The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-10-06
Death Of Colonel Sam. NJ. Hyama

with an irreparable loss in the death
OF one of their most estimable citizens.
Samuel NJ. Hyams, in the fifty-seventh
year of his age, in full possession of his
! mental faculties, and at peace with his
Maker, was gathered to his fathers on
the 18th September, 1863. His afflict-
ed wife and children attended his bed
side, received his blessings and dying
injunctions, while he passed to his cter-
nal rest, as calmly as a babe in its first
sleep. For over third OF q century
he occupied a conspicuous Position
Noted for his generosity, respected for
| his patriotism, beloved for the amialge
traits which adorned his frank charac-
ter and virtuous life, his name was the
| synonym Of generous hospitality, cour-
teous manners, and liberal charity to
all who felt the want of a true friend.
! To his nobility of nature and manly
virtues, he possessed heart tender
and eifeminate; brave, chivalric and
impulsive, he was always surrounded
by troops of loving friends, and of bin
it is no exnggeratioa tn say that he
died without an enemy. In 1890, at
the age of IL, he came to Louisiana
from South Carolina with several
brothers. Ex-Lieut. Gov. Hymns, SO
favorably known throughout the State,
was one. Z. l.. Hyams, another broth
er, became promin' Mt rs merchant,
and was one Of Il e fjunders OF the
house or L. j. Hart q Co., in this city,
from which he retired, and became Il
planter on Red River. Young Hyams
was educated at jackson College, in
Feliciana. Having studied surveying,
| he obtained IL commission in 1885, and
settled at Natchitoches, where he mar
ried u lady of one of the oldest Creole
families in the State. Warm and ar
dent in his affections, popular i'll his
manners, prominent in good works and
/ kind words, he became distinguished
for his charities and acknowledged
patriotism. He enjoyed the entire
confidence Of his fellow-citizens, and
was rratitied by promotion to every
Office to which he .aspired. He was for
several terms reelected Sheriff of that
once wealthy parish. In the Mexican
war the Red River parishes responded
at a days notice to Gen. Taylor's APP
peal for volunteers, and among the
first companies on the Rio Grande, was
that Of the young Creoles of Natchito-
ches, under the captaincy Of Hyams,
and the lientenancy of the noble and
lamented John Blair Smith. To en-
bark in this campaign, it is said, he
abandoned n lucrative Office, but the
people approaching his disinterested-
ness, while in the field elected him to
another. Returning from the Mexican
war, he embarked in planting, in which
he was largely engaged when the late
struggle began. Notwithstanding his
advanced years and the aamonitiOns OF
! the disease which terminated his life,
he Immediately raised the largest COM
pany in Louisiana-one hundred and
fifty-fve men-and placed it ut the
vidcd into two companies, and they
| became the nucleus of the gallant
Third Louisiana, with Hebert rs Colo
mel and Hyams us Lieutenant Colonel
The regiment was Immediately sent to
Arkansas. At the battle Of Oak Hills,
On the eve of battle, Col. Hyams rose
from his sick bed and led into the
i fight eight of the ten companies. On
which he had three of his loved sons.)
They met and defeated regular troops
one of his companies having succeeded
in capturing Seigle's battery. His in
creasing bad health and great personal
exposure in the field, aggravated his
disease and forced him to resign, be
fore the close of the war. His home
was the refuge and asylum of all from
the wounded officer to the sore foote's
sol,lier-no man passed his door with
ont enjoying bis genial, frank, unos.
tentatous hospitality, which was in.
creased, if possible, by the cordial at:
tcntions OF his wife and children there
with no stinted hand.
On Banks rapid advance up Rec
River, Colonel Hyams left his house il
, charge of a few faithful slaves, withou
removing it's contents. 1t was burned
to the ground by the Federal forces
and nothing saved but what his trusty
negroes could rescue from the flames
He suffered in common with his fellow,
citizens, by the advance as well as the
retreat Of Banks. After the surrender
!, his physical health shattered, but Will
: spirit and energy unbroken, he return
, ed to his plantation and endeavored tt
repair his broken fortunes The plant
, ing campaigns of 1866 and 1867, weri
f disastrous, and he turned to the bar
for which he had qualified himself, tt
t earn a support for himself and family
Coming to the bar late in life, ambi
tious of properly acquitting himself, h
: was stimulated to great physical an,
mental exertion, which, with the anx
iety for the future of his large famil,
told upon constitution once natural
ly vigorous and strong, and revive,
: the disease which eliminated in hi
: death, in the midst of his usefulness
}, A friend by his deatlf-bed says he die,
. in the full possession of all his menta
| faculties, conscious of his approaching
e dissolution. Warm hearted and spir
e tied as a boy, his affections and sym
pathies were unaffected by suffering
e As he lived, ever the help and stay o
| the poor and the unfortunate, so he in
voked his children, in his dying hour
\ to live a yirtuoils and charitable life
Thus passed away another of nature
noblemen, good and honest man. n
o. Times.
A clergyman was preparing his DIS
G course for Sunday. stopping occasion
ally to review what he had written, an
to erase that which he was disposed t
! disapprove, when he was accosted b
. his little son, who had numbered hu
five summers: Father does God tie
lyou what TO preach I? Certainly III