Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-30

ceeded in vehicles to- Mount Olivet cene-
| terry. They decorated the graves of all
soldiers. In many cases the friends of tho
| dead soldiers had preceded them, and had
covered the graves with bloom. but no
grave was left unattended, .
Among the graves Of the prominent sol
| der dead at Mount Olivet were those Of
General Racker Lieut.. Col f. 7. Garashe,
chief of staff to General Rosecrans during
the civil war Ensign John Brennan of the
United States navy, who commanded the
torpedo boat Spuyten Duyval the st.
James river during, the same war. and 9TH
ers who served with distinction In the army
and the navy.
Among the graves at the cemetery that
recall thrilling recollections of the war IS
that of Mrs Surratt. which is in the west
ern portion of the grounds. At the head
OF this grave is a white marble slab bear
ing only the words Mrs. Surratt" Today
this grave was covered with flowers. For
some years an unknown hand has seen that
the lone grave has not been overlooked.
Not far from this grave is that Of James
Hoban, the architect of the White House.
under whose direction that famous building
was constructed
Thence to Glenwood.
From Mount Olivet the party proceeded
| to GIenwood cemetery fer special services
in the chapel there. and for the decoration
of the graves. At il O'Clock the party had
arrived at the chapel at Glenwood. whore
services were held. At all the cemeteries
the contributions of flowers Were said 10
be larger than on any former occasion.
These proceedings were under the direc-
ton OF Commander John j. Stretch OF
George Fl. Thomas Post. No. 10 The ser
vice was opened with the sounding OF as
sembly by Bug.er Glen II. Dorsey Ad,
jutant Samuel BeiSht read the memorial
orders of the day. after which America
was sung by the audience. The officers OIL
George II. Thomas Post performed the pre-.
scribed memorial services of the Grand
Army of the Republic. Then the old but
aver address
was read with splendid effect by AdJutant
Beight The battle hymn Of the republic
was sung and Miss Josephine L. f>eeler
recited a patriotic selection in an impress
Sive manner.
Address by Commissioners Yerkes.
The address of the day was by Mr.. John
w. Yerkes of Kentucky, commissioner OF
internal revenue Mr.. .Yerkes. though not
old enough to have vivid recollections OF
the war, paid an eloquent tribute 10 tle
soldiers of the republic. tie spoke orIehS
and pointedly. The history or inns coun-
try in relation to the civil war. he said, is
in many respects unique
He knew of no other country that mann
tanned national cemeteries in which every
sold .er has right to he buried ana TO nave
retained beside his grave a place ioi MS
| wife. Yet this country had eighty-tWes
such cemeteries Then. too. he recalled the
statistics to show that in pensions tins
country pays out more money than all the
other nations of the world combined. Mr.
YerkeS recalled an incident Witnessed oS
him when in North Carolina While travel
ing in that state he had noticed LOCALITY
where were evidences of Notifications hav-
ing been constructed during the war,
though the locality was not one in which
any important battle had taken place. Near
by this half-destroyed tortiiication was a
graveyard. While lettering there on Dec
Grafton day. some years ago, he noticed a
party come from the neighboring town and
decorate grave. II was the only mound
in Gods acre that received such attention.
Finally when the watcher learned the story
of the incident ii to the effect that
years ago a Union soldier had gone there
from the north for his health, and receiv-
ing little benefit, died the 18th of May.
This soldier thinking that in that locality
little attention would be paid TO the grave
of man who wore the blue, requested as
he died that on the following day, May 30
when he would be inferred. his grave be
decorated in memory of the day. He faint
~ whispered to those around his death
bed that for once at least he wished To be
remembered in a strange land on Deco
ration day. Ever since that time, years
ago, there has never been a failure to deco
rate the grave of that soldier of the north
whose remains rest in the midst of the
country he found hostile when he wore
the uniform of the Union. This made an
other evidence of the failure of the sec
tons to recall any of the bitterness Of
the civil war when flowers are to be strewn
on the graves of the soldiers.
At Other Cemeteries.
At the conclusion of Mr. Yerkes' address,
which was listened to with the greatest
attention by the gathering that filled the
cemetery chapel the audience sang Nearer
My God to Thee" At the conclusion or
this service the work of decorating the
graves in Glenwood, Prospect Hill and 81.
Mary's was begn. land ii was not ended until
every mound covering the remains or a
soldier had above il a miniature flag and
a norton of the great mass of flowers that
had been provided for the occasion.
BUST OF SENATOR DAVIS.