Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1847-11-18
MRrNsBURG BERKELEY COUNTY VIRGINIA. THURSDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 1917

wave Of death reached his lips, and he breath
ed no more
Ii was o'clock on the afternoon Of July
9TH, 1896, when John Adams closed bis life
Of glorious deeds.
Jefferson yet suryivesW
While the words of the venerable Adams
yet linger in our ears. lei us hasten away to
the second Home, where death has crossed
the Threshold.
Emerging from the shadows Of the beauti
iul Valley of Virginia, we ascend slight ele-
walton, and by the light OF the morning sun
behold a strange structure, standing amid a
grove OF forest trees. But one story in height,
with elegant pillars in front, and dome III
sing above its roof, il strikes you with its sin
gular, almost Orieniil style of architecture. and
yet seems the appropriate hermitage of Phil
osophy and thought
The structure. relieved by the background
Of towering trees, is the Home of Hero
Beneath the Grecian portco, the Poets, Ar.
lists and Philosophers Of the Old World have
often passed, eager TO behold the Statesman
ofthe New World, the author Of the Declara-
ton Of Independence.
Ii is MONDAY now--the summer sun
streams warmly on yonder dome--the leaves
are scarcely stirred into motion by the faintest
prepare to look upon Death, and with our
hearts subdued in awe, we will enter Mo0TI-
CELLO. -
There is group around his death-bed III
| yonder room. Every eye is centered on the
visage off dying man the beautiful woman,
whom you behold standing near his pillow,
her eyes eloquent with emotion, is his bolov
ed child.
AS he rests before US, on the bed OF death.
the centre the silent group, we will approach
and look upon him. A man or tall and mus
cular frame, his face denoting in every mark
ed feature, the power Of bold and fearless in
tellect, his lip compressed with stern determi-
nation, his blue eyes flashing with the light Of
a soul born to sway the masses of men, by
the magic of Thought.
i As we approach. he looks up into the face
OF the beautiful woman, and utters the memo
Bile words:
"Let no inscription be placed upon my
tomb, but this: Here rests Thomas JErrER-
SON, THE AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATIONS OF
INDEPENDENCE, AND THE FRIEND OF RELI
GIous FREEDOM
As he speaks, he describes faint gesture
with his withered right hand. That hand
fifty years ago, wrote the Declaration of indie
pendence. 1t is feeble and withered now
time was when il wrote certain words tina
sank into the heart Of universal man, struck
the shackles from ten thousand hearts.
Against the frauds practised by priests ant
king from lmmemorial tlme-against the trick
, Of courtiers, the malice of bigots, the falsehood
, OF time servers, who are paid to be religions
hired 10 begreat-against all manner of bafbar
lily, whether done by New Zealand canni
bal, who eats the wretch whom he has butch
cred, or the Spanish Inquisition, which afie
burning its victims, consgns them pleasantly
TO an eternal torture after death--agalnst al
wrong, worked by the Infamous or the veal
upon man, the child OF Divinity was direct
ed the eloquence OF his Pen. The hand tina
once welded that pen of power, is now chill
, ed with the damps Of DEATH
AS we stand gazing upon the dying man
+ held enchanted by the majesty ofthat intellec
which CLOVIS brightly over the ashy face, ant
flashes wildly in the clear blue eye-the beau
tiful woman takes the icy hands within he
own, and kisses the cold brow.
The hand OF Death is on him now.
Thank God that have lived 10 see Thu
glorious day!o he utters in firm voice ant
then raising his glazing eyes, he gazes in hi
daughters face, while the death-rattle wrtte
in his throat--"NUNc DMMiTrIs DONNIE ~
were the last words OF Thomas Jefferson.
AT the hour OF noon, when the fervid SUI
poured straight down on the dome of his her
mitage, when not breath of air ruffled thu
leaf or stream, when in the midst of weep
ing throng stood his beloved daughter, placing
her soft fingers on his glossy eye balls, pressing
her warm mouth 10 his cold lips, died Thorn
as Jefferson, the author of the Declaration o
independence.
He died some four hours before Mr.. Adams
surrendered his soul. When the Patriot o
Quincy gasped Jefferson still survives" III,
soul Of Jefferson was already before its God.
II would have been deemed wonderful
thing had either of these men died on the 4ti
of July, jus, half century after the day o
l776 But that the Brothers in the work o
Freedom, the Master Spirits of the Council
who stirred up mems hearts with god. like i'm
pulses, and moved their arms 10 glorious deeds
in the dark hour ofthe Revolution, should hav,
died not only on the 4th of July, but on thu
same day, within few hours of each other
while bodily separated by hundreds Of miles
their souls borne to Heaven, with the hymns o
a people freed by their labors, looks to me al
though Almighty God had sent his Messen
ger and called his servants home, thus sancli
tying by tins two fold death, the 4ih of July
for evermore.
They met before the Throne of God, ant
stood solemn and awful, before the throng oil
heroes clustered there.