Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-05-06

plOfAAON uNS VI LlAC tWC1tC Pa oOudSCs
ofthe Tennessee Conference, and when
the lines are properly and permanent
" fixed they viii doubtless provide as
many more. God bless them in all
their undertakings for His glory and
the good Of all the people.
T. J. DUNCAN.
New Providence. April %, 1876.
Sd % DEATH OF AN EDITOR. eaa
Robert w. Thomas-His Career as a
JOurnalist--His Popularity Among
His Own People.
[Correspondence of the Courier-Journal.l
CLARKsvILI.E,, Tenn, April 26,
1S76.-The Courier Journal was in
formed by telegraph of the death of
Robert w. Thomas, Esq, editor of the
ClarksVille Chronicle, which occurred
at the residence of his son-in-law, Gen.
James NJ. Quarles, at Nashville, Sat-
urdaY night last. Probably the death
of no citizen of this county for many
years past has produced so profound a
sensation in our midst as that of Mr..
Thomas. For twenty-six years Mr..
Thomas was resident of Ciarksvflle,
having moved here with his family
from Hopkinsyille, Kentucky. in June,
1919. He was, a native of Virginia,
born near Charlottesville, Albermarle
county, March 21, 1903. At an early
age he graduated at the University of
Virginia with honors, having as his
classmates r. Nj. L. Hunter, w. G.
Rives and others who have made their
mark in the. world of politics as he has
also made his in that ofletters. He
was married April Is, 1929. and his
wife and three sons and three daugh-
ters survive him. In 1917 and 48 he
was editor Of the Green River Whig at
Hopkinsville, Ky. u At that time Il.
Il. McGinty, Esq, now deceased, was
editor of the Chronicle. q In 1849 Mr..
McGinty removed to Nashville to take
charge of the True Whig, aud Mr..
Thomas was calledste manage the edi-
torial department. of the Chronicle
In politics he was "a Thorough yWhig,
and his editorials in the exciting can
vases which took place prior to the
late war; were extensively copied
throughout the South and West. At
the beginning of the war he, was a
staunch Union man, but when the at
tack was made upon Fort Sumter he
gave up all hope of sustaining the
compact as formedaby our forefathers,
and with thousands and tens of thOusl
ands of the citizens of Tennessee, he
took sides with the people of his ma
tive, South. All of his sons were in
the Confederate army and CALAMITY
bore, their part in that terrible conflict
until its disastrous termination. Born
in aff1uence and reared in luxury, he
found in his old age the fortunes, of
his youth gone from him to enhance
that of other men Generous. to q
fault and con6ding in his nature, he
trusted his means to others, or lost it
upon that false and abominable prac-
tice of security, which was a bane to
society under the old credit system
The strictest fidelity to his friendship
was striking trait in his character
The world, generally speaking, is ex-
ceedingly prone to underYalue the SER
vices of mankind, or rather to calcu-
late them by the apparent ease with
which they are produced. They can
grieve over the whitening strength and
constitution of him whose health has
been torn from its iron foundations by
the sacrifice of ease and rest to the
unsatisfying acquisition of gain. But
for the tolls and fatigues, the wrest-
lings and the frustrated yearnings of
the mind the world has but little SYM
pathy. Those who struggle with the
pen for feeble sustenance to support
life which they know they must sooner
or later resign and vanish with it from
the remembrance of the world-what
are their hungur and thirst, and tears
and dependencies, that they should
be thought of by the opnlent and lead
ers of the worlds great folly, fashion ?
His conmmunions with authors, and
the muse, and the gushingS of better
thoughts or sound logic which make
his writings immortal are received as
the restless inspiration of nature. No
one will yield to him the reward of
his tolls, but he is looked upon as
a man blessed with genius from
higher sphere with which to astonish
the world The virtues of Robert w.
Thomas were of an unobtrusive char
acter. They hailed not the public at
the street corners, nor did his talents
awake the echoes of the forum. lie
had no aspirations for Office, and his
extreme retiring nature prevented him
from seeking society, When sought
by those who admired him, around
his own hearthstone, his strong con-
powers together with his
vast store of knowledge and his brill
liant acumen, always left upon the
mind of his listeners something fit to
be remembered. 1t was meet and
right that the Greenwood Cemetery
should donate lot in their
beautiful city OF the dead for his
final resting-place, and the resolutions
and addresses at the large public meet
ing held to-day were but a just and
earnest opinion of the wholecommu-
nifty Of the virtues and talents of one
who had labored so assiduously for a
quarter Of century for the interests
Of his adopted State and county,
LEW.