The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-03-28
MIKE DONOVAN
LAID AT REST

New York, March 2S.-While the bu-
gle corps of the First Field Artillery
sounded taps, and a volley of rifle fire
aWoke the echoes, all that was mortal
OF Mike Donovan was laid at rest in
st. Raymonds cemetery yesterday.
Full military honors were accorded to
the once mighty warrior, who won
more lasting fame and glory as a sol
der of America than as the great
Mike Donovan of the roped arena.
Every wish of the deceased was
complied with. He was buried in his
blue uniform of the Grand Army of
the Republic. His medals and orders
were pinned to his breast, and his
sword was placed at his right hand.
The Stars and Stripes, which he fol-
lowed from Atlanta to the Sea, were
Idraped across his casket. So shall he
rest until the last reveille is sounded.
| Men from every walk of life gath
cred at the Donovan home to pay
| their final respects to the old cham
! pion. Young men whose rugged ply
sique bespoke the athlete rubbed
shoulders with the slightly built bank
clerk. The judiciary and the military,
the captain of industry and men from
the realm of sport all met upon equal
ground. They spoke in Wispers, not
of Donovan, the fighter, but of Mi
chael Donovan, the man, the friend OF
former Presidents, the soldier and the
humanitarian.
Theodore Roosevelt, a former box
| ing pupil of Donovan's, telegraphed
his regret at being unable to attend
the funeral.
| An endless stream of sober faced
men and women wended their way in
and out of the Donovan home all
morning, Woodycrest avenue from the
home ito the Church of the Sacred
Heart.
| There were many pathetic scenes
when the moment came for the family
to bid adieu to their father, but hearts
were wrung when Arthur, youngest
son, now wearing the olive drab OF
his country, bent over the casket.
The big, broad-shouldered youth, who
has faced the gloves of the best mid
dleweights in the ring and who is
ready to face the shTapnel fire over
seas, could not smother his grief. He
collapsed and was led away weeping
like child.
The New York Athletic club, where
Donovan was inst 'ctor of boxing for
more than a scor~ of years, was well
represented W. H. Page, one-time
president of the club; Harry Beuer-
ever, Matt Halpin, ex-Judge jeremiah
Mahoney, Fred F'ortmeyer and other
prominent members were on hand.
Capt. J. P. Foley was in command of
the military escort. Bill Muldoon,
Bill Brown, Jim Pilkington, the for
mer rowing champion; Charley Har-
vey, John o. Regan of the Metropoli-
tan Rowing club, and hundreds OF
other sporting men were there.
| Six members of the First Ward Ar
Itillery of the New York State Guard
carried the casket and placed it upon
Ian arnnored motor car, which was
draped in the colors. Twelve men,
bers of the Gen. Phil Kearney Post
of the G. A. R., of which Donovan
was a member, preceded the casket.
The band of the First Field Artillery
lied the coretge to the church.
| Mike Donovan was an American
In his youth he faced the fire of the
confederate forces that his country
should live undivided. When this war
broke out he Immediately took up re-
cruiting work. He helped to organize
the new First Field Artillery, which
has taken the place of the old regi-
ment, now known as the 104th Field
Artillery. He instructed the young
men in the 1st in boxing, and it was
after a session with the gloves that
he contracted pneumonia, which re-
suited in his death.
He enlisted in the list Infantry of
Illinois at the outbreak of the Civil
War, and was soon hurled into the
Imaelstrom of battle. He was at An
tietam, was in at the fall Of Vicks-
burg, fought with the famous Irish
brigade at Gettysburg, and then was
one of the army that marched with
Sherman from Atlanta to the sea. de
was in practically every one of the
dozen or more pitched battles around
Atlanta, and was in the assault on
Fort MoAllister on the Ogeechee river,
1oar Savannah