The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1907-03-16

said OF all this In his epitaph.
Here Lies Buried
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Author of the Declaration of Independ-
ence M
Of the Statute of Virginia for Religious
! Freedom
And Father Of the University of Vir-
ginia.
! Benjamin Franklin was another who
/ wrote his own epitaph Franklin was
gifted in epgramatic writing, In con-
/ densing much in little space, and in
constructing wise proverbs he wrote,
4, The Body Of BENJAMIN Franklin, print
/ Q4ike the@cover OF an old book it's con-
tents torn out and stript of its letter.
ing and gilding)
lies here, food for worms
But the work shall not be lost. for It
will
las he believed) appear once more)
In new and more elegant edition. re-
yised and corrected by the author.
Written in 1928.
Franklin and Jefferson were not the
only distinguished Americans who
wrote their own epitaphs. In the
early days OF Virginia one of the most
prominent and wealthy citizens of the
colony was John Gusts. According to
tradition he married wife who might
nave rivaled the one who led old
Socrates such a merry chase after
happiness. by showing d will and tenn
per OF her own. 1t is evident that he
could not make even with his wife
during her life time, and was not will
ing TO forego his revenge, so he pre-
pared to perpetuate 1t in enduring
marble. He wrote his epitaph, and to
make sure that 1t would be placed on
his tomb, provided in his will that his
son and heir should forfeit his fortune
unless he caused to be erected a mon
ument to cost 500 pounds sterling, and
on it should place the epitaph he had
written:
Under this marble tomb lies the
body of the
Hon. John Custis, Esq.
OF the City of Williamsburg, and
Parish of Burton, formerly of the
Hungars Parish, on the eastern
4 shore of Virginia and County of
Northampton; aged II years, and
yet lived but seven years, which
was the space of time he kept a
bachelors home at Arlington, on
the eastern shore of Virginia
@sihE
This Hon. John Gusts was the
father of Daniel Parke GUSTS, the first
husband of Martha cambridge, who
afterward became Martha Washing
ton. In my collection of curious cpl
taphs is one that might find an echo
In the hearts of many hundreds who
have not had the same recorded on
the stone that covers their remains |
1T tells nothing, except by inference,
of what the poor woman did, but it |
gives much of what she hoped for:
Here lies poor woman who always
was tired,
Who lived in house where help was
not hired
Her last words on earth We're: Dear
friends, ] am going
Where washing is not done, nor
sweeping nor sewing,
But everything there is exact to my
wishes,
For where they don't eat, there's no |
washing OF dishes.
I'll be where loud anthems will always |
be ringing,
But having no voice. I'll get clear of |
the singing.
Don't mourn for me now, don't mourn |
for me never;
| am going to do nothing forever and
ever.
1t is not unusual to find chronicled
a list of the public offices or the pri-
vate virtues held or possessed by the
deceased In an Ohio cemetery. stand
ing not far apart from each other, are
two stones worthy of notice. On one
is recited:
Erected to the memory of
Jacob Easton,
A Worthy Citizen.