The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-03-02

His terrible fate was upon him in an instant. One
moment he stood erect, strong, confident In the
years stretching peacefully out before him. The
| next he lay wounded, bleeding, helpless doomed
weary weeks OF torture, silence and the grave
Great in life, he was surprisingly great In death
For no cause, In the very frenzy of wantonness and
wckedness, by the red hand of murder, he was
thrust from the fun tide of this worlds interest,
from its hopes, its aspirations, Its Victories into
the visible presence OF deathand he did not quail
Not alone for the one short moment in which,
ned and dazed, he could give up life, hardly aware
of It's REIMBURSEMENT, but through days of deadly
languor through weeks of agony, that was not less
agony because silently borne with clear sight ana
calm courage he looked into his open grave. What
blight and ruin met his anguished eyes, whose lips
may tell-what brilliant, broken plans, what baf
fled, high ambitions, what sundering Of strong,
warm, manhoods friendships, what bitter rendng
of sweet household ties Behind him proud, ex-
pectant nation, great host of sustaining friends
cherished ard happy mother wearing the full rich
honors of her early toll and tears; The wife of his
youth, whose whole life lay in his the little boys
not yet emerged from chtldhoods day Of frolic the
fair. young daughter; the sturdy sons just spring
ing into closest companionshfp claiming every day
and every day rewarding fathers love and care;
and In his heart the eager, rejoicing power meet
all demands. Before him, desolaton and great
darkness And his soul was not shake His
countrymen were thrilled with instant, profound
and universal sympathy. Masterful in his morta
weakness he became the centre of nations love-
enshrined in the prayers of world. But all the
love and all the sympathy could not share with him
his suffering. He trod the wine press alone. With
unfaltering front he faced oeath. With unfaing
tenderness he took leave of life. Above the demo-
MAC hiss of the assassin's bullets he heard the
voice Of God. With simple resignation he bowed to
the Divine decree.
AS the end drew near, his early craving for the
returned The stately mansion of power had
been to him the wearsome hospital of pain, and he
begged to be taken from its prison walls, from
homelessness and It's hopelessness Gently, silent
y, the love Of people bore the pale sufferer
to the longed-for healing OF the live die
as God should will, within sight of its heaving bill
lows, within sound of its manifold voices With
wan feyered face tendery lifted to the cooling
breeze, he looked out wistfuIy upon the oceans
changing wonders on its far Sails whitening In the
morning light; on Its restless waves, roging shore
ward to break and die beneath the noo1day sun;
on the red clouds of evening, archng low to the
horizon; on the serene and shining pathway of the
stars. Let us think that his dying eyes read mys-
tic meaning which only the rapt and parting soul
may know Let believe that In the silence of the
recedfng world he heard the great waves brt aking
on farther shore, and felt already upon his vast
ed brow the breath of the eternal morning.