The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-29
BODIES OF CONSUL /. CHENEY AND WIFE
 REACH NEW YORK
SENT TO HOME IN NEW HAVEN STORIES OF EARTHQUAKE BY PASSENGERS ON IN-
 COMING STEAMERS.

Especial from United Press)
 New York, Jan. 29.--Scant honors were accorded the memories of Arthur s. Cheney, consul to Messina, and his wife, whose lives were crushed out in the Italian earthquake when their bod ies arrived here today on the Fabre liner Venzia. No government escort of any kind and only a small police guard were present when the coffins were landed in Brooklyn.
 The detachment of marines which it had been said would be on hand to show the proper honors to dead of ficial of the State department, failed to naterialize.
 Police Inspector Holahan with a de- tachment were present. The police guard went. down to quarantine to meet the steamer and escorted it up to the pier.
 The bodies were in dramatically sealed caskets enclosed in pine boxes. A half dozen of the dock workers were assigned to each one and they were lifted out of the hold with a freight derrick. It was intended that Amer ican flags should be cast over the cof- fins but, even this, was forgotten.
 An official of the Italian line tele- phoned the Brooklwn Navy Yard and asked whether the government was going, to send an escort He was in- formed that nothing was known of the matter tbNre.
 Colonel Jerome, representing the collector O. e-port, was the only officer present. I1..Count Di Masse- glia, the Italian consul general of New York, was expected to be present but he didn't arrive until the coffins had been taken away. The relatives of the dead consul did not arrive until the task of unloading the collins had been accomplished.
 After a wait of three-quarters of an 1our Benjamin H. Cheney, the father, and Dr. B. Austin Cheney of Chicago, md Harold Cheney, another brother, cached the bodies.
 Under the escort of more than 4,0O0 italians. representing 3S societies. the bodies of United States Consul Arthur }. Cheney and his wife, who were kill d in the earthquake at Messina were escorted through the streets of New York to-day to the Grand Central Depot where they were placed on a rain bound for New Haven. The l esented in paying respect to the mem 1 'ry of the American consul nor was | he city of New York represented be- 'ond police who were on hand to keep | he crowds back.
 The bodies arrived on the Fabre liner | 7enezia early to-day. They were re- moved from the hold of the ship by | and taken to the Fulton Terry in Brooklyn and later taken to Jew York by ferry. At the landing ] hey were taken in charge by the It5l- 1 an societies. Wreaths were placed on he coffins by the various organiza- ions.
 
 were not informed of the arrival of the | 'odies until after the collins had been emoved from the steamer. They joined he procession that marched through he streets to the funeral dirges of Is italian bands.
 Thousands of spectators lined the idewalks on the march to the Grand 'entral Station. The fact that neither he Federal or city government had representatives present to take charge f the remains has not been explained
 The Straits of MeSSina are reported afe for navigation by Captain Irvine :, f the Cunarder Panoner which arriv- r to-cay from cruise to Mediterran- an ports. The skipper declares that is ship passed through the channel 1st after the earthquake, that he was ot made aware of his danger and nat had he known of the disaster e could have cared for many of the efugees.
 The Fabre Line Steamer Venezia lso came in to-day. She had on oard Anthony Statero, 2e years of White Plains, N. Y. He came from eggio, Italy where he had been on a isit to his relatives. He tells the following store of his ex- ariences: "On the morning of the ,lan?ity I was asleep in my rom on le third floor when I was aroused y a peculiar vibration of the bed, then ; felt myself going down. I must have cen daZed for I remember nothing ore until I found myself sitting in my i ghtclothes on a step. All the build gs around me were a mass of ruins. s'For three days I looked for my rela- ( yes in the debris. All of this time :
 heavy rain fell and I had no food ( Id little clothing. I began to search $ r my relatives, but only succeeded in lding my IT year old sister. There :, as a heavy plank lying across her IT roat and her head was nearly sever s . I finally gave up my task in des- 1 | fir. t New Haven, Jan. 2s.-Dr. B. Austin e