The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1886-02-10

Mn, EDToR-During a week recently
spent in Illinois I took advantage of an
opportunity to visit
THE TOMB OF LINCOLN
at Springfield, and though its description
is doubtless familiar to all trust that a
few words in regard to it will not prove
uninteresting The mortal remains of
the first martyred President rest under
a massive granite monument in Oak
Ridge Cemetery, in thesuburbs ofthe city
and a horse car can take one to within
a few yards of tzeplace. Onentering the
door nearest the city you find yourself
inthe custodians room, and see around
you a large collection of interesting
relics, among them mnumerousre resolutions
Of respect and coincidence from all por-
tiOns Of the world, which were sent to
Mrs. Lincoln after the unfortunate death
of her distinguished husband Also a
piece of the dress Of the actress Laura
Keene, who supported him when he
was assassinated, the blood stains being
yet plainly visible a stone from the
ancient wall Of Rome sent by Italians to
the Monument Association, bearing an
appropriate inscriptionin Latin; and two
chairs from the Lincoln household when
he resided in the city, upon one of which
the visitor is seated to write his name in
the register. On the other side of the
base-which I would Judge to be 80 or
90 feet squares the entrance to the
crypt on which are the remains Of his
Consort and two infant children, sealed
in apartments designed for that pur.
pose, and in front of the one empty
arched grotto in a marble sarcophagus,
are those Of the husband and father
Four years or more ago attempts were
made to steal the remains, two viii
lians being so desperate as to at
tempt it, hoping to secure a large ran.
some, but the authorities discovered the
scheme, captured the would-be perpe-
traitors of the dastardIy deed, and gave
them year each in the penitentiary
punishment entirely too light for them
81 can not tell you hoC it is secure,
said the custodian, "but 1 can assure
you that it would now be impossible for
such an attempt to succeed" On the
outside, and situated on each of the foul
corners Of the upper or second portion
Of the base are bronze groups by Mead
representing the four branches of "thC
service" " the infantry, cavalry, artillery
and navy, each OF which is beautiful anC
artistic enough to deserve a column o.
description, which, however I am nov
unable to give. Between the infantry
and cavalry groups, and over the dool
facing the city, is a heroic size statue o
Lincoln, which people who knew him
personally pronounce remarkably cor
rect, and beneath this the American
coat oi-arms, so altered that the eagl,
holds in its talens broken chains-em
blemstic of the great service Lincolr
did the cause OF freedom, Above thest
the shaft rises 70 feet-lOO feet alto
gether The top of the shaft is reached
BY a winding iron stairway on the in
terror.
While no one who ever lived needed
such a monument less than he to whom
it was erected, none deserved it more.
Leaving Illinois we cut across tn,
corner of Indiana and meander over int,
Kentucky, visiting Madisonville, an,
revisiting Hopkinsville, and go dowr
to Nashville, the capital of Tennessee
where I visited the old residence and
THE TOMB OF JAMES X. POLK.
An oblorg vault, under plain canop,
that rests on four columns only abou
ten feet high marks the resting place O
President Polk, in the front yard OF tn
mansion in which he resided when alive
within one square of the State Hous
and about three squares from the bust
ness center Of the city. On the borde
OF the canopy is a line reading:
"James Knox Polk, 10th President Of the U. s
Born Nov. 2 1885 Died June
Is, 1919
And on one side of the stone over tn
vault is the following epitaph:
'7The mortal remains Of
JAMES KNOX POLK
Are resting in the vault beneath. He was Dor
in Meckliugburg Co. N. O., and emig.uted vii
his father, Samuel Polk, % Tennessee in l8O
The beauty OF virtue was Illustrated in b
life.
The excellence Of Christianity was exempt
fed i'm his death.
On the side of the stone to the rigl
ofthis the following words are carved
"His life was devoted 10 public service
He was elected succe6sively Co the tlrBt plac
in the State and Federal Government amer
ber OF the General Assembly aud member
Congress, and Chairman Of the most impo
tant Congressional COmmi tees, Speaker
-M- L.LL-. -- L---.------. L-----