Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-10

deiicacf, who was |, that should have heen
acting the tyraut all this time over this daa,s
Il salnted old man WHO had years ago exnitiated
III his whole nanhood's life. the. madness of =
bows treason "Mr. Nolan - said / viii
tell you every thing you ask about. Only
where shall begin ? ssa.fs ssF .a
VA, the blessed smile that crept over his
white face and he pressed my hand and said,
GOD bless you. Tell me their names, -
ne sald, ana ne pointed to the stars on the
flag, the last | know is Ohio Ny father
lived in Kentucky. But have guessed Mich
! igan and Indiana and Mississippi, ia
where Fort Adams is-they make twenty,
But where are your other fourteens You
| have not cut up any of the old ones | hone ~
We'll that wts+not a bad text, and | told
nm the names, IN as good order as | could
| and he bade me take down his beautiful man
| and draw them in as best could with nv men
ell. He was wild with delight about Texas
told me how his brother died there he had
marked gold ere SIS where he supposed his
brothers grave was and he had guessed If
Texas. Then he was delighted as he saw Cal
| norma and Oregon THAT, he said he hal
suspected partly, because he had never been
permitted TO land on that shore, thouob tho
ships were there SO much. And the men.
said he, laughing, brought on a good deal he
sides furs> linen he went baek-heayens
how tar to aSk. about the Chesapeake and
! what was tone to Barron for surrenderin o her
| to Leopard, and whether Burr ever, fr;ad
again-and he ground his teeth with the only
passion he showed. But in moment that
! was over, and he said, "God forgive me, for
am sure forgive him. Then he asked
about the old war,-tod me the true story OF
his serving the gun the day We took the Java.
-n,L ii lN,,Y l.,,,, i / n
called him. Then he settleGdown more ouiet-
ly, and very happyli, to hear me tell in AN
hour the history of fifty ye;irs; t---- Esq.,.
" How wished it had been. somebody who
knew something. But I did as we'll as I
could. told him of the English war. |
| told him about Fulton and the steamboat be-
| ginning. l told him about old Scott and
Jackson;t Itold him all 1 could think about
the Mississippi, aud New Orleans, and Texas,
and his own old Kentucky. And do YOU think
! he asked who was in command of the II CO.
ion of the West" told him it was very
| gallant officer, named Grant, and that by our
! last news, he was about to establish his head
| quarters at Vicksburg. Then, i" Where was
! Nicksburg - | worked that out on the map:
| 1t was about a hundred miles, more or less.
above his old Fort Admins and thought
Fort Adams must be Il ruin now. " 1t must
be at old Vick's plantation, said he "well
that is a change I" -.: -. -a.aa-
81 tell you, Ingham it was a hard thing
to condense the history of half IL century in
! to that talk with a sick man. And do not
know what told him-of emigration. and
the means of it,-of steamboats, and railroads
| and telesraphs,-of inventions and books and
litetature,- the colleges and West Point
and the Naval School but with the queerest
Interruptions that ever you heard You see
l. Il
mulated questions of tifty-six years.
q remember he asked all of IL sudden, who
was President now; and when told him, he
| asked if Old Abe was General Benjamin Lin
coins SON. He said he met old General Lin
coin, when he was quite Il boy HIMSELF at
some Indian treaty. | said no, that Old Abe
was kentuckan like himself, but could not
tell him of what family he had worked up
from the ranks. Good for him !" cried No
LAM * am glad of that. As have brooded
and wondered, have thought our danger was
in keeping up those regular SUGGESTIONS in the
first families" Then got talking about my
visit to Washington told him of meeting
the Oregon Congressman, Harding | told him
about the Smithsonian and the Exploring Elk
petition; | told him about the CapitolNand
the statues for the pedlment, and Crawford's
Liberty,-and Greenoughs Washington: Ing
ham, | told him everything could think of
that would show the grandure of his country
and its prosperity: but | could not make up
my mouth to tell him a word about this infer
nal rebellion. OF. d.. -.rr..........
" And he drank it in, and enjoyed it as
/ cannot tell you. He grew more and more 81
lent, yet never thought he was tired and
faint. | gave him glass of water. but he
ijust wet his lips, and told me not to 60 away.
Then he asked me to bring the PRESBYTERIAN
Book of Public Prayer" which lay there, and
said, with a SMILE that it opened at the right
place, and so it did. There was his double
red mark down the page; and knelt down
and read, and be repeated with me-" For
| ourselves, and our country, 0 gracious God,
we thank Thee, that, Notwithstanding our man
fold transgressions of thy Holy laws, Thou
hast continued to Us Thy marvellous Kindness"
and so to the end of that thanksgiving
Then he turned to the end OF the same book,
and read the words more familiar to me-
Most heartily we beseech Thee with Thy IA
vor to behold and bless Thy servant the Pres
ident of the United States, and all others in
authority, and the rest of the Episcopal
collect. Danforth," said he, 81 have re-
| peated those prayers night and morning. it is
now fifty-fve years " And then he said he
would go sleep He bent me down over him
and kissed me and he said, "Look in my
Bible, Danforth, when I am gone " And I
went away.
But l had not thought it was the end. |
| thought he tired and would sleep. /
knew lie was happy, and wanted to be alone
d" But in an hour, when the doctor went in
gently, he found Nolan had breathed his life
away with smile. He had something press
ed to his lips 1t was his fathers badge Of
the order of Cincinnati.
owe looked in his Bible and there was a
slip of paper, at the place where he had mark
ed the text ....- Sac. -
They desire a country, even heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God for he hath prepared for them "a
city,"
I" On this slip of paper he had written,--
Bury me in the sea it has been my
home, and love it. But will not some one
set up stone for my memory at Fort Adams
or at Orleans, that my disgrace may not be
more than ought to bear? Say ON it,
"Ia Nanory Of .-..
"PHILIP NOLAN,
g Lieutenant IA the A,py Of the limited States
'''He loved his country as no other man has
loved her but no man deserved less at her
hands," ".
The Ret0rt Righteous" True Bill"
In one Of the upper townships of Franklin
county reside two farmers, whose places are
separated by a small creek. They are we'll
TO 40 hut dI,matr;.,II,, in,