St. Tammany farmer., 1908-07-04

'= man in public life
3 would be willing
to have his heirs stand the expense,
however, if only his name could be
added to the short list of men who
have laid in state in the capitol
building.
During the century that it has been
occupied, just IL men have received
that honor. John Quincy Adams was
the first of that number and William
Mckinley was the last.
Adams actually died in the capitol.
That was so years ago, February 21,
1S4S, when the present extensions had
not been added and the house Of rep
resentatives sat in what is now Statu-
ary Hall.
Adams was unique instance Of an
ex-president Of the, United States serv-
ing as a representative, says the New
York Sun. He was a peppery one,
too; especially just at that time, when
there was plenteous discussion of the
Mexican war, of which he heartily dis
approved.
On this particular occasion the
house was voting on resolution
thanking some of the generals in that
war Adams opposed the resolution
without doing any good, least of all
to himself, for he got pretty badly
riled about the matter, and when the
nays, not noes" in those days, were
called, he snapped out his lonely pro-
| test with a petulance and vehemence
which rather amused his colleagues.
| The amusement soon turned to
alarm when Adams fell in seizure
which proved to be paralysis. He
was carried first to the rotunds, sofa
was brought and he was placed on 1t
near the great east door, where he
could have air.
This is the last Of EARTH" he said.
They were his last words. He was
carried to what was then the speak
er's room and which later became the
of1ce Of the chief clerk of the house,
and there he died the next day. His
body lay in state at the capitol until
February 26, when there was an i'm.
pressfve ceremony in the house,
shrouded in black, under the kind
supervision Of a distinguished lady,
as the account reads. The manner of
his end was the realization of his dear.
est wish, for he had longed to die in
| the capitol and in the service of his
| country; an active service of over SO
| years.
Two years later, April IL, 1850, the
body of John c. Calhoun lay in state
in the senate chamber, now the su
preme court room He had died al
most two weeks earlier during his
term as senator from South Carolina
| Another two years went by and
then on July 1, 1852, the body oi
Henry Clay lay in the same place.
At two O'Clock on the afternoon Of
| April 10, 1865, the body of Abraham
| Lincoln was taken from the White
House and carried in solemn process
sion to the capitol, where it was
placed on a black covered bier made
especially for that purpose. The biel
| has been used in almost every sub
| sequent case when a body has beer
| taken to the capitol. 1t can be seer
to-day in the crypt directly under the
great dome Lincoln's body, guarded
by officers with drawn swords, lay
in the rotunda until the morning OF
April 81, when it started on that re
markable journey to Springfield.
The Lincoln bier was used again il
three successive years-for Chief Jus
tice Chase, May 12, 1873; for Charles
Sumner, March 13, 1874, and for Vice
President Wilson, November rs, 1875
Late in the afternoon of Septembel
21, 1881, the body of President Gar
field was carried into the capitol ant
placed on the bier which had served
first for another victim of assassina
ton. Forty thousand persons saw thu
dead presidents face before the cot
fin was closed at $50 the next morn
ing. The funeral services were on TIT
afternoon of September %, the bod!
being taken down the east steps jus
as a rainbow shone out after storm
| Another extraordinary night wa
that of December 30-31, 1885, whel
thousands passed through the rotun
da to look on the face of Gen. John A
Logan. At 1880 on the morning o
December 81 his body was remove
to the senate chamber for the funera
ceremonies.
At the death of Chief Justice Wait
his body lay in state in the house
March 90, 1888, and ceremonies wer
1 held there that morning.
Between nine and ten o'clock of tn
morning of September 18, 1901, tn
body of William Mckinley was takel
from the White House, where it ha,
lain during the night, and borne il
solemn procession to the capitol
There was light rain falling, but tn
steps of the two wings, the coping
and every point of possible supper
were crowded with men, women an