The Oskaloosa herald., 1906-10-18
Death of Author Recalls History Of
Famous Production.

There is no death! The forest leaves
may fall,
And flowers may fade and pass
away;
They only wait through wintry hours
The coming Of the May.
There is no death! An angel form
Walks Ger the earth with silent
tread;
He bears our best loved things away;
And then we call them dead"
He leaves our hearts all desolate,
He plucks our fairest sweetest
flowers;
Transported into bliss, they now
Adorn immortal bowers.
The birdlike voice whose joyous
.s tones
Made glad these scenes of sin and
strife,
Sings now an everlasting song
Around the tree of life.
Where'er he sees a smile too bright,
I Or heart too pure for faint or vice,
He bears it to that world of light,
To dwell in Paradise.
Born unto that undying life,
They leave US but to come again;
With joy we welcome them the
same .t..
Except their sin and pain.
And ever near us, though unseen,
The dear immortal spirits tread;
For all the boundless universe
Is life-there are no dead
]. L. McCreery.
Dubuque Times: J. L. McCreery
of the interior department, whose
death at Duluth following an opera
ton for appendicitis, is announced in
the dispatches, was a veteran of the
Dubuque newspaper fraternity and is
we'll remembered by our older cit1z-
ems. Mr.. McCreery became connect
ed with the Dubuque Times as
printer in 1865, when ex-Mayor Berg
was foreman o. the composing room.
Editor Peterson, who was devoted to
the cause of temperance, made him
Good Templar and reporter and I'M
! der the succeeding administration of
the late Frank Guilbert, later of the
Chicago Inter-Ocean, he did some OF
the editorial work. He also served
under the regime of Charles Aldrich,
now curator of the state historical de-
partment. He had happy style and
his squibs were widely copied. Many
years later, while serving as city ed
itor of this paper, he published over
his name the poem, There Is No
, Death" AS this had been widely
credited to Bulwer Lytton, Mr.. Nc
Creery was at once accused of pla-
giarism. He met the charge by pro-
ducing affidavits that the poem had
appeared originally over his signature
in the Delhi Monitor, published at
Delhi, Delaware county, Of which he
was editor at the time, and that it
had also been published in the Du-
buque Times soon after his connec-
ton with this paper began.
Mr.. McCreery remained with the
Times through several administra-
lions as city editor. He was grace
full and intelligent writer and had a
vein of humor and sentiment which
gave him large personal following
re fhn AL
though he could qualify at social
session of the Elks in the story tell
ing department, the spiritual side of
his nature was well developed and he
occasionally quit his labors early Sat
urday night to fill the pulpit in some
outlying town the following day. He
was interested in spiritualism some
what as the society for psychic re-
search was interested, but did not
commit himself to support of the
doctrine. He was an advocate Of
temperance, and during campaign
for this cause addressed a meeting
in Dubuque in support of it. His dis
charge followed and created quite a
commotion among the readers of the
paper. The publishers were accused
of discharging him for expressing his
sentiments in community hostile to
prohibition. They denied 1t and saio
he had been released for neglecting
his duties to make speeches at poll
teal meetings. Mr.. McCreery then
obtained a position on the Herald,
but returned to this paper before 60
ing to washington to take a position
in the interior department. He be-
came an important official in the land
office and an authority on matters re-
lating to this branch OF the service.
Although nominally a Republican he
was free thinker, and in occasional
contributions to the press voiced doc
trines not Endorsed by his party, such
as the Henry George single tax the
DRY. He was tinctured with Bryan.
ism in the SOS and later contributed
under a pen name to the Iowa Social
list Of this city. Locally he Is remem-
bered as the able contemporary Of
other facile writer's who fiourished
So rra- $3.50. =. -. = IN