Atherton, Loyal

ATHERTON

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 9/11/2007 at 17:02:13

Jackson Sentinel
Oct. 6, 1898

OUR DEAD SOLDIER,

Loyal Atherton’s Funeral a Sad One and Very Largely Attended.
BUCKHORN, Sunday, Oct. 2, 1898.

EDS. JACKSON SENTINAL,:-- This has been one of the saddest days, if not the saddest, that this part of Jackson county has ever known. The funeral service of Loyal Atherton, musician of Co. M, 49th Iowa, took place here at the Christ Reform church at two o’clock, and the remains laid at rest in the cemetery on the hill.

He died in the hospital at Camp Cuba Libre, Sept. 26th, and the remains reached Maquoketa on the evening of the 30th. He was the first one to come home to us dead from the war, I think, in this company. I believe it is safe to say it was the largest funeral gathering that has ever been in the county. There were over three hundred and thirty teams, and I should judge between twelve and thirteen hundred people. The services were conducted by Rev. Boomershine, of Christ Reform church. Rev. Clark, of the Baptist church, of Maquoketa, led in prayer, and both sermon and prayer were very impressive, as well as the whole ceremony. He was buried with military honors. The house and grave were decorated with beautiful flowers, almost without number, wove into different designs and emblems. The music was rendered by a quartet from Maquoketa, and nothing could have been nicer or more appropriate for the occasion. Every heart was ripe to receive the impressiveness of the whole ceremony, for every heart was in sympathy. In all my life I have never seen so much universal sorrow manifested by a crowd of that size. It seemed as though nearly every one was mourning their own dead, and so they were, for he was his country’s dead. He had given his life that the honor of our country and our country’s flag might be untarnished, as much as though he had died in battle, where, if he had been called, no one that knew him best doubts but what he would of been proud doing all of soldier’s duty. He was in early manhood, twenty-seven years of age, and one of those brave, true hearted young men whose very nature is sunshine and music, and without a seeming effort of theirs, wins the admiration of men and the best heart’s love of women. He might never have been wealthy for he was generous to a fault; he might never have reached what the world calls fame, for he would not have craved its empty honors, he would always have reigned king in the hearts of those who knew him best. It could hardly seem possible when we looked down into that calm, still face today, it could be our Loyal; dead, oh, but that was what it was. Our Loyal dead – loyal to his God, as all those who leave sunshine where they go. Whether they are what the world calls Christians or not; loyal to his country, for he gave up all for it – father, mother, sisters, sweetheart, friends and his life; loyal to all, as the deep sorrow manifested showed plainer than words can tell. Strong men wept like children, and women poured out their tears like rain, when the sad rites at the church were over and the remains were being carried out to go to their last resting place. Some who had loved him best, whose soul seemed to be going out with him, rose up all unconscious of the surroundings, with tears and a wailing sob, stretched out their hands towards him with a longing and sorrow so deep that no pen can write of it. Those that bury the heart with the dead are to be pitied above all. What a consolation it must be to his relatives to have their dead mourned and honored thus. It would almost be worth the giving up of life to any man to know that he was thus mourned and missed, and at a time, too, when he had drank the sweetest water from the fountain of life. Our soldier is gone and his image is left in our hearts. Peace be to his ashes.

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