Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1923-08-11
MULTITUDES AT
FUNERAL OF THE
LATE PRESIDENT
Warren G. Harding, World
Leader, Now Rests Peace
fully in Tomb at His Old
Home, Marion, Ohio.
(By The Associated Press J

MARION. Ohio. Aug. 11.-Warren
Gambriel Harding. our 18th president, In
home forever from life's high places,
where the restless. heavy winds of am
bition blew: home beneath Ohio soil.
mantled with grass grown tod: home
among the friends and neighbors of his
youth, the kindly people Of kindly town.
Time is ended for him. and the shouting
and clamor that surrounds the great IN
done.
II was long road TO that silent vault
above which there closed last night d
guard Of the citizen soldiery of his own
state. There was endless ceremony OK
the nations and the peoples making TO
mark the way. But IL ended simply.
calmly and as the dead would have it
ended.
Aside from the multitude that walled
the long way from his fathers home
10 the vault and those others close pack
ed 10 make n living setting for the fun
eral rites. there was not much 10 mark
il M the burial OF one who had held the
highest power in his grasp. There were
the tanned men of his guard from the
sister services of the nation, the ad-
mirals and the generals who formed his
honor escort, and the friend and COM
radt now president in hin stead, the
colleagues of his grief-stricken cabinet.
That was all, except at last, distant
gun fire as he came 10 his tomb and the
scft tones Of bugle sounding a soldier
requiem as the gates were closed.
n.
that Of a simple and much beloved citi-
zen Of Ohio. For all Ohio seemed 10
have come to bid him farewell. Throngs
whose number viii never be known
passed beside his casket and looked their
last upon the dead face before the time
for the last journey came.
From his fathers house he went out
again, carried by steadfast men who
have constantly to guard a dead
commander. No solemn music of bands
or military pageant marked his going.
save the great flag Of the president
dropping in mourning and carried be-
fore him to the gates of the tomb as he
went.
In cars behind the simple hearse that
carried now this honored leader came
President Coolidge and the cabinet and
friends and close kin. There, too. came
! Chief Justice Taft and General Pershing.
Last to leave the memoried house was
Mrs. Harding in black and with veil
drawn close, and just ahead of her
walked the old father, his face plainly
showing the agony Of his grief.
Through the silent, face-walled street
the cortege passed and around the
corner TO the quiet cemetery. As IL
came toward the gates the guns spoke
afar in honor.
The vault stands ivy-wrapped and set
back into tn egentle hill with little space
before il. SO the funeral train was
halted at a distance and the casket
lifted down 10 be carried to n resting
place before the open entrance OF the
tomb. Already group Of senator's who
knew this dead president under the
capitol dome before he passed to the
White House. were gathered in waiting,
in line across the roadway that runs be-
fore the entrance. With them stood the
comrades Of camping days, Ford, Edison
and Firestone.
Back to the dim depth OF the crypt
of stone and earth the bearers went
with their burden, then turned TO file
out again and stand stiffly at attention
in double line forming a corridor Of
honor.
Mrs. Harding raised her veil slightly
and swept the moisture from her brow
and lips. IL was still and hot where the
| light breeze was shut off by the crowd
ing. sorrowful people about her, but IL
did not seem that even now IL was tears
she wiped away.
As the bearers came out, she leaned
TO whisper 10 Secretary Christian. Then
she stepped forward on his arm to pass
just within the ivy-grown doorway be-
yond which lay the flag-draped casket,
! hardly visible in the dim vault. She
hated but moment In this final fare
well. then turned to walk slowly down
the roadway to the waiting motor car
that rolled her swiftly away.