Show BEECHER DEAD I The Spirit of the Great Preacher and Gifted Orator Crosses r the Border Laud His Bedside Surrounded by Weeping OnesNearly All of His Family and Many Friends Present An Awful Accident on a New York Elevated Ele-vated Bailway St Patrick Church in Rome Passes Away NEW Yon March 8Henry Ward Boecher is dead lIe began to sink slowly after midnight and watchers as his bedside soon saw that the end was near Beeoher passed quietly away while asleep He never recovered consciousness after paralysis stupefied his mind A meeting of parishoners of Plymouth Church was held in the lecture room commencing com-mencing at 8 p m The room was crowded with male and female members of the congregation con-gregation and not a few friends from other churches There was scarcely a dry eye to be seen from the beginning to the end of the proceedings Mr Tilney presided The Rev Dr Hallidie opened the meeting with a moving prayer in which he petitioned that their beloved pastor might not even be allowed lowed to seem to suffer but that he must speedily attain to the rest prepared for him After the singing of a hymn Jackson offered a prayer and the chairman then read a portion of the Scripture commencing Finally beloved be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might which is able to keep you from falling etc It seemed almost as if those words were a message to him who was leaving them because be-cause it seemed as though he were born a warrior In all the past years he had to fight and to struggle there had always been something for them to battle with and he had fought the fight There has never boon any flinching never any turning back The following letter from Mrs Beecher was read To the beloved members of the Plymouth Church I cannot speak my thanks to each and every one of you for the sympathy and love and devotion manifested in these last days sad days for your pastor He can no longer speak to you for himself Then permit per-mit me to do it for him for myself and for my family Each word of love from people so dear to your pastors heart has been a comfort and balm to a heart wrung almost to bursting How he loved his church you will only learn in its fullness when you stand with him in heaven To each and everyone of you my earnest thanks and most earnest blessing Pray for his wife and children soon to lose the truest companion the tenderest father and if we must relinquish all possible hope of his recovery oh beloved pray that his departure may be speedy that we may not long be agonized by this struggle between life and death Pray if he must leave us that before another day dawns he may receive re-ceive his crown and be forever with his LordSigned EUNICE N BEEOHEB The death occurred at 930 oclook this morning in presence of most of the members of his family Those present were Colonel H B Beeoher his wife his daughters Hattie and Daisy and his son Henry Ward Beecher Miss Edith Beeoher W C Beecher and wife Rev Samuel Scoville Mrs S Sea ville eldest daughter of Rev Henry Ward Beecher Miss Sooville who has just returned re-turned from the Pacific slope Miss Bullard Rev S B Halliday and wife Belle a Scottish Scot-tish nurse who has been with the family many years and who was a special favorite of the deceased the male nurse Riordan S V White E A Seacomb one of the trustees of Plymouth Church and Major J K Pond Seaoomb came out at 1030 and said that no arrangements had as yet been made for tho funeral further than providing that they should be carried out by Hopper of Brooklyn Brook-lyn Dr Searl he said had noticed a change in the patients condition at 530 a m and had summoned all in the house to the bedside momentary expecting his death but he lingered much longer than had been anticipated I an-ticipated He passed away gradually and almost imperoiptibly drawing his last breath without apparent suffering or return to consciousness in any degree Mrs Beeoher bore up wonderfully and with marvellous courage No crape was on the door Beecher having always objected to the use of this and the gloom associated with it in the presence of death Instead a magnificent wreath of flowers hung from the left side of the doorway at the top of the steps composed of white and red roses and lillies of the valley tied up with white satin At 1030 it was given out that the funeral would take place in Greenwood on Thursday next Sometime ago H W Sage a member of Plymouth Church appropriated by will a sum of money to place a statue of Mr Baeoher in Prospect Park after his decease Quincy Wood the well known sculptor who is to do the work will call at the house in the course of the day for the purpose of making a plaster cast of Beechers features It is not intended that any examination shall be made of Beechers brain organism |