The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-01-22
JACKSON, Miss, Nov D, 1878
Il H. TmLEY, Esq. Navy Department

ii. ii. IILLEI, Esq Navy Department
Washington:
DEAR SIR: Your postal card Of 20sh is re
ceIVed. Tue name at The gentIe man re-
lerred To is Robert k-nnon Jayne H l.
he editor OF the ~ eNtoH Il port, aud re
sides ia Newton, y .wtOn county, Miss.
The nature OF The service, rendered by
this gentlemen during the prevalence OF
yellow fever at Lake and other points Is %
eXt ordinary, anu presents such brilliant
contrast 10 the many Instances OF coward!ce
and spllishucs> seen under similar ciroum-
stances, that | cannot tOrb AT making a
somewhat extended mention ot nj noble
conduct; and nope | shall BE- pardon,d II
| tres pass on your time ana patience Ia So
dOing--so ardently d. | admire The mau and
the -prit IN at prom ptei him To the dis
charge OF his ssit-Impose duties, under
such distressing cIrcum- tanceS.
Mr.. JAYNE came into Lake. stranger,
walking; sought me, who WIS the physi-
clan in charge 81 thu sick, and Inquired If
he coId be OF service IN any capacity. L
sked aim il he was Il phySlciaH--a me liCaI
stuoent--a minister of the Cos pel--if he had
ever nur>ed yellow fever; To ali OF which
inquiries he answered No. | asked "Wh 1t
DO you mean? DO you intend deliberately
TO sacrifice your lite in trying t0 save the
lives OF strangers, and you inexperienced
in nursing and unaccIImated?' NO, [
hope not" was the reply, Il mean that !
am At leisure, aud | want to do whatever
good can here, and il can be OF : rvice in
l
ing al that time mdHy very sick p -r~ons.
he Wa placed at the bedside o. one ct the
patients who's disease would be At iTe ciiSis
within the next twelve hours, and dire
lions given him what 10 do The patient
recovered; il was Mr. Watts. the telegraph
operator, and Il useful citizen. He after
wards nurscd Watts brother aud both re-
cOVcries were in great measure due to
the intelig ence, the fidelity and wafchul
care with which Mr. jayne nur~ed them
He displayed SO much Z"ai and in5 elligruce
WAS so sincerely Interested in the welfare
~ the patient in his charge (Ilid he was al
W V afterwards assigned TO the worst
ra-e>) that he won the admiration OF ali.
H. Ell to be relieved, night or day. and
rarely took time to eat, drink, or sleep.
Il mattered not with him whether the pa
tent was high or low in the social scale
from the rustic plOwbOy t. the rctined.
educated wife or daughter OF the veal bier
cit zen, his attentions were unccasing, and
characterized always by g"ntfeness and
tender QeVOtiOH--auIirip1tlng every want,
and finally abandoning his charge only
with The expiration OF the last br. attn.
When The fearful com plicaUion arose, in
consequence of the sinking of the new
graves after the rAiu--Jorm aud the escape
f the poisonous gases from tie haIf-eX pos
I'd bodies, VI r. Jayne was the only person
who woul. volunteer 10 lead the way aud
superiutend the Trtilling OF the graves and
he diSiufcctipg of the localily--the work
adjoining them TO their fate.
When be was tidally attacked by the dis
ease, he requested som. friends TO come
near and hear what he wished to say in the
event that he should n It recover. HaYing
made his mind easy on the subject of his
Iempor&l affairs, he turned his IN 'ughts TO
heaven. and, asking us to join him in prayer,
he calmly folded his hands across his breast
aud uttered the most beautiful, the most
touchingly ell quent prayer il has ever been
! my 60 fortune to hear. He commenced
his spirit 70 God. and SAID: Thy will be
done, God! | am ready" His attack
was one OF unusual severity. Three of the
four physicians who attended him an took
il BY relays in nursing him. despaired Of
his life. and the grave digger had his grave
ready. But, thank God, the noble. brave
fellow did not fill it. He had stolen away
from his agr d.. widowed mother, and she
knew not OF his braye deeds-his unparal-
leled herUi>m; knew not OF his peril, till
the joyful news OF his recovery was flashed
over the wires u her All honor to the
noble Mississippi boy! He is IA native OF
Jackson. aged about IS; is in very moderate
cir Gums auceS-a man of culture and re-
fincment and has followed the pro fession
of teaching, in addition 70 that OF editing a
a paper. His family i one of the best III
Mississippi; he is a nephew of Col. Joseph
NJ. JAYNE. of Brandon, and cousin OF
Hon. j. NJ. Jay ne, Jr., formerly repre- enta-
live from Rankin, in The Mississippi Leg
isatuTe.
| should not forget to mention that he eX
pressed a sense OF deep modification on one
occasion when the President OF the Relief
Association expressed some doubts "a To the
ability of the Association TO pay So many
nurses--wouuded To the quick that his mo
lives should have been 80 miscoustrued.
He afterwards nursed many friends in
Meridian. Begging pardon for SO much,
where you had sim ply requested his address,
| am Very Respectfully yours.
r. + DANIEL NJ d.