Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-24

dents" was arranged at Presi-
dent Johnson's request, accord
ing to the rector, Rev. John
Harper.
There were about 100 per-
sons present in the SIN all
church when the brief service
began at 1915 pm. 1t ended a
little over ten minutes later,
and the congregation stood as
the minister escorted the Presi-
dent and his wife down the
aisle.
Salinger Briefs Press
At about the same time, Mr..
Salinger was holding a press
briefing in the west wing Of the
White House. The press secre-
tary's briefings are usually held
in his office, but the crush Of
newsmen was so great yester-
day that the session was moved
to the conference room
known as the Fish Room"
since the days when President
Franklin D. Roosevelt kept his
aquarium in 1t.
Mr.. Salinger, not a tall man,
had to stand on an office chair
to be seen and heard by the
reporters. B hin d him, Mrs.
Kennedy's press secretary, Pa
mela Turnure, looking pale and
drawn, leaned against the wall.
Mr.. Salinger disclosed details
of today's and tomorrow's cere-
monies, and answered report
ers' questions-except one. A
reporter aske d how Caroline
and John jr. took the news Of
their fathers death. Mr.. Sal
niger ignored the question.
Through all the comings and
goingS of the dismal, leaden
day, a crowd of several hundred
watched in silence from the
sidewalk along Pennsylvania
avenue opposite the White
House.
I MOurners Brave Rain
Some of the mourners had
been there since early morn
ing hours, waiting for a glimpse
of the Presidents caSket when
it arrived by ambulance from
the Naval Hospital in Bethesda.
Even a heavy rain in mid
morning failed to drive the
crowd away. They huddled un-
der folded newspapers and
sought refuge under the trees
in Lafayette Park.
The watchers kept track of
latest developments by tran
siStor radios. Clusters of people
surrounded each person with
one Of the little portables.
At one point, a lone picket
moved along the sidewalk in
front of the Executive Mansion
with a homemade sign that
read, II warned J.F.K. and God
punished him"
How could you? How could
you? Have you no shame?" a
fearful woman screamed at
the picket. Police hustled him
off to the far side of Lafayette
Square. where rain soon
washed away most of his mes
sage. The picket identified
himself as the Rev. Sidney
Lansing of Norfolk, Va.
White House DeSOlate
He said he had prophesied
the Presidents death many
months ago and had warned
Mr.. Kennedy that eff he tested
bombs in the atmosphere, God
would see and remember and
punish"
AS the gloomy afternoon
wore on, the White House took
on a strangely desolate appear
ance. with shades drawn and
flag at half-mast. Uniformed
guards and television camera
men slogged through the
soaked leaves on the White
House lawn.
The gaiety that the Ken
nedys had brought to the
White House was gone. The
visiting delegations, the bus
loads of tourists eager to see
how Mrs. Kennedy had redeco-
rated the manSion-there was
none Of this yesterday. No
helicopter stood on the South
Lawn. poised to carry the
young President off on one of
his many trips.
On the lawn outside the
Presidents office, Caroline's
swings and seesaws and John
Johns sandbox were deserted