Senator Thomas Hart Benton’s funeral was a three-day affair

ST. LOUIS — Clouds filled the sky on the morning of April 16, 1858. The Missouri Democrat newspaper described the weather as "almost tearful, as if in sympathy." The Chamber of Commerce had resolved that all businesses be closed. Stores and shops were draped in black bunting and American flags. But the streets were alive with crowds of residents, all seeking a glimpse of four plumed black horses pulling a hearse, followed by a procession that took 45 minutes to pass. The wake and funeral of Thomas Hart Benton, for...