The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-11-14
MADE THE STONES PREACH.
A Maine Pioneer Who Chlssied Command
ments and Text. xssrywhera.


/ ments and TEXT. Eserywhere@
Pioneer benjamin Edmunds made
the stones preach. and left In his barn
yard the most pious and massive fence
| post in the state of Maine, a huge,
round pillar as large a. hogshead,
covered with the ten commandments
neatly chiseled.
Grandpa Edmunds hewed the frss
path into what is now the town OF Rox-
bury on the Swift river. While he
cleared the path and reared n cabin,
his wife logged on her back all their
earthly possessions
Early in the spring of 1890 or there
about, he had prospectsd in the region
and picked out the pretty intervAle
that he afterward cleared aud settled
upoa. A friend accompanied him on
that first trip. Al dusk. one chilly
April night, they reached the spot
that promised best. and In the gather
ing gloom Mr.. Edmunds surveyed the
level river bottom from the wooded
hillside
This suits me; here settle" he
said 10 his companion. Both men were
weary; the tramp had been long and
tedious. ana Edmund's friend proposed
60 lie down and sleep. The other
pioneer protested, urging that should
they sleep they might never awake In
that atmosphere. chilled with Aprirs
snow.
The man was tired. however, and
was bound 10 sleep. lie did 80, and
Grandpa Edmunds stoically stood up
and pounded tree with a club all
night In order that he might keep
awake His friend did not freeze 10
death. but caught cold that ended IN
fatal pneumonia
The most interesting work Of brave
old Pioneer Edmunds' life was his
quaint stone cutting. Il was bis hob
by and diversion. There were no
churches in the region around, and 40
the settler used 10 put mis- mallet and
chisel into his pocket. slip out into the
woods and ehisel passages of Scripture
on the rocks Pretty soon. SO indus
trious had he been. that 20 where be
might on his farm some holy precept,
some apothegm. some stern command
ment, some helpful word of spiritual
cheer confronted him The stones had
tongues for him and others who labor
ed with him in the Mains wilderness
One huge bowider he smoothed and
eled on II the ten commandments ia
letters three inches high u forms
fence post in the old ba-nyard, and IL
confronted by another pillar bearing
the Lords prayer. IL IN said ,hs prev
ence OF these stern monitors In tho
barn ard repressed many q hired mans
heated argument with \ refractory
steer. Whether they avsiled 70 sooths
when Bess stepped In the milk pail
chronicles aver not
Grandpa Edmunds attempted ether
feats "a the stSne-euttlnR line He
had little dog. 81 whom be ~sA VERY
that interested visitors may see On The
prefniSeN
Prominently displayed near The
corner o. the FARMHOUSE is lits-slzs
tation OF y human had n
retired sea captain living Ia tee neigh
bornood had = hslsY vaon ne had
brought home. asa Grandpa EdnuBSs
was 90 impressed By the chaps eoun-
tenanes that he reproduced IL IN storc.
The entrance 70 TIA gard = 81 o. -
o stone arch, aud over the ksyxtoas q
this % another human head. TsrT Bssf-
y executed The cd sentlsusa had
Hnishsd sp. az great s1pssss 81 'izss
snd patience. = lffe-sizs AneTlcsn
eagle as IA ornament for ta!s ttoss
portal lie was luggtng ), aers=s tss
yard 70 its position. wsss Re eropP~4
be aKare ard broks &c wing.
The stone post with iAs tea eszs-
W1s directly before Go
Eyes
Scattered sbout ice premises 40
snanT ether 1yer.s. al iEho-sssslY
-orse1 oct Of tEs stoss aish s1ea ruas
ss -, sct.Ler rD@a<sssd
Al are qzaInt sso sosns are gziss eFss'-
.ahs@
Tfsosrh Psoceer EsEsuzds hss t~~s
ID away IN sis Ev@se na&ny T~ars. hss
Iiose treasures are $50 eArstsssY 80
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