Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04
HIS DEAR DEAD FRIEND.
The Mayor of Atlanta Speaks at the
Funeral Of Negro.

The Mayor of Atlanta Speaks at the
Funeral of Negro.
From the Atlanta News
The funeral Of Richard ]. Henry, colored,
for so long time the porter and private
servant of his honor, Mayor Livingston
Minis, embodied in its program episode
that is too notable and too altogether pleas
ing to be omitted from a special comment.
His fidelity, his courtesy, his intelligence
and his effective service had endeared him
not only to his master and employers, but
to all the numerous company of white men
or all degrees who came in contact with
him. Large sums of money were intrusted
daily to his care for transmission to the
bank. and it is estimated that in this posi-
ton he had carried upon his person mil
lions of dollars. AT his funeral the respect
and regard of the white friends of this ad-
mlrahle negro We're everywhere in evidence.
Ihey made large representation in the
large audience.
The funeral, conducted bv high officials
OF Henrys own church and race was most
impressi ard full of high tributes to the
character and record OF the deceased. The
mayor of the city and his accomplished
wife occupied front seats in the church
during the services, and when the ministe-
RAJ of1ces had progressed to a certain
point the mayor of the city, who was also
the employer of the deceased, called
for preparation. and mainly upon the i'm
pulse and suggestion of the moment Mayor
Minis, who has long been held one of the
most accomplished and aristocratic gent e.
men Of the south a cavalier and bour-
bon of the most pronounced type, arose and
said:
Your call on me to speak on this occa-
sion was certainly unexpected-and yet
While so heartily commencing all that has
been SO feelingly and eloquently said in
reference to my dear dead friend-my
friend of more than third of a century,
cannot refrain from expressing the gen
uine grief and sorrow that his death has
occas!oned me. Indeed, sorrow that my
entire family shares; and l know, too, it
will be felt by the large number of his
friends and mine who knew him so well in
the connection he had with the business in
which l have been engaged for so many
years, and | might add his many white
friends in this city who respected and ad-
mired him for the splendid qualities that
he possessed. He was ever doing charity
and Kindness to all sorts of people He
was indeed, a model husband and father,
a good citizen and a loyal and devoted
friend, and a Christian gentleman.
TO me his offices of concern and thought
fulness were constant and grateful. In the
course of nature he should have survived
me, and l always felt that if he did there
was no living man on whom I could better
rely for Kindness and care for my family
L can point to no one whose daily life and
character afford better and more COM
mendable example to all men to emulate
than this. He well deserves all the COM
forts, blessings and promises of the holy
religion he professed and which the distin-
guished reverend clergy has, on this SOL
emn occasion, so ably administered I care
not, though, for creeds in that unknown
country from whose bourne no traveller
reeurns'-and to which his pure spirit tends
for L feel that the good man who sleeps
in all the awful majesty of death in yon-
der coffin carries with him acceptable Gre
denttals to all the happiness that pertains
to mortals after death. His memory will
be treasured"