The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-05-05
A NOBLE SELF SACRIFICE.
"Who an ! what was h p b

rn' - asGH Hi .-IH
"Who an what was hs?' -it hla .-G-
1 was standing ilthe cliurshyard of a
mall town OH tie bor RS of South
Stiff rdshire one bright Sunday after
noon in April. I was stranger in that
part of the country, aud was passing
through the place in the course OF u
loug walk from the larger adjacent town.
10 which my business bad taken me the
lay before. The extensive mining oper-
ltions of the last twelve or fl tten v, ans
ainltered the lt,l' unprst, ndiug village
materially; AMI though the Iusiut old
eh ilch aud some long and low buildings
suggestive of farms AMI homestead,
still retained an air of rustic simplicity.
they We're ing gradually ohscured and
the pl zee itsel: s,phiStica cd by the for.
nal rows of plain and ugly tenements,
hnilt expressly for the mining popula-
tion, which each year was bec.ming
more aud more, numerous. .H..n
had amused myself by decipheripg
ONE uf the INSCRIPTIONS on the grave
stones well uish obliiernted ljy the
w-itller;stAins and mos, that tins bad
suffered 20 tind root -hold Il in the hollows
ofthe lettering when man. presumably
a mi er, III the S ,nday clothes peculiar
to that class, carrying n little ciiId Of
two or three years. and followed by an
otj.er somewhat older. seated himself ON
Il fl 1t stone, aud opened capvels ,ti,n.
A civlly spoken man enough. though
rith the ntc'nh accent of the country,
readily aecs! t. d theinvrta,iouh he otf r.
cd, and we ch"tted pleasantly. He had
known the lace, many years. he told
me, aye, long before it he'd grown iu'o
the town il now was. when it was moth
ing but an humble village. and VIII II the
lorg grass and ripening corn boNe its
head to the wind ON The spot where tie
m ighly engine-Louse and tall red
chimney now stood. and where the heal s
of Stag and Gin Ter m ,rked the busy lie
of the earth below.
Tnat handsome marble monument, he
told me, denoted the last restingplace
of the ! ,te r. ctur, aud this broad. mas
sive piece ot grlnite was the tomb of n
rtaip local 'qpire, popul ,rly known as
Squire Jack" who. it seemed. was
much given to horsr racing. cpcking aud
such kindred sports. aud who, being a
sad ''nr,r.do-well, II thoughtIess, reck-
less fellow. but withal good-natnred and
easy-going, was, as snch gentry not uu-
ir,qneutly are. tine most popular mem
her of his family
As my rev acquaintance pointed ou,
these ol cts aud Others which b.
thought. snpp0se. would interest me,
he tad risen from his seat, and we had
Strclled lelSur,ly through the church
yarf 1t wax in a corner. ~ I,tir 7 in
a hollow. that, before an humble mound
Of green turf, an" decked with the ,.r ity
spring flowers, carefully planted in The
form of II cross, we both. ns of one nc
cord, paused. 1t ad not airy grave
stone, hut only piece "f W 90, sup
ported 10y two short upriRhts. On ii i,
"ere roughly carved. as if done with !
pockeiknife, these two words: -, htirl
Joe"
That is str nge inscription TO u
overa mans grave" ! said; and thel
added, Who and what WAS h,?"
The mau seated hins,lf on a ston,
near bS, and was sleut for few see
unds He had st down the hIlle chill,
he had been carrying, and the two lttl
things, attracted by The bright AIwers
had found their way T. lrt m)uII aud
we're about to gather them. ..
Hire; you musi'l tnuch them foR
ers, he said, aud, taking Laud OF esoi
led thsm away.
"W II, mate. he then went on to sa,
to M. in reply to my question, Il don
rightly know who or what he was. II
WAS sir'nger down here, and neithe
me nor my mates ever hear tell wher,
he came from or who he Was Whel
this here pit, Feuton's pit we call it, wa
first worked we had but few hands here
ab1ats, aud men as could work bad III
call to wait long for job, and got
good wnge MS wfll. Nest of the band
were Staffardshir-, Int we never knnwe,
whore Joe eame fr' m ard don't ku"'
'rs We nskrd, and p'rpS I've Wonlm't til
rs if we nad. He was quiet aud lrn-ly
like, aud said but liulr--ibnt IL when Il
wns all right; hut VIXEN he'd bad dro
10 drink. as IuHybe OF n Saturday might
when be had gotten his wage, Of all tn
hands l ever see to swear. spend hi
money, wresile or fight, there wssL't on
like Fighting Joe."' -.. ..r..tl
"And hence his name. l surpose2"
asked. "Aud Of eoune il IN the al
story again--driuk, qnsTrrl. a hgh