The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-10-20
BILL ARP'S LETTER.
He Doesn't Believe in Ghosts but has Heard
Remarkable Stories
atlanta Constitution.
:sOld Mortality was one Of Walter

sold Mortality was one Of Walter
SCOTS most interesting characters.
This long bearded, venerable man
spent all the latter years Of his life IN
going about from cemetery to cemetery
in rechriseling and remarking the mar
Bile slabs that covered the graves OF
the dead. Not only that, but ne
cleaned them of the mould and stain
and set them up square and level and
did it out Of respect for his dead kin
dred and friends. Nearly fifty years
ago I visited Laurel Hill, the beauti-
full home of the dead of Philadelphia,
and the first thing that greeted me at
the entrance was brown-stone statue
Of Old Mortality working on wealth
er-beaten marble slab. A little dried
up, spectacled old gentleman with
pea-jacket coat on and the big pockets
filed with chisels and mallets and
brushes and old rags. Maybe he is
there yet. I don't know, but |
thought Of him the other day as |
wandered through the silent city OF
the dead in Myrtle Hill at Rome, Ga.
It has been about forty years since l
helped to lay off that cemetery, and
people have been moving there ever
since and good motto to place over
the gate would be ''For men may come
and men may go, but l go on for
ever
An cld-time friend was with me, and
I can't help but think Of him as cold
Mortality" for he has been nursing
and cherishing that graveyard for over
thirty years and has made it place OF
beatty and Joy forever. He has
long since made reputation as an able
lawyer and a learned Judge, but |
{ know that he never took as much in
terest or real pleasure in anything as
in identifying and adorning that love-
II and romantic place. BE has spent
hundreds Of dollars there out Of his
own pocket. His own lot, with its
italian marble monument to the mem
ory Of his wife, is marvel Of exquis-
ite beauty. | saw where he had right
ed up and placed a new foundation
under the monument of the wife of a
far distant friend. Within the last
year or Two he has been TO Macon and
reformed and renewed the monuments
that mark his parents graves. He
has been to Eatonton and worked on
those of his brothers and sisters who
died in the long ago, and has placed
tombstones over the graves Of
! his grand parents. He talked to me
feelingly about some neglected graves
Of our friends who sleep in the old
graveyard at Rome that nobody cares
y for and is well nigh abandoned.
when I get through with theln," he
said, "I shall feel satisfied and take a
rest from this business and endeavor
to be ready for my own funeral" If
he is not Old Mortality now he will be
if he lives long enough.
Well, l like that. We all like it;
that is to say, all kind-hearted, refec-
tive people. Some people are afraid
of graveyard, especially young peo-
pie, who have horror Of death, but it
is a foolish fear and wears Of as We
get older. When [ was youth at q
country school there was q braggsrt
sort Of boy named Baldwin who said
he vasent afraid Of ghosts. Jim Lin
ton bet him dollar that he wouldent
go down to the rocky field that night
and cut sassafras bush that was near
an old grave and bring 1t to the house.
The money was put up. just about
dark Jim slipped around and hid be-
hind rockpile that was near the
bushes that had grown around the
grave. When Baldwin got there and
was about to cut the sassafras Linton
said solemnly in deep bass voice.
Beware that's my grave and
Baldwin ran home with Jim after him
and like to have tainted at the door.
When I was the little mill boy and
had to pass country graveyard on the
way and happened to be late in get
ting my grist from the miller it was a
strain on my youthful courage to go
slow by the sacred mysterious place.
But go fast you can't on an old sway
back mare with a bag Of meal under
you. For three or four years was on
the lookout for ghost in the twilight,
bat l never saw one and l reckon it
helped me later on. for my wife lived
near the village graveyard and when |
was courting her and kneeling at her