Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-05-20


town Grange, No. 104. c0nveaed q Tie
Grange Rooms Of the Association in
our village on Saturday last. the l5th
instant. the committee. appointed 1t
. previous meeting to draft resolutions
expressive Of the loss the Grange had
sustained in the death Of Col Downs,
submitted their report, Col Blackstone
Introducing and Mr.. Key supporting it
in pertinent and eloquent addresses
Subsequently, the preamble and resolu-
tions presented by the committee were
adopted by rising and unanimous
vote, after which the Grange adjourn
ed without the transaction Of other
business a. . mark Of respect to the
memory Of deceased.
WHEREAS, it has pleased Divine Prov
idence to remove by the hand Of death
from our midst our gifted and honored
brother, JAMES 8. Downs, in the vigor
Of his manhood and usefulness;
AND WHEREAS, o life has passed
away, which was unselfshly devoted TO
charity and the happiness Of his fellow
man, and whose success constitutes IN
enduring monument to the memory Of
him whose loss has 30 deeply affected
oil classes Of our citizens;
AND WHKRsAs, this Grange in pro-
foundly impressed with the irreParable
loss il has sustained in the death of
our valued friend and brother, and we
desire to give some formal expression
of our respect for the memory of the
deceased, and our sympathy for his be-
reaved family, therefore
Be 1t Resolved, That the members of
this Grange sincerely lament the early
death of our late friend and brother
and express the high consideration they
of his ability and attachments.
Resolred, That we tender to his fam
ily in their sad bereavement our most
sympathies; and though we bow
before the awful WILL" our sorrow is
by the firm belief that he
has gone to his reward where charity"
and "good will to men" "pro6teth much"
Resolred, That in manifestation of
these sentiments we wear the usual
badge Of mourning for thirty days
Resolred, That these resolutions be
published in the ST.. MARY's BEACON
and that copy of the same be handed
to the family Of the deceased by our Sec
rotary.
RESOLVED, That as q further mark of
respect We do now adjourn.
JAS. T. GLADSTONE,
GEO. FORBES,
Jos. H. KEY,
Committee.
The tributes following from the South
ern Maryland Press we reproduce with
grateful acknowledgements for the hon.
orable and valuable mention they make
Of our late associate:
Says the Iadependent-
at is our sad duty to announce the
death of Hon. JAMES s. Downs, Junior
editor of the st. Mary's Beacon. Mr..
Dowxs served as State Senator, from st.
Mary's, in tie General Assembly of
1872, having filed the unexpired term
Of Senator Maddox, deceased. He was
D prominent member of the st. Mary's
Bar, having ut the time of his death a
large and increasing practice. He was
about forty years of age, and leaves a
wife and five children to mourn his loss.
We tender our warmest sympathies to
his bereaved family, trusting that their
oss will be his eternal gain"
The Times says
"Col. Downs was man of urbane
and genial disposition, and
though his professional pursuits neces-
'arily placed him in an antagonistic po-
'ition towards many, yet we believe he
lied without single enemy among the
people of his native county. His loss is
one which will be deeply felt by that
people and most poignantly by his very
many warm personal friends. We have
known him long and well and in thus
his untimely death, in the
bloom Of manhood and the brilliant
promise Of his usefulness, we do 50 with
he most unfeigned sorrow"
The Marlboro Gazette speaks of Col.
Downs as follows
"He was greatly loved and esteemed
BY all who knew him. Possessed of
/ kind and generous nature-honest
Ind sincerely attached to his friends,
ne had fewer enemies than generally
;alls to the lot Of public men. We can
hardly realize that our genial friend
has gone from among us-has taken
he long journey to the Land of the
Hereafter. We drop tear to bis men,
,rv; Screen be the turf above him."
The Prince Georgian says of the de-
,eased -
"Col. Downs was not only an able
md pleasant editorial writer, but was
\ lawyer of acknowledged ability, whose
ecal talent and urbanity of manner Sc
,ured him large and lucrative prac-
ice and many devoted friends. He
lied at the early age Of forty years, in,
we may Justly say, the vigor of his
physical and mental manhood. He
was a most genial and accomplished
gentleman, and possessed an inexhaus-
ible fund Of wit, humor and anecdote,
which made him an always welcome
guest in any circle in which he chose
10 move. His sudden death has evoked
he most profound regret among those
who knew him throughout Southern