Semi-weekly herald., 1912-01-25
Funeral Of Late Judge
Henry J. Hechtman

Red Men hall was filled to it's ca
pacity this afternoon with the friends
of the late County Judge Henry j.
Hechtman, assembled to pay a last
tribute to his memory. There was a
large attendance of the organizations
to which he belonged, the Masons,
Woodmen of the World, Red Men,
Elks, and Pocahontas, in addition to
the county officials and friends from
Durango and from out of town.
A five-piece orchestra with Byron
Eddy as pianist, played beautiful and
appropriate selections, and the Mozart
club, composed of fifty high school
pupils under the direction of Miss
SENEGAL sang "Abide With Me" and
Lead, Kindly Light"
Rev. w. F. Highly, rector of ST.
Marks Episcopal church, had charge
of the service and beside a number of
short Scriptural selections and the
prayer for all sorts and conditions of
men, read the marvellous chapter from
Ecclesiastes, the twelfth, where the
separation of the body and spirit is
imaged--
"Or ever the silver cord is loosed.
and the golden bowl broken, or the
pitcher broken at the fountain, or the
wheel broken at the cistern and
the spirit hath returned to God who
gave it," and where the change and
turmoil of this mortal life calls forth
from the ancient writer the cry echoed
so often in human hearts since then,
"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity"
The following obituary was includ-
ed:
Henry j. Hechtman was a son of
John and Olive Fay Hechtman and
was born in Erie, Pa, Oct. 20, 1852,
and was raised in the city of Wash
ington, d. c., and Minneapolis, MINI.
He served for time in the United
States navy and was on the coast sur
vey in 1871 and 1872.
While still a young man he removed
to California and resided for time
in San Jose, afterwards going to Ari-
zona, where he was elected district
attorney of Apache county in 1879.
He came to Colorado in 1876, locating
in Parrott City, July 10, later remov-
ing to Durango, where he had prac-
ticed his profession, that of attorney
at law for many years. He was
Justice of the peace in 1883 and 1884,
and city attorney in 1886, and at the
time of his death was county judge.
He was member in good standing
in Durango lodge No. 46, A. f. and
A. NJ, Aztec Camp No. 80 w. o. W.,
Sitting Bull tribe No. 48 l. o. r. NJ,
Minnehaha council d. of P. No. 20
l. o. o. r. and Durango lodge No.
507, of the Brotherhood Protective Or
der of Elks. He joined the San Juan
Pioneer association at its annual meet
ing, held in Ouray, Sept. 1898.
The service closed with Nearer, My
Go, To Thee" played by the orchestra
after which the casket was placed in
the main aisle and the throng of peo-
pie passed decorously by to take
last look at the departed. He looked
very calm and peaceful as if at length
he had entered into rest for which
he had hoped for, long, in vain.
The flowers were beautiful and
were mainly formal pieces from the
organizations, with sprays from per-
sonal friends. The set pieces included
the compass and square, pillow,
wreaths and anchor, crescent, and
four foot spray of roses from the
county officials:
The pail bearers were Messrs. t. E.
Peterson, o. S. Galbreath, ]. C. San
ford, George Weaver, w. w. Par
shall, and John Waters.
At the grave there was short
service by Rev. w. F. Highly, and the
Masons then completed the funeral
rites with their ceremonial fog the
burial of the dead.
Peace to the dead, and to both
dead and living, mercy rather than
Judgment. For all men are sinners,
and 'there is none good but One, that
is God"