The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-10
SPRING HILL ITEMS.


Methodist Church in this region of
country are being extinguished. Scarce
have the requiem for the death of the
gifted, eloquent and sainted Pitts died
away, ere the notes of sorrow and Ia
nentation are taken up on account OF
the death of the venerable DR.. Thomas
Maudin Both of these distinguished
diyines have been in the past closely
identined with this community. The
former was for several years the Presid
ing Elder of this district, and during
this time, about the years 1901, etc.,
his reputation as pulpit orator was at
it's zenith--thousands hung upon his
words with Wrapt attention for hours at
a time, and the verdict of public Opin-
ion in that day was, that Fountain E.
Pitts was one of the most eloquent
preachers of our western country. Long
before this day DIR. Mad lin was very
popular and able minister OF the Meth
odist Church. His sermons were clear,
lucid and forcible. There was some
thing peculiarly attractive in his man
ner, and his enunciation was most dis
tinct and impressive. Somewhere about
the year 1880, DIR. Maddin, then COM
paratively young man, delivered flu
neral discourse upon the occasion of the
death of Mrs. Mary Jones Nicholson,
the wife of Calvin Nicholson, ESQ.,, "a
brother of our present Chief .Justice,)
lady of rare gifts and accomplishments
A large concourse OF the nelghbors and
friends of the family assembled at the
old homestead. The spacious mansion
was full and many were seated under
the shade of q spreading beech. The
preachers text was, blessed are the
pure in heart for they shall sec God"
a text beautifully emblematical of the
life and character of the deceased, and
theme from which words of consolation
81 fc Il al In
beauty and eXcellency, and the spotless
purity of the lite of her who was called
away from earth in the early dawn of
happy married existence, was wildly
portrayed by the speaker, aud found a
cordial endorsement in the hearts of all
VINO coli, .,nsAd that large assembly. Sad
memories cluster about our hearts
while looking back through the vista of
time to sse what changes, what desOla-
ton, Time has wrought since the period
of which we have been speaking, The
little boys and girls whose tender sym
pathies were, perhaps, first awakened
by the sad scenes of that day, are now
grew headed fathers and mothers, some
Ofthem are ministers of the Gospel, and
have been for nearly a quarter of a
century, prOclaiming forcibly and elO-
quently the glorious truths of our holy
Christianity, But the larger portion of
that assembly have "crossed over the
river and are resting under the shade"
Mrs. VOORHEES,, formerly Mrs. Nicholson,
fingered on in great feebleness of body
but with an undipmed mind until a
wear or two ago, and gently fell asleep
in the arms of that Savior whom she
had so long and so faithfully served.
Her husband, Carrot L. VOORHEES,, pre-
coded her to the grave few years. The
Peters, the Raineys, the Blacks the
Pointers, the Cheairses, the Parhams,
the Smiths, the Browns, the Grahams,
the McKissacks and others, who might
be mentioned, were represented or
present on the occasion alluded to, now
thew are gone. In some instances all,
and in others part, of these families
have been numbered with the dead,
nearly all OF thea testifying in their
lives to the power and truth of the Chris
tian religion. How much this was the
result of DIR. Maddin's able and eloquent
address on this occasion, eternity alone
will reveal.
There never has been a moro gloomy
prospect for crops in this section of
country than the present season. Both
corn and cotton are suffering for rain,
and the farmers are very Respondent.
The dry weather is very favorable for
the threshing of the wheat crop, and it
is being vigorously improved. The
whistle of three steam threshers has in
fused life and animation into the drOOp~
ing hearts OF our farmers, and has OpeG~
ed up a new era i'll this department. OF
agriculture. They have all been at
work in a radius of three or four miles of
our town, and all of them are said to
work spleQdidly. OF Mr.. Greenlaw's
and Mr., Jones' we can only speak from
the current report, but OF DIR. TerrilPs
from actual observation. In the crop of
AIeck Mckay, in a trial by time, it
knocked out an average OF over two
bushels to the lnlnute, while Il made
mart OF the time % bushels per minute.
It is splendidly managed, with Brown
Tate as chief manager, Joe TerTill to
keep up the odds and ends, Dan Witty
engineer, and such men as Aleck Nc
Kav end Mack Campbell to cut the
binds, which they did as amateur cut
ters in their own crops and for one or
two neighbors. This thresher is doing
a paving business not only for its pros
prietoTs aud attaches bnt - -, .nose
who have its services. Give them good
hands, and they can get out with ease
one hundred bushels per hour.
Disease of rather peculiar type is pre-
Yailing extensively among the GhiljrA-
of our country, and as tie ne a
advances, sltRnes" - - weather i!sI
~ there has been but little IA
I tality attending it as yet.
Negro emissaries are circulating ex-
tensively and rather secretly among the
the colored voters, placing tickets in
their hands, with the names of negro
candidates and such white men as thsy
7 choose upon them. Let the white peo-
Al