The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-12-31
FINDS REST
At LAST
Joseph Abers' Remains Fin
ally Reach the Hands of
His Friends.
TAKE TWO JOURNEYS
Somebody's Blunder Keeps Body
Speeding Back and
Forth.

Considerable excitement prevailed
this morning when it became known
that the remains of Joseph Aber of
Kansas City, which had been shipped
from Hammond via the Monon railroad
and left at the Monon depot over night.
had been returned to Chicago for want
of a claimant.
The most excited person connected
with the mix-up was Charles H. Stew
art. the undertaken who had been en-
gagged to take charge of the body and
arrange for it's burial. 1t was through
his delinquency that the error was
made, and as mistakes are totally un-
looked for in an undertaken. above all
others, he was raising heaven and
earth in an effort to recover the wan
dering casket and it's contents. and in
cidentally to conceal the fact of his
responsibility from the press and the
public.
Mr. Stewart had been expected to
meet the remains al a certain hour this
morning and as the box containing the
latter was marked for delivery at En-
gIewood and no one claimed it. Cap
tain Downing of the Monon, believing
that an error had been made, returned
it on the first train. 1t was consigned
to the charge of John Avery, but
Avery was not on hand either, and thus
began the pitiful post mortem wan
derings of all of that was mortal of
the late Joseph Aber.
Mrs. whitney Once Hammond Resident.
The latter was a brother of Mrs.
Whitney, who formerly lived in Ham
mond on Plummer avenue. Mrs. Whit
ney owns a lot in one of the ceme-
teries in this vicinity and for this reas-
on desired to bury her brother in Ham
mond. The Kansas City undertaken
who prepared the body for burial had
been notified to ship the remains to
Englewood which is now the home of
Mrs. Whitney, but later the order was
changed, and Hammond was named
as the destination and the express COM
pany notified to this effect.
The address being named as Engle-
wood, together with the absence of a
claimant. caused the agent at the Mo-
non to believe that a mistake had been
cago on an early Monon train. against
the judgment, however, of the con-
ductor of the train, who finally con-
When Mrs. Whitney arrived and
learned that an error had been made
she was very much excited and it was
only by a great effort of will power
that she restrained herself from be
coming hysterical. Some one upon
whom she had depended to notify
others interested of the arrival of the
remains when they finally did reach
I 49, tod
about from Dan to Bersheba, had failed
her as the undertaken had, and she
wrung her hands and seemed in the
| greatest distress.
The arrival finally of two men. ap-
parently farmers, had the effect OF
calming her when she was wrought VI
again by the actions of the under
takers female assistant. who insisted
upon her leaving the shop and going
to the rooms above, because of the ar
rival of a Chicago newspaper repre-
sentative, who wished to know the
facts.
EEWhat's All This Stink AbOut1''
! Mrs. Whitney, who is very much Of
lady, wished to treat the newcomer
with courtesy, but the female assist
ant, inquiring what all the stink a:
the mourning woman from the room
and proceeded to give a piece of he
mind to the reporter. In this she wa:
assisted by Stewart, who had grea
difficulty in expressing himself, anC
was pale with rage.
An effort was made to secure tn
services of Rev. Shirey, but failing il
this. as the divine was away from
| home, another minister was finally Sc
cured and the much travelled remains
were laid to rest.
1t is probable the expense of the ex
ira travelling will have TO be foote's
by the undertaken, who. as near as cal
be gathered, was responsible for tn
mistake by failing to be on hand L
I take charge of the remains when h
should have been. but instead left then
in the depot over night.