Journey to Cleveland.--Lying in State in the Catafalque in
the Park.--Immense Concourse.--Funeral Ceremonies.--Favorite
Hymn.--At the Cemetery.
The sad journey to Cleveland was marked at every station by touching
tributes of affection.
After lying in state Saturday and Sunday in the catafalque in the park
at Cleveland, the remains of President Garfield were solemnly committed
to the tomb at Lake View Cemetery with solemn and impressive rites, the
occasion fittingly reflecting the great sorrow under which the nation
lies.
The heat of Sunday and Monday was intense, but until the closing of the
park gates in the forenoon previous to the beginning of the funeral
service, the stream of people passing through the catafalque, to view
the casket enclosing the remains, was continuous, and the number who so
paid their last respects must have aggregated at least 150,000.
Promptly at half-past ten o'clock the ceremonies at the pavilion began.
The immediate members of the family, and near relatives and friends,
took seats about the casket, and at each corner was stationed a member
of the Cleveland Grays. Dr. J. P. Robinson, president of the
ceremonies, announced that the exercises would be opened by the
singing, by the Cleveland Vocal Society, of the "Funeral Hymn," by
Beethoven, whereupon the hymn was sung as follows:--
"Thou art gone to the grave, but we will not deplore thee,
Since God is thy ransom, thy guardian, and guide,
The Saviour has passed through its portals before thee,
And Death has no sting since the sinless hath died."
The scripture selections were then read by Right Rev. Bishop Bedell of
the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio.
Rev. Ross C. Houghton, pastor of the First Methodist-Episcopal Church,
then offered prayer. After which the Vocal Society sang as follows:--
"To thee, O Lord I yield my spirit,
Who breaks in love this mortal chain;
My life I but from thee inherit,
And death becomes my chiefest gain.
In thee I live, in thee I die,
Content, for thou art ever nigh."
Rev. Isaac Errett of Cincinnati then delivered an eloquent address,
taking for his text the following: "And the archers shot King Josiah,
and the king said to his servants, 'Have me away, for I am sore
wounded.' His servants therefore took him out of that chariot and put
him in the second chariot that he had, and they brought him to
Jerusalem, and he died and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his
fathers, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah, and Jeremiah
lamented for Josiah, and all the singing men and singing women spoke of
Josiah in their lamentation to this day, and made them an ordinance in
Israel, and behold they are written in the Lamentations. Now the rest of
the acts of Josiah and his goodness, according to that which was written
in the law of the Lord, and his deeds, first and last, behold, they are
written in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. For behold the
Lord, the Lord of Hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah
the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread and the whole stay of
water. The mighty man, and the man of war, and the prophet, and the
prudent, and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honorable man,
and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.
The voice said 'Cry,' and he said 'What shall I cry?' All flesh is
grass, and all the godliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the spirit of the Lord
boweth upon it. Surely the people is grass; the grass withereth, the
flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever."
Dr. Errett was listened to with close and earnest attention. He spoke
for forty minutes, and when he closed a hush for a moment hung over the
vast audience.
Rev. Jabez Hall then read President Garfield's favorite hymn,--
"Ho' reapers of life's harvest
Why stand with rusted blade
Until the night draws round ye,
And day begins to fade?
Why stand ye idle waiting
For reapers more to come?
The golden morn is passing:
Why sit ye idle, dumb?
Thrust in your sharpened sickle,
And gather in the grain:
The night is fast approaching,
And soon will come again,
The master calls for reapers;
And shall he call in vain?
Shall sheaves lie there ungathered,
And waste upon the plain?
Mount up the heights of wisdom,
And crush each error low;
Keep back no words of knowledge
That human hearts should know.
Be faithful to thy mission,
In service of thy Lord,
And then a golden chaplet
Shall be thy just reward."
At 11.45, Rev. Dr. James S. Pomeroy delivered the final prayer, and
pronounced the closing benediction.
A few minutes after the benediction had been pronounced, the casket was
lifted reverently from its resting-place, and borne on the shoulders of
the United States artillery sergeants who had acted as its special
bearers from Long Branch to the funeral car. The funeral procession
moved from Monumental Park at 11.55. The military presented a
magnificent appearance. The column was headed by that veteran volunteer
association, the Boston Fusileers, who had travelled from Massachusetts
in order to pay a last tribute to their deceased comrade by
participating in the obsequies. They were followed by two companies of
the Seventy-Fourth New York, the Buffalo Cadets and the Buffalo City
Guards; next came the United States barracks band of Columbus, followed
by the Governor's Guard, the Toledo Cadets, the District Infantry, the
Washington Infantry of Pittsburg, the Gatling Gun and Cleveland Light
Artillery; then followed all the civic and military organizations, in
the order of march already arranged, excepting that the Columbia
Commandery of Knights Templars of Washington marched with the guard of
honor and pall-bearers in the division having charge of the funeral car.
Euclid avenue, for its six miles of length, seemed literally shrouded
with mourning emblems, and an immense concourse numbering hundreds of
thousands watched the slow progress of the procession.
At 3.30 o'clock the procession entered the gate-way, which was arched
over with black, with appropriate inscriptions. In the key-stone were
the words, "Come to rest." On one side were the words, "Lay him to rest
whom we have learned to love." On the other, "Lay him to rest whom we
have learned to trust." A massive cross of evergreen swung from the
centre of the arch. The United States Marine Band, continuing the sweet,
mournful strain it had kept up during the entire march, entered first.
Then came the Forest City Troop, of Cleveland, which was the escort of
the President to his inauguration. Behind it came the funeral car, with
its escort of twelve United States artillerymen, followed by a battalion
of Knights Templars and the Cleveland Grays. The mourners' carriages and
those containing the guard of honor, comprised all of the procession
that entered the grounds. The cavalry halted at the vault and drew up in
line facing it, with sabres presented. The car drew up in front, with
the mourners' carriages and those of the cabinet behind. The band played
"Nearer, my God, to Thee," as the military escort lifted the coffin from
the car and carried it into the vault, the local committee of reception,
Secretary Blaine, Marshal Henry, and one or two personal friends,
standing at either side of the entrance.
None of the President's family except two of the boys, left the
carriages during the exercises, which occupied less than half an hour.
Dr. J. P. Robinson, as president of the day, opened the exercises by
introducing Rev. J. H. Jones, Chaplain of the Forty-Second Ohio
Regiment, which General Garfield commanded, who made a short address.
After an ode by Horace, sung in Latin by the German Singing Society, Mr.
Robinson announced the late President's favorite hymn, "Ho! Reapers of
Life's Harvest," which the German vocal societies of Cleveland sang with
marked effect. The exercises closed with the benediction by President
Hinsdale, of Hiram College.
Re-entering their carriages the mourners drove hurriedly back to the
city, to avoid another shower which was threatened. The Military and
Masonic escort left the cemetery in the same order in which they
entered, and kept in line until the catafalque was reached, where they
were dismissed.