Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-12-17
u" THE KINGS MISSILE, 1901. :"


town
Earnest and honest, mar, at need
10 burn like torch for his own harsh creed,
lie kept with the flaming brand of his seal
The gate Of the holy commonweal.
His brow was clouded, his eve was stern,
With look of mingled sorrow and wrath;
Woes me-" he murmured, "at every turn
Inc pestilent Quakers are in my pathl
some we have scourged, and banished some,
some hanged, more doomed, and still they
come,
Fast as the tide Of yon bay sets in,
Sowing their heresy's seed Of sin.
"Dld we count on this? Did we leave behind
The graves Of our kin, the comfort and ease
Ot our English hearts and homes, TO fhd
Troublers of Israel such as thcsef
ehall sparef Shall pity themg God for
viii do as the prophet to Agag did:
Ihey come 70 poison the wells of the word,
VIII new them in pieces before the LordW
The door swung open, and Rawson, the clerk,
Entered, and whispered under breath,
"There awaits below for the hangmRn's work
A fellow banished on pain of death
Shattuck, of Salem, unhealed of the whip,
Brought over in Master Goldsmith's ship,
AZ anchor here in a Christian port,
With freight Of the devil and all his sOrtW
Twice and thrice on his chamber floor
Striding iercely from wall TO wall,
"The Lord do so to me and more"
The Governor cried, 'Hf hang not all
bIlnE ullneE the quaker" Nallnt HeOhtet
With the look Ola man at ease with fate,
Into tho presence grim and dread
Game Samuel shattuck, with hat on head.
"Of with tho knave's hatw An angry hand
Smote down the ofensei but the wearer
with a aIiiet smile, "By the Kings command
bear his tnessnge and stand In his stead"
In the Governors hand Il missive he laid,
With the royal arms on It's seal displayed;
AND the proud man spake, rs he gazed there
at,
Uncovering, "Giye Mr.. shattuelS his hat"
He turned to the Quaker, bowing low:
The King cominandeth your friends re-
lease.
Doubt not he shall be obeyed although
To his subjects sorrow and sins increase.
What he here enioineth, John Endicott,
His loyal servant, questioneth not.
You are treel God grant the spirit you own
May take you from us to parts unknown"
So tho doorof the jail was open cast, '.-
And like Daniel out of the lions den
Tender youth and girlhood passed,
With age-bowed women and gray locked
men,
And the voice of one appointed to die
Was lifted in praise and thanks ON high.
And the little maid from New Netherlands
Kissed, in her Joy, the doomed mans hands.
And one, whose call was 20 minister
To the souls in prison, beside him went,
An ancient woman, bearing with her
The linen Stroud for his burial meant.
For she, not counting her own life dear,
In the strength OF IL love that cast out fear,
Had Watched and served where her brethren
Like those who waited the Cross beside.
One moment they paused on their way to
On the martyr graves by the Common side
And much -scOurgcd Wharton of Salem took
His burden of prophecy up and cried
Rest, souls of the valiant! Not in vain
Have We borne the Masters cross of pain;
4e have fought the fight, ye are victors
crowned
With fourfold chain ye have Satan bound P'
The autumn haze lay soft and still
On wood and meadow and upland farmsI ID
On the brow of Snow Hill the great windmill
Slowly and lazily swung its arms;
Broad in the sunshine stretched away,
With its capes and islands, the turquoise bay;
And over water and dusk Of pines
Blue hills lifted their faint outlines.
The topaz leaves of the walnut glowed,
The sumach added its crimson feck,
And double in air and water showed
The tinted naples along the Neck;
Through frost-nower clusters of pale star.
mist,
And gentian fringes Of amethyst,
And royal plumes of the golden-ro
The grazing cattle on Gentry trod.
But as they who see not, the Quakors saw
The world about them; they only thought
With deep Thanksgiving and pious awe
OF the great deliverance God had wrought.
Through lane and alley the gazing town
Noisily followed them up and down;
Some with soothing and brutal leer,
Some with pity and words of cheer
One brave voice rose above the din.
Upsall gray with his length of days,
Cried from the door of his Red Lion Inn
"Men of Boston, give God the praise
No more shall innocent blood call down
The bolts of wrath ON your guilty town.
The freedom of worship, dear to you,
Is dear to all, and to all is due.
al see the vision of days TO come, .|
When your beautiful City Of the Bay
Shall be Christian liberty's chosen home,
And none shall his neighbours rights gain
say.
The varying notes OF worship shall blend
And as one great prayer to God ascend
And hands of mutual charity raise
Walls of salvation and gates of praise"
So passed the Qual1ers through Boston town,
Whose painful ministers sighed to see
The walls of their sheep-fold falling down,
And wolves of heresy prowling free.
But the years went on, and brought no wrong
With milder counsels the State grew strong,
AS outward letter and inward light
Kept the balance Of truth Alright ..r t.r'
The Puritan spirit perishing not
To COnCOrus yeOmeu the signal sent,
And spake in the voice of the cannon. shot
That severed the chains of a continent.
With its Rentler mission of peace and good
will
The thought of the Quaker Is living still,
And the freedom of soul he prophesied
Is gospel and law where its martyrs died.
John q. Whittier, IN " The Memorial HiStOTy Of
DoStoh' tarr..N -r.LsaI- d ff o. -