The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1931-09-17

Garfield and William Mckinley.
Lincoln was shot, as you well know,
in the Old Ford Theater. Garfield
was lain low at spot but five and
one-half blocks distant.
Lincoln was shot at night and
died the following morning in a house
across the way. Garfield was shot in
midsummer near Sixth and B streets
Southwest, where the old railway
station used to be. He lived until
early in September. 1t seems rea-
sonable to believe that had the sur
geons of those days been as adept as
they are today, Garfield would have
lived many years after the shooting.
Mckinley was shot in the Hall of
Music at Buffalo, New York. His
body was brought here to Washing
ton to lie in state.
That catafalque, of course, when
serving as the bier for these mar
tyred president, was first placed un-
der the dome of the Capitol on the
first floor.
When plans were made for the
Washington Monument, the planners
again thought to create shrine in
the capital city of the United States.
They believed that Washington's
body should be there. That is, some
of the people did, but nothing ever
came of it.
A strange feature of the arrange
ment of the catafalque is that when
the City of Washington was planned,
including the construction of the
Capitol building, the official planner,
Major l. EnFant, made arrangements
for having the body Of George Wash
ington repose in the niche in the base
ment, where the official bier is now
housed. 1t was thought that this
place would furnish shrine for all
Americans to visit. However, the
will OF the first. president, provided
for his interment at his country
estate, Mount Vernon, Is miles down
the Potomac river from this city, and
there he was buried. The original
tomb on the estate is still intact ,ut
it is not there that the body now
hes. A new TOMB Was cons .ructed
before the middle of the last century
and there the general is now. The
sarcophagus is above ground where
it may be viewed through the iron
grating of the tomb which is on the
gentle slope of Mount Vernon, lead
ing down to the great river. The
body of Mrs. Washington rests IN
another sarcophagus by his side.
The great mass of stone, towering
a little more than 555 feet in height,
is the first presidents monument but
he is not beneath it. 1t is doubtful
that his body will ever be removed
from Mount Vernon, and those who
visit there feel sure that it never
should be. The general sleeps amid
the quiet dignity of the wonderful
home on the Potomac.
|
The basement of the Capitol, get
ting back to that place, is veritable
catacombs, without the inches and
crypts for the dead. What / mean is
that it is full of rooms and halls and
passageways, many of which seem to
lead one into a maze. l recall one
time when I was employed in the
House Office Building that / went
through the underground passage
way over to the Capitol, winding ur
in the basement. There I wandered
around and before l knew what was
happening, I had nicely lost myself
There was nobody else around anc
for about twenty minutes, as I vainly
sought to find the right way out,
was rather fearful that / might sue
coed in burying myself alive ant
that the great old Capitol would with
out my volition, prove my monument
All summer long the Dome Of tn,
Capitol has been closed to visitors
because of the presence of workmel
up above, mostly painters, giving thu
structure its annual housekeeping
1t is open again, however, and on,
may take the climb if he feels younl
enough to make the venture. Tn
| stairway is Of iron and it is marrow
and winding and one gets plenty tiret
in the calves before the top is reach
ed. But reward awaits the one wh'
perseveres, for a beautiful and al
together wonderful view of Washing
ton is obtained from the heights. II
some respects the sight from tn
Capitol Dome is more enhancing
than that obtained from the top o.
the Washington Monument although
that is much higher. The actua
height of the Monument it 555 fee
and 5 1-8 inches; the Dome is 81
feet and inches.
: Other noted men whose bodies hav'