Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-03-09
Throngs in Square
In 12-DegreeC Cold
For Stain Rites
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stately and awesome Chopin
funeral march.
The music swells. Up the slight
hill into Red Square there comes
a procession from the Hall Of
Columns.
The soldiers turn eyes right.
The big band before the tomb
joins in the dirge-like music
which now fills the huge square.
The red flag of the U. S. S. r.
f1utters over the Kremlin just
behind me. I look out over the
square and the mourners with
their black and crimson banners
of death blowing in the cold
March wind.
1t is 10:45 and the procession
marches very slowly while Cho-
pins music rolls through the
square.
First in line are the masses
OF flowers. WreathS 10 feet high.
Banks of flowers entwined in
palm leaves and evergreens.
They are so big and heavy no
single person can support them.
Sometimes two, sometimes three
people carry them along.
Field of Spring Blossoms.
It looks like a moving field of
springs first blossoms. Great
flashes and Splotches of blue,
purple. white. red and f1uttering
from them, the crimson, black
bordered pennants of mourning.
The wreath bearers-at least
$50 of them-turn right before
the tomb and divide into two
lines. They put the wreaths
against the base of the tomb.
In just a few minutes the build
ing is banked high with flowers.
There is a long, white-cloth-
covered platform before the
tomb. There is nothing on it.
The silk cloth flaps in the wind.
Now I look to the left. Here
is Marshal Semeon Budyenny
walking very slowly in time to
the music Before him he car
ries a red silk pillow. On it
lies a medal-one Of Stains.
Two abreast behind Budyenny
march other military leaders.
I can't recognize them all. Each
has a pillow in his hand before
him. On it is pinned medal
of the fallen leader.
I recognize Marshal Leonid A.
Govorov and Marshal Semeon
1imoshenko.
Just behind them comes a
single soldier on black horse.
Behind them, eight horses
Just as black-pull a gun car
riage. On it lies the coffin of
Stain.
The coffin is covered in Grim
son cloth but through a rounded
section of glass you can see the
features Of the fallen leader.
Just behind the gun carriage
and its coffin walk Stains clos
est friends and companions.
You can recognize them all.
Just behind the gun carriage is
one row.
Georgi Malenkov, dressed in
a black coat with gray fur. walks
in the center On his right is
Lavrenti Beria. On his left
Chou En-lai
I pick out the others.
The bands have shifted slowly
into another tune. It is some
thing by Rimsky -Korsakof, great
Russian composer of the last
century.
Behind the Soviet and party
leaders there come the foreign
guests. One can recognize so
many of them. we are that close.
They are just a few feet from us.
The tomb is about so feet to the
right.
Coffin Lifted Gently.
The procession halts before the
white, cloth-covored platform.
Gently, Stains companions lift
his coffin off the gun carriage.
Next in the procession are the
leaders of Moscow's diplomatic
missions-tall. thin Jacob Beam,
American charged 'affaires; silk
hated Sir Alvary Gascoigne of
Britain: Mario di Stefano. the
Italian Ambassador in formal
clothes and top hat; Argentine
Ambassador DR.. Leopoldo Bravo,
French Ambassador Louis JOKE,
Luxembourg Minister Rene
Bloom, Danish Minister Hugo
Hergel.
In front of them all is the dean
of the diplomatic corps, Swedish
Ambassador Rolf Sohlman.
They walk to the platform
where Stains coffin now rests.
BY now there is movement at
the foot of the tomb.
The party and government
leaders are going up the flight
of marble stairs leading to the
tribunal atop the tomb.
From where I stand, you can
get a very good view of them
and their faces. They look like
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