Evening star., 1915-03-28

y y
tombs, there are so many silent
mansions that the most reverent
4 pilgrim is usually bewildered by
the mortuary maze. Perhaps he will
contemplate few monuments and read
n few epitaphs, and have some memo
rfes recalled by familiar names carved
in stone, but either gloom or fndiffer-
ence will take possession of him, and
he passes on under the oaks and across
the new fields of the dead without get
ting any distinct and detailed picture
His eye sees monuments and monu-
ments, and more monuments. but does
not rest on any particular one. unless
perhaps it calls out for notice more
strongly than the rest by reason OF
its greater height or size.
There are memorials at Arlington
which have impressed the Rambler
Some of these are at a distance from
the more frequented ways and IN reia-
tively remote parts of the grounds. ana
the Rambler feels that some OF these
rombs are of interest enough to justify
him in telling of them.
of the very unusual if not the most
unusual tomb at Arlington is the
bronzs efigy of a battle-slain soldier,
which rests under the oaks in the on1-
GERS older section of the cemetery,
north of the main drive and probably
about midway between the rear OF the
mansion and the central west gate, or
the gate through which most OF the
visitors to Arlington enter This tomo
calls up in ones mind the tombs in the
abbeys and churches of Europe on
which rest the sculptured images of
the dead Most travellers will remem-
ber the effigies of warriors and kings.
clad in armor. that lie above the pones
they memorialize.
The Arlington effigy. or the prone
statue of stricken soldier. rests on
beautiful and highly polished marble
block-marble of such dark green
that one might call it green-black. and
the body of the marble is streaked
with white. The bronze image has
also turned gray-green by it's years of
exposure to the weather: the image
is clothed in the United States uni
form of the officer of the civil war
period An army pistol of bronze lies
near the soldiers right hand, as though
st has only just fallen from his grasp,
and the flap of his pistol holster is
The inscription which runs around
The edge of the bronze base of the
statue is: Lieut.. John Rodgers Melgs.
g. S. Engineers. Chief Engineer Army
of the Shenandoah. Born February
1S42, Killed October. 1854.
The eff7gy lies at the base of an ivy
grown sarcophagus. which is inscribed
as follows: Louisa Rodgers Meigs.
daughter of Commodore John Rodgers
lIeigs. L. S. Navy. and Minerva Deni-
son, his Wife. Wife of General Mont
gomery C. Meigs. L. S. Army. born In
there sith November. 1879: loving
daughter, beloved wife. fond mother.
true friend, faithful Christian. Blessed
are the pure in heart. for they shall
see God"
In the same lot is sandstone tomb
of the pattern of those tombs and ceno-
saphs which stand in long and gloomy
rows in Congressional cemetery. 1t
stone must once have stood in Con-
gressional cemetery. but the story of
its removal is not known to him, but
may be conjectured. It bears this in
scriptfon: sacred to the Memory of
Josiah Meigs. born II August. 1855.
Died 4th September. 1922. aged 65
years" On another face of the monu-
ment fs inscribed: Commissioner Cen
eral Land Office from 11th october.
inscribed: Samuel W. Meigs. son of
Josiah and Clara BENJAMIN Meigs. LIST
December, 173s-2oth July. ISIS
In a part of the cemetery where not
many pilgrims stray is curious mon
ument. both in form and in the matter
one foot high The inscription, which
is In that lettering known as script,
covers the four sides of the monument
and is the longest epitaph in Arlington,