Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-02-15


TO Mount Vernon. The Alexandra ar
tillery moved down the river upon
schooner and, anchoring in front of
Mount Vernon, fired minute guns At
) o'clock in the afternoon the funeral
| line formed in the following order:
The military, with arms reversed.
| Music
The clergy-Rev. DR.. Muir and DR..
Motif; DR.. Davis of Virginia, and Rev.
DR.. Addison of Maryland.
Washington's horse, with his mill
tary equipment, led by Cyrus and Will
son, the colored grooms.
Music.
Guard OF honor-a detail OF the Alex
andria Blues Captain Piercy.
The coffin borne by the following
pallbearers: Col George Gilpin. Col.
Philip Marstiller, Col Charles Little.
Col. Charles Simms, Col. Dennis Ram
say Col. William Payne.
Then came the family mourners:
Lord Fairfax and Ferdinand Fairfax
Mr.. Law, Mr.. Peter. Or. Craik. Mr.
Lear, Mrs. Stuart. Misses Nancy and
Sallie Stuart, Miss Fairfax and Miss
Dennlson. Next followed Alexandria
Lodge, No. p, Freemasons; Brooke
Lodge, No. Al, of Alexandria. F'reema
sons Federal Lodge. No. Is. of Wash
lngton. D. c.. FTeemasons. The coffin
on its bier, having been set down in
front OF the vault, the burial services
OF the Protestant Episcopal church
were read by the Rev. Thomas Davis.
Or. Z. G. Dick, master of WASHINGTON
Lodge, then conducted the Masonic
burial service. the infantry and artiI-
lery fired three volleys. and as the sun
set the remains were conveyed into the
tomb.
In 1857 Mount Vernon was trans
ferred for 100000 by John A. Wash
lngton, grand nephew of the general
TO the Ladies' Mount Vernon associa-
uon, the money for the purchase hav-
ing been raised by popular subscrip
tlon, chiefly through the efforts of Hon
Edward Everett About 1850 a channel
was made sufficiently deep for steam
er to reach the wharf at Mount Yer
non During the late war the grounds
were held free from the possession of
either the United States or the Confed-
crate States. In 1896 an electric rail-
way from Washington to Mount Yer
non was established, and for years nil
Sflms nave approached the shrine of
the great departed by land or by water
lens of thousands visit Mount Vernon
every year
Removal of the Remains.
There was some communication ha-
tween Mrs Martha Washington and
in regard to the removal of
the remains of Washington to tomb
peheath the new capitol, but Mrs.
washington died in 1902, long before
the capitol was finished, and the estate
of Mount Vernon descended to Juaoe
bushrod A. Washington, and after
ward to John A. Washington. under
whose auspices of those of George
w. +. Curtis a transfer of the remains
TO marble sarcOphagus and a new
vault was made in October. 1897 No
newspaper report of the transfer has
Deen found, but there lived in Alex9n-
drla until within a few years ago =
orlck mason, William H. Burgess. who
IN an humble capacity had much to do
IN connection with the transfer of
washington S remains. He had been
one OF the masons who built the new
vault and was familiar with the sar
cophagus which had been sent in Oc-
tober, 1897, from PHILADELPHIA tn re-
CelVe the body of Washington. Once
as he told the writer of this sketch. he
laid himself at full length in the mar
Die grave, and he was wont to boast
that he had occupied Washington's
tomb before the great man was placed
within it.
He was at Mount Vernon to assist AT
the brlcklayers' work on the dav when
Washington's old coffin was Cne,od
and the body transferred to the. sar-
cophagus. He said that there were
lew people at the grave when the
transfer was made Mr.. and Mrs
Johnson of Alexandria and Mr.. Lewis.
the son of one of Washington's reIa-
t1ves, were all remembered fJ had.
been in the old vault before he said
IL was damp, moldy place. Some of
the collins were broken and bones
could be seen, although the light in
the vault even at II O'Clock on q bright
day was dim. Once I was ordered to
keep out of the vault. for some bones
had been stolen for the men that maze
skeletons. Some one said that the
grave robbers had been offered big
reward to carry Washington's body to-
England and have it there in a muse
UNI for a show. But I kept my eyes
opened, and when they went into the
old vault to move the body Invent in.
too, and being a mere boy, so to speak.
no attention was paid 70 me. They
went way down into the vault and got
out the old coffin, all covered with
mold. Then Philadelphia man I'M
screwed the coffin and opened it, and
saw General Washington When | first
looked it was like in the pictures. but
it soon shriveled, and when it was lift
ed into the new marble coffin l heard
them say that the body of the old gen
eral had got to be like leather
THE SATIRE IN WHITTIER'S SLIP