Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-02-03


Celebration but the pamphlet never
having been published, the material
then collected has been, at our request,
kindly handed over to this paper for
pub ication
ROBERT COCKBURN, JR., the son
of Robert Cockburn, of COckburn
Hill, east of Martinsburg, was born
in 1775. When | first knew the ia
Their he was, perhaps, at least so years
of age. His long, flowing white hair,
covering his shoulders and reaching
far down his back, and his snowy
beard sweeping to his waist, gave
a striking and picturesque appear
ance to the old man. 1t was said,
that he had been college bred that
he had been educated in the best
schools in Scotland and that he had
amassed rich fund of classical lore
and historical knowledge.
"Cockburn HILL" as it was then
called, with its extensive orchard of
cherries was we'll known to every
boy in Martinsburg and often has
many an idle and truant urchin
reused the excitable temper of the
old hermit by pillaging his fruit be-
fore it was quite ripe. When ma
"a In
could be more generous and liberal
than he was in the license granted
to gather it.
He had two sons, Adam and Rob-
ert. Adam was dull and stupid
boy Robert the genius of the fam
lily, and upon him did the hopes of
the old man Tepose. He was smart,
loquacious ,disputatious,and brimful
of egotism, pertness and conceit. He
had an extravaganza idea of his
scholarship and of his poetical tai
ents. He selected the vocation of a
schoolmaster. The birch and the
ferule were no idle implements in his
hands. He was self indulgent to his
own vices, but ineXoIably severe on
the peccadilloes Of his pupils. He
had all the learning at that period
of our educational history, deemed
necessary to an instructor Of youth.
Twas certain he could write and CIPHER
too,
Lands he could measure, terms and tides
presage,
And e'en, the stor an, that he could
guage
In arguing too, the parson owned his skill,
For cen tho vanquished he could argue
still.
But it was not in his character of
schoolmaster that he became en-
titled to be noticed in these humble
sketches. His gay, frolicsome and
social temper-his familiarity with
all games and pastimes at rural en-
tertainments, his capacity for ex-
temporaneous rhyming-made him
the hero of all apple butter boilings,
quilting parties, cotillion assemblies
and corn husking festivities, for
miles around. No party was deemed
complete unless graced by the pres
ence of Bob Cockburn.' He sang,
played on the fiddle, told funny
stories and eXtemporiZed verses for
the relief of those who were amused
in poetical forfeits. But such a
round of dissipation in those days
of apple jack and whiskey-when no
temperance lecturer had ever been
heard of in the land-in the course
of a few years began to tell on the
habits of the frolicsome pedagague
his nose began to blush-his eyes
became weary and inflamed-and
he soon fell under the dominion of
that tyrant who has never been
known to show mercy or compassion
to his helpless victims.
Bob was patriot as we'll as poet;
at least, / am justified in thinking
so, from a poem of his which l have
seen in an old number of the Mar
tinsburg Gazette and what is the
only specimen of his poetical genius
which has survived "the wreck of
matter and the crash of worlds" |
can only take a short extract from
it.
1t was written in June, 1918, one
of the gloomiest periods of our last
war with Great Britain. Norfolk
Portsmouth and all the towns and
cities on the Chesapeake Bay and
James River were threatened by a
powerful naval and military force of
the enemy. Two of the finest COM
panies from old Berkeley was then
at the scene of battle, encountering
ing the pestilential air of the swamps
of Norfolk, and the fire of the eme-
my, in protecting the sacred soil of
Virginia from invasion, pillage and
murder.
The poem commences 10y repre-.
senting Berkeley youth deeply en-
amored of a charming girl, dwelling