The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-08-14

LAON ~ A-4il anu - 444oNA was ANtN -
his discretion.
i 1t IS naturally difficult to classify the
objects representing the long period
I; which elapsed between the war Of the
revolution and the great civil war, but
this period is widely illustrated. There
are relics Of Nathaniel Macon, by many
persons claimed to be the greatest
North Carolinian. whose grave is in a
field in his farm in Warren county and
whose monument a mere heap of stones
the creation of passers-by, who at will
add q stone OF stones to be heap, which
is thus sometimes larger and some
times mailer. Such was the
which Macon, one of the most eccen-
trio IF men (neXt to John Randolph, OF
Roanoke) asked for in his will. In this
will he also provided for 4 funeral
feast tor all the people, white and black
in his community, this feast including
both solids and liquids, of which 1t is
said more than 5000 persons partook.
There are in the collection the acts Of
the state convention CT 1ISS at Hills
boro, which declined TO ratify the fed
eral constitution, and a copy Of acts
Of the convention of the following year.
at Fayetteville, which did ratify that
great instrument. There is an opinion,
which is in the handwriting of Mr..
! Justice James Iredell of the United
States supreme court, which is of ma
tional Importance. 1t is dated in 1898,
n is in the case of Chisholm against
the state of Georgia. 1t involves the
great question of state sovereignty and
resulted in the addition of the eleventh
amendment to the federal constitution.
1t was a dissenting opinion, all the
| other of the court holding a
contrary view, but time worked changes
and so this opinion became not only a
part of the constitution but is now held
by the supreme court to be good law.
Further than this it is relied upon by
this state in the notable suit which is
being brought against North Carolina
by the state of South Dakota, to force
this state to pay the face value of GER
tain bonds which by constitutional
amendment, ratified by the people, the
treasurer has been directed to pay upon
q scale basis.
One of the objects of this long period
which will arrest attention is all that
remains of the statue of Washington
/ by CanOva, the great Italian sculptor;
a work into which Canov threw his
soul and which he is said to nave Deem
ed his masterpiece. The statue was
! calcineI and nearly destroyed by the
fire which in 1891 burned the old state
capitol. The head was taken away
| later and has never since been seen.
The statue was bought through the in
fluence of Thomas Jefferson, was
! brought to this country by a man of
! war ana from Fayetteville n was
hauled here by oxen, with a military
: escort l1l NTH fn1nnSino cara07nniaS
! When La Fayette was here on his
memorable visit in 1925 he went spe-
! ciaiIy TO see this statue, then in the
rotunGa of the capitol.
Ar interesting relic is 4 die from
which the Bechtler sold five dollar
| coins were made, Congress authorizing
him 70 coin this money at Rutherford-
ton. There is a commission OF William
+. Ddvic as ambassador to the French
! republic. signed by Jefferson, and m
Official letter from that republic ac-
! knowleGging mis- mission. also a letter
TO hiQl from Citizen Joseph BOnaparte.
There is a letter in Geaiic. written
by ore of the Scotch who after the fate
full battle of Colloden, in 1145, came
over by thousands to this state and
| settled in the Cape Fear country, where
| ii Few ldlilIllcS even yet SpCoh
There is a deed bearing the graceful
ye. intricate signature of Colonel Ed
mund Buncombe, who gave origin to
the famous phrase speaking for Bun
! cOmbe."
The four seals of North Carolina are
shown. to wit: the royal seal, in wax,
hall 4 pound in weight, the seal used
by the first state governor Richard
Caswell, and that used by Governor
Josiah Martin. The latter, strange to
say, is Martins w private seal, which
he used as the state seal, the copy Of 1t
here shown being the only one in exist
ance in North Carolina, so far as can
be escertained. The last or present seal
is also in the collection.
Another letter settles a question as
to d name and its proper Or~thography.
There has long been a dispute as TO
whether the founder Of North Cardinals
public school system spelled his name
Archibald Murphey or Murphy. The
letter. all in his own hand, say Muir
ply is the right way.
A queer document is the protest of
the Quakers or Friends against bearing
arms. 1t is dated during the evOlu-
ton. and is signed in their behalf by
Samuel SKINNER, of PerQulmanS county,
where there was then and had been
for more than a century before. the
most important settlement CT Quakers
south of Pennsylvania.
Coming down to the civil war period
the collection is very wide of range
and Itch in objects there being uni
forms arms Of (amoDg them those
of Generals Pettigrew and Bryan
Grimes) all kind, prOjactiles great and
small. books. powder. shoes (some en-
Iirely of wood. some with wooden bot
toms. iron-shod, and some OF leather,
English made. brought through the
blOckaGe): powder. made here in great
quantities for the state and the Confed-
crate government: lamps. cotton yarn.
] ~ nIl.S Mhi.L Mara hrn,1 through