Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-03-22
A Peep at the Past.

and published once week at Cheraw, S. c., by
Prince e. Co.
Peep ut the Past.
WE have heard the inquiry several times made,
in fact it has been made of us, where is the grave
of Cornelious Harnett Perhaps some OF the
readers of this article may ask who is Corne-
Illus Harnett So true it is that I" Mems evil man.
ners live in brass their virtues write in water
Reader he was scholar, Il gentleman, pa
triot and martyr He, together with another
scholar and patriot of the Cape Fear, Gen. Robt.
Howe, we're the only persons in North Carolina,
specially excluded from all the benefits of pardon
offered to other citizens of the State.
Tt was Cornelius Harnett that Josiah Quincy, OF
Massachusetts,, pronounced the Samuel Adams
of the South"
He was one of Governor Burringtons council in
1880
He was President of the Province, which was
the executive power of the State after the flight
of Governor Martin, the last of the Royal govern
ors in North Carolina. A position as dangerous as
it was exalted, and because it was exalted.
North Carolina has perpetuated his name by
giving it to one of the counties lying upon the
upper Cape Fear.
In 1871, at So years of age, che gave his honors
to the world again. He sleeps in the northeast
corner of the old burying ground, adjoining and
attached to st. James Church. \ simple brown
sandstone slab marks the spot, inscribed with his
NAME and craven with the lines
:. Slave to no sect, no private road he trod;
But looked through nature up TO natures 6od'
This train of reflection reminds how deeply
North Carolina has suffered Ill consequence of not
having given her early history to the world
Fruitful in great men, their very names have al
most persisted, and the force of their example has
been thereby lost to the world Some years ago
we endeavored to counteract this but failed
Among other letters received from literary gentle
men, whose assistance we invoked i'll contem-
plated ENTERPRISE was one which we received from
the late Mr.. A. NJ. Hooper, himself distinguish
ed scholar We publish it here because it con-
tains sketches of persons and facts which have
never before been printed, and not devoid of
interest.
P1rTsBo8o' Sept. 30, 1844
DEAR SIR
saw the sketch of Judge Alfred Moore in the Whining
ton Chronicle 1t is based written by his son
Alfred but enlarged and improved by Chief Justice Tay
9 While you are tnhng OF the oOfes and ana
ua whose ought to be recorded in history Rich.
ard Ounce of Cape Fear might be called the Hancock of
NORTH Carolina, if he did not merit appelaton of high
distinction Hancock, by means of his wealth. render
ambitious man. and these passions which predomina
ted in his character, fully grated by the post OF
Speaker of the Congress of the United Sates and after
wards by the Chief of Massachusetts, ounces
fortune also available to his country but Ounce
neither vain ambitious He did not aspire to Office
He pressed into situations and accepted them not
honor that desirable but of advancing
his high reputation for probty and his large estate
staked immense fortune and the growing auence OF
feed do not know but his losses apart from those of his
family must have been very great In these degenerate
You have furnished with copious memoranda of Jo
A. HILL 1t will nevertheless consume much time,
and require frequent opportunities, to gather such in
stances of his debating powers will enable me to de-
As first STEP intend to write Gov Ireden:
Mother must visit Raleigh when favorable occasion
offers, and form acquaintance with Mr. Graham From
him expect full and candid exposition ofJoseph A. Hills
trials of skill with him. Gov Swain can supply me with
quent attempts persevered in that hope elicit,
describe the of great debater so as to exhibit
those powers inteigiby and mpressivey to the public
That debater too is robal e had not reached the sum-
feel myself under obligations to You for sending
copy of the address of Archibald Maclane the people of
Wilmington There obscury in the latter part oft
which at first perpexed me- and imputed to haste in
my mind recollection furnished me with satisfactory
luton 1t was this: After the revolution, my grand
rough draughts Of the declarations he filed in those
people of Wilmington was published, he was absent.
remember the difficulty that occasioned in my family
by this obscurity Ny father and Col Edward Jones
deavored to mako the obscure passage integibe but
could not succeed The cOmpOsltor, it alleged had
lost the address. If the obsenrity cleared up
do not reeoect nor do recolec that errata were
published after my grand father returned home
will preserve carefully the papers yOu sent me- and
shall return such as requested to RETURN achen
haze done ec uen If you want them please say
have space enough left to speak OF of them.
Hortensus to Louis McLane, think highly of than
when published it, AS specimen of precocons talent,
the address to the Freshman class of Yale College aor
ded me the most pleasure cannot remember anything
written by youth of fifteen sixteen elegant and
chaste. 1t pity that with his cast of intellect he
had not been placed in lawyers Office at that age in
stead of being mariculated at college His to
eminence would have been dazzling and his destiny,
in all probab ility, greater and happier.
The Case of Mrs. Ball.
Mrs. Ball, who was tried before Military Com
mission in Raleigh last month, for the murder
Of negro, has been sentenced to be imprisoned
for the term of three years, at such place as the
commanding general may direct
Major General Ruger in approving and con-
frming the findings, mitigates the sentence to i'm
prisonment for one year, to be executed under