Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-04-27
H The Dying Minstrel.1

Under this caption, MIR. WILKEs, present editor
of Porter's Spirit Of the Times, onco recorded
the death of bapjo-rlayer in California lit was
pour Ton BRIGGS Of CHRIsrrs celebrated band.
The following extract from that record is spcci-
men of beauty and pathos seldom surpassed in
this difficult department Of literary composition.
SrERyE's sketch Of Lcfcrres death-sceno is scarce
ly more touching:
'Tho evening performance that followed the
funeral ceremony Was doleful one For my
part said llnrn the bone player. I scarcely knew
what | WAS about. Tom mnd had travelled to-
gctGcr for years. and it seemed 10 nur as if had
lost brother All my main business on tn, age
was duuo with him and when l locked around,
in the middle OF my performances and found
strange face alongside OF me-. in place of his, and
remembered that had just helped to put him in
the ground, I near Almost broke down.
sAh gentlemen, you II see the like Of poor
Tom Briggs again-you II not He was litirroat
from most other players. They seldom tako amy
pride in their business they do mt study and
they re gcuerally satisfied with amy cheap instru-
mcnt they can get: i'at Tvin VAS very particular.
llc never stood upon the price Of ksuju uud
when he got gnod one, lie WAS always studying
some way to ornament it, and improve it.. He hnd
light one aud heavy one, for different kinds of
work: and no played 30 strong, that he had to got
piece of steel made for the end Of his finger, as
sort of shield like, to prevout his tearing off his
nail. lie was worry fond Of playing the heavy
one; and, when VIC were coming up the coast he
would sometimes strike his strongest notes, and
then turn round to me SO proud, and say: "Ah
Epb., what II they think, up there, when they
hear the old Cremuna speak like thatf'
1T did not make any difference even when he
took sick. lie played away all the same. But
after he got here, he could play only on the light
one. He used to have it hanging against the wall,
80 as he could reach it in bed. Most any time
you went in, you'd hear him talking to the old
Cremona, as be called it, and making it talk hack
to him. But bym-by. he got so weak he could
scarcely hold on to it: aud have snt by his bod
and Watched him till the sound became so faint
it seemed ~ if he apd the banjo were both falling
into dream. All the whilo he kopt good heart,
too, poor follow and We kept encouraging him
along and every now and then he would raise
himself up and say: 'Ah! how II make EN-
look around when get strength enough, once
more, to make the old banjo talk /"
But at last he felt that he was going and, after
some straight sensible talk, be told US, when he
lied, to take tho two haujos rnd pack them up
carefully, and send them homo to his father ard
mother An hour before hc went he asked mo to
hand him his light Cremons.' lie took a-Eold of
it, and looked at it for minute, rs if he was
looking Mt person who hc was going 10 part with
forever, and then he tried to hit it, but ho could
merely drop the weight of his thin fingers on tho
cords. There was no stroke to bis touch at all.
lie could just barely mako sound, and that was
fine that it appeared to vanish away like the
buzz Of n fly. 1t was so dim, that do Mt believe
hc heard it himself: and Lo dropped his band, as
if he gavo it up. Then he looked at me, a, if he
understood every thing in the world; and, shak-
in his head, said: 1T 8 no usc-hang it up, Eph.;
cannot hit any more Those wore the last words
that poor Tom Briggs ever spoke