Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-01
Funeral of the Former Speaker
and Brave Soldier Held at
Dubuque Today
ELOQUENT EuLoev BY PERKINS
Body Of the Distinguished Iowan Laid
to Rest Beneath a Wilderness Of
FIowers-Business Suspended at Du-
buque During tho Hours of the Flu.
neral-G.A.R. Comrades Take Charge
Special to Times-Republican.


Dubuque. March 1.-The funeral Of
former Speaker David B. Henderson
narkable tribute was paid to his MEM
ory. Business was suspended during
the hours of the funeral and for five
minutes following the commencement
OF services the bells in every church
tolled. During the morning the body
was taken under escort to st. Johns
Episcopal church, where 1t lay In state.
The flowers were magnificent. There
were six wagon loads of them. The
Episcopal funeral service was read by
Rev. John C. Sage. Hon. George d.
Perkins, of Sioux City, former coll
league in congress, pronounced tho
eulogy. The q. A. r. took charge OF
the body after the services at the
church. Services at the grave in Linz
wood were conducted by the knights
Tepplar and G.. A. r.
Mr.. Perkins said:
ITO bring at such a time loving
tribute to a friend, distinguished as
Colonel Henderson was distinguished,
Is high office. 1t Is a time when the
infirmity of speech is felt-a time when
the heart appeals for words the tongue
cannot frame. When we are gathered
as we are here, standing MS 1t were on
the bridge that unites the worlds. our
conscious sense reveals the impotence
of all we can do and the feebleness Of
all we can say fby ourselves alone The
clouds hang low and the day Is dark;
we have the dizziness Of swaying, and
tnstictively We stretch forth our hand
in feeling after the hand Of God. If
soul. cannot speak to you as ]
would. I shrink from saying anything.
oppressed by the fear that what l may
say shall be discord in the loving
symphony Of your hearts.
What Colonel Henderson wrought is
preserved In the coldness of type on
many pages; what he was and the
things for which he strove are known
to those who had his love, his friend
ship and his great solicitude. Through
out his life, while his mind had
strength, he was helpful man. Out OF
his hetpfulness came his glory. he
was naturally leader; he was always
a soldier. In his congressional district
he was "Our Dave" He belonged to
his people; there was the sense OF
partnership If not of ownership, and
men did for him the better to do for
themselves The greatness of his heart
broke down barriers, and into his life
came trooping the multitude. He well
coined all alike-the rich, the poor, the
proud, the loway, the joyful, the sor-
rowful, the few of strength and the
many with heavy burden Where he
stood was the shining of the sun,
and in his atmosphere was warmth and
the cheer Of 1t. He was q rich con-
trSbutor to the needs of men; and he
had such tenderness as to dry the
tears OF women and such magician's 8
art as to pluck the appearance OF
trouble from the faces Of children.
"Our Dave!" He never bore q
prouder title.
1T may be true that Colonel Hender-
son was often controlled by his SYM
pathies, and / honor him for that. He
was lion-hearted, and yet he was ten
er-hearted. His love Of Iowa he kept
green, and he gave it nurture, as the
garden of his flowers, down to the last
sad days of his conscious life. When
he retired from congress he had thought
of opportunity elsewhere. He went to
New York and mixed with the strange
faces and the confusion of that mighty
city. But one day came word that he
would return to this his city
and to this his state, and
that here he would pass the
remainder Of his days. Possibly the
consciousness was upon him that his
time of initiation and of struggle was
we'll nigh over; at least there came to
him the sense of loneliness and the
longing for home And so it was that
hands here and from over the state
were outstretched to him in unanimous
bidding that he come. Alas! that ne
should already have entered upon the
greatest, the most heroic battle of his
life. He sought restoration In Cali
fornia. The tenderest of loving hearts
were with him; but as the weeks pass
he was being pressed by an implacable
foe toward the darkness of the river.
He returned in the early months of
new year; he say these familiar hill
sides take on their color; he saw tne
trees that line these familiar streets
break their buds and expand their fol-
iage; he saw the faces OF old friends
and as the summer waned the night
came on But he was at home. Aye.
now let us say he is at home, and peace
be his for ever more
II shall remember him as he was, in
the brilliancy Of his mind and in the
buoyancy of his physical strength.
shall remember him as the comrade he
was, the life of every company he
had more sunshine than he had need
of for himself and he warmed men and
made them glad. He dignified high
station, and out OF his great heart he
wove countless wreathes for humble