Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-10-25

to matter Of business, which seem
ed to be beyond the reach of hi
I brethren; it was, said he, "in ssvan1
. pus, non comatibus." The learne,
, doctors around him smiled very cog
nizantly, as they usually do at col
. lege commencements when a latil
, phrase is quoted which, though un
Ineligible to the vulgar throng, i
always remarkably striking to them
4 His fellow.soldier in the West
James B. Finley, gives the following
further account of him, of which w
;. gave an extract once. but now give i
fully:
.'Immense was the gathering a
!, the Methodist camp-ground neal
Springfield, on the second Sunday II
September, 1882. A powerful mag
net had attracted this great mass O
people from their homes in many
counties hundred miles round
The new presiding elder a late arri'
val from Kentucky, an orator of wide
spread and wonderful renown, it was
known, would thunder on that day.
The prestige Of his fine had light
I'ened before him, and hence the uni
versal eagerness to hear one con-
cerning whom rumor's trumpet
tongue idiscoursed SO loudly.
"Morning broke in the azure east,
bright and beautiful as dream OF
heaven; bat the prodigy had not
made his advent. Eleven o'clock
came--the regular hour Of the de-
tonation of the heavy gun Of ortho-
doxy--and still there was no news
icf the clerical lion. A common
circuit preacher took his. place, and
sensible of the popular disappoint-
ment, increased it by mouthing a
miserable failure. The vexed and
restless crowd beganto disperse, when
an event happened to excite afresh
their curiosity, and concentrated
them again denser than ever. A
messenger rushed to the pulpit in
hot haste, and presented anote, which
was Immediately read out to prevent
the people from scattering. The fol
lowing is a copy Of that singular
epistle:
Dear Brethren:-The devil has
foundered my horse which will detain
me from reaching your tabernacle till
evening. I might have performed
the journey on foot; but l could not
leave poor Paul, especially as he has
never left Peter. Horses have no
souls to save, and, therefore, it is
all the more the duty of Christians
to take care of their bodies. Watch
and pray, and don't let the devil get
among you on the sly before candle
light, when l shall be at my post.
~ Your brother,
81 PETER CARTWRIGHT.
s CAT length the day closed. The
purple curtain of night fell over the
earth from the darkening sky. Gods
golden fire flashed out in heaven, and
men below kindled their watch-fres.
The encampment, a village of snowy
tents was illuminated with brilliancy
that caused every leaf to shine and
sparkle as if all the trees were bur-
nished with phosphorescent flame. 1t
was like theatre. 1t was theatre
in the open air, on the green sward,
beneath the starry blue, incomparably
more picturesque and gorgeous than
any stage scenery prepared within the
walls Of brick OF marble, where the
elite of cities throng to feast their
eyes on beauty and their ears on mu-
sic.
Il leSeully lUiIl ciooO iii e"O
pulpit, and commenced giving out a
hymn preliminary to the main exercl-
ses, and every eye became liyeted to
the person of the stranger. Indeed, as
some onesaid Of Burke, a single flash
of the gazer's vision was enough to
reveal the extraordinary man, al
though in the present case, it must,
for the sake Of truth, be acknowl-
edged that the first impression was
ambiguous, if not enigmatical and
disagreeable. His figure was tall, bur.
|ly, massive, and seemed even more g.
gantic than the reality from the crowd
ing foliage of -luxuriant, coal-black
hair, wreathed into long curling rlng-
lets Add head that looked as large
as half busheE beetling brows rough
and craggy as fragmentary granite,
irradiated at the base by eyes Of dark
fire, small and tyinkling as diamonds
ir a sea--they were diamonds
'as19om94 9ai 81 sa;9is.I digcS