The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-08-04

evidence almost every nOuI OIL Luc
magnificence of her courage.
Other members Of the party, worn
out with grief and loss Of sleep, rest
ed today.
It's the calm courage of Mrs. Hard
ing-a quiet, steady-going courage
that caused all arrangements for the
first simple funeral services and. re-
moval Of the Presidents body from
the hotel suite in San Francisco to the
train, to run as smoothly as the dig
nifty of Mr.. Harding's wife and his
countrymen could have wished.
Through all the trying time since
she awoke from an exhausted dis
turbed sleep into which she finally
sank after midnight on the night the
President died, Mrs. Harding's saw 1t
through.
Widow Self Controlled
It was her calm self-control that
made it possible for the others to
play their part in the hurried arrange
ments for departure without having
to worry about how the Presidents
wife would act. She herself directed
the arrangements for the funeral serv-
ices at the Palace Hotel.
Her quiet thoughtfulness made
things wonderfully easy for those
who would have been considerable of
her.
The doctors and nurses who attend
ed her awakening, marveled at the
will with which she came back to the
world from which her husband had
suddenly been taken and arose and
dressed and set about the necessary
planning for the services.
On the arm of George Christian.
who had been President Harding's
secretary, the late executives wife en-
tered the sun-nt parlor where the lit
tie party had gathered late Friday
afternoon to pray a while for their
friend who lay in the simple rose
wood coffin with its draping Of flags.
Wore Conventional Black
Mrs. Harding was in mourning, but
not an over-emphasized mourning;
Just a simple black dress and a black
hat with a wide brim. Her face was
reposed. She stood upright while the
ciergyman's voice went on-"man that
is born Of woman"
1t was when the prayer began that
Mrs. Hardings emotion first made It
self visible; tears welled in her eyes,
but Mrs. Christian slipped quickly to
her side and took her hand and there
was no break in the service. A min
ute later Mrs Harding had herself
completely in control
The secret of Mrs. Harding's mar
velous display of thoughtfulness for
others in her hour of trial and her
courage through her grief was pride
in her husband, friends said. Several
times during; the day she went with
women friends, the Presidents sister,
and others to look at the, remains OF
the late executive as they lay in the
coffin.
Mrs Harding commented to her
friends on how firm and peaceful were
her husbands features IN death, the
face that the mouth displayed no
vaccilation. She was proud of his
record and Of him as a man and she
was trying to carry on in the trying
period as he would have wanted
her to.
Ceremony Very Simple
The extreme simplicity OF the coffin.
the services and the ceremonies neces-
sarily incidental to moving the re-
mains to the railroad station-svery-
thing-by Mrs. Harding's orders, were
simple, as the President would have
wished. In this. as IN everything else
She did, Mrs. Harding was faithful to
her husbands trust.
The f1ag-draped coffin was carried
from the hotel parlor by the friends
and Cabinet officers who have served
with President Harding, out Of the ho-
where a military cavalcade waited to
escort 1T to the funeral train.
Members Of the party entered
carriages as the bells Of st. Patr1ck's
Cathedral tolled slowly for the ex-
ecutive's passing. The roar Of the
city was hushed. A large grey motor
hearse received the casket with its
one simple floral wreath, the only
decoration beside the flag Mr.. Hard
ing had served.
Through a crowded canyon Of San
A. AdhO4SOO Will c1Q0WdlkS
damned and heads filing evry win
dow, the cortege pessed to the station.
There the casket was lifted through
a window into the funeral car.
Throng Is flushed
A throng that gathered in the
station was silent The engine
bell changed through the train shed,
the conductor raised his arm, whistle
shrilled and the train rolled slowly
away from the station and took up
its journey eastward, carrying the
nations leader back to his last rest.
Draperies on the windows OF the
last car We're drawn and those who
saw the train pass could look inside
+ and catch a glimpse of the coffin,
its flag and its laurel wreath.