The Opelousas courier., 1895-12-07
MADE TIE STONES PREACH.
A Maine Pioneer Who Ch:seled Command
ments and Texts Every where.

A Maine Pioneer who Chsseled
ments and Texts Everywhere.
Pioneer benjamin Edmunds made
the stones preach, and left in his barn
ward the most pious and massive fence
post In the state of Maine. a huge,
round pillar Is large as q hogshead,
covered with tho ten commandments
neatly chiseled.
Grandpa Edmunds hewed tbs first
path into what 10 now the town OF Rox-
bury on the Swift river. While he
cleared the path and reared a cabin,
his wife lugged on her back all their
earthly possessions.
Early Ia the spring OF 1890, or there
about, he had prospected in the region
and picked out the pretty intervale
that he afterward cleared and settled
upon. A friend accompanied him on
that first trip. At dusk. ono 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 I SETTLE" lie
said to his companion. Both men were
weary; the tramp had been long and
tedious, and Edmund's friend proposed
to lie down and sleep. The other
pioneer protested, urging that should
they sleep thsyfhight mover awake III
that atmosphere, chilled with Aprirs
snow.
The man was tiresa, however. aud
was bound to sleep. lie did SO. and
Grandpa Edmunds stoically stood up
and pounded o tree with q club oil
night in order that he might keep
awake. His friend did not freeze to
death, but caught a cold that ended in
fatal pneumonia.
The most interesting work Of brave
old Pioneer Edmunds' life was his
quaint stone cutting. 1t raj his hob
BY and diversion. There were no
churches In the region around, and so
the settler used to put his mallet and
chisel into his pocket, slip out into the
woods and ohisel passages OF Scripture
on the rocks. Pretty soon, SO Indus
trious had he been, that go where he
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
cd with him in the Maine wilderness.
One huge bowlder he smoothed and
rounded up with great pains, and CHS
eled on 1t the ten commandments in
letters three inches high. It forms a
fence post In the old barnyard, and is
confronted by another pillar bea. ing
the Lords prayer. 1t is said the pres
ence of these stern monitors In the
barnyard r~cpressed many a hired mans
heated argument with a refractory
steer. Whether they awaited to soothe
when Bess stepped in the milk pail
chronicles aver not
Grandpa Edmunds attempted other
feats In the ~stone-cutting line. lie
had q little dog. OF whom he was very
fond. and he carved a statuette of it
that interested visitors III see on the
premises.
Prominently displayed near the
corner OF the farmhouse is a lifc-size
representation Of a human head. A
retired sea captain living in the neigh
borhood had a Malay whom he had
brought home, and Grandpa Edmunds
was 50 impressed by the chaps coun-
tcnance that he reproduced it in stone.
The entrance to the yard is set off by
= stone arch, and owe the keystone of
this il another human head, very neat
" executed. The old gentleman had
finished up, at great expense OF time
and patience, n life-size American
eagle as an ornament for this stone
portal. lie was Juggling It across the
yard TO It's position, when he dropped
lie figure and broke of a wing.
The stone post with the ten COM
mandments was directly before his
eyes
Scattered about the premises are
many other figures, all laboriously
worked ont OF the stone with such rude
instruments as the settler possessed.
All arc quaint and some are quite cred
liable.
Though Pioneer Edmunds has been
laid away in his grave many years, his
stone treasures are still carefully pre-
served, even that American eagle who
so ingloriously and cxaspcrntingly shed
his pinion .-Lcwiston journal.