The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-09-09
RanLy TO O. n p. Sheldon.

terry on the Territorial road, and cor
rect an error which / inadvertently
made in reply TO friend Lawton's
statement of great spreading native
white oak trees" upon the ground.
l said there was not an oak tree upon
the ground. thought / was correct,
as / had never discovered one. O. IL.
=. Sheldon deemed the error so inn
portant that he corrected il by stating,
unqualifedly, that 'there were oaks
there which seems TO convey the
impression that my answer had done
Mr.. Lawton an injustice; and | do not
like TO stand in false light before
the community. I have learned by
diligent inquiry that there were two,
and 0Rly tho. small, second growth
oak trees among the pines, and il is
presumable that they were cut by
request of those having charge of the
lots on which they stood. Yes, l was
mistaken. To err is human, to for
give is divine, and l hope my friend
Sheldon will exercise the divine.
He also says l was in error about
what | said of Horace Moon. In that
he is mistaken. Horace was a rela-
tive of mine, and ] saw him buried.
| did not state that he was buried on
the identical lot on which the monu-
ment stands. There was not room on
it for his family, and he secured a
lot as near the monument as possible.
His name is upon the monument as
one of its builders, and his son from
Kansas City was here recently and
had the leaning shaft righted up, and
his fathers name, with others, en-
ordered other improvements. Horace
does rest within the moving shadow
of that monument. -
Mr.. Sheldon says: The people liv-
ing in the vicinity or those having
friends buried there were not con-
suited" l had supposed that those
living in the vicinity and having
friends buried there, and who had
been assessed for 40 or 50 years for
repairs and improvements, and assist
ed in the work, either in person or by
proxy, had been consulted and had
right TO say what improvements should
be made, even without consulting
those who have no pecuniary or burial
interest in the cemetery. But if there
was a neglect, as Mr.. Sheldon says,
who was more to blame than himself?
He was mainly in charge of the
ground, and had been since the death
of his father. He made or ordered
such repairs as he deemed necessary,
and was paid for his work and ex-
penses. He must have known that
the cutting of the trees had been long
in contemplation. 1t seems that he
did know when the work was TO COM
mence, for l am informed that he was
one of the fist on the ground, and
assisted in removing the trees from
his own lots, and that he drew away
and used for fuel all of the limbs and
tops of trees when removed from the
ground. 1t would seem that the friends
of those buried there would have
looked to him more than anyone else
for the protection of the graves of
their dear ones. The work was not a
before breakfast job. 1t took many
days and many hands and great care
TO accomplish it; and there was ample
time to have notified not only those
Giving in the vicinity" but almost any
distance away, and given those who
were opposed to it chance to have
demonstrated against the ''desecra-
ton. Representatives from both
branches of the two older Sheldon
families were engaged in the work,
and a brother of 0. II. p. superin-
tended it. Mr. Sheldon thinks "al of
the trees should not have been cut"
l have heard it stated and, think,
by Mr.. Sheldon, that eff the trees in
the outside row around the lot had
been left there would have been no
serious objection. Two of the very
largest trees on the ground stood in
that outside row, and within about
three feet of the margin of the four
lots of which l hold deeds, and
on which the Woodman family are
buried; and their wide-spreading and
pitch-s branches rendered the
lots unfit for resting place of our loved
ones, and ordered them CIT. II is fair 10
presume that others having outside
lots under those trees exercised the
same right that Mr.. Sheldon did in
removing them from his lots.
Mr.. iced gives the public to under
stand that a general slaughter of our
beautiful naples along our highways
is going on in this vicinity. In that
he is mistaken. Our people are almost
worshipfully attached to our beautiful
naples.
Now / have done, and shall answer
no more criticisms upon the action of
myself, although l shrink from no
responsibility in the matter, or my
neighbors and friends. To my mind !
it was unfortunate and uncalled for
that this crusade should have been
started at this late day against the
conscientious and almost religious
action of an intelligent and respect
able community. No amount of cen
sure can restore the trees / hope |
that now this matter will be dropped. !
and the dead left to sleep in peace, I
and the sad feelings of the living no
longer narrowed up.
J. J. WooDMAN.
$50 far as The True Northerner is