Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1844-02-03
From the Citizen Soldier.
Death iGa the white House.

Tread softly with solemn footstep.
whisper your words in a low voice. and
let your breath be hushcd; for the air Of
the chamber is heavy with death, and the
faces Of all you are stamped with grief.
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 round is still and sad and
fearful; for the HERO is dying. His keen
eye which month ago met the gaze Of
millions, hailjng him in all the pomp Of civ
ic triumph. their Leader and their Ruler, is
now glazing with the chill of death and
his soul is passing from the Visible 10 the
Awful Unseen.
lie is dyingl The Light Of the breaking
day falls dlmy through the half closed
shutters, the lamp burns with sickly glare.
and in the mingled light appear the faces
of the watchers by the bedside Of the dy-
ing, faces wan and ghas,Iy with prolonged
anxiety and anguish.
He is dying-his face turned toward the
heavens, is pa!lid and wan. the cheeks hoi-
lowed, the eyes sunken. and the brows
damp with the dews of death, the grey
hair falling back from its outline stands oul
so boldly in the light, spending much Of the
might of the Hero's mind, while the viii
tening lip, the convulsive ihrob trembling
along the length of the face, the heaving
chest. and the throat straining with the
death rattle, all announce the passage to the
grave. and herald the approach of the Skel,
eton God.
And around him gathered the friends OF
his path and The sharers Of his triumph
| There was Webster, with his towering
brow and eagle eyes-there was Crlttenden
and Ewing and Granger-men of mind
from all parts of this wide Union; and
there. with face stamped with genius, anc
marked with a high honesty of purpose
was George Z. Badger, the pride of NORTH
Carolina, and all here gathered round The
bedside to see the mighty man fight his las
battle; and after having battled Death ar
hundred times in the feld--after having bat
tied with enemies more bitter than death
with SANDER and falsehood-and low ca
Illumination, the Hero was at last yieldin!
TO the final victor of all, whose throne il
on the skulls of nations, and whose sway
is over the realms of Time.
He was dying! A month ago his foot
steps had toppled the highest rock in The
steep pathway of human ambition;
month ago and his name had gone forth t'
all the world as the Ruler Of the Grea
Land of New World Freedom; 4 monlI
ago, and he had stood on the Capitol, ant
his gaze had been met by the gaze of mill
ions, and the earthquake shout Of free
people had sounded on his ear and filled tn
| clear heavens above. and llOE III
short space of single moon had wane'
the insignia of Power had scarce warm
ed in his grasp--the Presidential Banque
had scarce grown cold-lhe last shout I
the people was yet sounding in his ear, an
he was summoned by mighlier than tn
kings, or the people, to the throne of III
Eternal God
lie was dying! And the scenes Of III
terrible night of TiPpecanoe were aga'
around him--the dark and fearful nigh
when the yell of the savage and the gleaI
of the scalping knife were i'll his camp;,agai
he led his rifemen TO the quick struggle {
life for life; again he shouted the watcl
word of the charge, and a faint smile sto
l over the lips Of the dying man, as again
beheld the banner of the stars and strip
I waving in triumph.
2 Harkl-a faint murmur breaks from h
lips--hs hands clutch nervous!y at the v
cant air.
2 He is again beside tae Thames. lie
= again with johnson and Shelby; he is aga
h beside Perry, and again the blue smoke
k the rifle winds up from the green WOO
and tho war hoop Of the Indian, shric