Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1900-03-16
He WAS A SOLDIER.

I
Great Gathering of Our People Pay Trf.
butte to His Memory.
! Corvallis has paid her tribute to her
soldier, dead. Never in her history have
such elaborate preparations been made
for administering the sad rites of burial,
and never has the hearts OF her people
of man to honor the brave, and from
this impulse III our nature we make no
distinction in our 1oveI. between the high
and the low, the saint and the sinner.
Through the deed the doer is glorifed,
and what matters it whether the hero
be from the lowly walks of life, or from
] the halls of state. 'sIn the mcdesty of
fearful duty, we read as much as from
the rattling tongue OF saucy and auda-
cious eloquenee."
OF the many brave boys from Corvallis
who served the flag in the Philippines,
it was willed that but one should give
his Lille for his country, Lyman Kelsay,
the hardest of them all. After many
acts of fortitude and courage, he was
stricken with tonsiltis and died in the
hospital at Manila, May 20, 1899.
1t had not been given to .'Pat"
to shine in social set, to lead in
business circles, or dominate in the
political arena. But there was man
hood in his look and nobleness of pur-
pose that endeared him to everyone.
Faults he had, and many; but there was
rugged honesty, and courage and good
ness of heart that outweighed them all.
By the fond act of a government,
never equaled in the annals of war, the
nations dead is being brought home for
burial. Lyman's body arrived Monday
and it was met at the depot by Knights
OF Pythias and Spanish War Veterans,
under whose auspices the services were
conducted, and the Ladies' Emergency
Corps. By these organizations it was
escorted to-. the. opera. house, and there
draped in the Stars and Stripes it laid
in state, guarded by brothers in heart
and brothers in arms.
The arrangements for the funeral were
in the hands of the Knights of Pythias
and the credit for their successful and
skillful carrying out is due particularly
to knight E. r. Bryson. The lower
floor of the opera house was reserved for
the organizations aboye-nalned and the
cadets and band from the college. On
the stage were DR.. Z. J. Thompson, Rev.
Mark Noble. Judge w. S. McFadden,
Judge John Burnett, aad the quartet,
Messrs. Fulton, Cathey, Prichard and
johnson. The galleries were thrown
open to the public and were filed 10
overfewing. After prayer by DR..
Thompson, the beautiful quartet, Prayer
Before Battle" was solemnly rendered.
Prayer by Rev. Noble, and the song
"Silently, Tenderly," by the quartet
preceded an eloquent address by Judge
Burnett. He had known Lyman from
his earliest childhood, and as he paid
tribute to his manly worth, sobs choked
his voice and tears welled from the eyes
of his auditors. At the close of his re-
marks, the cadet band played Twilight
Dews.' Judge McFadden then spoke !
of Lyman as he knew him. He had !
watched him from infancy and had |
found him eyer the protector of the weak,
the champion of his city and state, and |
a lover of honesty and fair play. The
speakers words were impressive and |
eloquent and his every utterance reached |
tet followed, and DIR. Thompson spoke
briefly, closing the services.
The procession formed i'll the follow
ing order and moved to Crystal Lake
cemetery:
Cadet band; firing squad; honorary
pail bearers; o A 9 battalion; Women's
Emergency Corps; Spanish War Veter-
ans; Knights of Pythias and citizens,
making the longest funeral cortege ever
Witnessed in this city. /
At the grave the services were con-
Quoted by the Knights. DIR. Bowen Les
ter delivered the burial service of the
Tlludi lIupTeSslfCiy. LII. 1uolupSOu Sdlu
a few last words, the solemn notes of
"Depalted Days" were played by e.band
and three sharp volleys were delivered
by the firing squad. While their echoes
were replying from the banks of the
Willamette, the sad strains of 'ttaps"
were blown by bugler Clark.
When the mound had been gracefully
rounded, the ladies of the Emergency
Corps, who had shown the body every
mark of tenderness and respect from the
moment of its arrival, heaped it high
with beautiful. flowers. No words can
express the brotherly and generous acts
of the knights of Pythias in the recep- /
ton and burial of this heroic member OF
their order. Through their efforts the
body was brought to Corvallis and every I
wish of Lyman's mother and sister, who /
reside in California was co1plied with |