Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ~ FUNERAL MARCH FOR A MARIONETTE

Sioux Chief Long Wolf ~ Returned Home

The Gravesite of Chief Long Wolf as it looks today

Long Wolf, an Indian Chief whose body was covered with battle scars was believed by his family to have fought in the Battle of Little Big Horn, died of pneumonia at the age of 59 in 1892 and was then buried in Brompton cemetery in London.

How the graveside of Chief Long Wolf originally appeared

The plot in Brompton Cemetery belonged to William Cody and so it became the final resting place for Chief Long Wolf after he fell ill with pneumonia and died whilst performing with 'Col. Buffalo Bill'  ~ in Cody's 'Wild West Show' at Earl's Court in London.

Chief Long Wolf

In the 1880s, as federal troops were herding thousands of Sioux onto reservations, William Cody recruited Long Wolf and 10 others to perform in his traveling show, re~enacting battles.

Brave Chief, Eagle Chief, Knife Chief, Young Chief, William Cody,Chief American Horse, Chief Rocky Bear, Chief Flies Above, Chief Long Wolf

Long Wolf's dying wish was to return home and be buried in his native soil, but it never happened, as his Great Grandson John Black Feather says "Back then, they had burials at sea, they did ask his wife if she wanted to take him home and she figured that as soon as they hit the water they would throw him overboard, so that's why they left him here."

Long Wolf's grave was re~discovered in 1991 by Elizabeth Knight, a housewife from Worcestershire, who had read a second-hand book by Robert Cunningham Grahame that included a description of Long Wolf's life and burial and described the 'neglected grave in a lone corner of a crowded London cemetery'.
"This really struck a chord in me, he shouldn't be here in an unkempted grave", said Elizabeth. After finding the grave, she wrote to a newspaper in South Dakota.

This in turn, led to the discovery of Long Wolf's granddaughter, Jessie Black Feather ~ John Black Feather's mother, who was 87 years old at the time and Long Wolf's oldest living relative. She had lost track of where Long Wolf had been buried.

Postcard of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Indian Camp

As a child, Black Feather listened to his mother's stories of Long Wolf and he said of his Great Grandfather "He shouldn't be here, returning the body to the United States is important. Our medicine men and holy men tell us that since he's buried in a foreign country with no relatives, it would be better if he was brought to his homeland for his final resting place,they figure that his spirit will never rest until he's brought home."

John Black Feather

On 25th September 1997, some 105 years later, Chief Long Wolf began his long overdue voyage home.

His funeral procession was led by three members of the Sioux tribe of South Dakota, ahead of them, two black horses pulled a wagon bearing the casket draped with the American and Sioux flags, that contained the Warrior Chief's remains.

After a church ceremony that combined religious rites with those of the Sioux, Chief Long Wolf's remains began their return to the ancestral burial ground of the Oglala Sioux tribe at the Pine Ridge Reservation.
It will be followed by a feast of venison and buffalo meat to celebrate his return at last to the land of his people.
"It's not a sad day for us," said John Black Feather. "It's gonna be a great homecoming for him."
Two other caskets had also been buried on top of Long Wolf's, that of a 2-year-old Sioux girl named Star Ghost Dog, who was killed when she fell from a horse in Cody's show. And that of an Englishman.
Star was re~buried near Wounded Knee and the Englishman was re~buried elsewhere.

Chief Long Wolf

North American Indian

with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Co.

Died June 7th 1892

Aged 59 years

Also Star

who died August 12th 1892

Aged 28 months

Games People Play

Rummikub in the Netherlands

Chess in Spain

Darts in England

Card games in the Netherlands

I have also seen a headstone where the name was made to look like the pieces on a Scrabble board, thought I'd photographed it and will include it later if I can find it.

I Thought I Recognised This

Brompton Cemetery, London

Sacred

to the Memory of

General

Sir John Lysaght Pennefather

GCB

The Governor of The Royal Hospital Chelsea

Died 9th May 1872

In the 73rd Year of His Age

~ Verse ~

Also of Margaret, widow of the above

who entered into rest 7th February 1880

~ Verse ~

Also of Harriet Worrell ( Harrie )

The dearly loved wife of the Rev. Henry Pelham Stokes.M

Rector of Wareham Dorset: A Grand~daughter of the above

who fell asleep in Jesus 13th January 1882  

General Sir John Lysaght Pennefather GCB* B.9 September 1798 ~ D. 9 May 1872, was a British soldier who won two very remarkable victories. Firstly, at Meanee, India, where it was said that 500 Irishmen defeated 35,000 Indians.

Secondly, at the Battle of Inkerman, 5 November 1854 during the Crimean War, where he commanded a division of 3,000 Irishmen fighting in the fog were said to have defeated 35,000 Russians.

*Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Information from Wikipedia  

As soon as I saw the monument above, I recognised it as being veri similar to the one below from Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge..... 

Histon Road Cemetery, Cambridge

I have shown this particular monument in an earlier posting and have always admired it because of the beautiful fine detailed Weeping Willow branches that are draped over it. 

I also liked the fact that it appeared to be an original design as I had never seen another quite like it, that is until I discovered that of Gen. Sir John Lysaght Pennefather in Brompton Cemetery. 

Friday's Funerary Art ~ Stained Glass

W.L.Philippus

Wil

30~9~1917     25~11~2001

The decorated panel is made of Stained Glass in the religious Icon style.

click on the bold italic type for more information 

Wednesday's Child

Sacred

to the Memory

of Our Little

Tom

who died Jan. 10th 1882

Aged 2 Yrs 10 Months

The good condition of Little Tom's wooden head and footboard, lead me to think that they are not the originals. Tom has no surname that is visible, so who replaced them and when ?

Callosa d'En Sarria Cemetery, Valencia, Spain

We have just returned from a recent holiday to Valencia in Spain and I was rather interested in seeing some Spanish cemeteries whilst there, however locationing them proved to be more difficult as they seemed to be rather elusive.
Even in the larger towns, the usual signs for the 'Municipal Cementeri' were noticably absent.
So it was with a sense of delight, that we accidentally discovered the cemetery of Callosa d'En Sarria whilst visiting some local waterfalls. On a small quiet road, well outside the town, we spotted the cemetery by chance as we waited at the crossroads.  

The tall white walls that surround the Cemetery, do not allow passers by to see what is beyond them, even the gates above, can only be seen from outside when they are locked. It's only a small sign on the wall above that gives any indication as to what this place may be.

Imagine our surprise to find this beautifully tended oasis of peaceful greenery, on such a hot and dusty day.

A few mausoleums lined the main avenue of cypress trees that led from the gates and apart from a few graves dotted about on the lawns, the majority of tombs are wall vaults that stand 3 or 4 high.

As the cemetery expands, new areas have been built to accomodate future interments.

Spain is traditionally a Catholic country, so many of the carvings on the memorials are of a devoutly religious nature.

However one or two of the more modern ones did show the interests of those they were dedicated to. I shall include them in future posts.