The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-01-13
Tombstone Literature.


am something of traveller, and /
nave weakness for tombstone litera-
lure. My notebook is full of lines cop
led from inscriptions on marble, slabs in
different parts of the countrv-some of
them half etfaced by time, and fmafi yofi
them written with little. skill OF, song
craft. l am particularly struck with
those 1 find ton the east end'of Long
Island, for the reason that they. refer in
SO many cases to the nautical life in
which so many old Long Islanders en-
gagged. Here in Sag Harbor. l find a
stone at the head of the grave of sailor
who, the inscription explains, - died in
port. Below is the following; .,vs or,
Rude Boreas winds and Neptune's waves
h Have tossed me too and fro: Rey45l tgf
BY God's decree, YOU plainly see,
Tin harbored here bel,w FTHgU
twas the old time practice. here to
tell how the deceased person lost his
life; hence l find in this cemetery scores
of graves with the inscription after the,
names and dates: ''- q
Killed by a Whale.
One stone says that the graves occu-
pant was ''Shot by a gum and anoth-'
er man | tind.. died by lightnins.''I A
handsome shaft stands. in the Sag Har-
Dor cemetery erected to the memory Of
sailors killed by whales. On one side
or the monument is a cut representing
whale striking a small boat with his
Hukes and number of sailors irving to
escape, Out on Block Island found,
this over sea captain: A' e'''
a. He's dene aseatcfing codiTiH ~
-, q, And gone to meet his God.
S In'the Sag Harbors Burial ground
three chilarenso oftthei same. parents are
buried. The epitaphs, bear witness that
the first has Gone t. Heaven the
second . Gone to meet her brother"
The third has the following: =,
Kate, aged 4 years, 3 months ''.'i&'EA 80
2, Twas here. 'lis gone. Whereris itsH y
l wondered whether the parents had
changed theifrelieious views; or whether
theiyouthful Kate had been, guilty of
sins that, in the minds of her parents.
untitled her for associatidff'w her-de..
ceased brother and sister, 4aad which,
made her whereabouts after death con
lecture. = El ~ &3ot3'O e iIiHE b9.F1g0i
. The grave of Captain David Hands
who died in 1910, at the age of eighty
one is in the same cemetery. He had
live wives who are all sleeping near himH 1
IN a row. Upon the tombstone Of his
third wife is the following; ;,,,<,,,-u
Behol !, ye living moftals, passing! byy,F -
how II IN ek the PARTNERS of eaelhusbsnd lie. is'
Vast and unsearchabIe the ways Of G ID;
Just, but severe, we feeirHis eha tening, rod.
: | was told by a descendant of the |
family that the Captain had sse.crured'F
the affections ofasixthlady just tmesiousj
to his death, which leaves the infer-
ence that he did not mean that the ones
who had dDgones before were to lhinlass q
" Christening rod" ,a
TRefollowinSg epitaph ora resent date
exhaustsy the ,Eocabularyz OF iaadt latior |
and suggests {. sufficient cause of |
death.'h 1t is on "a 'stone' near Easstt- Esassstt Z
hampton, Ls E:hs ,nioZ'H 81 II poxai d
~ !. NJ. C., Esq, age %.
It Is but a just tribute OF respect and afec- /
Clon to the memory OF this excellent young
man to say that he possessed a strong and I'm
ProVf,i nipd, amiable disposition, dignity o, |
department, generosity of spirit, n5erality Of |
entiment, benevolence of feeling, kindness |
Of heart, truly characteristic of those Christian |
principles waich he early imoibed and which |
inspired him with patience through a long
and distressing illness, stripped death of Its |
errors, the grave OF Its gloom, clothed his
lace with smiles upon the dying couch, and
Tiled his soul with the hope Of blessed i'm
mortality.
In New London, Conn, is a lot con-
tanning five graves, those of man and
MS four wives. The wemen's form fos,r
'ideso OF a square and the mans in tn e
center. while the Inscriptions are as