Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-04-23
FUNERAL OF
GUERNEY ALEXANDER


North Durango. there being a large
attendance, quite delegation coming
down from Silverton. There we're
probably in the neighborhood of one
hundred Elks, eighty-eight being in
line. and also a large number of
Woodmen of the World, deceased be-
longing to both orders. The casket
was buried beneath floral offerings
The pall-bearers were taken from the
| Eiks' membership as follows: Harry
Turner and c. II. Van Brimmer of Du-
range. and Dave Cunningham, Charles
Leonard, Grant Heather and orin
Bausworth of Silverton Music was
furnished by members of the Presby-
terian choir and Rev. w. II. Fergu-
son preached the sermon, being in
brief, as follows:
Beloved our purpose here this af-
ternoon is to show our respect for the
remains of Thaddeus Guerney Alexan-
| der.
Gurney was born on the 1st day of
October. 1866, in nnightstown. Henry
| county, Indiana. Thence his parents
took him with them in 1870 to Ghetto
pa. Kansas. There he got his educa-
ton and grew into manhood, learned
his trade under the direction of the
gentle hand of his father.
Guerney came west in 1889. Then he
settled at Salida, Colorado Later
in lS92-he moved to Durango. The
same year he was married to Miss EN-
| lily Kniss of Emporia, Kansas, and the
newly welded couple came here to re
side One child was born to them
Their home was the happiest of
homes. Every prospect before them
was fair. But the angel of death came
in 1899 to blight his hopes His wife
was taken away; his boy was made an
orphan; and the heart of the husband
was saddened beyond description.
Guerney then went to Silverton.
| There about three years were spent
in business with his brother, William
| Then the summons came for him to
depart out of this life Pleural pneu-
monia laid hold of him the 27th day of
| March. Just three weeks from that
date, April the 18th, he died, and today
we are to lay his remains by the side
of those of his wife in Greenmount
| bhtIlltA mas lNll HIS llltlliH IL ltHutl
and most sacred charge Besides his
grown-up brother and grown-up sister.
his slx-year-old boy survives him. Be
sides his child, his aged mother and
father linger behind him. Our priyi-
| lege Is to sympathiZe, and comfort. and
strengthen them today in their be
reavemont; and, if we can help them
along over the rough road. and open
a rift in the clouds for ray of sun.
shine to fall athwart their way, all of
us will be happier at the end of the
sojourn as we gather again in the
house of our father.
This.too is our consolation today.
We do not mourn as those who have
no hope, Guerney was a good boy.
His desire in earliest childhood was to
follow Christ. Then he made public
profession of faith in him. and united
with The First Presbyterian church of
Chetopa, Kansas. Since his coming
into this western country his life has
been too broken up to be identified
with any particular church out here,
but. II he has been denied the privi-
legcs of the church, his religion has
been wrought into his life His atten-
tion TO his aged parents has been char
acteristic of dutiful son; his home
was pious home; his care of his
child has betokencd a loving father,
and the faces of some OF you are in a
healthier condition today because,
when he shaved YOU he shaved you in
the right way His life was made the
| Of, Igr
When that was done. all was done to
the glory of God God promises to
honor him for this, and, in view of this
will crown him at the last day.
This suggests scene in the Cos,
pei refer to the TRANSPORTATION
Moses had been dead and buried for
fifteen hundred years in some un-
known spot on Nebo; Elijah had been
whirlel away from the earth in char
lot of fire nine hundred years pre-
vious to the occasion; but both of
them reappear of Mount Hermon.
Both of them are alive. alive with
God. Both of them are recognizable
recognizable to each other. recogniZa-
BILE to mortal man. Glorious fact!
Inspiring TRUTH
Well. so much makes the future ra-
dant for us. There are others await
ing MS in heaven. Some of them have
lived under the same roof with us. and
later at the same table with us, and
our hearts are entwined around theirs
with the cords of affection. Today,
though we are separated from them,
the tie is unbroken, and can never
he broken Soon,we shall be restored
TO them, and celebrate the reunion in
the home OF our Father.
Beloved, let not your hearts be trou-
bled. Ye believe in God; believe also
in me. In my Fathers house are
many mansions. | 20 to prepare a
place for you; and, If | go to prepare
n place for you. | will come to take
you to myself. that where | am there
We may be also
Rev Ferguson here gave the service
into the hands of the Elks. These
were out in large numbers, and as the
long line passed through the house to
review the remains. many a tear was
dropped at the side of the casket in
token Of a brothers affection. Then