The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1852-05-15
DEATH OF AN OLD SOLDIER,

Major john BURNS died at Whitciicm.on
the 9th instant. Had he survived until the
10 OF August next. he would have been -
wears old. He WAS a hardy, tull-growm Young
man at that dav when the news of the Lex
ington battle found him following the plough
He was soon in the service of his COUNTRY
Brave and atheti-, he did good service in
the Battle of Bunker Hill. Somrtimr after
the war. he settled in old Ilili>horou-h Coun-
tv. held high office in his then excellent mil
tia. ami near fifty wears ago represented one
of its towns in the legislature. Forty cight
wears ago. then even. far advanced towards
old are he entered the unbroken forests
which then covered the present town OF
Whiteficld. The first tree tclied there was
cut down bv his own hand. and the i"g house
IN which he lived. in urrat comfort, too, for
many years. was located npcn the same spot.
All the boards used about 1t were hacked
through the woods. bv himself and his son
William Burns. (nng since drrcaSed.) ten
miles from Littleton lie was thus. when far
advanced in life. the first settler Of his town.
which has Row native citizens past the lI!cs
meridian. And in his old age, respected. he
has gone down to his grave.the oldest citizen
in his county and the last link which con-
nec,cd it with the earlier DAYS of the Reyo-
luton. Indeed We know not that lac has
left behind him. OF all the busy crowds ut
brave men. who met the enemy on Bunkcr'>
height, Il singe SurvivOr-that the sound OF
the earth, as it fell upon his coffin. was not
the funeral kncll of the last of those brave
spirits, who III the smoke and thunder of that
contest were by the SIDE of Warren and Pres
colt. and Putnam, and our own gallant Nc
Clarv.
As the simple hearted. strong armed. pru-
dent patriotic. honest and brave men. whose
simple manners were in l1.,6. the scott of our
enemies AMI the salvation of our. country,
have one hv one gone down to their rest, the
foundations of that countrv's prosperity have
bccniwcakcned and endangered. Who.when
twenty wears ago. the white haired old Rcvo-
lutionaric> We're found in every village, as
now sco.ird at the idea OF sustaining a mill
tia Or attempted TO fling odium upon the
old men OF the country. because of their aye !:
Or calculated the value OF the Union. upon
a standard of dollars and cents. Well would
it have been for u> if We might have had such
pilots at the helm To the last. But the men
of the Revolution are gone. And We. their
descendants. NAV well regret. that We are now
TO sail upon the dim. and >hadowy, but all
unhoundcd ocean of onr political future. with
out their rompanion>hip, their counsel, or
their AID OoS U.mocrG'.
BETTER LET THIN ALoNE.-Thc less
people have 10 10 with the so-callcd '->pirit'i-
al rapping>,' thc better it will be for their
peace and The GOOD OF society. ~ We have
said before ". have no faith al all, in thcir
>pirlrritg. II is not givcn 10 man. We lr-
iirvc. to hold intercourse with the spirits Of
the Departed through the organs of then
physical being, and people had better wal
until the veil o; flesh shall he removed from
their perceptions. before tlcy attempt to r.
move the Vel! which for the w>,.>t purposes
God has hung between the animal and spirit
ual world Death Will remove il from Il,
mos; impatient soon enough. AMI We can at
ford 10 wait Entwr oIily designed To miro
d..cc an account ola ca>c which has rc>ulte,
most terribly. in Greenfield Mass. which !,
copied from Ike tirrrl.iirl,l Gazette E1q'g
A>ngular case of mrrncri>m or something
else. ha> occurred in this town within a few
DAYS Anna Norwood amcd about :. daugh.
ter of Mr. Jonathan Norwood. of Montague
was engaged dong homework in thu, town
where several gentlemen and ladies' were en-
gagged in irving to have communications with
the spirits. bv "ranping> and tipping>." :
During the " mig She was thrown as WAS
supposed. nat" 4 mrSmerIc state. out of whirh
She was partially brought sometime IN the
course of the night. The next forenoon >hr
did some hakin" and other homework. hut
about noon went into a supposed mc>iEcrc
state arain. IN which She has remained Ia the
present time On FRIDAY the 23d. she was
taken home To her fathers in Montague CITY
and one of the persons Who was with her al
the time of her gong into the mcsmeric state
sent for, but he had hut little influence over
her.
Daring the whole time. She has been sub
.lrct 10 the most distressing commissions. ii
taking from two In SIX men Ia keep her on
the bed. " hen not In commissions, She would
frequently carry on a conversation with the
persons present. ALWAYS calling them hv the
names of those persons who were present
when she went into the mc>lneric state, and
talking upon subjects connected with them
She lies with her eyes closed and has the aI-
rcalancc ola person mc>mcri>cd. On Tues
day her mother went into similar state.
bcIn" mcSmcri>cd. as Is stated. hv her ,launil-
ter, while attending upon her Mr. and Mrs
Cheney. of -tthoi. who are considered among
the best of the spiritual mediums" Were
sent for on "Wednesday. and although the
daughter could not hr brought ont of the
state. she was evidently hcnctittcd and her
con, WILSON'S have been les frequent since
Several physicians have visited her. but can
not help her. ana consider If the most singu-
lar case they have ever seen.
\ VOICE FROM Col BENTox.-In 4 re-
cent speech in lIillsboro, (Missouri.) Col.
Benton thus referred to President Fillmore
and Henry Clay:
"A new question has arisen among us, on
which | have not proclaimed public opin-
ion. nor concealed the prva'c one which
entcrtaincd-that Of intervention in the affairs
of other nations, and on which the occasion
makes 1t proper for me to speak as think
| did so in a less objectionable case, the once
famous Panama mission: but who in this are
of progress remembers what was done TWEEN
ty-hve wears hack: | am opposed to inter
vcnton IN all lis forms: and as much as any
in the form of ''pro'eSt" to be unsupported bv
acts itthe protest should he di>regarlc,i-
OF the cnlinnnf ruhlir lnnn ot' nur c...........