The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-12-06
Last Sad Rites.
Funeral Of President Spencer Held
in Washington City Sunday
Notable Tributes Paid Distin-
guished Railroad Magnate by
Associates, Statesmen and Men
Eminent in All Walks of Life.

guished Railroad Magnate BY
Associates, Statesmen and Men
Eminent in All Walks of Life.
Washington, Dec. 2.-All that is
mortal of Samuel Spencer, late pres
ident of the Southern Railway, whose
tragic death OH his own railroad on
the morning OF Thanksgiving Day
shocked the peoples Of two hemls-
pheres, was laid to rest this after
noon in the receiving vault at Oak
Hill Cemetery. there to await final
disposition.
A notable tribute was paid tf
memory OF the distinguished rail- 49,
magnate by his associates, by sta 3
men and by men eminent in I'LL the
walks OF public lie. The funeral
obsequies, held in historic st. Johns
Protestant Episcopal church, were
attended by railroad officials, finan-
ciers and public men from all parts
of the country. Many OF them were
lifelong associates. Hundreds OF
friends came from the South.
Long before the hour announced
for the funeral, 2 o'clocl; p. m, adj
mission to the church had to be de-
MED to all but the closest personal
and official friends of Mr.. Spencer.
Hundreds OF people stood outside
the edifice in the crisp December air
throughout the services, paying sol
EMMY and siIentely their tribute OF
respect.
EMPLOYEES ATTEND IN BODY.
Shortly before 100 p. m. the Off
GERS and employees of the Southern
Railway, 319 III number, assembled
at tho general office OF the Company
here. and proceeded, as a body st.
Johns church. They were hea led
by the four general supperintend-
ents of the company, Messrs. For
aker, Loyal, Ritchic and Coapman,
and included General Passenger
Traffic Manager Hardwick, General
Passenger Agent Tayloe and Assist
ant General Passenger Agent Carey.
Practically all of the officers OF the
company throughout its system OF
nearly 5000 miles were i'll attend
ance upon the services. Joining
their friends OF the Southern Railway
i'll paying respect to President Spen
Ger were representatives Of the Mobile
& Ohio; Georgia, Southern and Flori-
da; Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas
Pacific; New Orleans and Northeast
crn; Central of Georgia; Atlantic
Coast Line; Seaboard Air Line;
Chesapeake & Ohio; Pennsylvania,
and Norfolk & Western.
Among the distinguished people
who attended the church services
were Vice President Fairbanks, JUS
tice White, OF the Supreme Court OF
the United States; Senator and Mrs.
Foraker, of Ohio; Senator Bacon, OF
Georgia; Gov. Swanson and Senator
Martin, OF Virginia; Senator kean,
OF New Jersey; Secretary OF the Iii
terror Hitchcock; Senator Wetmore,
OF Rhode Island, and former Senator
Henry &. Davis, of West Virginia.
just at , O'Clock the soft strains
OF Chopin's beautiful funeral march
pealed through the church from the
organ. 1t was rendered by Prof. II.
Freeman the organist OF St. Johns.
At the same instant throughout the
system of railroads lately presided
over by Mr.. Spencer, every train
came to Il dead stop, every wheel
ceased to turn, every employe put
aside his work. For five minutes
over the thousands of miles of rail-
way every employe paid silent re-
spect to the dead president.
No 2 hO 80 - = L., IT,.
the surpliced choir of 40 male voices
silently entered the church and ran
ged itself on each side of the altar.
The choir was followed by the Right
Rev. Henry Y. Saterlee, bishop of
Washington; Rev. DR.. Roland Cotton
Smith, rector OF st. Johns church,
and the assistant rector of the
church.
Immediately afterward, j. Pier
pont Morgan, of New York, life
long friend and business associate of
President Spencer, Charles Steele, of
New York, and First Vice President
Andrews and Second Vice President
Finley, of the Southern Railway,
entered the pew re ,erved for them.
They were followed by the funeral
party, the great cOncourse of people
rising and remaining standing as
the casket bearing the remains was
placed in front of the altar and the
members OF the family were ushered
to their seats. 1t was peculiarly APP
propriate that the body-bearers
should have been selected from
among the eolored porters OF the
Southern Railway. All of them have
been in the service OF the company
for many years-several of them
nearly a life time-and all of them
were known personally to President
Spencer.
HONORARY PALLBEARERs.
Following the body came the hon
orarv pallbearers, all of them per-
sonal and official friends of Mr.. Spen-
Ger. They were principally presidents
or high officials OF the railroads of
America and it was noted that, either
personal or by proxy, they repre-
sented quite One-third of the vast
wealth OF the United States. E. H.
Hartman, q lifetime friend, was one
OF the last to arrive at the church.
Seated with the honorary pallbear-
ers were the members of committee
appointed by the Washington Alum
nj Association of the University of
Virginia, of which President Spencer
was q member. The committee in
cluded Surgeon General p. NJ. Rixey
OF the navy; former Senator c. j.
Faulkner of West Virginia; Thomas
Nelson Page, c. G. Lee and Rev. DR..
Randolph H. McKin.
The funeral service was strictly in
accordance with the ritual of the
Protestant Episcopal Church. TWAS
conducted by BishOD Saterlee assist