Mourning: Four of the five girls who died in the shooting have been laid to rest.
Last Update: Friday, October 6, 2006. 6:13am (AEST)

Amish bury schoolhouse shooting victims

Amish families in the US state of Pennsylvania have gathered in a mournful parade of horse-drawn buggies to bury the schoolgirl victims of Monday's schoolhouse shootings.

Hundreds of mourners have participated in the simple funeral rites for four of the five girls who were shot dead by Charles Roberts, who then killed himself.

Rita Rhodes, a local midwife who delivered two of the victims, says the dead have been dressed by female relatives in plain white dresses, and laid out at home in open caskets as mourners arrived to pay respects.

Those being laid to rest are Marian Fisher, 13; Naomi Rose Ebersole, seven; Mary Liz Miller, eight and her seven-year-old sister, Lena.

Each girl will be buried in a plain pine coffin, using no metal in accordance with the Amish belief that all human remains should return to dust.

Police have sealed off roads leading into the small town of Nickel Mines. There is also a no-fly zone to stop media helicopters buzzing overhead.

The grief looks set to deepen as US media reports say one critically-wounded schoolgirl has been taken off life support in hospital and brought back to her spartan home to die.

Officials at the Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey have refused to comment on the reports, citing a family request for confidentiality.

Four other girls, aged between six and 13, remain in hospital in critical or serious conditions.

Tales of bravery

As the services were conducted, ABC News (America) reported the bravery from the oldest victim, Marian Fisher, who reportedly stepped forward and told Roberts to gun her down in a bid to save her classmates.

"Shoot me first," Marian Fisher said, Ms Rhodes told ABC News.

Her younger sister Barbie, who survived, then reportedly said: "Shoot me second".

"There was a tremendous amount of calm and courage in that schoolroom," Ms Rhodes said.

The funeral for Naomi Rose Ebersole was first and was followed by a cortege to the hilltop Georgetown Amish cemetery for a simple burial.

A large black carriage carried the coffin and was followed by Amish families in 32 horse-draw buggies and two big open carriages.

A sign in front of one house on the route said, "Our thoughts and prayers to all the families".

The other ceremonies are to follow and the funeral of 12-year-old Anna Mae Stoltzfus is planned for Friday.

Mr Roberts, who was armed with a pistol, shotgun and other weapons, lined the girls up against a blackboard and shot them "execution-style".

Police believe the 32-year-old father of three had planned to sexually assault the girls.

'No grudge'

The father of several survivors has told how girls questioned the gunman as to why he was carrying out the attack before he opened fire.

Leroy Zook told the New York Times: "And he told them why: He's angry at God, he's just bitter. He told them that they're supposed to pray for him that he wouldn't do this".

The newspaper reports Mr Zook's 20-year-old daughter Emma Mae, a teacher, was among those who, along with her mother, escaped the school and called police.

Another of Mr Zook's daughters, two of his daughters-in-law and two grandchildren also escaped unharmed.

Mr Zook has told the Times he has shaken hands with the father-in-law of Roberts since the siege.

"I think it's helping him to meet people, too, and see that there's no grudge," he told the Times.

"How could you hold a grudge against the wife, the family?"

- AFP