The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1878-09-19

he had thought OF the cleverest plan of
life,'' that could be imagined. "You ex-
change your lands for Edgehill, y he said,
''or I mine fol, Fairfied's; you maryS. P.
marry R. B., join and get pole chair and
pair OF keen horses, practice the law in
the same courts and drive about to all
the dances in the country together"
Arcadian plan, but not to be carried out,
for later letter says: with regard to
the scheme which I proposed to you
some time since 1 am sorry to tell it is
totally frustrated by Miss R. BIS marri-
age with Jacqulin Amber which the peo-
pie here tell me they daily expect.
Well, the Lord bless her, I say!" Mr..
Amber was treasurer of Virginia his
brother Edward married Miss Cary,
who tradition asserts, had also Tilted a
future president-Wa Washington, to-wit.
Belinda had been married many years
when her old admirer, then approaching
30, met Martha Shelton Of The Forest,
Charles City, daughter of Mr.. John
Wayles, an eminent lawyer. At the age
of II she had married in 1866 Mr.. Bath
urst Shelton, who died two years later.
At % the widow was "a little above the
medium height, slender, but elegantly
formed" with fair complexion, delicate
ly tinted; large hazel eyes, full of life
and feeling luxuriant hair Of rich, soft
auburn; she rode and danced with ele-
CANT ease, sang and played very sweetly,
had excellent sense. admirable cultiva-
ION, a warm heart and c large fortune.
With Mrs. Shelton Jefferson fell in love
He had two rivals, and one historian
| records that they abndoned the feldto
him when one night (when probably each
had come resolved to put his fortune to
the touch) they met on the doorstep and
heard within Jeffersons violin and song,
accompanying the lady in aplaintive voice
On New Years day, 1872, Jefferson and
she were married, and soon after they set
ont for Monticello, which the groom had
begun to build in 1859, just before the
burning of his patrimonial home of
Shadwell. As they advanced towards the
mountains 1t came on to snow, and at last
they had to leave the coach and take to
horses. At Blenheim, Col Carriers estate,
where they stopped to rest, they found
no one but an overseer, and leaving it st
sunset they resolutely faced towards
Monticello, eight miles distant, along a
mountain pathway three feet deep with
snow. Says Mr.. Cooke:
st was late when they arrived and
a cherries reception awaited them OF
rather there was no reception at all. The
fires were all out, the servants had gone
to bed and the place was dark and silent
as the grave. Conducting his wife to the
little pavilion, which was the only part
OF the house habitable at the time, Jeffer-
son proceeded to kindle the fire and do
the honors. On shelf behind some
books part OF bottle of wine was dis
covered, and this formed the supper of
the bride groom and the bride Far from
being annoyed or discounted by their re-
ception, however, it only served as a
topic Of jest and laughter. The young
lady was as lighthearted as bird, and
sent her clear voice ringing through the
dreary little pavilion as gaily as she had
ever done in the cheerful drawing room
of the Forest, and thus the long hours of
the winter night fled away like minutes,
v,.~ad with laughter, merriment and
song"
That was los years ago. bridegroom
and bride now repose in the graveyard,
in thick growth of woods few hun
dred yards to the right of the road that
leads up to Monticello, an unfrequented
slope of the mountain. There are some
thirty graves here, partly ihclosed by q
brick wall 100 feet square and 10 feet
high, with old and rusty iron gates wide
enough, though seemingly locked with
rust, to admit carriage on the north
and west sides. On the south side the
entire wall has been toppled over by
some storm, and lies level in its courses
of brick with the ground. Within the en-
closure every thing at the time of my
visit was the vcriest picture Of desolation
and decay.
With the exception OF two or three
marble slabs viii n mark the graves Of
some of the decendents of the Jefferson
family who were buried as late as ten
years ago, there are not one that was not
broken and defaced, half covered with
weeds and earth or out of Its place.
Weeds and stones and bricks covered one
half of the ground and looked as n they
had been undisturbed for q generation.
On the west wall the Virginia creepers'
were struggling to grow out Of the place
before they put on their scarlet tints Of
the autumn, and within the bloom Of .
single bush of eglantine only relieved the
scene of delapidation which met you at
every footstep. There is but one monu
ment in the inclosure, that of Jefferson,
whose grave was dug by his old bo-ly-
serveat Wormley, in the place which
jefferson had selected. It il located close
to the north wall equi-distant from it,
sides. 1t is . coarse granite obeiisk
about 9 feet high on base 8 feet square
and 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
Clipped from base to apex till the corners
present the appearance of rough, un-
hewn stone. The Legendary tablets Of
the past" have been utterly obliterated BY
the DETACHMENT of the inscription, with
the single exception of tn words in small
letters 1t the base. The full epitaph
winch Mr.. jefferson wrote, and . rough
pen-and-ink sketch of . monument fol
himself, were found in private drawer Z
few days after his death. It vas to be ~
obelisk Of granite, eight feet high. and t.
bear land subsequently, did bear the fol
| loWinO inncripSi0n.