The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-07-25


return to the United States.
Previous to his return, however, he had
been nominated by mass meetings in diff
ferent parts of the country, held without
distinction of party, for the Presidency
He, reluctantly permitted his name to be
used in connection with that office. One
of the great political parties of the country
added their nomination, and he thus be-
came candidate for the chief Office in the
gift of the people.
He was elected.-The people, by their
votes, declared that as, like Washington,
he was s.frst in war; SO, like him, he
should be ''frst in peace, and first in the
hearts of his country men,
His course as Chief Magistrate was dis
tinguished for the simplicity and honesty
Of his views; and the frmness with which
he enforced them. While many differed
widely from him in sentiment, few, if any
ever doubted The honesty of his intentions.
He had presided over the destmies Of the
Republic for the brief space of sixteen
months, when he was called upon to rem
der an account of his stewardship.
He had attended the festivities of the
Great day of our National independence,
from the labors of which ceremony he re-
turned to the white house wearied and de-
bilitatet. He soon after experienced the
first symptoms of that virulent bilious
disease which, in very brief space Of
| time, removed him from our midst.
A man Of a naturally robust and healthy
constitution; possessing the virtue of tenn
perance in an eminent degree: a man
whose life had been spent on the tented
| feld:-whose frame never knew disease,
whether in the wilds of our western from
tier, in the swamps of Florida, or amid
the arid sands of Mexico:-his sudden
illness and death had the most stunning
and overwhelming effect on the American
people.
| The public mind had never contempla-
| ted, for a moment, a result so disastrous
to the nation. The name of General
Taylor had never been connected with
death, excepting, indeed, the death of his
enemies. 1t was never imagined that the
stalwart frame that had withstood disease
and death in all the trials and perils of a
soldiers life, would fall a victim TO the
King of Terrors, In the midst of peace
and repose.
|
Nay, he glores in pointing his fatal arrow
at shining mark. "Kings may conquer
armies, but they cannot conquer death. y
He who had vanquished myriads, is him.
self vanquished! He who never surren-
dered TO mortal foe, surrenders at dlscre
ton to the summons of the destroying
angel. 40.
ton whose arms he had covered with
Iglory;- by his friends,-in the
bosom of his family, lay The dying hero.
He had fought his last battle; he had per.
formed his last official function. The cold
hand of death lay heavy on him. He
knew and felt that he was about to render
up his soul TO the God that gave it.
4 There was no alteration of intellect
no wandering of the senses: his mind re-
manned clear and undisturbed in the midst
of his physical prostratien. He cast his
fading glance far beyond the shores of
time, into the lImitless regions of eternity.
There he lay contemplating his awful
Ichange, with as much calmness as he
viewed the raging battle on the field of
BuENA VISTA. The actions of his life
passed in rapid view before the mental
vision of the dying patriot. His eye grew
brighter, his pulse stronger at the contem-
II plation. Then fell from his parched lips
the last words he ever uttered: words that
could never be spoken by any but patri-
OF and christian.
Il die-I am expecting the summons,
IL am ready to meet DEATH have al
ways done my duty-my only regret is
for the friends | leave behind me-
And now that voice is hushed- the ST.
lence of death reigns in the apartment
hia eye is glazed-his pulse is still-he
has ceased to breathe-he Is dead. The
soul of the just man and pure patriot has
gone TO meet lis final reward.
Oh! the vanity of human greatness! The
hero of Pala Alto, Resaca de la Palma,
Monterey and Buena Vista, lies there a
cold and inanimate thing: the Chief Ma
gIstrate of the greatest Republic on earth
lis lump of dust;-the ruler of twenty
five millions of freemen is banquet for
the worms of the earth!
We have now taken rapid glance al
a few of the leading incidents in the life
of this distinguished man. We find him
4 possessed of all those qualities which con-
stitute the truly great man. As military
), chieftan his name will descend TO posteri-
ty with the greatest heroes of ancient or
modern times. 1t may be presumption to
compare his military career with that OF
> Napoleon Bonaparte;-and yet he had all
the dazzling success of that great general,
IL Z L Il 81 fh1