The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-11-04
The 9ailg $nlleti&,
THURSDAY. NOV. d. 1886
the STRANGE STORY OF AN EpITApH.
BY THE REV. T. p. HUGHES.

ing round the papers. 1t is this:
A missionary who lived at Peshawur,
on the Afghan frontier, was shot
by his watchman, and the people
of the place inscribed on his tomb,
"Well done, thou good and faithful
servant"
1t is a capital joke. 1t appeared
first in the London "Vanity Fair"
1t is even told In Mr.. Wylie's guide
to his maps of Central Asia, which
are drawn with such mathematical
precision. 1t is related at every
dinner table in India. And it is
likely to be handed down in every
book of clerical anecdote for genera
tions to come. The story as told in
VANITY Fair" is as follows: There
resided at Peshawur a Presbyterian
missionary who was learned man,
but of highly irascible temper, and
who was, consequently, but little
loved by bis Episcopal brethren.
The learned man was jew and an
American citizen, and when he was
accidentally shot by his Waterman
the English residents of Peshawur
collected a considerable sum of
money, and requested the Episco-
pal missionaries to erect suitable
monument over the grave of their
Presbyterian brother. But they
took their revenge. They put on
the monument: ",The Reverend
-, shot by his Waterman. well
done, thou good and faithful SER
want. 4"
TIE story is recorded rs an anus
ing and comical instance of clerical
bigotry. But it unfortunately lacks
one important element, the clement
of truth. 1t is not true. Not Il
word of it.
The inscription runs thus:
Erected to the memory of the
Rev. Isidore Lowenthal, missionary
of the American Presbyterian Mis-
sionary Society, who translated the
New Testament into Pushto, and
was shot 10y his chowkidar, April
27, 1864. Il am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ. For it is the
power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth. Rom.
L., 16.
That is all; not one word more.
And yet if you travel in India you
will meet with the most respectable
people who will be ready to swear
that they have seen the very words
"Well DONE" etc, on the tomb with
their own eyes. was once dining
at the mess of the Royal Artillery
in Peshawur, and l heard the chief
civil officer of the district tell the
story amid roars of laughter (for a
joke at the expense of the clergy al
ways takes). 81 beg your pardon,
Captain o." 1 said, "but do
you know that little story of yours
is not true?" 81 beg yours" the
magistrate replied, "but 1 have
seen the words on the tomb myself"
A friend of mine called
upon the officer command
ing the Nineteenth Cavalry at
Peshawur, when the gallant colonel
told the story of the epitaph. Upon
hearing it again repeated, l called
upon the colonel of the Nineteenth
Cavalry and assured him that the
story was not true. "But / have
read it on the tomb" was the reply.
On another occasion l was dining at
the house of the Sessions Judge at
Peshawur, when the lady of the
house entertained her guests with
the story. After dinner | informed
my hostess that it was not true.
She said: 81 have read it on the
tomb" 1 offered to take her to the
cemetery the next morning, and /
then pointed to the inscription as 1t
stands. "Ihen you have changed
it," she exclaimed, "for / am Ger
tain once read it," Now, here is
one of the most remarkable instances
of the unsatisfactory nature of cir
cumstantial evidence. The chief
magistrate of a civil district, the
colonel of a cavalry regiment, and
the wife of sessions judge, all
three witnesses of undoubted repu-
tation, were, 1 firmly believe, pre-
pared to swear to the existence of
that text of Scripture on the tomb
of the Rev. Mr.. Lowenthal, and now
we have not only "Vanity Fair"
but "Wylie's Guide" and a host
of papers, asserting the same thing.
'But what proof have you that the
text was never on the tomb" it
will be asked. My reply is, l am
the person who selected the text
which is IN the tomb. l did not
write the inscription; that was
written by clergyman now at
Umritsar, in the Punjab. But, at
his request, l selected the text
Rom. l., l6. And there never has
been any other text on the tomb.
Then how could such story origi-
nate? Its history is as follows: In
the previous year to Mr.. Lowen-
that's death, missionary died at
Peshawur, and the chaplain of the
station wrote over the entry of the
death In the register of burials,
swell done, thou good and faithful
servant" When his Presbyterian
brother was shot, the chaplain. who