Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23
ing into ruin. scarcely more than its fallen
walls remaining
Interesting Epitaphs.

ing into ruin scarcely more than its fsllan
walls remaining.
Interesting Epitaphs.
In the cemetery attached to the little Fig.
tree Church are some very interesting epi-
taphs One of the early ones ia that of an
English gentleman who died while on a
visit to the island. as set forth:
Here lyeth we body Mr.. Arthur Pioneer
OF the city Of Bristol. who departed this
. . ye 10Th of May. 1902, aged 81 years
1ho IN We grave We widowed Carcasse
His Soul is living still: vt never DYES.
lhis too shall one day mount upon ye
AS from dead Winter does ye Wig rous
Spring:
So both. We hope. will meet at last in Joy.
And live in Pleasures Vt have no alloy -
The next is in the nature Of an ADVERTISE
ment. as follows:
Here lies the body OF John Higgins,
ESQ who died 9th Dec. 1924 aged SO. Not
many years before his death he became
proprietor of the neighboring hot springs,
over which. out Of good will towards his
fellow creatures, and not for any advan-
tage of his own, he erected convenient
baths and at short distance a large and
expensive stone edfice, for the aceommoda-
tion OF invaids This stone was put up by
his widow"
The sanitarium so ostentatiously alluded
to In the eptaph is In existence yet but
merely as a mass of ruins. The good In
tention of its builder miscarried for though
the hot and mineral waters. which here
guSh forth from natural springs are re-
nowned for their curative properties vet
they are not awaited of as they should be.
The house itself is occupied by some
wretched families Of black and colored peo-
pie, who live here in a state of squalor and
misery. From the ruined parapet of the
castelated structure lies outspread a beau
tiful view of Nevis; the mountains sweep
ing up from the sloping lower land where
with ST. Kits blue and misty. beyond-a
fair picture, in spite of the desoation
\ Natural Bath House.
Immediately below are the baths. in the
open air. beneath date palms and mango
trees, with a tepid stream running from
them to the sea. Here the sound of blows
attracts attention. and soon the visitor
finds that he has invaded the sacred pre-
cincts of the washerwomen.
AS the air is hot and the water is warm
the women see no need for attire of any
sort and most of them are in state of
nudity. There were old black crones and
young brown matrons. slips of maids and
skinny pickaninnies hopping about and
wading in the water like many black
birds in the Garden of Eden.
On a hillside slope above the only town in
Nevis are to be seen the ruins of a once
magnificent great house" which once per-
tanned to an estate of vast extent. Around
remains of stately tropic trees and orna-
mental shrubbery. A magnificent grove of
mango trees, their dense crowns spangled
with golden fruit, surrounds the ruined
house and garden. isolating them complete
ly. Some of the mangoeS climb the hill
and enter the forest which runs down from
the mountain and thus form a conneAtine
link between the different kinds of vege-
tatlon. The upper cone of the mountain Is
completely encircled by forest Of great
trees. composed of giant gums silk cot
tons. mountain palms and matted together
by miles of vines and bush ropes. This is
the natural home of the monkeys from
Whlch they go out on foraging excursions
to the deserted plantations. The nearest
living neighbors. in fact, to the house and
plantation we have described, are the wild
monkeys of the northern forest; and vet
that ruined house, so desolate and fallen
to decay, IS pointed out as the birthplace
OF Americas greatest f1nancier,
The father of Alexander Hamilton was a
Scotch merchant who had married a youn,,
FrSnch woman, and their son was born in
Nevis. the 18th of January. 1857. Here the
boy lived until eleven years old. when ne
was sent to Santa Cruz. whence he soon
made his way to the United States never
to return to his native island.