The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1889-11-14
I'm Shot.

1t was In the Grafton cenletry that we
found one Of the very oldest Of our stones.
It was in three sections, two large stones
with Q smaller one in the middle. On
one Of the large stones was an angels
head. with slits for the eyes, nose and
mouth, and two enormous ieathered wings
growing from the side Of its head,
at the place where the ears should
have been. On the small stone was
an exact copy Of this in miniature,
and on the other large stone was
weeping willow tree, with twelve branches,
ct the end Of each brapch, hanging like
great, round apple, being q cherub's
head, in the typical unadorned and un-
connected style Of the very early pioneers
in the art Of carving tombstones. The
small stone was sacred to the memory Of
Thomas Parke, Jr.; one Of the larger
stones was in memory Of Mrs. Thomas
Parke, ST., and the other was sacred to
the memory Of her twelve infant children.
The inscription read:
Stranger, pause as you pass by;
Ny thirteen children with me lie.
See their faces how they shine
Like blossoms on fruitful vine
The story runs that an old slave Of
Thomas Parke, Sr., had been promised
his freedom, and, not obtaining It, died
cursing his then youthful master, and
praying that his children might die before
they were grown. All died In infancy.
and only Thomas, Jr., reached his second
year; but whether the slaves curse had
anything to do with their sad deaths is
matter Of opinion rather than history.
In q sunny corner Of the Vernon ceme-
try lie the three wives Of Mr.. Abijah
Rogers. The first died in 1884, and her
tombstone bore the following epitaph:
Look down IN me; slumber here;
The gIaye's become my bed,
For life may quickly fade.
Five years later the second Mrs. Rogers
died, and the widower buried her in
friendly nsighborhood to the first, and,
To avoid all appearance Of Partially,
placed on her tombstone precisely the
same stanza, though dignifying the per-
sonal pFonoun in the first line with q cap
ital letter. The third Mrs. Rogers has o
more touching epitaph than the others.
In another graveyard was found this un-
grammatical statement carved In stone ::
Ny stat and stay is took away,
And am left alone.
Ny husband dear, who was so near,
10 took away and gone.
It was In q New Hampshire burying
ground that were found the graves Of
eleven children, over each Of which was q
marble lamb. The father Of the eleven
had, after the death Of the seventh, Il was
alleged, purchased the lambs at whole
sale. There was still one left Of the dozen
he bought, 80 the story went.
One Of the Grafton epitaphs reads as
follows:
His langulshing head "a at rest.
lts thinking and aching are DER;
HIS calm, lmmOvnDle breast
WIN heave to hutter no more.
It Is strange TO see how some one NOR
tuary stanza would have run, 30 TO
speak, in the neighborhood. Here is a
fayorite one:
sickness sore long time bore,
Phynieians' akill was vane,
TN God did send death as friend,
To case me Of my Pane.
For modesty this Is irreprOachable. It
was not seen by this party, but was
vouChed for by one Of the villagers:
o God, do Thou TO Allen Ellen Radd
As Allen Kllen Radd would do to God
Were God but Allen Ellen Radd
And Allen Ellen Radd were God.
A favOrite couplet is that which closes
an inscription found In . cemetary at
Vernon:
when living men my bones do view,
Remember well; Here's room foryoI.
Here Is an epitaph that adorns the
tombstone Of wife and mother: