The weekly American banner. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1855-18??, 1855-09-07
DEATH OF THE EDITOR.

The mourning garb our paper wears to-day
is but poorly typical of the deep and poignant
grief-the unmingled gloom and sorrow which
enshroud our hearts and cast their sombre shad-
ows on our city.
Il our melancholy task to announce the
death of RUFUS K. ARTHUR, Esq. who died in
this city Yesterday, at o'clock p. M
Cut off in the pride and vigor Of manhood,
with noble aspirations and just expectations of
q long and honorable career, he has gone down
to the darkness of the grave, leaving only to
his bereaved and stricken relatives and friends
the consoling memory of character, through
life, and under every circumstance in which he
had been placed, generous honorable and chiv-
alrous in the highest degree; whether in the
social circle, to which his kind and genial ma
ture added many ~charms.--in our legislative
halls, where he manifested the wisdom of
statesman and the stern purity ola patriot-in
the halls of justice, where as the representative
oil the people, who honored him with their conf
dence, he proved himself the eloquent and firm
defender of innocence and virtue-the bold and
fearless avenger of the trausgressors of the laws
of the land:--in the editorial chair, which he
lgraced alike by his ability as writer, his chiv-
alrous regard for truth, and hisunvaryng and
proberbiai courtesy towards his brethren of the
press, amid the highest political excitements
which ever convus d the State. and in which
he SO faithfully, so zaalousy and so honorably
particpated:-as soldier in thetented field,
where his blood flowed freely in defence of his
I country flag, in the gallant charge of the lst
Mississippi Rifles upon the frownng battlements
of Monterey or on Buena Vista's gerry field,
where his gallantFy and intrepdity won the
praise and admiration Of the brave old Hero, un-
der whose lead he won his laurels:--in the hos
pital, among the sick and wounded and the dy-
administering all the comfort in his power
to the. suffering soothing with the gentleness
ofhis kindly nature, the death-strugg es Of his
departing comrades -stinting with noble self
denial himself, that he might add TO the stores
of his more needy companions, byswhich he won
| the love of all their hearts and bound them to
him "with hooks of steel:"--in fine, to whatever
phase of his charaeter we turn, we find A MAN
in whom were gI0Fiously blendedst these lofty,
lpure and noble qualities of mind and soul that
+ so much adorn humanity, AMI are the assimlla-
ting attributes of mankind to that Divinity it.
self which had stamped with its celestial signet
upon our departed friend the impress of no.
bleman of nature in truth and indeed! Around
many now saddened hearth, erewhile illumin-
ed by his smiles, will hislosse be sadly felt and
deeply mourned. From The ranks OF his gal
liant comradessin arms,# his manly form, or
which they gazed with so much pride,has dis
appeared forever, ana MS CLARION VoIce ~ nuSn'
Iedin the silence ofthe grave; and yet. so nu.
nerous, so fresh are the crowding "reminiscences
! OF association with him, that his memory vii
fendure and his virtues be cherished in the count
less hearts Widowed him living, and who mourn
him dead! For never did flesh enshrine truel
heart, and never went out in the darkness O.
death and the gloom of the grave the light of q
purer rpirit, or the glory of nobler soul!
--
i Vile was, at the time of his death, First Lieu