Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-10-29


liture, carvings, jewels, musical instru-
nents, &c.
For the SPECTATOR
81 ''All Flesh is Grass.,'
Mr.. EDITOR We were greatly i'm
pressed with the solemn truth of these
words of Holy Writ, when falling in. a
few Gays since, with an accurate record
kept by prominent undertaken of the
county of Augusta. He was q native
of the village of Port Republic, and
came to the town of Waynesboro in
1888. We refer to Mr.. William B. AL
exander, cabinet-maker, &c., of that
village. He spent some years in learn
ing the mysteries of that handicraft
with his brother Moses, who had car
ried it on there for years. In 1S46, hav-
ing perfected his trade, and DESTROYS of
seeing something of the world, outside
of cabinet shop, he strayed
to Staupton, and there fell in with that
gentleman, remembered by so many as
remarkable for having more sunshine
in his countenance than any man the
writer ever saw. 1t was, no doubt, be-
cause of that fact that Samuel M. Wood
ward was selected as the Steward of
the Western Lunatlc Asylum, the 6rst
to fill the Office, the duties of which he
discharged for near third Of century.
Mr.. Woodward put him in charge of
one of the wards Of the Asylum, where
he remained a year. Thence he return
ed to Waynesboro and opened the shop.
in 1847, in which he may now be found,
aided by thfes grown sons. Here, flor
thirty-oRe years, he has, when called
upon, made the narrow house for the
tall, the wise, the reverend head" as
also for the humble, whether wearing
the lineaments of the Caucasian or the
African. He made the first for Simon
Fitch's child on the 18th May, 1916. On
the oath day of October, 1861, the 50Oth
burial case, which was fashioned in his
shop. contained the remains of Miss
Dull. On the 5th day Of October. the
the child of Mr.. John Bragg, which
made one tfousand. just think of it
Besides, there were two other under
takers, 4 Mr.. David Berry, ? few miles
below, and Mr.. Robert Hensley, few
miles above, the village; then there were
four years of war, when Mr.. Alexander,
as soldier, following the Confederate
flag, was doing what he could, in an
humble way, in providing material for
some body else to bury, whether with
the rude coffin, common to the soldier
or in his blanket, as was often the case.
Then Mr.. Lambert sat up in the same
| village three years ago. Then Sheridan
came along during the war, and what
lumber he did not burn, managed, with
his troopers, to trample it in the mud,
so that it had to be scraped carefully be-
| fore it could be dressed. These collins
supplied the want of large bit of ter
ritory in the counties of Augusta, Mel
son, and Albemsrle. Some were sent
off to Washington, to Baltimore and
other remote points, where persons died
| away from home. Some covered the
remains of the unfortunate laborers,
Irish, for the most part killed by the
casualties consequent upon the building
of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, the
tunnel, &c. Some contained the re-
mains of the unfortunate suicide, and
some the victims of the casualties and
accidents to which all of us are liable.
Many were the ages, of both sexes
and both colors, who had passed the
Scriptural limit. Then the middle aged
and the young-from the tiny infant of
a span Of a day to the lovely little prat-
tier that had lived long enough to Irvine
its tendrils about many hearts. Here we
noticed one, "John Evelyn Houston, !"
son of Rev. Hale Houston, born in Chi
ma. There is family in that portion of
the county, noted for its numbers. We
speak in the bounds of reason, when
we say the one tenth of the number
contained members of that family
Then there is long list of the deaths
arising from the casualties of the war;
AS most of these were of persons far
from home, it may be pardonable to
name many of them, inasmuch as the
anxieties, incident to war, obscured the
circumstances of their death at the time.
A Mr., VIM. H. Jones, from some point
in the Pan Handle of Virginia, being
in delicate health, threatened with con-
sumption, had gone to Texas in quest
of its restoration. The war came on, he
reached Staunton on his return, and
and there found the blockade was such
he was cut off from home. Imagine, if
you can, moao, the anxieties he endured,
to say nothing of his disease, about
those he loved, and, in the few rap
idly waning days, must have de-
SPARED of seeing. In some way he
drifted back to. Waynesboro, where
death terminated his sufferings on 9th
November. 1861. In 1865 Mr.. Frank
| OtdAu1lO1u1 LID COdSlu, SCAU cISuLy OOl-
lars to Mr.. Alexander to place mon
ument over his grave These sol
diers met death in that vicinity, we
may suppose, at private houses, as we
do not remember there were any hos
pitfalls nearer than Staunton Geo. W.
Smith, Russell county, Va, June 9Th,
1862; Milton Johnson, Pendleton coun-
ty, w. Va. June, 1862; Julius Zock,
La, June 10th, 1S62-his remains car.
ried to Richmond, January 31st, 1868 !;
Henry G. Kennedy, Ga, June 18th,
1862; Thos. S. Moore, Ga, June Goth,
1852; VIM. Taylor, La, June, 22d, 1862 !;
VIM. L. Calvert, Shenandoah, Va,
Aug. oath, 1862; VIM. Rice, Augusta
county, November 9th, 1861; Michael
Toban, Irish Battalion, Aug. 3rd, 1862 !;
Samuel Catlett, May sth, 1862; Samuel
Christian, May 9th, 1852; Thos. Quin-
Ian, Augusta county, June list, 1866
Among the dead that he cared for, &C.,
were those who fought in the Revolu-
tionary war, the war of 1912, that with
Mexico in 1916, and that of the Lost
Cause. Remarkable fact, is it not p
February 9th, 1868, A. Bear, native
of South Carolina, with brother sol
der, were seen by two gentlemen, seat
ed near the depot. to approach South
hlFCl 11Ou UuO IblCuu1OuU Sue. Inc
River was so high, the lockers on did
not think they would venture. Mr.. Bear
did; very soon his horse was carried
down under the bridge; he was washed
off, and struggled with the flood to a
point near the railroad bridge, where
he approached so near the bank, on the
Waynesboro side, some one was about
to extend hand to save him, then
nearly exhausted, when one of the spec.
tators on the bridge foolishly called to
him that he would be dragged in, he
desisted; poor Bear, in a moment,
threw up his hands and sank from view.
A week after his body was found by
Miles Davis and wife, when walking
near the river, lying under the steep
bank opposite Mr.. Peter Hangers. Mr..
Bear was returning to his fathers on
furlough. Mr.. Layton, a soldier wound
ed at Charlottesville, died at Waynes-
boro, Nay 9th, 1868. One Butcher, in
Sheridan's raid, killed Oct. 18th, 1866
Another, from Michigan, killed on same
day. Federal soldier killed, February
I'd, 1864, near the river.
The mpmOranda of thia Ianufhv ro