Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-08-27

concerning his fathers death'
This son, Stevens Mason, was a
true hearted young man, with out
little knowledge of the world
With a private tutor, with servants
to anticipate every wish, with a
stricken mother to idolize him, he
missed till too late certain neces'
sary lessons in life which these
coald never give him. He could
not refuse to endorse a note for a
/ friend, and his mother could not
refuse to join him in whatever he
put his name to. For one moment
the shadows on his pathway seem
ed to lift, but only to settle more
heavily about his way. He mar
ried young lady who seemed
worthy of him, who was a belle
and a beauty. He brought her to
Selma, where, as they fondly hoped,
brightness and happiness were to
reign once more. But his mother,
while outwardly fulfilling every
obligation, did not receive her as a
mother should, greeting her with
but formal offering Of the hand,
instead OF the expected embrace
and kiss of welcome as she crossed
the threshold. 1t was doubtless
because her shattered life had made
her own affection for him too sell
fish, and she did not wish him to
marry any one. Following closely
the first shock of disappointment
to her young heart came a sudden
fever, and in three months from
her arrival poor Stevens laid
his bride beside his murdered
father.
Their fine estate, with all that
pertaIned to it, already melting
from their hands, was soon possess
ed by strangers. Mrs. Mason did
not long survive the loss Of Selma.
Although a wife had never loved
her husband better,yet she not tonly
refused to speak his name form the
day of the deed, but requested that
her own remains should not be
buried at Leesburg and that no
mark should be placed above her
grave wherever it might be. She
lies in the Congressional Cemetery
at Washington, with only the earth
and grass above her. Then came
the war with Mexico. Her son for
a little time had the opportunity to
forget his tIoubles under military
excitement. lie was mOrtally
wounded by a cannon shot think
it was at MOnterey-and died, a
captain of rifles, in the arms OF his
lieutenant, one Of the Rhetts Of
South Carolina. 1t was an i'm
pressive day in Loudoun when the
body of young Mason was received
from Mexico and laid in the shade
of the old church beside his father
and his bride. All the people as
sembled and made a public funeral
for him. One of the arrangements
was that only the blood relations
should pass within certain railing
close about the family graves, and
l we'll remember that although a
goOdly company had followed him
to dinner when he was twenty.one,
where the same relationship was
exacted, and although he was but
twenty-seven at his death, yet only
three we're there-twO beside my
self-tO enter the narrow enclosure.
SO family and fortune passed away.
But not even mere ended the
effect of that pistol shot at Bladens-
burg. McCarty, the other principal
in the duel, also had an only son,
very promising, in whom he took
great pride. Though living but a
few miles apart, the two families
never renewed their acquaintance
or spoke to each other. There was
a mutual Notwithstanding more
Young McCaTty was a frequent
sportsman, but in all his cunning
was never known to set his foot or
any part of the Mason estate
whatever, in following the flight OF
game he mounted a fence dividing
the Mason property from another's
Attempting to load in this position
his attention diverted no doub
by the movements of the birds Of
the dogs-he let slip his gun, which
exploded and sent the ramro(
through his head. He fell on th'
Mason side, which he had avoided
all of his life-upon the grOunt
which he was to press only in death
And to make the dramatic sensa
ton complete, Steves Mason at tha
, moment came riding by, and tn
diving youth was carried to Rasp
berry Plain, the blighted home
stead of the MasOns, the birthplace
,, of the fathers victim, and laiC
! dead in the ball.
This was almost a death blow q
! the parents of young McCarty.-
His bereaved father, the slayer o
p Senator Mason, became erratic AM
3 for much of the time a wandereI
lie would leave his home without
word and be gone for years, hi
, own wife not knowing where, ant
f then would as suddenly reappeal
/. unkempt and haggard, with Ion
{ hair on his shoulders and bear
r descending to his waist.