Evening journal., 1901-02-04

morning to the public market to make
household purchases, and not infre-
quently to carry q basket of rather ca
pacious proportions, in which he
brought home what he had bought.
One Summer morning, when he Wasl
about to leave the market on his re-
turn home, he was attracted by some
very choice muskmelons and going tol
inquire the price, found a young and
very dapper fellow-townsman already
bargaining with the huckster The
youth was quite willing to pay the price
asked but was in grave dismay as to al
means Of getting his purchase taken
home, as the dealer had no one to
send
Justice Marshall was equally quite
we'll satisfied with the price. but deposit
ed the choice cf sweest-smelling fruit in
the aforementioned basket Turning to
the young man at his side he quietly
/ inquired the direction in which he
lived, and, remarking that it was much
the same as he himself was about to
take. quietly suggested that the troub-
! lesome melous become once more tenn
pcrary companions. The offer was
apologetically accepted. and the two set
out
At first the youth was inclined to
talk condescendingly to his humble
companion, but as the more public
streets were reached he walked in 81
lence. All went well until the gate of
/ the Marshall residence was reached
and then the truth for the first time
dawned upon him. He stammered a
broken apology, and, forgetting entire-
ly the melons which had been instru-
mental in bringing about his disgrace
made off in great confusion.
He died in Philadelphia on July 6,
1885.
On the morning of July 8. about 8
o'clock. the body Of Chief Justice Mar
shall was removed to the steamboat
lying at the foot of Chestnut street
wharf The mayor and Councils and
many citizens went down with the boat
as far as New Castle. and the bar COM
mittee travelled to Richmond.
AS the funeral cortege moved slowly
down Chestnut street. the old Loberty
Bell began slowly tollng a majestic sa-
lutte to the nations dead. It was the
first time the bell had sounded sine,
February %. 1882, the centennial ami
versaIy of Washington's birth. Desir
. ing to preserve intact the most vener
, able relic of the days of 1776, the au
thorities had made a rule forbiddinl
the ringing of the bell except on yer!
important occasions. such as the deatl
r of Marshall was deemed to be, and s,
the sOnorous tones of the great bel
n which had proclaimed liberty an,
sounded the death knell of British
v domination, rang out impressively owe
# the city and groups gathered arounl
y listening spellbOund.
q Suddenly there was an ominOu
u sound. the beautifully crystalline ton
g became discordant and tangled, and ol
u examination it was found that the Lib
II erty Bell was cracked. 1t was subse
l. lquently rung on several occasions, al
e though the tone was dolefUl. Finally
u on the celebration of Washington
= Birthday, in 1S43 the crack was S
7 much increased in size that the bel
, WAS thenceforth kept mute forever.
AS it stands in all its silent dignity
- in honorable retirement within tn
Z sacred precincts of the shrine of Ameri
4 can liberty. it is not only the symbC
:. lof all that is highest in patriotism, bu
n with its pathetic crack is also a vivi
r. reminder of the august sage and tn
IS mighty judge whose expounding of tn
n Constitution placed that instrument @
IS law and order on an unassailable basi.
e and whose memory a grateful natio
e ihonOrs to-day.