The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-01
INCOHONEE
 LAID TO REST Funeral of Hon. Thomas
 Henry Watts. 500 RED MEN PRESENT Great 0utp0uring of People to
 Honor Dead Citizen. Religious Services at First Baptist Church and Impressive Ceremo-
 niles of FraternaI Orders at
 Oakwood Cemetery.

Hon. Thomas Henry Watts, Great Incohonee of the Improved order of Red Men, was laid to rest yesterday afternoon in Oakwood Cemetery, while vast throng of Montgomerians par ticipated in the last rites over the re- mains of one of the city's most es- teemed sons.
 Not since the death of William Lowndes Yancey has a man been buried in Oakwood Cemetery who was as widely known throughout the Uni- ted States as MT. Watts. Mir. Watts was loved in Maine and he was rev cred in Texas. He was popular in Or egon and respected in Florida. When the name of Watts was spoken throughout the broad country over half a million men thought of him as one who was most highly honored and who deserved the honor conferred.
 But not alone in remote States was the deceased venerated. Montgomer- fans, citizens of the place in which MT. Watts was born and which he spent all the years of his life yesterday showed their great love for the man who had passed to the great beyond. The vast outpouring of people yester- day afternoon to pay respect to his memory was fitting tribute to the great Montgomerian who had passed to 
 eternal rest.
 Great Funeral Cortege.
 The funeral cortege was probably the largest that has ever been seen in Montgomery. The Red Men, 800 strong, attended the funeral in a body. The Knights of Pythias lodges were present. The Montgomery bar paid bers of the City Council of Montgom- nP chnvvad fhafr rl nf raGbn0t tn a man who had served faithfully and well in that body for many years.
 The religious services to< place at s:30 o'clock yesterday afternoon at the First Baptist Church. Long before that hour h;i.iareds of people had gath cred atr #t the Watts residence on South Pnrry Street and a goodly crowd had assembled In the church.
 The auditorium of the church was crowded when the funeral cortege ar rived. Rev. Charles A. Stakely, D. b. pastor of the church. oficiated. Music was rendered by the choir of the church, composed of Mss Eleanor Weems. Mrs. l.. J. Richardson. pr. J. H. Lakin and J. J. Pierce. Judge A. H. Arlington sang a solo.
 Dr. stakeiy's Address.
 In his remarks at the church Dr. Stakely spoke Gf the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death and as lesson of the hour urged that all should be prepared to meet death, al- though the grim reaper might come with the awful suddenness that at- tended the demise of Mir. Watts.
 Dr. Stakely spoke several miAe,tes on the public and private life of MT. Watts. He told of his early education in Alabama and in the Old Dominion and how through this education he had prepared himself to be, what In later life he had proved to be, the highest type of a Southern gentleman. Dr. Stakely spoke of his prominence as public man, a barrister, and in fraternal orders.
 In closing Dr. stakely said that 1t was not for him to dwell at sny length on the life of Mir. Watts. He would leave that for the public men. the bar risters, and the fraternal order men to do. He wished to speak on the relig- ious side of the life of the deceased.
 Early in life MT. Watts had accepted the Baptist faith and had been true to it since that time. He spoke of his in- timacy with the deceased in this con- nection. He said that MT. Watts had admitted to him that he could not un- derstand several of the doctrines of the Christian religion.
 But Mir. Watts said at that time" continued Dr. Stakely. '1hat although he could not understand these doe trines he recognized that they brought forth good fruit and he was ready and willing to believe in them"
 After prayer and song. pr. StakeIy announced that the services would be continued at the grave.
 The cortege reformed at the Baptist Church and slowly wended its way to Oakwood Cemetery, especially beauti- full Tn its new spring garb. Along the entire route to the cemetery the