New Britain herald., 1919-01-08
SIMPLICITY MARKS
 ROOSEVELT FUNERAL
Short Services Held at Home,
 Church and at GraVeSide
MANY FLORAL TRIBUTES
Sharing Her Husbands Antipathy For Funerals, Mrs. Roosevelt Does Not Accompany RcEa&ins to the Grave

Grave.
 Oyster Bay, Jan. S-Exccpt for two sons, absent as soldiers in their coun- try's service ovcrocGs, the family of Theodore Roosevelt, 25th president Of the United States, gathered in the liV- ing room at Sagamore Hill shortly be- fore noon today for the first ot a trim ty of simple serVicCs-2t home, church and grava-3.de--With which the body of the noted American will be laid to rest as a private citizen Of lis Long Islind village.
 Mrs. Roosevelt stays Home.
 Mrs Roosevelt, sharing in the coloners antipathy to funeral cere- mony, decided not to attend the church services nor to jon the pro- cession to the cemetery. It was an uOunced that she would bid go0d-by tu he body of her husband ta the house where they lived for many years, while her children, who grew to manhood and womanhood in the atmosphere of the old homestead, would see all that is mortal Of their amous father committed to earth in he family plot in You1g's Momor al c matery overlooking Long Island sound.
 Simple Prayer Service.
 The home service, one Of prayer alone, was to last hardly more than five minutes, according to Rev. George E. Talmadge, rector of Chrst Episcopal the Roosevelt family church, while the ritual before the altar was expected to be concluded within 15 or 20 minutes after the cas- ket was brought into the edifice. The element of simplicity was to be fol- lowed, the clergyman said, even to omission of the organ voluntary, while the formal Episcopal service was being. read.
 Many Floral Tributes.
 Sagamore Hill was asleep early this morning when flowers which began to arrive yesterday despite Mrs. Rooaevelts request that mono be sent were received in great profusion. Many for lack of space in the house, were sent to the church.
 Sixty persons attended the service at the home, where the rector of Christ read the ninety first Psalm and offered prayer.
 The mornings snowstorm had giv- en away to brilliant sunshine as the automobile cortege started from Sagamore Hill to the church.
 &aSkcl Df3StCu V1Cn EI9EGS.
 The church service beginning at 12:55 o'clock was concluded in 13 minutes The Episcopal ritual was followed and thr only mention of the ex-president's name was when the rector spoke the word "Theodore" in tho final prayer.
 Tke casket was borne to the altar rail by porters. Draped in ar Ameri- ca-, f1ac if was covered also with two battle flags of the Rough Rider regiment upon which rested a large wreath of acacias tied with the vel low ribbon of the cavalry. These flowers, the only tribute near the cas- ket, were from the coloners comrades of the famous unit of Spanish h-Ameri- can war days.
 Doves Fly Over Grave.
 The former president rested with his head toward the west, where the sun, dropping toward the horizon, brought out in striking silhouette the white robed figure Of he priest re citing the time-honOred committal service of the Episcopal church. As the last words were spoken a great flock of white birds were seen to alight on the frozen SUI face of the cove which the sn0w-capped eminenca of the cemetery overlooks
 Only the Rugh Riders floral tribute relieved the plainn ess of the casket as tt was lowered to it's final resting place The kattlc flags were taken back to the trophy roc m at Sagamore Hill where the colonols family will prize them as he did since their pres entation as 8 memento of his part in tho Spanish-AJnerican war.