The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-16

| council were the last of the official
 mourners in the cortege. After them | followed a long line of carriages of
 those who had been near the president Officially and personally and who fol- i lowed more as friends than as officials. None of the members of the family en- | tered the carriages.
 As the funeral cortege moved south 1 through Delaware avenue toward the | city hall, it passed through a vast con- 1 course of people filling the walks and | cross streets and crowding house tops, windows and every available space of 1 the buildings along the line of maRch, and as the flower covered coffin passed along women cried and strong men | gave expression to universal feeling of | grief.
 l As the escort of soldiers swung slow ly into Franklin street few drops of rain fell. In two minutes it was rain ing hard. The long line of troops took their positions at attention facing city hall. Carriages containing the mem bers of the cabinet hurried up to the 1 entrance. The last of the carriages 1 was the one bearing Theodore Roose- welt.
 | Removing his hat, the president stepped from the vehicle and walked into the vestibule. When the hearse appeared the four horses were led slow ly to the entrance and stopped. At the l instant the hearse became stationary the band, some distance away, began playing Nearer My God to Thee" At | the same time the rain came down in sheets and was driven along by a southwest gale, off the waters of Lake | Erie.
 | The casket was lifted from the hearse ] to the shoulders of the sailors and ma rines and borne into the city hall. Out l side there was not man, so far as could be seen, who did not stand, defy l ing the elements, with hat removed. Inside with stepsa impressively slow and measures, the bearers made their way to the catafalque. A moment later and the body of President Me Kinley was lying in state
 The scheme of the interior drapings was most artistically carried out. En- tering the main vestibule from Frank lin street, the vision was greeted with the grace of the sweep of festoons of
 
 cry ascended from the floor to the cell ing and dropped to the mouldings, where it was caught in bows of deep black thence to follow downward the contour of the building. A mammoth column, situated half way between the side walls of the vestibule, served to develop the ancient arches. The col umn itself, reaching to the selling, was draped completely in black Color was lent by large pictures of the martyred president fasteped on either side of the column, while companion pictures of like dimension hung from the walls Two draped arches of imposing propor- tions afforded entry to the main corri- dor, where had been constructed the canopy of state under which the dead president was to lie while Buffalos thousands paid their last respects.
 Leaving the arches, elevator shafts on either side were hidden from view. bay trees denoted the place of honor, Above the central point of the corridor, directly under the floor walls, was fash toned the state canopy. White and black cashmeres floated down in grace full lines from point high up in the building, The purity of the white al ternated with the sombre of the black. Dropping down in impressive grandeur were four of the country's flags so hung as to form cross.
 Below on the tiled floor of the corri- dor rested the catafalque. It was cov- cred with the same costly cashmere, the severity being relieved by six knots of generous proportions of satin materi- al. Its head rises eighteen inches from the floor and makes gentle angle, al- lowing the bier to slope to the foot.
 Mounting from the stairway posts were chandeliers of six lights, burning low. The arms of the chandeliers were wound with black and white, with altar crosses. A radiator was swallowed up in mass of funereal color, and back of this impromptu altar there spread out a space not unlike chancel, all in black and white Behind it all floated another American flag of generous'pro- portions.
 The enclosure for the catafalque was surrounded by banks of palms. There were pandanas, kintias, arecas bay trees, phoenix, inclanata and raffia, worked into the general scheme of dec- orations. There was but one set floral piece. This was a contribution from the French Society of Buffalo. It con- sisted of two flags, United States and French, on standards with drapings of purple and black, caught in the beak of a pure white dove, framed in the words With sympathy and regrets"
 This design occupied the central place in the southern bank of palms. Later superb set pieces from the Milburn house reached the city hall and were given places in the system of decora- tions. Of striking beauty was white wreath bearing in immorteles the name Chile"
 Circled about the bier was distin- gushed company. To the left stood President Roosevelt with bowed head and solemn face. At his left was At torney General Knox. Then came Sec retary Long and Secretary Wilson. Across to the right Secretary Cortel- you stood, the picture of abstract grief
 With him were Secretary Root, Sec retary Hitchcock and Postmaster Gen. eral Smith. Guarding the body were sergeant of artillery at the head; a marine at the foot; on one side was a sergeant of infantry; on the other another marine. The casket was inn