Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1919-03-18

yard 10 very largo clump OF lilac bushes,
and almost concealed by the dense growth
stands the slate acolored grsve-stone of
the first settler Of our town. / cannot
describe with what feelings Of respect
and reverence / watched Mr.. Maxim
brush away the bushes and bend down
to read the words on, the old stone. bis
feeble, tottering. form was eagerly alert
with the Instinct Of the antiquarian that
DO Was, and his ninety years seemed to
be forgotten 90 he carefully and slowly
made out the letters and figures on the
mossy stone. What was left of the pio-
neer and the historian were having their
last meeting. The ninety. year-old his
torIan was bidding farewell to the last
tangible evidence of the pioneer that for
more than century had been asleep on
the spot where he helped to cut the first
trees.
THE REMOVAL OF LEMUEL JAcKsoN's
GRAVE STONE.
A few years ago, do not know how
many, a lady of Paris, who has recently
passed away, went into the old grave
yard, which bad been perfectly familiar
to her ell her life, and passing through
was puzzled because she could not find
the gravestone of Lemuel Jackson. AT
first she thought she must be. mistaken,
and that she had looked In the wrong
place; but she looked again and again.
looked all over the yard-to return to the
spot where It was once, but had vanished.
Almost unable to believe her senses
she FASTENED homo to tell her aged
mother, who refused to believe the story,
and insisted on going at onoe to show
that the stone was still there. In spite
Of her very advanced age, she immedi.
ately went to the old yard, only to 6ud
that her daughter was not mistaken, and
that the stone had indeed vanished.
The mystery Was great and almost un-
believable. At first Il seemed the work
of magic, for no one seemed to know, or
at least to want to give any Information.
1t seemed as II the spirit OF the founder
of the town had risen In righteous indig-
nation at the growth of bushes and weeds
that was encroaching on his grave, and
was coucesling his fame from passers by.
ae bad taken bis grsve-stone and van
ished, perhaps to seek some other place
where his memory would be better cared
for and cherished, and more suitable sur.
given to his memory.
In fact, this seemed to be the real
cause, whether 1t was the work OF magic
or whether 1t was done In more practi-
cal way; for the old moss covered grave
stone was shortly located In more spa
cious yard about three miles away, where
the closely clipped grass, the clean, grav-
elled walks aud the various colored flower
beds were all that the spirit OF the old
pioneer could desire.
But the grandeur and the systematic
correctness of bis new surroundings
seemed to tire the spirit of this lover Of
the wilderness, for shortly afterwards
the stone appeared back in the old grave
yard among the weeds and lilac bushes.
In the haste of arriving at the old place,
the stone was accidentally placed at the
grave of the hrst wife of Lemuel Jack
son instead of his own, and there 1t re-
mains to this day, keeping sentinel watch
through the generations ~ they come
and 60.
Probably there was no magic or mys.
terry in the, going and returning Of the
old stone. Some one knows all about It.
I do not know who, and do not care to
ask, but that It really happened is known,
although to few only. Without doubt
1t was done through the kindness OF
heart of some person who could not bear
to see snch disrespect shown the grave
of the first and foremost of our pioneers,
who probably did more to build up our
town than any other one man at that
time, In the days Of small beginnings.
GEO. r. MORTON.