The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-02


by a clean convention and it will be
elected after clean campaign.
IN VICTORIAN.
Elmer Ellsworth Paxson was born
at Rockville, Ind, October 3, 1861. Re-
moving to Kansas at an early age with
his parents, most of his bOyhOOd was
spent in lola. In 1879, with the hope
Of receiving benefit from the climate,
symptoms of a weakness in the lungs
having already shown themselves, he
went to Las Vegas, n. NJ, where he
held a responsible position in the post
office for number of years. In 1888 he
entered the employ of trader at Fort
Stanton, n. NJ, with whom he re-
NAMED several months. In the spring
of 1884, having resigned his position, he
returned to Las Vegas. One hundred
miles of the journey had to .be made
over land, in an open vehicle, during
most disagreeable weather. The result
was severe cold which rapidly devel-
oped the latent germs of consumption
and rendered him incapable of engag-
ing in any steady employment. He
therefore returned to the home of his
parents in Fort Scott in February,
1855. where after months of painful and
exhausting illness, he died on Thurs
day afternoon, June "a, 1886. The re-
mains were brought to lola ON the fol-
lowing day and inferred in the family
lot, the funeral services, conducted by
Rev. r. M. Scott, being attended by a
large number of the friends of the
family.
The writer of this could we'll wish
that the duty of making this record
might have fallen to another, 1t is
sad enough to pay the last tribute to
the memory of even a casual acquaint-
ance; but the hand falters and the eye
that directs it grows dim when called
upon to trace the lines that record the
loss of one who was "my friend, faith.
full and just to me-" And yet there is
a sort of mournful pleasure in the Op
portunity thus afforded to "write him
fair before the world" and bear willing
testimony to the many noble and en-
dearing qualities he possessed. For W.
knew him perhaps, better than any
other. We were friends at an agt
when one has not yet learned to dis
semble and to affect feeling that does
not exist, and we learned to know him
rs perfectly as he knew himself. Natur
ally self contained and reserved, par
ticulary concerning what was going or
in his own mind and heart. it required
years of inseparable companionship ant
the most perfect confidence, to revea
his true nature. Those years of com
panionship and that confidence wer,
granted us, and when we look bacl
now we can recall no slightest distrust
no boyish jealousy or petulance, n,
hasty or unkind word that eve
arose to cloud one ofthe most cherished
friendships that our life has known
and that existed with undiminishet
regard to the day of his death. So W,
feel as though we may speak for him
He was endowed naturally with re
markable mental strength. His mine
was active, versatile, logical, with :
memory as tenacious as steel. Never
possessing much bodily vigor, he early
formed studious habits and was q con
slant and omnivorous reader. at al
age when most boys are rolling thei
hoops and flying their kites, he had al
ready made himself familiar will
many of the best English classics. a
fifteen years of age, he was more ma
ture in mind and thought than ar,
many men at twenty-five; an earl
maturity which, alas! foreshadowed al
early death. He had a wonderful gif
of expression, possessing an almost ex
haustless vocabulary which he uset
with the greatest nicely and precision
1t was this faculty, Joined with grea
mental alertness, which made him
while yet boy, fluent talker and :
ready and ingenious debater. Asid,
from his intellectual superiority, {:
marked characteristic was his hatred
of all cant and hypocrisy. He had alb
sOlutely no use for one who used under
handed means to accomplish his ends
or who made apretense of virtue which
he did not possess. And the law which
be laid down for others he vigorously
followed himself, preferring always t
be thought worse than he was rather
than appear to be better. 1t was this
trait that made him SO satisfactory /:
friend. He had faults, it is true, and
he made mistakes, for he was human
But one knew that he never protested
what he did not feel. He made few
friends but those few he ''grappled te
his soul with hooks of steel" They
were true to him because they knew
that through good or evil report hi;
faith in them was steadfast.
But he is dead. An inscrutable
providence has decreed that the sun OF
his life, which we would have com
manded to stand still in the heavens
should hasten to its setting while We,
the day was but just begun. The de.
cree is irreversible and instead of bright
fulfilment of early promise for which
we hoped, there is left to us only re-
membrance Of what we knew. But
that can comfort us, and does comfort
us, as
''FOr old times sake,
The simplest and the sweetest plea
That yearning love has learned to make
we strew these scattered flowers up
on his grave.