Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1844-02-22

FROM THE CITIZEN SOLDIER.

your words IN n low voice, hnu lei your orcatn DC
hushed /; for the air Of The chamber is heavy with
death, and the faces Of all you see are stamped
with gref, and the suppressed sob Of the women,
and the deep death groan OF the strong man in
mortal agony, mingle their notes of woe, breaking
on your ear like voices from the grave, and all a
round is still and sad and fearful-for the HERO
is dying. His keen eye which month ago me,
the gaze of millions hailing him, in all the pomp
Of civic triumph, as their Leader and their Ruler,
is now Glazing with the chill OF DEATH and his
soul is passing from the Visible to the Awful
Unseen.
He is dying The light ofthe breaking day
falls dimly through the half closed shutters, the
lamp burns with sickly glare,and in the mingled
light appear the faces of the watchers by the bed
side Of the dying, faces wan and ghastly with pro.
longed anxiety and anguish
He is dying-his face, turned towards the he,-
vens, is paid and wan, the cheeks are followed
the eye sunken; and the brow damp with the dews
of death with the masses of grey hairs falling back
from its outline stands out boldly in the light,
speaking much Of the might of the Hero's mind,
whilet the whitening lip, the convulsive throb trem-
bling along the length ofhs face the heaving chest
and throat slraining with the death rattle all an
nounce the passage Of the grave, and healed the
approaching Of the Skeleton God.
| And arond HIM gathered the friends ofhis path,
the sharers Of his triumph-there was WEBSTER
with his towering brow and eagle eve, there CRIT
TENDEN and EWING and GRANGER men of mind
from all parts of this wide Union and there, with
a face stamped with genius, and marked with a
high honesty of purpose, GEORGE E. BADGER,
the pride Of North Carolina, and all here gathered
around the bedside to see the mighty man fight
his last battle, and after having batled Death an
hundred times in the field, after having bauled
with enemies more bitter than death with SANDER
with falsehood, with low calumniation, the hero
was at last yielding to the final victor ofall whose
throne is on the skulls Of nations and whose sway
is over the realms of Time.
He was dying A month ago, his footsteps
had topped the highest rock in the steep pathway
of human ambition month ago and his name
had gone forth to all the world US the Ruler oil
tho Great Land of the New World of Freedom
month ago he had stood on the Capitol; and his
gaze had been met by the gaze of millions
and the earthquake shout ola free people had SCUM
ded in his ear and filled the clear heavens above
and now-the short space of a single moon hal
waned-the insignia of Power had scarce grown
cold-the last shout was yet sounding in the cal
and he was summoned by mightier than the kings
or the people to the throne of the Eterna
God.
He was dyingl And the scenes of the terrible
night of Tippecanoe were again around him, tn,
10 nd rf.,l hon, ha A.
age and the CLEAN of the scapng knife were If
his camp; again he led his rifemen to the quicl
struggle of life for life, again he shouted III,
watchword of the charge, and faint smile stole
over the lips ofthe dying man, as again he behelt
the banner of stars and stripes in triumph.
Hark-a faint murmur breaks from his lip
his hands clutch nervousv at the vacant air.
He is again beside the Thames He is agar
with JOHNSON and SHELBY; he is again beside
PERRY and again the blue smoke of the riff
winds up from the green woods, and the wa
whoop of the Indian sweeps along the plain
Then the terrible contest the sweep of Dicl
John mountod Rifemen in their hurricane charg'
again pass before his eye and the old Hero would
shout for ioy but the death rattle is in his throat
and the death dew on his brow.
He is dying For bis death, the bright eye
of woman shall be dim with tears and aged mer
shall weep, and a nation will be sad, and gloon
and civil corruption and legalzed anarchy shall
pass like ball OF gloom over the land, and We
the fiat has gone FORTH God has spoken it and tn,
Hero dies ere yet the rejoicings ofthe nation arr
!, lost to his ear
And in that terrible moment when his hand
were inierlockcd with the hands of death, wher
his mind was armed to supernatural v:gor, and tn
Pest and Future mingled to his vision, then tn
thought of his country arose on his mind, ther
the thought of the trust placed in his hands by TIT
people burdened his soul and with the last strugg
for life, he imagineda man with noble heart AM
resolute soul standing before hin, he imagine I
successor of mind and intellect, and the word
, broke from his lips" wish You to understand
the true principles of Government-I ask you tt
carry them QUIT ask nothing more"
N