Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-02-13
THE OLD SOLDIERS.
Commander Edwards Responds to
Chaplain MdGNamdrd's Letter.
A LENGTHY REJ0lNDER.

EullOIS SlllLeu.
We wish through your paper to IN.
swer a letter which appeared in The
Daily Citizen of the 18th, signed by
John A.. MacNamara, who says he has
no intention of stirring up a contro-
| yersy, but only to place before the
citizens the facts, etc.
The reverend gentleman starts out
with statements which, parliamentary
speaking, are devoid of the facts, that
we are misleading the general public
by saying he (Morris) requested to be
buried by the Grand Army, etc. He I'M
made of us or to that effect, or at any
-ate it was not his (MorrisD last re-
quest, etc. In his weak and feeble ON
dition on the night prior to his death,
he may have made a request as he
states, from Mr.. MacNamara's own
lips, he told us. That on the night be-
fore Morris death he CMacNamara)
sat up with Mr.. Morris until / o'clock
in the morning, praying and talking to
him, and at last he consented to take
the sacrament which he administered
to him, and at that time he made the
request to be buried as a Catholic and
in the Catholic cemetery. This is his
(MacNamara's) statement to the COM
mittee and myself Wednesday night,
besides several others who were pres
ent. Now, several of us know, includ-
ing his son, that for several days previ-
BUS to his death ne could not talk so
anything could be understood. His
own son, the day before he died, tried
to get his father to recognize him and
tell him his wishes, but he could not
utter a word audibly, while he vas in
reasonable health and with his full
faculties of mind. Several of the com
rades talked to Comrade Morris at diff
ferent times, and he made the request
that the Grand army of the Republic
bury him. The WI tier hereof whom he
insinuates is an p. P. A. as well as the
committee, only day before he tMor-
ris) wen to the hospital called on
Comrade Morris at oon and took him
some soup and tea. Colonel Morris
then and there voluntarily said to me
"Comrade Edwards, you have been a
comrade to me. The Grand Army have
treated me splendidly. God bless you"
and with tears streaming down his
poor old cheeks, said: "Comrade, | am
slowly dying, and when | do, | want
you to see me laid away %decently, by
the Grand Army; wrap a flag around
me. | do not want any religious SER
vices except the Grand Army ritual.
You and the Woman's Relief Corps are
the only mes who have paid any atten-
ton to me outside of a few personal
friends" We consider that request
as more sacred than any other whici
could be made. AS to the arrangements
as he says, with Father Mandalari,
say that | went with the son to the
parsonage. Father Mandalari said in
going over the probable expense, in
cluded in it IS for services in church,
$40 for grave, s12 for hospital, besides
hearse, casket, etc. | told him there
was not n cent of money in his pos
session, and asked him about allowing
the Grand Army to CONF to church
and thence into the cemetery and per
form the ritual services of u order
He finally gave his permission to all
except he would not allow our chaplain
to say a word of prayer. | told him
if agreeable to my post, it would be t.
me, and that we would have a meeting
> that night. l laid the matter before m.
post. They arose almost to a man a n
A said NO." and proceeded to demand