The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1849-07-11
JnMBs X POLE
8 BORN NOVEMBER l793
& nIEn IuNE u. 1919.
SsSsseS3SsSsssSSsSs

essThe body lies in state today. The noble
draying rooms are shrouled in black, and eve
.Srg window il, mourning with black scarfs o
crane. The tall white columns Of the males'!!
s.portjco iaoing the South are completely shrond
f-|ed Ia black, giving a solemnly majestic and tu
neral aspect to the Presidential mansion.
The funeral took place at four o'clock thi'
afternoon, Masonic ceremonies being first per:
;afcrmed in The drawing room over the body.
snw The body before It was encofhned. The
4sfeatures ar. in noble composure. Death has
= impressed upon them the seal Of majesty. In
.kbisIife, his features never wore that impress o
zscommand and intellectual strength, that seem
led now chiselled upon their marble outline
He was habited in plain suit of black, and a
copy sof the Constitution of the United States
was placed at his feet. Before being taken to
sstfe cemetery, the body was hermetically solder.
cd wiIhina copper coffin.
~ From the house the funeral cortege, which
wase very large all places of business being
asclosed by order of our Mayor, proceeded to the
SMethodist Episcopal Church, where. after SER
ayices performed by tho Rev. MIR. M'Ferren, it
was conveyed to the cemetery, followed by a
yast concourse Of citizens. The body was de.
posted in the Grundy vault, temporarily; but
lit will SOON he removed to vault on the lawn
of the E1.Presidential mansion, where a vii.
.sslow now stands. and over it will be erected a
stately marble cenotaph thus the body of the
President from Tennessee will lie en,ombed in
the heart of its capital. Mr.. Polk, by will, the
evening before his death, gave tho lawn to the
State, in perpetui,y, for this purpose.
A. Mr. Polk sent for the Rev. Dr.. Edgar, of
The Presbyterian Church, seven days before his
death, desiring to be baptized by him. He
said to him impressively:
,s,saS Sir, i'll had suspected twenty years ago
=.ha. ! should coms to my death.bed unprepared,
II woald have made me wretched man yet
= am about to die, and have not made preparation.
Ishave not even been baptized. Tell me, sir,
can there be any ground for man thus situa.
ted 10 hope p
-. Tie Rev. Doctor made known TO him the
assurances and pronloes ofthe gospel that mer.
=. .cifaily run paralielwi mans life.
ashfr.sPo!k then remarked that he had been
prevented from baptism in infancy by some &C.
cidental occurrence, that he had been several
times strongly inclined to be baptized during
his administration, but that the cares and per-
- plexiiies Of public life hardly gave him time
for the solemn preparation requisite, and so
procrastinalion had rpened into inaclion, when
1, twas now almost too late to act. In his con-
vefsation with the Rev. Clergyman, Mr.. Polk
3eyinced great knowledge of the scriptures,
which be had read great deal, and deeply
reverenced as Divine Truth; in word, he
{ wastheoretlcally a christian.
=. The conversation fatiguing Mr.. Polk too
q much for him to be baptized, it was postponed
10 take place the next evening; bu, in the in.
tho De- oh hot hon
9 he was Governor and lived here, he used to hold
Z many arguments with the Rev. Mr.. McFerren.
the talented and populaf Methodist minister OF
The spsaee. bis aafn Psrsonal and political
friend, and that be badpromised him that when
he did embrace christianity that he. The Rev.
Mr.. McFerfen, should baptizo him. lie