The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-27
TOAST TO AUNTIE IN COFFIN.
If \ DON'T DRINK, she HAD SAID.
YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD.

makers, 10 SeieOTote WVn-he8 OF
Beer Tapped and KummeI Drunk
After II Had Been OUered to !Cerpse.
Before dying at her home. $50 Paiisade
avenue. Jersey City Heights, last Thurs
day, Mrs. Sophia Van der Hoven sent for
Secretary Louis Cohen OF the Hoboken
Cigarmakers' Union, the executor OF her
will. ..... z
Louis. old boy. I want you to promise
me once more that III be buried in the way
agreed upon she said to him. in fol-
lowing my hearse to the grave won't the
boys OF the union to have the time Of their
lives. / was the only woman member
the union ever had, and don't wish to have
the boys forget me. Don't mind II folks
will talk little about II. I'm 81 years old
and know my own mind.
Hold the service at headquarters, and
see TO ii that the boys have all the beer
and hard stuff they want to drink. And
whatever you do, Louis, don't forget to
have John Jensen hold a glass Of kummel
over my corpse and invite me TO have
drink. II don't get up to drink the kum-
mel, you may be sure that I'm really dead.
You'll promise me all this. Louisi'
Louis promised. and the old woman
as baby goes to sleep.
Mrs. Van der Hoven had worked for
years az a strlpper in a cigar factory Of
Mayor Lankering OF Hoboken. She was
In robust health until three months ago,
when she caught a cold which developed
into pneumonia. Two weeks ago she was
told that she couldn't live. Sending for
Cohen. she had him bring q lawyer TO her
bedside to draw up her will As member
Of the Cigar Makers Union she would re-
ceive a death benefit Of $500. OF this sum
! she bequeathed $500 to four women relatives.
The remaining 500 she placed in the Gus
tody of Cohen. telling him to use 1t in en-
PERTAINING the members Of the union at
her funeral. She left small piece Of
property which she owned in Jersey City
, to a niece. and her jewelry and tableware
to an old maid with whom che was friendly.
The funeral was held yesterday after
noon In a hall In the rear Of q saloon at the
corner Of Willow avenue and First street
Hoboken. Mayor LAnkering and his en-
ployees attended the service with the men,
bers Of the Cigsrmakers' Union. After
every one had taken a look at the corpse.
the folding doors which separate the hall
from the saloon were thrown open and
two men In white Jackets appeared with
Q key OF beer.
The beer was tapped q short distance
from the coffin and passed around to the
mourners. A few refused to drink, saying
that the real blowout was to come after
the interment in Flower Hill Cemetery.
When the key was emptied. John Jensen.
the owner Of the hail. raised up his hand
to command silence, and proceeded TO
address the mourners:
Dear friends" he said, you all know
that Auntie, who now lies here In her coffin.
was one OF my best friends. She was the
best old woman that ever lived, and
wouldn't consent to do what I'm about
to II didn't know that it will please her
spirit.
YOU must know that myself was very
near dying some few weeks ago. Right
before Auntie was compelled to take to
her bed she came to see me and inquire
after my health. We had q drink Of kuni-
mel together, and was feeling 20 blue that
I remarked that it would probably he the
last should ever take. She scouted the
idea, and said that I'd be drinking kum-
mel when she would he dead.
Her good humor no cheered me up that
I willingly consented to enter q compact
she proposed. The compact was simply
this; The one who lived longest would offer
to give the others corpse a glass Of our
favorite drink. Friends, I'm going to do
that now
Jensen approached tho corpse with a
glass OF kcmmel in his hand.
'Auntie.' he said, standing over the
coffin, -it's my treat. Have a drink. No
answer, Auntie' Well. III drink it myself.
He tossed the drink OF. and the service
proceeded in conventional fashion. prayers
for the dead being offered by the officers
Of the union.
Two hundred persons followed the cortege
to the cemetery with music. They returned
to the hall after the interment and kept
drinking beer and eulogizing Auntie until
late last night.