Evening star., 1923-08-08

were accorded the honor of passing
through the fiower-banked east room
to look into the narrow casket that
the dead Chief Magistrate.
Meantime the massive Capitol.
where Warren Harding had served
the state as senator. had become as
/, the alter upon which the sacrifice to
service was offered. Its long corri-
doris were hushed and in. the crypt ,
beneath the dome soldiers were sta
toned TO furnish the Army. Navy and |
Marine guards, which maintained a
silent vigil at the side OF the coffin
as the people poured past to pay their
last respects
Wilson at White House.
A little less than a half hour before
the procession was to start Woodrow
wilson. accompanied by Mrs. Wilson
and Rear Admiral Grayson. arrived
at the north door of the White House.
AS mis- car came to stop before the
great pillars, past which he. too, had
looked out upon the world many
times in high hope and then in disap-
pointment, the infantry guard sta
toned there saluted hins and he re-
turned the Salutation with a wave of
his hand. The car then waited to
take up its place in the funeral line.
ana as 1t waited another carrying
Ambassador Harvey passed by and
stopped few feet ahead Mrs. Will
son apparently recognized the ambas-
sador and she turned and spoke
rev words softly to the former Presi-
dent
Just then a guard of honor. made
up of soldiers. sailors and marines,
took up its place before the portico.
1T lacked but Il quarter of an hour
until the time set for the procession
lht SorroWIng men. women and
chIidren who. by now, had packed
the, sidewalks from building line to
curb
Walls Banked With Flowers.
BY now. too. the growing mountain
the Capitol completely banked the
walls. Among them was a pillow
OF white blossoms resting against the
statue of Grant. and with the figures
! for newspapermen the end of the
story glowing on the white back
ground. 1t bore the. name of the
Typographical Union of the District
of Columbia.
1t was a few minutes past 10
O'Clock when the great procession OF
sorrow swung out of the White House
gates TO begin its pilgrimage up the
historic Avenue where so many other
long caravans of grief and of re-
joicing. of regret and of triumph.
! had preceded IL in years gone by.
Lenves White House Last Time.
! Tenderly the President had been
carried for the last time from the
! portals of the White House and
! placed again on the artillery caisson
that had bourne him last night from
the funeral train to the east room.
! flowers that had been placed there
I in tribute by the potentates OF the
earth and by the plain people the
! fallen chieftain loved so well.
% I've n no
living ex-President, also was walt
/ ing when the casket. enshrouded in
the Stars and Stripes. like that or
other soldiers who have made the
their country. was lifted from its
setting of flowers to be borne to
its place amid another and perhaps
a grander array of floral colorins
and fragrance in the rotunda.
thus with heavy heart upon the
duties of the highest Office in the
land, arrived to take his place also
just at the hour set for the de-
parture.
| Dell Tolls Lament.
/ AS the cortege was forming un-
trees through which many Presi-
dents have looked out upon the
world, sometimes in triumph and
many times in sorrow, the bell in
St. Johns Episcopal Church across
Lafayette Square, known as the
Church of the Presidents, began
tolling it's doleful lament at the
passing of a great heart into the
galaxy of immortals.
Only as the procession started did it
become known that Mrs Harding had
been with the body in the east room
for a half hour at / o'clock this
morning. She was alone at times. and
at other times attended by one or two
( lot Rnf q off al
gathering al the funeral hour to take
up their places in the cortege she re-
mained in her room, alone with her
grief
down the steps walked the two min
listers who were selected to offlciate
later at the funeral in the rotunda.
They walk side by side, Dr. A Free
man Anderson, pastor of Mr.. Hard
shera Montgomery. chaplain Of the
House of Representatives. Then came
the military and naval aides, who had
been near to the President at all the
dramatic moments of his brief, full
service as the first leader of his peo-
pie.
On Pennsylvania avenue the long
silence that hitherto had been dis
turbed only by the champing Of the
restless mounts of the troopers was
broken by the strains OF Chopin's
Funeral March," played by an Army
band. There was only a brief delay
then until the last journey of Warren
Harding along the historic thorough
fare had begun between the dense
crowds of humanity that made a long
aisle of grief from the very gates Of
the Executive Mansion to the tower
ing Capitol a mile away.
AT the same time bugler came to
the portico and sounded shrilly the
single note of the soldiers call to at
tention. The cavalry opposite on the
Avenue came to sharp salute, with
their blades flashing in the sunlight.
drums, just as the guns of Fort
Myer, across the silent Potomac,
awoke the echoes with salute to the
departed comrade.
Mrs. Harding Enters Car.
Mrs. Harding came down the steps
moment later. heavily veiled. her
fraii figure making pitiful picture
great honors to which. by a full meas
ure of devotion, she had helped and
| inspired her husband to achieve. On
one side of her walked Secretary
Gen CHARLES snf sn 5ne Ssn SsneT hog
| friend in Marion and the Presidents
physician.
Just before. in the east room, she
| had stood with these same friends
! and with the new President, the cabi-
Court at a brief prayer service beside
| the bier. At the end and just before
! the casket was taken to its martial
funeral car outside. they had re-
peated together the Lords Prayer.
Before the little woman, fighting to
, remain calm in the shadow of her
grief. had entered her car. all the
other members of the funeral party
had taken their places. She was
handed up into the big automobile
by Mr.. Christian. and as 1t started
to roll away behind the caisson the