The funeral train is in every sense
all that the name implies. 1*. is si
Tent, deadly so. The atmosphere of
happiness and comradeship that filled
its coaches on the trip west is gone,
strangely missing in the conduct of
those who are making the journey
home. Only the newspapermen astir
and the typewriter keys clicking
news of the train, break the complete
silence prevailing. Every two hours
a detail of four men. representing
the army, navy and marine corps,
pass through the coaches from their
car ahead to relieve as many of their
comrades on death watch in the car
where the coffin rests. The curtains
there are raised nigh as the windows.
Persons who gathered at every point
of today’s run through eastern Cali
fornia and Nevada saw a picture
through the windows of the rear cars,
the first glimpse of which caused
many of them to turn away and
others to bring forth their handker
chiefs.
o o o
Many Tributes Paid,
Never was there a higher tribute
paid to any of the nation’s dead than
was given by those men, women and
children of the states traversed to
day, who collected along the railroad
route from each desert settlement,
ranch house, town and city nearby.
