The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1890-08-27
In MemOriam.

DIED AT QUINCY, MASS, TUESDAY, AUGUST 10,
1890, EDWARD p. JOHNSON, MRS. ELIZA S.
JOHNSON AND MASTER ALBERT E. c. JOHN
SON.
The daily papers brought to this com
munty Wednesday morning news of
another of those appalling railway disasters
in which life is crushed out of scores of hui
man beings and other scores are the bruised
and mangled victims of mans folly, avarice
or heedleSsness. An added intensity was
impaired to the fearful interest such casual
ties never fail to awaken in the human
heart, always responsive to a fellow beings
call for sympathy, by the appearance in the
list of fatalities of names pleasantly familiar
in Montpelier. lnacCuraCy in the initials
given lent a hope that the apprehension
the announcement of the newspapers eX-
cited was groundless. The event had hap
pened near midday of Tuesday. The wires
had brought no word that residents of
Montpelier had pershed on the fated train.
Surely the report was one of those errors
that may reasonably happen in the confu-
sion and CONSERVATION of great disasters.
But these assurances were cherished in
vain. The telegraph at ten o'clock broke
the painful suspense. Not only had an
esteemed townsman, Edward p. Johnson,
perished in the railway wreck at Quincy,
but in death husband, wife and son were
not divided" All had died in that fearful
impact of wood and iron.
Wednesday forenoon by Henry G. Robinson
of Boston to Daniel f. Long, brother of
the amiable lady whose life had been so
rudely ended. At Montpelier, in one
household, constituting one delightful fam
lily circle, were living Mr. Johnson, wife
and son, Mr.. Daniel f. Long and wife, Mr..
Abraham Long and wife and Miss Martha
E. Long-the brothers Long and the sister
being the brothers and the sister of Mrs.
johnson. The presiding genius of this
household was Miss Martha E. Long. Thus
they had lived at Ely before coming to
Montpelier, five years ago. Differing de-
cidedly in political opinion and religious
belief, no word of discord, no feeling of bit
terness ever clouded the sunshine of the
family or social relation. The sympathetic
may picture, but language can not portray
the violence of so sudden and so harsh a
rending of ties so tender and so closely
knitted. 1t was the vacation season. Mr..
johnson, with his family, had been enjoy
ing respite from business at Cottage City,
and was returning to visit relatives in Bos-
ton and vicinity. Mr.. Abraham Long and
wife were by the seashore. The relatives
remaining in Montpelier, accompanied by
j. j. Long, who arrived from Florida
few days before, by Mr.. Henry G.
Cotton, Mr.. Johnsons partner in bust
ness, and by Mr.. and Mrs l.. Bart Cross,
intimate friends, took the noon train on
Wednesday for Winchester Mass. There
Mr.. Johnson was born; there his father,
Deacon Nathan b. johnson, had lived, and
there, with the Congregational society
of which his father had been an officer, were
his church connections. To Winchester
his course had been directed, among other
things to arrange there for the transference
of his church relationship to Bethany So
ciety at Montpelier, and in Winchester il
was fit that he and his loved ones should
find their final resting-place Inquiries at
| the scene of the wreck elected all that can
| be known of the details of the final disaster
Death to father, mother and son was evi
IDENTIFY instantaneous. sympathetic hands
tenderly gathered up the lifeless tene
ments of so much that had been loveable
and of good report and prepared them fol
entombment.
Mr.. johnson was born at Winchester
December 9, 1887. There he lived till past
his minority. During these earlier years he
had been.in the employ of Stephen II. Cutter
and of ID. n Skillings, lumber dealers in
Boston. For some five years ending in
1869 he was superintendent of one of the
departments of the Revere Copper Com
pany at Point Shirley, Mass For five
years ending in 1874 he was with F. c. Lore
| in the grocery business in Boston, under
the firm name of Lord q Johnson. In 1876
he went to Ely, VT, where he was in gen
eral merchandise till 1882 In 1885 he came
to Montpelier, purchased of Joseph Fisher
his interest in the firm of Fisher & Cotton
makers of saddlery hardware. Under the
firm name of johnson q Cotton, embodyinl
in the partners the conditions of success
the business underwent a wonderful eX
pansion and was highly prosperous. Mr.
johnson was a fine type of business
man-sagacious, methodical, sound in judg
ment, enterprising, ruggedly frank and hon
est. To his character as a man and Chris
tian, his social and moral qualities, the ap
pended tribute of his pastor at Winchestel
leaves no word to be added. Mrs. Eliza S
Johnson was born at Plymouth, Vt.
July %, 1910. June the couple, will
their friends, celebrated the twenty-fiftl
anniversary of a singularly happy union
At Ely, September 90 1882, the son wa
born, whose developing life was full o
bright promise. A sister, Miss Mary John
son living at West Medford, Mass, at tn,
age of sixty.tive, is the only surviving
member of Mr.. Johnson's family
The beauty of the day and the awful sad
ness of the event were in marked con
trast, as the friends of Mr.. and Mrs
Johnson and of their beautiful boy gath
cred together at their funeral in the Con
gregational church. The warm hearts anC
kind hands of the ladies of Winches
ter arranged with great taste an,
thoughtful care the many flowers and flora
offerings sent to rob death of his terrors
But the awful disaster at Quincy could no
be changed its shocking horrors were to
apparent beneath rose and lily and forget
me-nots and lVyS repOSeful green. Tn
subdued light of stained glass and the beau
tiful colors of flowers blended together in
vain effort to hide the dark hues of death
Two caskets of heavy black contained al
that was mortal of Mr.. and Mrs. johnson
A suggestive white casket told where littl
Albert was lying. On one casket was
heavy silver plate, engraved with full
sheaf of wheat and the words Edward ?
Johnson, died August 10Th, 1890, aged 3
years" Upon the other was similar plate
engraved with the words Eliza S. Joh1
son, died August 10Th, 1890 aged 30 years
On the white casllet was a beautiful flora
offering, with the word Albert" " in larg
purple letters. From the citizens of Mont
pelier came three chaste and handsome flora
tributes, one on Mr., Johnson's casket-
large tablet of English ivy, with bunch {
tea roses at the corners, and in the center
cross and crown of roses aud white carna
tions - bore in immortelles the wor
Father" On the casket of Mrs. Johnso
) reposed a crescent and star of white roses
; with carnations and smilax, bearing tn
word Mother" " beautifully wrought i
imortelles. Here also rested a bouquet
J sweet peas, her favorite flower, gathere
from vines her own hands had trained. /
; pillow of pink and white roses inscribe