were 235
letters in the morning mail and great
masses of flowers arrived at the same
time. Two OF the lower rooms at wal
stein were completely filled with flow
ers. Friends of the family from the viii
lage and from distant places called Mt the
house during the day in great numbers
Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Farrell were busy
with the many details that had fallen to
their care. and the callers were permitted
to enter the room of the dead. The body
had not been placed in a coffin. but still
rested uncoffined, upon a couch Some
OF the callers viewed the composed fea-
lures of the dead man, and many of the
intimate friends of Colonel Ingersoll wept.
Mr. and Mrs. X P. Puffer. of Blnghamton.
y. Y. were among the friends from a dis
tance who arrived this morning.
Letters, kilograms and cable messages
were received at the house today from dis
tinguished persons in this country and
abroad. There were letters from Adjt.
Gen. H. c. Corbin, Parke Goodwin, Francis
Wilson, and Stuart Robson.
From AiX-les-B -Bains, France. Julia Mar
lowe. the actress who was befriended by
Colonel IngersolI in the days of her early
struggles on the stage. sent this morning
the message Heartfult sympathy"
Gen. E. L. Butterheld telegraphed from
Cold Springs. y. Y: Please be assured of
my heartfelt sympathy"
United States Senator Charles W. Fair
banks of Indiana telegraphed from Tux
edo: Mrs. Fairbanks joins me in sincere
sympathy to you in your great trial We
lave all lost a good friend"
Congressman John Murray Mitchell of
this city telegraphed: Please accept my
sincere sympathy"
One of the messages Of coincidence came
in telegram from the Rev. Royal F. Pull
man, of Illinois, whose brother was the
late George NJ. Pullman, of Chicago, the
Pullman carmaker. He telegraphed TO Mrs
Ingersoll:
My family unite with me in expressions
of tenderest sympathy. in this time OF
heart breaking sorrow. We weep with you
and feel profound personal bereavement
in the passing away OF your honored hus-
band. Robert G. Ingersoll. whom TO have
known was to have cherished and loved"
Hundreds of messages were received yes
terday and on Saturday also, and every mail
added 10 the list, while kilograms We're al
most constantly arriving. Many of the let
ters remained unopened, as the members
of the family had not yet had time to look
after all OF them. The condition of Mrs.
Ingersoll and her daughters was such that
only a few of the many messages have
! been communicated to them.