The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-04-19

ri nt with his Iove-then in his
F.rave.
Alone, withouten company"
On one of the pleasant days of last
week, pulsing with the warm life of
awakening spring, 1 stood on one of
the embroidered walks of old Cross
Creek cemetery. The air was soft,
even caressing; and through it's haze.
away off on n east and south. arose
the slender black columns of smoke
from cotton and silk mills. boundaries
ETC. while in the center in massive
groups OF tiled roof, and spire, and
turret, lay the busy little city-and
through a vista Of budding trees the
bronz Confederate soldier stood his
guard on Monument SQuare. Life,
restless, struggling, feverish, short,
n its hum Of challenge to my ear
death, majestic, immutable, voiceleSs.
lay at my feet
- The old wall-here crumhHng. there
broken q bit, over which flights of
steps were placed, and through which
iron gates gave entrance-has given
place to a smart Gaping about a foot
in height Looking on this modern
improvement, I resented 1T almost as
an iconoclasm, perhaps ~unreasonably;
bat SCOTS '..OId Mortality would
have been with me. The sturdy Scot
would have knit his grizzled brows
and said: "Whafor you "a doom
the wa? The dead care ma TO get out
back TO yon wicked world"
I had made but a few steps toward
the southeastern corner of the cemete-
ry, when almost set rude foot On the
grave of Robert Adam, who died and
was first buried in Brunswick county
about opposite Wrightsville. and whose
remains were afterwards exhumed
- =
his rest has been now for 103 years.
He was the first commander of the
Fayetteville Independent Light Infan-
try, which celebrated its 111th ami
verary mex August. and made his
deep impress as a liberal and public
spirited citizen on this community.
A plain flat tablet. with times envious
gangrene eating into its smooth face,
gives modestly the record of him who
sleeps below: Beneath this stone are
deposited the mortal remains OF
Robert Adam. a native Of Greenock,
Scotland, and for many years a mer-
chant of Fayetteville, and Whining
ton. who departed this life June 18th,
1901, aged AZ years. He was univer-
sally beloved and regretted. In his
conduct and department through life
was combined all that should adorn
the Christian character, and conSti-
tute the honorable a the kind hus-
band and affectiOnate parent.
Stranger, welcome to this scene,
The last in natures course,
The first in wisdom's thought"
Not far away stands the imposing
tomb of Wiiliam Bella Strong. who fell
in 1915 yielding" as did Alexander
Hamilton. to the force OF an imperious
custom" = Not yet thirty years of
age. he strobe forth into the arena a
loader IF mon hrillia nf a+ tho hor
powerful on the hustings, tender as a
woman at At fireSide. winning and
graceful as Apollo in social life
when a hasty word married all The
moralist turns away from this shrine
of mortal dust with Longfellow'S fare
we'll to Burns on his lips:
And then to die so soon, n leave
Unfinished what he might achieved!
He haunts his native land. an i'm
mortal youth;
His hand guides every pillow;
He sits beside each ingle--nook.
His voice is in each rustling brook,
In every rustling bough."
A dogwood tree was raining it's first
blossoms down on the ~murmuring
waters of Cross Creek, through which
the morning sun shot shafts Of gold,
and the generous breeze waited on the
fragrance, as / came to the resting
DIdOC III III NOlu w
Colin McIver, born 1854 on the island
of Lewis in the Hebrides, and died at
the advanced age Of Sc ars-"g
nered years, ripe in wisdom, honor
and usefulness" He occupied the
pulpit of the Presbyterian church for
the Synod of North Carolina, of which
able body he was perhaps h most
finished II erudite Bible scholar, its
powerful ~expounder in the pulpit, its
reverent teacher and eXemplar in dali
ly life. The writer has heard Presby-
terrain ministers say that perhaps the
w%orthieSt successors of Rev. Colin Nc
liver of later days, in their rich stores
of Holy Writ. were the late Rev. DR..
J.. Henry Smith, pastor of the First
Presbyterian church of Greensboro,
and Rev. DIR. H. G.. Hill, now residing
at MaXton-
a memorial stone, which still stands
sturdily n aggressively upright. as
if typifying the nee stalwart soldier
lying prone below" his armor off, his
harness gone'-tells posterity that
there lies ISham Blake, a soldier of
the Revolution. who, mayhap, in his
old age
Sat by the fire, and talked the night
away:
Wept over his wounds; or. tales of
sorrow done,
Shouldered his crutch, and showed
how fields were won"
When Lafayette was so handsomely
entertained in this town in 1925, to
ISham Blake was assigned the honor
II presenting his Revolutionary Com
rades-in-arm to the illustriouS Wis
itor, who conceived a great liking for
the stout old soldier. They were re-
peatedIy seen hobnobbing together; and
one of the ''old inhabitants" who was
an eyewitness of the ceremonies OF
that occasion, was wont to say years
-ag that two uglier men could hardly
have been brought face to face than
the great Frenchman and the humble
American.
A rugged elm" wide-spreading and
sheltering, as if it would fain cherish
the dust below, throws its grateful
shade over the grave of Duncan Mac