The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1923-08-09
THE HARDING FUNERAL

cations, but just by citizens In tn
j usual way Of attending a friend
funeral
The Harding funeral began at Sa
Francisco by a short prayer whe
they started with the body on its tri
across the continent. All along tn
way, in cities, in towns and hamlet
and wagon crossings on the western
deserts, people gathered to see tn
train pass, and to have a glimpse o
! the bier in the car banked will
flowers and with two sailors and tive
! soldiers standing at attention facing
the casket. Mrs. Harding bore vi
bravely at the death and all thru the
! trip, and when she found that people
were waiting by the railroad tracks
to see them pass, she asked the of
ffcials operating the train to have
the engineer slow down for them
and this was done for the entire
journey.
AS the train entered the more
densely populated areas 1t fell be-
hind the schedule and could not
make 1t up. At Chicago the tracks
were lined with people for fifteen
miles westward from the depot, and
so dense was the crowd right up to
the track, that the train merely
crept along and stopped at times be-
cause people were crowded SO close
to the rails that the engineer feared
for their safety and crept as slowly
as was necessary to enable the crowd
to surge back enough to make room.
Everywhere there was evidence of
profund grief as If each individual
felt keenly the personal loss. The
casket. was in the rear coach, and as
it approached, all eyes were turned
toward it and there would be sea
of faces streaming with tears. 1t
was not confined to any class or type
or nationality, but all seemed for
this occasion to be moved with re-
spect and grief. Even the night and
darkness did not change the situa
ton much, and people remained on
the watch for a glimpse into the
brilliantly lighted coach as it went
by in the darkness. The train ar
rived in Chicago two hours late and
went out four hours late. At Akron,
Ohio it was six hours late and people
stood around or lay down and slept
by the tracks until the train came.
All night the engineer was slowing
down and speeding up trying to-
make fifty miles an hour and some
Of the time making only ten, five or
even less. During the days and
evenings, Mrs. Harding sat for hours
a few feet from the casket, and it
met the wishes of the thousands, tol
get one look at her in her time of
greatest loss. Sympathy for her was
hot
everywhere kept expressing 1t, and
kilograms of coincidence poured in
in such numbers that no attempt was
made to read them. At Chicagol
$4,000 kilograms were loaded on the
train, and long before that so many
were given that two cars
were banked full of them and no at
tempt was made to get thru those
cars. 1t was as if the nations heart
was being handed in to travel with
he casket.
Mrs. Harding expressed the wish
hat the train should at no time run
faster than fifty miles an hour, and
while they were slowed down pass
ng third North Platte, Nebr., tire
slipped from one of the drive wheels
If the locomotive. Owing to the
slow speed no damage was done; an
,ther engine was hitched on and the
rain was again in motion after 20
minutes. Vice President E e. Cal
lin of the Union Pacific was in
.harge of the train, and so sure was
lie that it was no fault of the en-
,ineer and he was so anxious to lift
my stain from the record of the en-
,ineer, that he directed him to take
he other engine and proceed II to the
nd of his run
The president died on Thursday
the train started for Wash
ngtOn on Friday evening, arrived in
Washington on Tuesday evening
tarted back for Marion, Ohio on
Wednesday evening and the funeral
yill be held Friday. The body lay
n state at the capitol and the pub
&c or so many as could, viewed the
emains on Wednesday, and the
ONE people at Marion viewed them
n Thursday and Friday till 1
clock.
Mr.. Hardings father is still liv-
1g, the president left no children,
nd Mrs. Harding has been invited
y Vice-president and Mrs Coolidgel
, make her home with them at the
White House as long as she will.
The Hardings had an ayrdale dog
allied Laddy Boy, that was a great !
avorite, and at some town on the {
estern trip school girl called to !
[rs. Harding, How Is Laddy Boy?"
nd she answered, Hes all right, I
ut 1 guess he is crying his eyes out
ecause we are away"
When the sad party returned
addy Boy was sober like the rest, +
nd after the others had viewed the
smains, Laddy Boy acted like he Q
anted to go in, SO Mrs. Harding
irected an attendant to take him
/. He walked slowly around the
isket, rested his nose against :
reath that lay against it, and then >
oked around with a sad, inquiringl 4
ok at the attaches present and
alked out of the room. {