Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1849-07-21


were cholera Contagious, no con,agion eoulj
possibly have existed ia bat instance. Barton
ielt the matter deeply But ho is now at peac
/ lie died death that mia ht atone for th5ls-
and errofs--a sloYi1ps d55th upon The noble field
Of Sabaon
The last Days efEx-PresidentpO
An Interesting account at the closing scenes
in the life of the late President is given by a
Nashville correspondent Of the New York Her,
aid Mr. Folks fatal illness itappeays was in
duced by over exerion while arranging the de.
tails Of his spacious mansion and more directly
by the labor olplacng the books in his large H..
hrary. For the first three days his complaint
Chronic diarrhaa,) which was with him Of many
years standing, excited no alarn-hnt The dis.
ease battling all the skill ofhs medical advisers,
other aid was called in, hnt to 20 purpose Mr.
Polk continued gradually TO sink from day to day.
The disease was checked npou him four days be
fore his death, but his constitution was SO weak.
cned that there did not remain recuppraiive ener.
ay enough in the system for healthy roacton-
He sank away SO slowly and inscnsibly that It
was eight hours before he died after the heavy
death reSpirations commenced. he died without
struggle, simply ccasing 10 breathe, is when
deer aud quite sleep falls upon weary man.
Abeut bali all hour preceding his death, lis
venerable mother entered the room, and kneclinu
by his bedside offered up bcautitjtpraycf. The
scene was strikingly impressive. Major Polk,
the Presidents brother was also By his bedside,
with other members Of the family.
On the succeeding day, the body lay in state,
aud the mansion was everywhere shroued Ii,
black. Masonic ceremonies were performed O.
yer tho corpse before il was encoifiaeI The
coffin bore the simple inscriptions: ~ X. Polk,
Born November, 1905; Died June Is 1870"
The body was deposited ii The Grndy vault
temporarily; but it will soon be removed 10 4
vault on the lawn Of The ex.prcslenta mansion
where a willow now stands, and over il will be
erected stately marble cenotapl; thus The body
Of the President from Tennessee will lie cntoub
cd in the heart Of It's Capitol. Mr.. Polk hY will,
the evening before his death, gave tho lawn
10 the State, in perpetuiIY, tortli, purpose.
Mr.. Polk sent for The Rev Dr., Elqar, Of ne
Presbyterian Church,seven days before bis death
desiring to be baptised by him. lie said to him
"Sir, il had suspected twenty years arc that /
should come 10 my deah.bcd aaprepared Il would
have made me wplched man; am about
to die, and have not made preparation. II
have not even been baptiscd. Tell me, sir, can
there be any ground for a man thus situated, to
hopel"
The Rev. Doctor made known to him the as.
suranceS aad promises Of the gospel that merc- |
fully run paralleiwi mans life.
Mr.. Polk then remarked, that he had been pre- /
vented from baptism in infancy by some acciden. /
tai occurrence, that he had been several times
strongly inclined 10 he baplised during his adj |
but that the cares and pcrpleSics oil
public life hardly gave him time for the solemn
requisite, and 50 procfastination had
fipcncd into inaciion, when it was now almost
loo late TO act. la his conversation With The Rev.
crend clergyman, Mr.. Polk cyinced great know /
edge Of the scriptures, which he said he had read
a great deal, aud deeply reyerenced. as divine
truth; in word, he was, theoretically chris I
lian.
The conversation fatigning Mfr. Polk too much /
for him TO be then baptised, il was postponed. to
take place the next evening; but III the interval, /
the ex President rccolleced that when he was
governor and lived here he med ID hold many
arguments with the Rev. Mr. M'Ferren. The tal /
ened and popular Methodist minister fine place,
his warm personal and political fiend. and that
he had promised him that when he did embrace /
Christianity, that he, the Rev Mr.. M'Ferren,
should baPtise him. He therefore sent tor tho 4
Rev. DIR. Edgar, made known this obligaiion,and
expressed his intention 10 be baptised by His /
friend the Methodist minister. The same dag
the venerable Mrs. Polk, mother ofiha ex presi.
dent very pions Presbyterian lady, arrived
liom her residence, lory miles distant accom-.
panied by her own pastor, hoping thai her dis.
iinguisiod son would consent 10 BIZ bapliscd by
him.
"Moihcr,' said the dying ex Presidents a.
king her aileciionaicly BY the band Il have
never in my iiic disobeyed you, but yon nusl
yield TO your son now, and CRAFTY my wishes
must be baptised by The Reverend Mr. A'Fer.
rem.
ills mother, wise as she is pous, did net hesi.
atc 10 give her consent; and in lie presence az
he Reverend DR.. Edgar, and the Reverend Mr..
Mack, Of Columbia, the es.Presidans received
ne rilc d baptisin, At the hands ofthe Rev. Dir.
M'Frrren.
Mr, Polk has died worth about one hundred
thousand dollars, the bulk of which II settled
upon bis auiablc lady, who Il Is hoped wlll
oilg make ibis city herabode--an ornament 70
s society, for fall lips dopraise her"
Patience il Social Engine, as felI as d
Christian Virtue. Tolisten--to wait--and 10 be
are the certain elements Of good Tor,
tune. Il Ezchange piper,
Energy isa Steam engine. To act--to push
forward--to call firth and keep employed ali the
powers given as by God, will not only yieldi
nlnfhn1.ls s,r i.nsla,nn h.k f.rs.,.,. I'LL