River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-12

4
mad been undisturbed for a generation
On the west wall the Virginia creepers
were struggling to grow out of the place
before they put on their scarlet tints o.
ihe autumn, and withir the bloom OF q
single bush of eglantine only relieved The
| scene of aelapidation which met you al
every footstep. There is but one monu
ment in the inclosure, that of Jefferson
whose grave was dug by his old DO v
aervest, Wormley. in the place which
jefferson had selected. 1t is located close
to the north wall equi-distant from us
sides. IL is coarse granite obelisk
about 9 feet high on base 3 feet square
| ard marks The head of the grave. There
| is not any inch of it that has not been
clipped and broken by the hand of the
vandal The edges of the shaft have been
ehipped from base TO apex till the corners
present the appearance of rough, I'M
1ewn stone. THE legendary tablets of
ihe past have been utterly obliterated by
'he defacement of the inscription. with
the single exception of the words in small
iet eTS at the base. The full epitaph
which NJ jefferson wrote, and rough
pen and-ink sketch of q monument for
himself, were found in private drawer a
Few days after his death. 1t was 10 be an
obelisk Of granite, eight feet high. and to
EAR land subsequently did bear) the fol-
loving inscription:
Here was buried Thomas Jefferson,
Author Of the Declaration of American
independence, of the Statute of Virginia
for Religious Freedom, aud Father of
the University of Virgil ia The in
scr ption for the base was to be: born
April ,. o. s. 1743, Died
His wishes were carried out, the blank in
the last iine being filed with July 4.
1926" All that is visible Of the inscrip-
Ton to-day are the lines; Born April
20. s. 1743. Died July A. 1926"
There is no trace whatever of the e, ave
OF tie wife of Jefferson. It was located
on the lower eide OF his monument. In
1851 this grave anG its slab of white
marble were visible with the simple in
scription: Martha Jefferson, Born in 1853
o. ). lntermarried with Thomas Jefferson
January |, 1872. Torn from him by
death September ., 1882 This monu-
ment of love is inscribed" On the other
or upper side If the obelisk the slab COW
ering the grave of Jeferson's eldest
laughter is partly legible. What is
missing is inserted in parentheses:
Martha Jefferson Randoiph), eldest
daughter of Thomas Jefferson. Born
Sept. i. (.772). Intermarried with
Thomas Mann Randolph, Feb. %, 1890.
Died Oct. 10, 1886. She possessed
strong and nltivated--miid and gentle
temper; warm, affectianate and self-sac
tlliciug in all her duties. This Is slight
mark at the love borne bv her SOP Thorn
IS J.iferson Randolph" Mr. Randolph
L ed but two wears ago. In 1872 he pre-
sided ever the Democratic convention
held III Ohio.
In his last days jefferson vote to
Madison: Take care OF me when dead
and De assured shall leave with you my
last aft ctions." Although his hiographer
iatimatas that this probably referred TO
the defence of part of his political
record 1t nevertheless appeals in its tull-
est sense to the American people to save
from further Dissertation that which
Nacanlav tells us is ''the temple cfsiience
ana reconciliation. Ii will be useless
for Congress to place new monument
oyer his grave unless il devises some
means - protect it. It will be located
in an almost un requeuted place, where
II can he detaced quite as rapidly as the
Or, sent one was 10y those who neither
ravere the memory nor respect the grave
Of Jefferson.
In passing from the old burial place
on the mountain side thu visitor suddenly
-merges from the forests and iuds him
self on the summit, with view in all di
rections but the one he had just come
from, OF surpas slug beauty. 1t has been
s. oft described by travellers that il
need not he fully detailed here. The eye
sweeps from forty TO 6f.g miles over the
valleys beneath. In ibis vast sea 81 Yer
.iure' the riDples and shadows dance
over the luxuriaut field of grain to the
limit of the vision. The level of the
horizon GA the south is broken by Willis
forty miles distant. Mr. JEFF
f-rson used to say ii the country OF
Fluyanna was a lake and Willis
mounEa!n a volcano his scenery would be
perfect But there are very few grander
prospects .han this SO easy Of access and
so fine ii climate
On very level place of two or three
acres on The very summit stands the house,
halt em3owered in trees. On the south az
vou approach it the broken windows and
walls give il the look Of COM
plete ruin, but IN front and rea- the spa-
cious u rticoes are ia fair state of pre-
seTvation, and the building otherwise
i Us AN appearance of shabby Sptendor. 1t
is long brick structure surmounted by
a dome, with the Architectural devices
ppcu lar to Jefferson. The only sign o
lite about the place was ragged and
eroveliing old mana yeTitable tramp IN
appearance-who rocked himself IN the
warm sun in chair on the p0Ftieo. II
was hard to believe that this faded and
person had taken possession
of the place many years ago, and eked out
by charging the university
students and SUCH other visitors as rarely
came up from Charlottesville an Admission
to the house. In the long pending litlga-
uon of the property no one has had any
control o. il. aud this man has simply eX
ercised tho doctrine of "squatter soyereig-
IT,"
"Do YOU want 10 see the inside OF old
man Jeffersons housed" was his salution.
.Ifhep it viii cost you twenty-five cents.
me money paul ue iioobicn iAic"s>n
one of the main doors, aud dropping an
iron oar they both swung and the visitor
stood in a lofty square hall, the malR or
central room of the building, on one side
of which was balustrade, from which,
old man quaintly said jefferson used
to make speeches 10 lis guests" 1t was
evidently inteded FOR musiciane, as this
nail and one above it under the dome Q
the house were used for bathrooms
There was nothing in the room but a
aolding ladder in q corner aud clock ovel
the door. both of which belonged 10 JEFF
feFson, ana chandelier of handsome pat
tern, which hung from the centre OF the
ine stuceo work OF the ceiliag. The
door was laid in blocks of whine cherry,
and is in excellent condition. This Foou
opened Dy sliding glass doors Of decided
modern look on the semi-Jctagonal sou IA
.ast portic Beyond on the right Is a
se,ni,..ssagonal tea room and Two com
moiious 2 Iest-roons aud a dinlng-room
A very handsome marhie sia9 lad recent
IL t,etn stolen from this I,m.
On the left was Mr.. Rsndolphs room
and ti.st If Jefferson, an beyond, extend
inc the whole lid,a of the house, the
library. The latter opened on the conser-
va,orF. which IS in ruins On tiis aPper
fioars are the bedrooms, with alcoves IN
each for the bed, CT. up into all conceiv-
able shapes By the irregular form OF the
honsc Tney sre reSeiisd by litcle, mar