Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1920-06-07
|. A.. McMURRAY
Laid TO REST
Funeral one of Largest Ever
Held in City.-Elo-
quent Tribute
Paid.
OUTSIDERS PRESENT
Never has City Seen so Gen
erous a Display of
Flowers.
OUTSIDERS PRESENT

The funeral OF l.. A.. McMurray, hell
Thursday afternoon at the spacious
home on Wilson avenue. was one o
the largest ever held in the city
Among the large c%oncourse of friend
present. there was a larger delegation
of people from outside the city thai
have ever attended Il funeral here
The crowd ovcrtlowed the home ant
the large front veranda and PRACTICAL!
filed the yard, while autos We're park
cd for several blocks in all directions.
Never before has Webster City seel
such a generous and magnificent dis
play Of floral tributes. Many cam
from out of the city. Probably twenty
five banks Over central and northern
Iowa sent flowers. as well as hosts .o1
private NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. who knew
and loved Mr.. McMurray for his man!
attributes of goodness. Over TIL;
caskct. which lay in the northeast room
of the home, was a blanket of roses
sent by the First National, Farmers
and Savings banks of this city. In the
room with the caSket were veritable
banks of flowers and set pieces of vari,
Gus kinds. SO generous were the floral
tributes that nowhere neal all of them
could be placed about the casket.
A fitting simplicity marked the serv.
ice. There was no music. The scrip.
ture reading, prayer and sermon com
pleted the ceremonies. The Boy
Scouts. Of which Murray McMurray
has been ScOutmaSter since their Orga-
niZation, attended in a body. The pail
bearers We're II. \. Games, Henry
Tegct, b. L. Paine, II. l.. Hampton,
+. A. Boyscn, w. L. Whitman.
Rev. Arthur Mctcalf, pastor of the
Congregational church, delivered an
eloquent tribute to the memory of
Webster City's foremost citizen. His
tribute in full follows:
"Seest thou a man diligent in bust
ness? He shall stand before kings
Proverbs.
This seems like a cinematOgraph
closeup of our friend and neighbor,
l.. A. McMurray. for diligence in bust
ness gave him character, place and
power in the community and in the
state.
Death has discovered to Webster
City its foremost citizen. There is no
doubt about it. The verdict is mani-
nous. Wherever you go these days, on
the street, at social gatherings, at
home or abroad, all classes of citizens
are in sOrrowful accord that death has
stricken our foremost citizen. There is
Il perfect community tribute to the
: worth ola good man. Throughout Il
long life among us, l.. A. McMurray
has won golden opinions from all sorts
of people. This public acclaim is Il
,,nS.,,yuh,,f haitian f1Inn u,,npifa and
community sympathy is more fragrant
casket.
Reason for Tribute.
There is a reason for this unusual
tribute to the dead. EOrty-iive years
ago l.. a. McMurray came to Webster
City from the state of New York. He
came out upon Il quest, and he was to
grow up in this new, vigorous, thrifty
western world. He was strangely
equipped for life in the west. Good
health was his. In his baggage were
high ideals, the mental culture OF the
east, Il sturdy Christian conscience and
the will to win. \ main element in
the young mans character was Il plen-
tiful supply of the Old-time banking
integrity which, in Europe centuries
earlier, had given to the Anglo SaXon
tongue the fine financial word 'Ster-
ling as Il mark of highest excellence.
The newcomer had faith in God and
in man, and he was moved by a superb
faith i'll the church of Jesus Christ.
His money capital and these highly
dynamic Christian virtues l.. \. Nc
Murray invested freely in Webster
City. The one thing his friends are
most proud OF in this day of
ing is the fact that throughout forty
five year of strenuous public life, with
l.. a. McMurray money and character
have worked together. He has been Il
Christian and Il banker: a banker
and Il Christian. I~IenccfOrth we all
know that successful business and
conscientious religion promote each the
welfare Of the other. He has establish
ed a banking business beyond %rcproach,
and tie while he has made money
for himself he has made char
acter for the community.
Service to Community.
Words fail to catalog the service of
this man to public and private life.
Webster City owes him Il debt he would
not want us to pay. To the public L..
a. McMurray has been banker, lawyer,
preacher, teacher and friend combined.
In all he did for folks spiritual values
bulked large. He was counsellor and
friend to whoever came TO him for
help. One cannot estimate the value
Of this mans labor as administrator
of the estates of many who preceded
him on the long, long trail. The per-
picked came to him for counsel. He
was the natural adviser of widows and
orphans and the hacker of youth. His
bc%neyOlences were many and mostly
private, for he did not let his left hand
Know what his right hand did. He was
always giving to others and he never
wanted or took anything for himself. 1t
was natural for those who were in need
TO go to this Christian gentleman for
such help as he could give. Always
he had an open purse for subscription
lists. \ He preached and practiced high
standards Of morality in public, in pri-
yate and in business life. He was Il
loyal citizen of the republic in peace
or war. lie was of the type of men
whose lives are natural pillars of
church and state. This is the reason
why stores are closed today, bust
ness is halted Out of respect 10 his
memory. and as We lay his body to
rest there is sadness in Hamilton coun-
ty and over the state.
Always Direct.
The name of his dying seems al