Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1918-10-11
TRIBUTE TO PRIV. c. A. PECK
HAM
Contributed


Pomfret.-In the beautiful ceme-
terry of Woodstock Hill on the perfect
afternoon of October 3, all that was
mortal of Private Clarence A. Peck
ham was laid to rest in the hydrangea
berdered grave; the Stars and Stripes
floating at its head and the casket
covered with the folds of the flag in
whose service he had given his life.
The funeral at the house was priv
ate and only a few intimate friends
besides the family were present; but
large number of Borrowing friends
and neighbors gathered at the Gene
| terry to express their sympathy for the
family and sorrow that the life of the
young soldier had been SO early called
from the wars of earth to the peace
of the Great Beyond.
He had been in the service but a
little over two months yet in this
brief time he had won the highest re-
spect of his officers and comrades.
Every duty was performed willingly
and promptly and had his life been
spared he would have made as splen-
did soldier as he was a citizen and
man.
For he was a man in every sense OF
q.
frank and outspoken. cringing neither
to friend nor foe, he spoke what he
thought and everyone always knew
just where he stood. He never hest
tated to condemn any action which
was mean or dishonest OF the high
est moral character himself with no
bad habits, his reputation during his
thirty years of life stands blameless
Ia ta oil a
He was true friend, a jolly compan-
ion, always ready with his quick wit
and merry life to be the life OF every
gait ING md in his own home cir
Gle ID ~lso in the family where he
had lived past three years, he has
lie vacancy in their hearts which
can never be filled.
ards cannot convey to the heart
broken .ide, the parents, brothers
and siste~, the sympathy which every
ore has for them Their only conso-
lation is that he has just passed on in
Z the fuller richer life which lies be-
nd the mystic curtain of death and
IT when their lives are ended they
iii fa1 him there for
Thee is no death; the stars go down
To rise upon some fairer shore;
A. br ght in Heavens jewel crown
They shine forever more"
L the words of the beautiful poem
real By Mr. Harrison at the funeral
service, we know that tie young man
ike thousands Of others, went brave
~ forward when duty called him, and
unfinchingly met the doom assigned
and it was not for him to return with
the banners of victory, but to lay
down his life in the great cause that
the world might be free
Let it fame or fade and war roll
down like the wind,
We have proved we have hearts in a
cause; we are noble still,
And myself have awakened as it |
seems to the better mind;
1t is better to fight for the good than |
to rail at the i'll;
| have felt for my native land, am |
one with my kind.
/ embrace the purpose of God and !
the doom assigned"
And the last two lines should stand |
as the epitaph of all our soldier boys ,
who have gone from us-for with the |
call to duty they embrace the pur-
pose of God and the doom assigned
A squad of Putnam Home Guards
paid military honors at the grave
And there we left him. Lying in the |
sacred soil of Gods Acre, covered
with wealth of beautiful flowers, /
with the trees of autumn glowing in
wondrous foliage all around him and |
all nature typifying the change which |
comes to all-life, then death-with
the glorious return of spring time
again; we know that he has passed |
on to the land of everlasting spring
and in the glorious hope of immortal
ity. And so we say farewell son,
brother, husband, soldier, friend
farewell.
For 10 we will send The Patriot