The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-29
A Touchinr Incident.

LaSI InufS0ay aILSrnOOn aL O CLOCK, when Bishop Bsrnweil breathed his last at the City Infirmary. his wife and chill dren went to his bedside as speedily as possible. when they learned that he was in so eprecarious condition. His old father. upward of 8 years of age, was in his room on the second floor, and was too feeble to go to the bedside of his dy- ing son. After all had left the house. Mrs. J. E. Kennedy went to Mir. Barn wells room, and found the old gentleman in great grief. She took him by the hand and consoled him as best she could. She got Bible and read several passages to the grief-strlcken old man, and while he made every effort to control himself he could not Mir. Barnwell Is a distin- guished-iooking old gentleman, with hair and beard as white as snow, and with a face that would delight a painter. He is tall and slender and old age seems to have taken away none of the grace and handsome features that must have been his in his younger days. Tn his uncon- trollable grief. he finally said to Mrs. Kennedy. Sing to me. my child"
 Mrs. Kennedy has wonderfully sweet contralto voice, and controlling her own emotion as best she could. the rich. soft to i'll the room. Those on the outside who heard this sweet young woman's s voice rise and fall and listened to the notes as they died away softty<o the summer air. said that 1t sounded like music from the spirit land The effect on the aged father was magical He dried his tears and his face assumed Heavenly expression as he drank in the words as they came floating from the throat of this sweet singer. He listened and his soul was satisfied.
 Ixr afr aH yurikh I'm little after o'clock. when Mir. A. G. Parrish came to the door and called an- other lady out of the room. Mir. Barn we'll, whose mind is quick if his body is infirm, knew in an instant what it meant. Tn a few seconds Mir. Parrish entered the room to break the news to the old gentleman, but he anticipated 1t and said, Robert is goneH "Yes," responded Mir, Parrish. as he made an effort to be calm. Then for the space of five minutes the griek-stricken father gave vent to his feelings by silent tears that traced each other down his classic cheeks and drop ped off his snow-whte beard. Then. with the courage of born hero, he made supreme effort. dried his tears and sand: For forty-five years I have had hard struggle, and my life has been one of sorrow and suffering. But l know I am a Christian. and l will dry my tears and weep no more"
 Could anything have been more touch ingly pathetic? Here was an old man. who knows that he has only few more years to iye, drying his tears over the
 death of his beloved son, on whom he was dependent, and in the very shadow Of death proclaiming that he knew he was
 "a Christian and would weep no more,
 Jobs faith was not any greater than this aged mans, and the picture Is as oeauu- full as that of Jacob when he was com
 manded to offer up his only son as sac
 rifce. The picture of this lovely young l woman consoling the heart-broken fSther and raising her rich contralto voice to
 sooth him at the very moment that the beloved Bishop Barnwell's pure soul was leaving the bSdy and winging It's night | to heaven. would be subject that some celebrated painter could transfer to can vass and thus perpetuate a scene that will touch the innermost soul Of all wno hear if and immortalize himself. Life Is made up of tragedies. hut this little scene | that took place in the aged fatner pea room is one of those hfe-tragedies that leave a sweet aroma behind, and old all to hopo and look up. for in the midst of
 his deep distress and anguish or neart his eyes were turned toward the cross | and he exclaimed, "I know am a Chris- | tian." And in a little while the ased | fathers faith will he realized and he VIII close his eyes in that eternal sleep and will be with the soul of his beloved son | In Paradise