Mourning Amish seek private funeral for girls killed in school shootout

NICKEL MINES, Pennsylvania: The Amish community, grieving the horrendous murder of five of its children in the school shootout Monday, has sought private funerals for the dead. The Amish came out with a statement Wednesday spurning the proposal for a national mourning as done in the case of a similar tragedy at Columbine High School, and seeking privacy so that they can mourn in silence. The four girls to be buried Thursday are Naomi Rose Ebersole, 7, Marian Fisher, 13, Mary Liz Miller, 8 and her sister Lena Miller, 7. The funeral for Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, the fifth girl died in the massacre, is scheduled for Friday.Some 300 to 500 people are expected at each funeral, according to Philip W. Furman, the funeral director. The church-led services could last about two hours before mourners leave for a cemetery in horse-drawn buggies. There will be a short graveside services there. The dead will be buried in simple wooden caskets. An Amish girl is always laid to rest in a white dress, a cape, and a white prayer-covering on her head, according to Furman.The services are conducted in German, with the men and women sitting separately. The locations of the burial sites are also kept private