The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-06-09

WRITTEN FOR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Near Farmer. Mo. last Sunday-the first
Sunday IN June. when the woods of tfse
County are at their greenest and the ."--
ers are most fun Of fragrance-the fua-rai
services ot "Cncle" Jim Sam Willis were
held. And he who preached the funeral
sermon was Champ Clark. Congressman
and orator. and beloved OF the people Of
Pike.
The scene was not n sta;el- church.
where sorrcwful pictures and solemn
statues look Gown from darkeued naves and
riches: neither was il in a cemetery. where
tomhstones rise ghostly white 20 remind
liking man that inevitable Death stands
close AT hand.
II was a Pike County grove. where giori-
Gus PIKE County trees spread cooling shade
over fruitful Pike County soil: where there
IS no hint Of death and sorrow: where there
is nsught mere sad than the signing of the
wind through the waving leaves. and
nausht more solemn than the song OF birds.
There were no tears at this funeral serv-
ice-no bier strewn with wreaths for the
dead-no waiis of griefg For Uncle Jim
Sam Willis would not have had II so. His
life had been one OF kindly cheerfulness
and of shielding from sorrow. and il was
his viii that RENE brance of him should
not be accompanied by signs of sadness.
So the services We're held beneath a big
arbor spread over picnic seats, and instead
OF a fast there was a feast. furnished from
heafily laden baskets that had been filed
by generous Pike County housewives. And
a lawyer-"a man of the world. in love
with the world"-preached the funeral SER
mon.
The arbor and the seats and the fences
had all been erected by En-" Paxton. a |
colored woman. who is a novel character |
OF the community. She wears mems |
clothes. chews tobacco and swears: and the 1
uninitiated would never suspect but that
she is a MAJ. EN- was a slave belong |
ing To Mr.. Paxton. who sold her TO an ILL., |
nois man She ran away and came back |
home. was captured and taken to Illinois |
again. only TO run away once more. This |
time she assumed mans garb as a disguise. |
and was so pleased with the success It !
brought her that after being freed she con-
tinued to wear trousers. She found them
more suitable to wear while about her |
farm work. and later applied to the Coun. \
ty Court and obtained permission to dress
as a man. She has conducted the farm ad- |
Joining the Willis home for many years.
and was a great friend TO the old gentle
man.
Within that forty-acre timber lot there
was a great crowd gathered. The entire
population of the community was there,
and there were present people from Louis
lana. Bowling Green. Curryv1lle, vandalia.
Troy, New London and Louisville. There
were people from Pike. Lincoln, Audrain
and Rails counties. and at least one man
came all the way from Lnn County. 1t
seemed that all the people within . radius
Of thirty miles had turned out.
A church organ had been hauled twelve
miles. from Bowling Green, ana the sing
ing wa led by a choir OF q dozen. Doctor
Reeds wife sang a solo. The Reverend
Charles Davis and Doctor Hutchfson led In
prayer. and then Mr.. Clark spoke.
THE FUNERAL SERMON.
rra MT. C1ark's Review Of the
svs Life of . Peculiarly Levable
ss1.d Friend.
sT1m here to deliver a funeral discourse
tdcfuani a promise Of long standing to a
friend who loved me dearly and whom
loved from the bottom of my heart. As
stand here to-day the noodgates of memory
are opened wide. and 1 look back through
TIE long vista of years to the time when 1
was a naxen-haired young man struggling
Tor a foothold at the Pike County bar. In
my case at least Uncle Sam literally obeyed
the t~ptunction. Laugh with those who
weep with those who weep No
uorrow ever came to me or mine which did
not bring sadness to his sympathising heart;
no good thing ever happened to IN which
Cid not give him unaHoyed pleasure. He
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