The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-20

wronged or In any way injured single
living soul. On the contrary, wherever
/ had gone and In all had done had
made people happy. In Pasonagessit ]
had found all going wrong socially, and
instead of setting to work with butch
er's cleaver of reform and getting my
self heartily cursed for my pains gen.
tly, gently ministered TO all the whims
and prejudices found in my path, when
all rose up and called me blessed. In q
peaceful and congenial way had been
able to bring about greater harvest Of
happiness than any fierce reformer with
brandished cleaver could even have pro-
posed or dreamed Of.
The genealogy and pretended ancient
jewels were mere harmless toys, the
making Of which doubtless placed food
in many hungry mouths. And besides
these toys gave to several hearts daily
and hourly vast deal Of happiness
which they would never have known
had not caused the pretty baubles to
have an existence. AS for my exploit
in what might, by some puritanical
sticklers for the purest and best methods
of rendering the human race unhappy,
be termed "body snatching," I do not
feel that the freak Of digging up and
bringing over the sea some neglected
and forgotten bones, to give them new
sepulchers and fresh honors in younger
land, under brighter skies, harmed so
much as q fly. On the contrary, out of
this freak grew all the good that was ac-
complished at Pasonagessit and in every
other place to which came while in
process of working up my plan for hu.
manizing out Of the way Of wholesome
and hearty happiness the whims and
prejudices that upreared themselves in
my path.
Were 1t possible to find their tombs I
would be ready to set out tomorrow and
transport to Pasonagessit or some other
spot in our country the bones of our
first parents, old Adam and Eve, could
/ thereby render happy a sufficient per
cent of the human family to justify the
trip.
Before me now every day saw the
good fruits of my work. My father had
in remarkably short time gathered in
and deposited with the Pasonagessit un-
dertaker the remains Of my great-grand-
father, Walter johnson, put down in
our genealogy as being tho only son of
Sir Archibald; those Of my great-grand-
mother, Mary johnson, and also those
Of Samuel and Martha johnson, my
grandfather and grandmother, all Of
which had been placed in fine and cost
ly caskAte provided with silver plates
properly inscribed.
Having secured these, / thought my
father would rest satisfied. But not so.
He had set his heart upon obtaining the
remains Of Lady Arbella or Arabella
johnson from Salem, where they were
inferred in 1880, only 10 years after the
landing Of the pilgrims on ''Forefathers'
rock" Accompanied by the Pasona-
gessit undertaken, and having with him
the great parchment genealogical record
as authority, he went to Salem and actu-
ally returned in triumph with the ashes
and tombstone Of Lady Arbella. daugh-
ter Of Thomas, fourteenth earl of Lin
coin, wife Of Isaac Johnson" as was in
scribed upon the silver plate which he
affixed to the beautiful casket contain
Ing the noble ashes. This being an ex-
plot Of my fathers own conception and
execution it gave him great satisfaction.
Ny fathers next whim was to brick
up all the graves he had caused to be
dug and turn them into cement lined
vaults. He kept small army of men
at work in the cemetery.