The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-29
Stars and Bars and Stars and Stripes 2 ShfOud for
 the Dead Hero
IN IMPOSING FUNERAL
 PROCESSION IN NEW YORK
Thousands Do Honor to the Great Cavalry Leader of the confed- eraoy, and St. Thomas
 Church Is Thronged.

New York, January 2S.-An imposing
 military pageant passing across Brooklyn
 bridge, brief services at St. Thomas Epis- copal church in Fifth avenue and an es-
 eort across the North river ferry to Jer-
 sey City, where the body was placed on
 a train to be taken to Washington for
 interment in the National cemetery at Ar llngton, marked the funeral in this city
 today of Brigadier General Joseph Wheel
 CT, cavalry leader of the Confederacy and later one of the most prominent figures among the generals of the Spanish-Amer- lean war. The body of the dead soldier
 was wrapped in the flags under which
 he had served with almost equal vigor
 and distinction--the stars and Bars of
 the Confederate States and the Stars and 1 Stripes.
 1 Veterans of the Southern and Northern
 armies mingled together today in paying
 tribute to Gen. Wheeler with the younger veterans of the Cuban and Philippine
 campaigns of 1898 and 1S99 The route of
 the funeral cortege was lined with great l
 heads as the funeral passed.
 1 The funeral took place from the home of Gen Wheeler's sister Mrs. Sterling
 Smith, In Brooklyn, where Gen Wheeler
 died on Thursday of pneumonia. The l body was borne from the house by eight
 non-eommissioned officers of infantry and
 placed upon a fiag-draped artillery cais- 1 son. Squadron c and a detail of the
 Second battery of artillery escorted the
 body. and on the Manhattan side of the
 bridge the Seventy-first regiment, New
 York National Guard, in full dress uni-
 form, was drawn up The seventy-first.
 commanded by Col. w. U. Bales, served l under Gen. Wheeler in Cuba. and today
 was given the post of honor. Infantry
 from Governors island. headquarters of
 the Department of the East. United
 States army, also joined the procession
 on this side of the river
 Line of March. From Brooklyn bridge the line of march 1 lay across town to Washington square,
 and thence up Fifth avenue from Eighth street to FIfty-third to St. Thomas 1 church.
  1 glng from the saddle, was led just be-
 hind the caisson.
 The church edifice was thronged. Seats 1 had been reserved for members of the | Southern society the Confederate Vet | erans' association, the Society of the War
 of 1872 and several other friends of the | family.
 | Reservation had been made for the hon orary pail bearers, the staff of Frederick l b Grant, U. s. A, and the officers of the escort The altar of the church was almost hidden beneath the floral offer ] ings. among them great wreath sent
 by President Roosevelt.
 The brief services were conducted by the Rev. Ernest Stires, rector of the church, assisted by Rev. Dr. Morgan Dix, | who, meeting the body at the door, led | the way to the chancel They were fol- | lowed by the church vestry consisting | of D. O. Mills George McCulloch Miller, | j. A. Atterbury, Anson R. Flower and | Charles H. Stout. Following these came the honorary pail bearers, J. Plerpont | Morgan, Col J. J. Astor. R. T. Wilson, | Fitch Smith. Dr. John Wyeth, John Me- { Kesson, S. R. Bertrom, pr. William M. 1 Polk Commander Parker Kuhn, Archer Huntington, J. H. Wilson, General Kent, Senator Clark of Montana, Charles 5. Fairchild, Gen. o. o. Howard Gen. Stew l art I. Woodford, Dr. R. ogden Doremus and pr. Parrius.
 After the casket had been placed on the pedestal the full vested choir of St, Thomas entered the church. singing as a processional hymn Lead, Kindly Light"
 pr. stIres' Tribute. pr. Stires in his sermon said: This Is one of the great occasions or our lives For we are met to honor the memory of a rare man. l do not speak to you of him principally as a citizen, statesman or soldier, for the mere record of his death is far more eloquent than any praise of ours could be. It is of the man [ think at this hour. Was he enti- tied to be called great? IL is not difh- cult for you to decide. He was distin- g11ished by courage without rashness, bv wisdom without pride, by gentleness without weakness. by patience without heedlessness and by Justice which all ways leaned toward mercy. He honored man. he trusted man, and to every man he was ready to give his time his sub stance, his heart.
 ..rrsba north gives him unstnted honor. ] The south. even in her grief, is proud Of her ever loyal son. Cuba, for whose free dom he fought shows her grief across the waves and the whole world pauses for a moment today to declare that he was indeed a man.
 "I,et there be little of sadness here. We are not commemorating a defeat. It Is the victory of life. the triumph of nor be character.
 Follouing the church services the body was escorted to Jersey City. where 1t was placed on board a train of the Penn svIvania railroad, which left for Wash ,nqton shortly after o'clock. After ser vices there tomorrow interment will be | made in Arlington. the last military