Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-14
BRYAN BOWS HEAD
AT MERCHANTS BIER
AS THRONGS PASS BY
Commoner Unable to Stay for
Funeral, but Sees Body
of Old Friend

Thousands Of persons. high and
humble. walked slowly and reverently
this morning past John Wanamaker' $
bronze. flower banked casket in Beth
any Church.
An immense crowd had assembled be.
fore the church when the doors were
opened at Q o'clock to those who wished
to see the body as 1t lay in state. For
three hours, the only sound in the
church was the shuttle of thousands Of
feet and now and tncn a repressed sob
A six foot cross of lilies hung over
the casket. Over the length of plate
glass completely covering 1t had been
placed n blanket of orchids and roses
and lilies.
Facing the casket was Gordon of
honor composed Of six elders of Beth.
any Church. All morning long other
elders altcrnatod with them.
They were William \. Bradley. c.
Colgan. Il. Bullock. l.. II. Leonard. G..
Colgan. J. Mcconnell. X. Gamble, |.
Craig. W. Craig. George Harper. 7.
IIorncg. J. March, j. Dewitt. George
Embick. A. Flood. G.. w. Gadd. F..
Gallagher. William Mclaughlin, +.
Hustled. a. Kelly. w. Lamond. w.
Libby. J. MacIillan. l.. L. Martin. J.
Ludwig. Frank Embick. F. MorShon,
'f''l hllltl. w. !. ItHllHgtIl,
George l.. Stone and Samuel 4 Kase.
Those who came to pay tribute We're
Of the old and the young. They were Of
the city's poor ami the Nations great.
Stalwart and feeble, great and lowly.
they passed mutely along in the single
line. asking no privilege or distinction
but only to do great man and a low.
ing friend honor ard reverence.
William Jennings Bryan was among
those who walked past in the long line.
Mayor Hylan. Of New York. was there.
Councilman McConch stood In line
in the bitter cold an hour before
ginning entrance to the church. Back
of him was Mary Streissgutts of 202J
North Twenty fourth street. for thirty.
five years SalcSwoman in the Wana-
maker store.
Class Veterans Join In Grief
At the very head oc the line was Mrs
Sarah \. Kincaido. seventy four wears
old. member of John Wanamaker's
Sunday school class for sixty-fivc years.
The place of honor had been given TO
her.
with faltering steps and under the
kindly direction of an usher she walked
along. When she came to the caskct
she turned and clasped the hand of
Miss Maggie Il. Wiley, another old
Sunday school member.
Silent in their grief the two old
ladies stood there for moment.
Two hundred and seventy patrolmcn
handled the crowd on the outside. The
stream Of people blowing on their
fingers and stamping their feet in the
cold approached from Twenty first
street, entered the church on Rnlnbridgc
and were dismissed through two back
entrances on Pemberton street. Strict.
est police, supervision was maintained
and Bainbridge, Pemberton street md
twenty second street We're roped off.
Among the early arrivals were Con.
grcssman William Ware and James
NJ. IIazlett. William Jennings Hryan
droye up in taxicab at n quarter to
ten. lie was accompanied down the
aisle OF the church by the pastor, the
Rev. A. Gordon McLennan.
For q moment Mr.. Bryan stood in
silence beside the casket. In his broad
black cape he made an imposing pic
ture as he raised his eyes for mo-
ment, looking at the black drapcd
organ. at thu black drapery of the mi
pit and the banked flowers that
stretched across the back of the church
ON his way out Mr.. Bryan pald n
brief tribute to his old friend.
Il know Mr.. Waunmakcr for forty
tnree years. he said. "nnd admired
him greatly. ] would give great
denl to be. able to arrange to stay and
serve as honorary pail bearer but I
must hurry off to Miami to attend to
Il sunday class In which Mr.. Wana
maker was much interested"
Many Shed Tears
Thomas ID Ralph. with grizzled hair
around his shining black face, walEed
in back of Congressman Vnre. Hc wos
old and bowed ms he stumbled his woy
up to the caskct. lie murmurod litti.
prayer and, ns he turned away and was
toli BY the policeman in the corridor 10
hurry up and pass out, there were tears
streaming down his face.
Others cried, too. There was Miss
B"atrice Bryan, who had stood ont
IN the line in the cold since s o'clock
IN me, morning She WAS the first 10
arrive: put when she saw old Mrs.
Nih'aide come at quarter to nine,
she gave.u her place. Miss Rrynn wa
formerly a Wanamaker cmplove md
Mr. Wananhker had been good to her
father. ~ nel
w., On tn" steps in the biting cold was
Mary j. Davis, 2529 Grays Ferry ave-
nue. who entered the first class of the
sunday school at the age of six >
Councilman McCoach, who COT out %
SICK bed 10 be present, had nv ,ba
hand two tiny choir members. One
was Georgianna Kitselman, and tie
other Beatrice Hopper. They haJ
known Mr.. Wanamakcr only ns h;n
haired smiling man who pattei
them on the head and told them ,bcv
sang swectly. but they smiled and stooi
patienny in the snow -slushed street
4 little farther down was Floreno.
l'itrl a Negro girl, hudding in n
faded black cape. She had worked IN
the Wanamakcr J"nkintown house for
ten or fifteen years. W.
All through the morning the stcodv
stream of mourners filed on, ~,
crowd was greatest when the door, first
opened. 1t swelled to major pronnrs
tions at noon when fashionable motors
drove up to the door. But the po,r
were still handled with the rich. Within
tho church. Miss Carrie ouiss. church