Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-12
FRANK lanes FUNERAL: .
NO SERMON AND no SONG .


sravcd upon y copper urn n all thai will
remain to night 81 Frank james Nilsson
ri's Robin Hood.
Last night his body was taken Ia II.
Louis. TODAY ID Will h. crrmated. To
morrow the ashes al the former bandit
will cnme 10 KANSAS City ans - in u box
IN u safely Deposit vault III Y bank and
there they viii rest, behind sfclt locked
doors uf armor plate until-wcll. no ohc
can tell: maybe until resurrection day.
Tears The Only Prayer.
Yesterday The relatives and friends of
Frank James gathered ou the James
farm. near kcarncy. Clay county. for the
funeral.
\ strange funeral. Not Y PRAYER. Not
u song. Ne word from 4 minister. Just
a short speech from man who saved
him from thc sallowS and was hi init
mate frivnd-thdt. tears uf red love aud
affection.
Malht, after an. those tears courSing
down the checks If old men who hld
fought with him.. who had seen his loyal
~ and friendship tested in he dark
days who knew uf his struggles 10 beat
back" 40 good citizenship. held greater
promise for his soul than an the PRAYERS
that might have been said, or hymns
sung.
Many were the fearful eyes there vcS
icr'iay. and those who wcpt were old AMI
srizzlcd men who rode with death and
terror fifty wears ago.
From Altar to the Funeral.
Frank James was one guerrilla bclov
"a and looked an ~ ht aIl the others.
Those veterans ~ thp days OF Ike red
border went long distances "a be- I'D his
funeral Yesterday. One camt aIl The way
from Oklahoma. One cot up from 4 sick
bed a. 20. and ~ he helped carry the
body Of his old comrdic he staggered IN
der the weight.
When Judge john +. Phillips in his
funeral speech, standing beside the coffin
half turned 1ud laid his hand upon il
and said.
Since his surrender hc acquitted him
self always ~ j man of high honor" "A
dozen voices. tremulou> under he weight
Of years. answered Amen"
Frank James elected me Old nrielhor.
hood in which he wa> born rs the SPOT
in which he wished lD die. II IL a pretty
plav Of rolling coIntrv. with stately old
clmS and oaks. and Wr0dcd water cUur
So threading the landscape. a peaceful.
rc>tiul SPOT: and n thc midst Of ID. with
a blue grass lawn slipping down q The
road. stood his cottage. with fruit trees
and shrubs and vines that flower IL IN,
summer al around. mn around. Among
the porch twmcS u thi-k wi>taria vine.
~ dead now ~ tn hand that plluctd il.
hui i thing uf wonderful beauty III sea
season. There the old roueh rider loved
70 So M the long summer afternoons
and read Shakespeare and the philo>o
ply ~ Socrates.
Why He Joined no Church.
Judge Phillips tcli Yesterday how
Frank would quote Shakespeare by the
page. and how b. lowed the writings az
Socrates. and Of his love of The Bible:
odd traits In am old bandit, But Frank
James WIS not an ordinary man. Hear
ing Judge Phillips tell of il Won begin To-
glimpse the reason Frank trusting firmly
In the everlasting mercy. deeply rcycrcn
cling Che Bible. Joined Ho church aud for
babe religious services at his funeral.
From my MANY conversations with
him ! l%caruc, that he believed IN the II
vine authcniicitt ~ The Bible" the
Judge said. lie believed III the d~ivinit,
Of Jesus and had sublime faith that his
sins were forgiven. aud that ~ was tn
recipient of Gods mcrcN and tina. his
soul was saved. NE told no that ~ did
not Join = church because that at would
bc mi>con>tru.d: the world would look
upon u ~ Some sort Of hypocrisy. ~ he
ing lone for SNOW. ne did not believe
that IL WIS necessary Ia Join i church.
Knowing that TYR had been saved Ia grace.
believing that this was 4 matter Between
his y heart an! Gud alone. he did nur
think that religious services were ncccS
sarN ~ hiS funeral. lie met death s.
rene AMI untIIid confident Of the future
Just a few weeks before his death |
had i letter from him reminding ne W
my promise 60 make his funeral address.
lie said ia that letter that nv felt the end
was near. that he was ready. and WAS
not afraid a. 90
Old Comrades Were There.
The whole countryside went a. The
funeral The himgir> lined the fence Cor
2 long distance each side of thr road gate
Not one nth az the crowd nuld urt into
the houSr. And he country roads were
thick with black. sticky mud aud was
promise of rain IN The lowering clouds
Those who went I'm train hld "a 20 three
miles from kcaney "a tn lanes farm
and there they waited for hours. walk
ing about the { rn. - andiug in groups
IN the wet >rl under he bare trees. talk
inc of the old times.
There was Morgan MattaN. who WAS Al
comridc of Frank James under Guam
trcll. the raider. tie came All the way
from Rlrtlcsvillc. OKLA. AZ ~ at the fnn.
cral aud. out under Tho biz coffee bean
tree. beside the grave If Jesse James. NV