An elaborate funeral was held in Newark, N. J., for "Jimmie," a pet canary belonging to Emidio Russomanno, a cobbler of that city. The bird died from strangulation from a watermelon seed which had got mixed up with its food.
ho dead bird was borne in a white hearse, followed by two coaches, a 15 piece band and about 500 persons on foot, to a vacant lot owned by the cobbler, where, with due ceremony, the burial' took place. The hand played dirges as the cortege moved slowly over the two miles through the Italian section traversed by the procession. Ten thousand persons witnessed the unique funeral procession from the tenements in the district.
A fashionably dressed woman motored from Philadelphia to attend the funeral. She brought a huge wreath for the bird and also contributed $5 toward the funeral expenses, which were said to be about $400. The little coffin alone cost $25. Neighbours contributed more than $100.
Lorenzo and Maria, the parents of the dead bird, were purchased by the old shoemaker at a pleasure resort a year ago. Jimmie was born about four months ago. Crepe was hung outside the cobbler's shop, the blinds were drawn and a note pinned to the door curtain. "Closed on account of Jimmie's death."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.