The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-02-13
UNDERTHE SOD.
A Good Man and Valuable Citizen
Passes to His Reward Beyond.

| A GOOD Man ana valuable (ltlZel
Passes to His Reward Beyond.
"When a good man dies the peopl'
MOURN
Alas, too truly has this declaration
been verified in the death of Mr.. Red
din Perry, who passed peacefully away
at his home in this place at o'clocl
Wednesday night, Feb. 5th, as briefly
announced last week.
Although he had been confined te
his bed for some time and his malady
was of such nature as to- give little
hope of his recovery the intelligence Of
his death was shock to the commu.
nifty. Indeed, prepared for it as they
were by the tidings that came daily
from the sick room to anxious inqui.
rers, it seemed hard to realize that the
noble heart was stilled in death, the ia
miliar face and form Of this splendid
gentleman would be seen among us
no more forever. Every soul was filled
with gloom, shadow cast upon each
life.
Mr.. Perry was of a naturally deli :
cate constitution and disease had great
ly exhausted his vitality before his last
illness. When finally he was forced
to permanently take his bed it was
not long before his physician realized
that the situation was desperate one.
Still his friends hoped that he would
soon be out again. But despite the
fact that the best medical skill was in
| voked, together with the tender nurs-
ing of his devoted wife and the kind
ministrations of loving friends and rel
atives, these failed to overcome the
ravages of disease. Death quietly crept
upon him as he lay upon his bed of
suffering and he slept as calmly as a
little child.
| Deceased had been great sufferer
for years and often as he passed in and
out among US his body was racked with
pain of which few even of his most in
innate friends fully realized. He was
a man of few words and one had to
know him we'll to understand and APP
preciate his true character. Modest
as a maiden, for often he would blush
like one, and of a retiring nature, he
was slow to get into the hearts of peo-
| pie but once there he was ever after
ward welcome and honored guest.
Mr.. Perry came of noble race. He
was a son of the late Sidney Perry,
Esq, of Franklin county, and was born
on the magnificent old homestead place
| few miles from Louisburg. He came
to Henderson about sixteen years ago
since which time he has made this his
home.
No man was better known in the
| community and it is entirely safe to
say no man was more highlyIesteemed.
His death is not only a sore bereave-
ment to members of his family, but to
hundreds who had known him in the
stern paths of business life and who
valued them as one among thousand.
Those who knew him reposed absolute
| confidence in his statements and his
| word was as good as his bond.
| Upright and honorable in all his deal
ings, he had never besmirched his good
| name and his character as a business
man was abo"e reproach.
MIR. Perry had for many years been
| a member Of the Board of Town Com
| missioners, at different times holding
| the position of street commissioner,
treasurer, &c. A purer man never
held public office, better man never
served his people. In all of his offic-
ial duties he was vigilant, faithful and
| intelligent. Conscientious in the full
est degree, with him right was might
| and in whatever direction his judgment
and conscience told him the path of duty
lay that course he pursued with firm
resolve and steadfast purpose.
Yet his was no bigoted spirit or
stubborn will. He was always open
to conviction and gave due Difference
to the opinions of others. But he
could not be swerved from the right or
tempted to do a wrong act whether pri-
vate or public. And it was this ster-
ling quality in the makeup of his
character that caused people to have
confidence in the man and love him
as they did.
No man was more entirely free from
the of sham hypocrisy. He was open
in manner, frank in disposition, safe
counsellor and true friend. His nature
was gentle, his domestic life an ideal
one. But above all his life was that oil
a consistent Christian. His memory
will be cherished and his death la
mented.
Such a man will be greatly missed
where he lived and was hOnored. His
death is distinct loss to the com mu.
nifty and we may not soon look his
like again.
Mr.. Perry was i'll the 4lst year of
his age. He leaves a wife and five
children, together with four sisters
and a BROTHER Mrs. D. Y. Cooper
Mrs. A. G. Zollicotfer, and Col. Henry
Perry of Henderson; and Mrs. DR.. W
H. Nicholson, of Louis burg, and Miss
Stella Perry-besides a large number
of more distant relatives in this anC
other counties.
The funeral was held from the Church
of the Holy Innocents, of which he
was communicate, at 4 O'Clock Fri
day afternoon, Rev. Julian E. Ingle
conducting the service. The churci
was crowded. The procession to the
cemetery, composed Of long line o
carriages and buggies, and hundreds Of
people walking, was one of the largest
ever seen in Henderson. Arriving al
the place of burial the body was ten.
derby laid to rest beneath bank o
flowers. The floral tributes sent by
loving friends at home and abroad were
profuse and wrought in many artistic
designs, crosses, crescents, hearts, &c
And there beneath the sod was lief
all that was mortal of our loved ant
lost friend.