Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-10-02
The Days that We're.
Leonarftown I'm Is46.-Its Old
Residents.
Editors Beacoa =

0oAiic WluteEs ago. alter the even
ing meal was over and the juvenile
members of the family had retired
to their little beds, seated at my
desk, / soon discovered that my
mind was on q aramble ard had found,
for the time being, a local habita-
tion and a home in old Benedict
Leonardtown, where ! was reading
law in the year Of grace 1876. A
suggestion presented itself to me TO
count up the number OF male adults
who were residing in the town when
was there as q student. With
pencil and paper before me, / COM
menced the self-imposed task and in
half an hour or so had jotted down
forty-five names. Tue next idea
that naturally presented itself, was
to mark off the dead and see low
many remained among the living.
These / found to be DIR. Charles
Maddox, Geo. S. King. Tom Green
well, Charley Yates and myself.
II seemed not q little singular that
the five survivors had all left the
village, and made homes for them
selves elsewhere. Whether they
would have been still on the earth
and not uader it, ha6 hey net ex-
changed Their OIL sor new homes, is
something hat no beng short OF tho
Creator could .;osS.biy l.Dow. IWas
aware taat the tlree firsi named had
passed {. on this into the great un-
explored world - which the grave
is the entrance, but was wondering
to myself what had Cccome OF CLar-
ley Ya.es! The Issue OF your pa
per OF august "A, uiiiIno, solved the
problem 5y ! forming me that be
had rccertly died at tic home of his
married daughter in Fai fax coun-
ty, Virginia. Poor Chariey's death
leaves nc all aiore-tae Ia OF the
male adults who were den.zcns Of
Leonardt0wn, fiity-six years ago.
Nor ara ] proud of tue distinction,
while must and do thank Coz FOR
the health and strength that have
enabled me 10 live so long, W. lie
others in goodly num5er, have been
gathered to their fathers. To him
who has only the natural fear or
death, with which ali are inspired
by their ever alert consciences,
there is feeling of loneliness that
creeps over one who is closely ap-
preaching four score years, as he
looks about him 10 find that all or
nearly all OF his youthful companions
have succumhed TO the inevitable
stroke OF death that awaits all who
are born into this world. If kind
reader you will suppose that the few
tenacious and belatcd leaves that
cling TO the twigs of The sturdy oak
IN the frosty month OF November.
had eyes 10 see and hearts to feel.
you can imagine their sensations
when one of their number falls 10
the ground to become incorporated
with it and thus, though in your
own prime of life, you can have ac-
tive sympathy with the old who
have Witnessed the fall of so many
dear friends 10 the earth TO become
part and parcel thereof.
My first acquaintance with Char
lev was in 1916, he being an assis-
tant for his uncle, Washington Bow
ling, who was then running hotel
where is the printing establishment
of the BEACON and the private resi-
dence of +. v: King, the junior ed
itor o. that paper. We seemed to
have u natural fondness for each
other and bad many tastes in CON-
mon, such as hunting, fishing and
the like. Frequently, in the after
noon, we took our guns and went
ont in quest of squirrels, and, in
variably a. his suggestion, walked
out past "Woodberry" to old desert
ed st. Aloysius Church, where, he
said they we're frequently to be
found, though in truth never saw
one in the old temple of the Living
God. Thence, we circled around
marlborough, ard q southern
course brough; as to Coughs Mill,
near Hanover. A little south of
this mill, ON the hill, there were al
that time many large hickory trees,
and to them the squirrels for many
miles around seemed to flock to en-
JOY the fruit they bore. We could
distinctly hear them gnawing at the
thick shelled nuts, but on account
of the dense foliage of the trees IL
was difficult to sight them. After
many fruiTless walks around a tree.
Charley would throw down his gun,
slip up the tree with the agility of a
cat, drive the game totLe top or end
OF limb. then call out tome. .'hold
on. till get the body Of the tree be-
tween You and, then let him have
it, In this way we hagged many
a squirrel which might have lived