Evening star., 1899-04-06
EARTH TO EARTH
Last Rites Performed Over Remains
of the Hero Dead.
SOLEMN CEREMONIES At ARLINGTON
Burial of Those Who Died in Cuba
and Porto Rico.
WITH MILITARY HONORS

The nations last tender offices in honor
of her soldier dead, brought from the dis
tant battlef1elds and camps for muster In
in the silent army sleeping on the sunny
slopes of Arlington, were performed this
afternoon. All that the great heart of the
American people prompted, and all that the
willing hands of the chief executive of the
nation and the highest officials of the state
could perform was done as tender tribute
of respect Nothing was lacking which
could commemorate or ennoble the deeds
of the hundreds piiiowed forever in their
caskets awaiting interment in the national
cemetery. The church, the state and the
people. represented by those highest in
authority, gathered at the graveside and
barred their heads to the solemn words and
scene.
Shortly after o'clock, the announced
time, the burial service was begun. With
barred heads and sorrowful faces President
Mckinley and the members of the cabinet,
the general staff officers of the army and
other distinguished participants stood at
the west of the long lines of graves dug
for these soldiers in the new addition to the
cemetery. They heard the measured and
impressive tones of Post Chaplain c. W.
Freeland of Fort Monroe as in the uniform
military committal service, beginning with
Man that is born Of woman" and ending
with the promise of heaven contained in
the words Il am the resurrection and the
life
They saw the Rev. Father McGee of st.
Patrick's Church consecrate with reverent
hands and churchly power the earth into
which the soldiers of the Catholic faith
was placed. Then came the three volleys
fired above the graves by three companies
from the 4th and 9Th Artillery. and last
OF all the mournful taps marking the
last sleep of comrades in arms Mean
while from Fort Myer the wind brought
every half hour the dun boom of gun,
and the national ensigns on the Flagstaff
IheTe ana at the Lee mansion We're run
down to half mast.
The Military AssembIage.
In the space reserved for them around the
presidential platform and the heaps of earth
marking the graves We're assembled the
National Guard of the District, command
ed by Cen George II. Harries and consist
ing OF the 1st and 2d Regiments the LIST
Separate Battalion, the Light Battery, the
Signal Company, the Naval Battalion and
the Ambulance Company; also the Naval
Chapiains' Association. the Civil War Chap
lalns Association. the regular troops and
marines from Fort Myer and the arsenal
The Sd Cavalry, commanded by Capt Nor
gan performed patrol service about the in
closure
Filling the plain to the north, south and
west OF the funeral site for long distance
was the multitude of men women and chill
dren. from the highest and lowest walks
of life, who had come to witness and take
silent and respectful part in the last rites
over their defenders.
Flag-draped and resting on beams across
each opening in the earth was each box
containing the Theoretically sealed caskets
OF the dead. There was no particular order
Observed N he. n to, -
though an exception was made in the cases
of the officers The boxes containing the
bodies of Capt Edgar Hubert. Sth United
States Infantry: Lieut.. VIM. Wood 18th
United States Infantry: Lieut.. L. l. Barnett
9th United States Infantry; Lieut. r. S.
Iuoman. 9th United States Infantry. and
Lieut.. Francis Creighton, United States
Volunteer Signal Corps, were detached from
she rest and were aligned at the head of
the lines OF graves Immediately under the
eyes Of the presidential party Several of
these were TO be removed at once to ceme-
teries at the late homes of the deceased
Officers, and others will be inferred in the
section OF the cemetery set apart for Off
GERS.
AT o'clock this afternoon the funeral
OF Capt. Dodge of the 24th Infantry took
place at the cemetery, and the Rev. DR..
chester read the service.
An Ideal Day.
Although the wind was somewhat raw
as 1t lazily blew across the last camp of
ed an ideal one for the season. The suns
warm rays beat down upon the plain
around the inclosure and frequently tenn
pered the winds to a softness full of the
promise of early and balmy spring. The
thin haze that spread around the horizon
did not hide the pearly splre of the Wash
ington monument or the FURNISHED gilt
dome of the Library of Congress, to be
seen TO the northeast across the bluff that
runs north of the graves down toward the
winding Potomac.
The spot where the dead were inferred
today is In reality one of the best to be
imagined for the purpose and it commands
In every direction view of the picturesque
hills and dales that have made famous the
course of the Potomac.
Very early this morning than a
hundred labOrers. under Superintendent A.
b. Drum Of Arlington cemetery, began the
work Of preparing for burial the boxes in
the ten white tents abutting the main road
around the west side of the cemetery. In
all there had been received from the two
funeral trains the bodies of $50 officers and
men OF these fully 20 per cent are identi-
fed, but the others are either wholly un-
known or they are known only as having
belonged TO certain companies or regi-
ments. Upon the top of each box was a
printed notice. stating that:
For sanitary reasons the within casket,
whlch Is hermetically sealed, should not he
opened or removed from the wooden box
Twenty In Each Tent
tent, and as they were removed to the
cross beams over each grave a bright
American flag was draped across ths top of
the box. AS fast as tent was vacated 1t
was taken down and removed from the
feld. BY 10 o'clock every box was in the
place assigned to It, and the white tents
had disappeared. In the meantime the in
closed platform erected at the extreme west
of the graves, almost touching the road,
was tlled with chairs. great black leather
one being reserved for the President, and
the top sides and part OF the front were
covered by great flags, that looked as If
they had been in service on battlefields
Tbs platform was not designed, however
TO accommodate the President and other
ofncias unless there was rain. Ropes were
drawn around this and carried up to the
graves, where a narrow space was left in
front, and then they were continued to in
clude the ;36 graves.
Col Guenther OF the 4th Artillery, in
ehargs OF the whole ceremony, representing
1he ar Department, was present con-