The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-05-31
SIMPLICITY IS
FEATURE OF The
BURIAL OF HILL
! IL
Remains of Empire Builder" Placed
at Rest at North Oaks
Farm.
ALL TRAINS STOP r
FOR FIVE MINUTES
Favorite Coachman is g. Pallbearer; !;
ALL TRAINS STOP r
FOR FIVE MINUTES
Favorite Coachman is a Pallbearer:
Hill Was Active Until
His Death.

st. Paul, Minn.. May 31.-Sim-
plicity that marked the life of James
J. Hill was the dominant feature of
his funeral today.
Democracy of the deceased rail
magnate is shown in his selection OF
Charles Maitland, for 80 years Hills
favorite coachman, as one of his pail
bearers. Maitland, whose financial
success has made him close friend
and associate of the Hill family, acted
with R. Brown, for many years Hills
private secretary; Ralph Budd, as
sistant to the president of the Great
Northern; j. M. Gruber, operating
vice president of the Great Northern;
w. P. Kenney; traffic vice president;
John J. Toemey, Hills confidential
business agent; P. L. Rowe, Minne~
apolis; Charles w. Gordon, George A.
Macpherson and Theodore Schultz
St. Paul, merchants and personal
friends.
Trains Are Stopped.
All trains of the Great Northern,
Northern Pacific and Burlington lines
which Hill controlled, stopped still
from 2 to 2:05 this afternoon. Fu-
neral services were held at the house
at 2 p. m. this afternoon. Right
Rev. Thomas J. Gibbons, vicar gen.
-eral, diocese of St. Paul, Roman Cath
olic, officiated. Services were strict
ly private. Great Northern veteran
employees, some of whom Hill rode
with in engine cabs, were the only
persons outside Hills immediate fam
lily circle, allowed to view the re-
mains. Burial was at Hills farm,
North Oaks.
Stock to Son.
Evidence of the energetic activity
of Hill continued to be found today.
Just a few days before his death it
became known Hill passed the stock
of the First National bank, st. Paul,
to his son, Louis w. This bank has
$54,OOO,OOO deposits and is consider
ed the second largest bank west Of the
Mississippi.
Soon after the news of Hills death
was flashed over the country tele-
grams from every quarter of the ma
tion began pouring in upon the Hill
family. These continued today
While telegraph companies put on ex-
ira operators, the Hill family today
assigned three secretaries to receive
and file these messages
Two Recreations.
James J. Hill had only two recrea-
tions. These were fishing on the
shores of the St. Lawrence river and
solitaire. Although not sports
man, Hill was of athletic, wiry build.
One popularity was that he never
used the elevator in his office build
ing.
Hill preferred that he be called in
for consultation in big things af-
fecting his roads. At one time an
operating chief changed time card
of the Great Northern and gave it
great advertising. Hill read the ad-
yertising like the public, and wrote
this note:
"New time table revoked. Trains
will run on usual time until other
wise ordered"
The time table remained un-
changed.
Aids in Development.
One of the last, if not the very
last, services performed by James j.
Hill was public service, and showed
Mr.. Hills profound and abiding in
terest in the development OF the
Northwest. This service was to die
tate on May II, just the day before
he was taken i'll, an interview on the
necessity of making a complete sue
cess of the first annual meeting OF the
All-Minnesota Development assocla'
ton at the state capitol, st. Paul June
II and Is, and of establishing tne
work of the association upon a souno
basis.
Hills interview was given at the
request of one of the committee o1
the All-Minnesota Development asso
citation. This committee felt thai
Hill, perhaps better than any othe'
man in the Northwest, could dra"
attention, as always, to any appea
that looked toward the prosperity o1
the Northwest. The interview ne
gives is full of wise counsel. 1t calls
for the improvement of the farms
as the main object which the asso
citation should set before itself, plea
for conservation in legislation ana