Show FUNERAL OF FRANCIS COPE A large number of people availed themselves of the opportunity of taking a last look at the face of francis cope late general freight and passenger agent of the utah division of the union pacific railway from half past eleven till half pst past twelve yesterday jan lot 1890 the remains were in state at the family residence during that hour to give the desired opportunity shortly before one a procession was formed headed by mr cumming general manager of the utah division of the U P railway allway p and bishop john sharp second vice president of the oregon short line and utah and northern division of the same system the line included the family and other relatives as well as friends of the deceased the latter being largely composed of railway officials and employed emp loyes it was a long procession the remains were escorted by it to the eighteenth ward chapel the following acting as pall bearers who were divided into two sections the one relieving the other as occasion required william W riter biter J V parker george swan M H mcallister thos thoa J mcintosh D S spencer john H rumel george G bywater samuel H hill george W gushing cushing F H plaisted and john acomb it was a matter of regret that a more spacious building buil dins had not been selected in which to hold the funeral rites it was not only densely crowded there be being ng not even standing room left but A very large number of people were unable gogain to gain admittance and were compelled to retire in addition many people did not dot attend because they felt as it if they could not gain ingress without crowding others out it being certain owing to the esteem in which the deceased was held that there would be an unusually numerous turnout on entering the building one could not hel help being struck by the appearance oy of the elaborate and beautiful floral tributes decorating the stand which appeared to be smothered in flowers one of the most unique was contributed by the attaches of the traffic department of the rio grande western it consisted of a moss covered tunnel out of which was emerging a railroad car out of the darkness into the light ff on a large and elegant floral shield appeared in violet im martelles mor telles esthe the words I 1 I 1 union pacific A magnificent broken column 11 forwarded by mr hanauer on behalf of the germania and mingo works attracted much attention another broken column surmounted by a dove had been furnished by tile the officers of zions benefit building society the deceased having been a member of the directory of that organization from its inception as well as one of its founders A large representation of the gates ajar also surmounted by the emblem of peace a snowwhite dove was furnished by the salt lake chamber of commerce besides those specially mentioned there were others equally attractive but of smaller dimensions in the form of harps lyres anchors etc among the prominent railroad men present not already mentioned was mr J H bennett of the R G W the congregation was composed of people of all classes jhc had bad united to manifest their respect for a man of sterling qualities who had been unexpectedly called away to the other life numbers of personal friends of brother cope had come in from distant parts of the territory to be present at his last rites the service was conducted by bishop orson P F whitney the choir sang the hymn mourn not tor for those who peaceful lay their wearied bodies down APOSTLE ABRAHAM H CANNON offered the follo following wi prayer all wise and eternal eterna ng father who dwell est in heave nWe thy children have assembled this day to pay our last respects to one who has departed this life and we pray thee that while we are together thou wilt pour out richly of thy holy spirit upon us may it fill every heart here present and wilt thou especially pour it out richly upon the immediate relations of this our deceased brother we pray thee that thou wilt will comfort them and may they acknowledge thy hand even in this sore affliction may they feel to say in their hearts thy will 0 father be done 51 aft we thank thee that we have had the privilege of associating with this thy servant that he has sojourned sojourn ed here upon the earth for a season and that we have rejoiced in his society we thank thee for the bright example that he has left us of honor integrity and true worth anti ana we pray thee that we who remain to battle in this life may seek to follow in his footsteps may we seek to carry out in our lives those principles for which he lived and for which he was frilling tilling to lay his all upon the altar we pray thee father that thou wilt blew bless each of ua and especially his children that they may remember his virtues and seek to follow his example that they may also leave behind them an honorable name dame such as that which he has now left among the children of men we pray ray thee to comfort all who mourn vilt wilt thou be a father to the fatherless a husband to the widow and sustain those who call upon thee for thy aid and assistance when they are cast down dowd raise them epand up and sustain them and make them feel that thou art indeed a loving father to all pour out abundantly of thy spirit upon those who may now speak that they may administer words of comfort and consolation to those who mourn to cheer and buoy them up that they may walk humbly through this lite life as did thy servant who has gone from our midst that they may set examples which others can profitably follow we thank thee father for the faithfulness of this thy servant for the goodness which he manifested in all his works upon the earth we pray also that his name may be remembered amongst the people and his virtues emulated guide u us s throughout our lives and may we seek to leave a record behind us no such as thy servant has left acknowledging thy hand in all things and leaning upon thee in the hour of erfal wilt thou not desert us but help us to remain faithful unto the end so that we may be worthy to receive celestial glory lory we ask it through jesus t christ arist our redeemer amen the choir sang we the hymn unveil thy bosom faithful tomb take this new treasure to thy trust ELDER ELDEB JOHN NICHOLSON said he had been requested to address the large congregation which had assembled for the purpose of paying a tribute of respect to the memory of francis cope he presumed that the reason of his being selected as the first to speak was that he was one of the oldest acquaintances of the deceased present besides being an intimate and confidential friend of his brother cope was possessed of a remarkable combination of qualities such an association of ability and virtue as aa is seldom found in one person having been so closely acquainted quain ted with him he was in a position to know his good qualities both of the head and the heart he first became acquainted with the deceased in the town of birmingham england in the year 1865 while laboring as a missionary ot of the church of f jesus christ of latter day saints brother cope was not at that time connected with it the speaker explained that he visited the house of the deceased decease ds father lo in law brother howells who way was among the mourners now present it was there that first he met francis cope his elio general appearance the modesty of his demeanor in fact everything about him attracted him towards the deceased at once he soon A a afterwards ter wards attended a meeting of the latter day saints and he the speaker was the first elder whom brother cope ever heard beard give an explanation of the doctrines of the church subsequent to that brother cope attended a social gathering of the saints and the religious and social elements combined so attracted him and convinced him that he was shortly afterwards baptized into the church he in the capacity of an elder confirmed him a member the deceased had bad great solicitation to obtain a personal teat testimony regarding the step he had 0 taken in order that he might know that what he had done was in accordance with the mind of god it did not come to him all at once buta buia few days after hi his s confirmation he received the witness and from that time liis his feet had bad been planted upon the rock of ages he was from home when his soul was filled with that evidence of the divinity of the work with which he had identified himself and so great and inexpressible was his joy as he afterwards several times declared that he immediately bent his way homeward feeling as though his feet barely touched the ground as he went in order to communicate the glad tidings to his beloved wife the speaker had been associated with their departed friend and brother in conditions which bind the hearts of men together in a way that is not easily broken buthe in the year 1879 brother cope was called to devote his time to ministerial work in his native land and be the speaker was then engaged in the same labor the deceased displayed the largeness of his bis soul seul in the disinterested way in which he worked for the cause that was nearest to his heart his labors were mostly of a business character and in the discharge of them he showed just the same assiduity as when operating for his own personal advantage he had stood beside brother cope in the public thoroughfares parks and halls of liverpool and other towns and cities and there beard him with bible in hand declare with great boldness what he understood to be the gospel of jesus christ his was one of the most active minds that he ever came in contact with and its activity was shown in every position that he filled this was conversant with the ability which he exhibited in all the affairs of life and his bis promotion step by step in his profession was a just recognition and reward of his ability and faithfulness one remarkable feature of his career was the universal esteem in which he had bad always been held by those with whom he associated both in public and private life he was indeed one of the most genial and kindly men in this part of theroun try his hig heart overflowed with the milk of human kindness and to be within the reach of his bis influence was like being within the radius of the warm sunshine it melted every species of asperity before or under it having cited one instance in particular bearing upon the deceased decease ds earnestness in the cause of humanity elder nicholson Nic hulson remarked that the whole territory of utah was filled with the friends of brother cope while there were many outside of it it was impossible to entertain for him any other feeling than that of love and esteem his co religionists now wept with the bereaved family for their hearts were full of sympathy for them but they all had this comforting assurance there was no doubt in relation to the destiny of their beloved friend to entertain the thought that his future could be other than that of bliss and glory would be equal to attributing injustice to the great father of us all he could not conclude without again expressing the sym sympathy rathy which theall they all felt for the bereaved family he e knew how their deceased brother loved those who composed his domestic circle it had been his frequent theme in conversation it was a pleasure to him also to speak affectionately of his friends to bishop john sharp he had especially heard beard him frequently refer in the most affectionate terms as would a son regarding a kind father brother cope never pursued tho the of wealth self sef aggrandizement was not his pur pose but his bis whole energies were directed to the duties of the moment before him and their faithful performance for mance for some time there had evidently been a premonition in his mind that he was not long for this life for the last four years though his friends generally were not aware of the fact his health had bad been impaired and yet he fought against the destroyer like the brave resolute anan man that he was might the spirit of f peace fall upon his sorrowing family like the gentle dew of heaven and comfort them in their affliction if they but followed in the footsteps of him who had gone and who was still their head the promise of god would be realized he would be a husband to the widow and a fattier father to the of phan APOSTLE JOHN HENRY HENBY SMITH said he felt as he presumed many present did concerning themselves on that occasion that his place was among the mourners his acquaintance with the deceased extended from the year 1876 1875 he had worked under him and followed his directions as an officer in the employ of one of the railway companies in this place and he could not dot call to mind anything whatever of an unpleasant nature having ever occurred between them on the contrary his association with francis cope had always been of the most agreeable character he had always known him as an honest truthful and upright man indeed he wag a remarkable man in many respects one who in the providence of god was designed to bridge many chasms even amid the strife and contentions which frequently prevailed among the human family there were connecting links which held men together francis cope was one whose influence in this direction was great one who could lead men to respect and even love him the steadfastness of his faith no one who thoroughly knew him could for a moment question his honesty in the acceptance of that faith no one could doubt the labors which he performed in this community in the interests and well being of the people were known to all who were intimate with him in the early days here when an effort was made to establish what was known as a mutual aid society through which railway employed emp loyes might receive as members a certain allowance in the event of sickness or accident the deceased was one of the most zealous and earnest workers in the cause strongly urging those who appeared to be thoughtless in the matter of making this provision to avail themselves of the advantages which the society offered he loved francis cope as a brother chehad he had enjoyed his confidence to a considerable extent and felt keenly the shock which his death had occasioned probably the last time he was out prior to his late illness he met brother cope on the street and was led by his changed appearance app rainee to remark to him frank you look almost like a i dead many it if seems to me you should be taking care of yourself those words might have seemed abruptly spoken under tinder the circumstances but they were uttered in that same spirit of friendship which had characterized dur our association from the first francis cope was a believer in god in the principle of doing justice to others in the priscille of rewards and punishments that our father in heaven had given his people to understand der he himself had enacted to this end he labored in all his actions he was governed by the principles of vie justice stice and right whether between his co religionists or not T the e only ly question with him was I 1 ff alil this right Is this just and he acted accordingly A man could show no greater love for his fellow creatures than by devoting his time without any earth ly consideration to their interests sad and such was the case with francis cope leaving wife and children and alsoc assoc associations that were near and dear to him he went forth into the world to preach the gospel of jesus christ without thought of reward laboring only for the faith which he had espoused the speaker had worked with tb the e deceased under circumstances and conditions which satisfied him be K ond all question of his hia honesty of eart and purpose he prayed that the blessings of heaven might rest down upon the bereaved family that they might be comforted in the midst of their distress might the healing balm of that spirit which came from the savior of the world find its place in their hearts for he alone could assuage their grief might |