News from The Cartersville Express

 
The Cartersville Express
Cartersville, Georgia
May 16, 1878, Page 2
 
Transcribed by:  
 

Exemption of Personalty Under the Homestead Act.

L. S. Stapp

********************

Page 3:

In Memoriam.
The Ladies’ Memorial Association of Cassville Last Saturday.

The number of people at the decoration of the Confederate soldiers’ graves on Saturday afternoon, May 11th, at Cassville Cemetery, was quite large.  There were probably about 150 vehicles of all kinds.  The Memorial Association, as personally announced in our columns, had selected our fellow-townsman, Mr. J. Watt Harris, Jr., as orator of the occasion.  At about a quarter to three o’clock, Mr. Wm. Chunn introduced the orator, prayer being previously offered by Mr. Wm. Battle.  The speech was chaste and elegant and pleased the assemblage vastly well.  Encomiums from us will but sound insipid to the ears of those who heard it.  Both in the matter of composition and in power and delivery, it fully justified the action of the Association in their selection.  We congratulate our friend upon his brilliant success.

At the conclusion of the address, the Cartersville Brass Band again “discoursed sweet music,” after which Miss WOFFORD* of Cass Station, a daughter of our fellow-citizen, Mr. WADE WOFFORD, recited the poem “Cover Them Over.”  The recitation was fine and pleased the audience.

The ladies and little girls then spread flowers upon the soldiers’ graves and the people rolled away in great clouds of dust.

We are doubly rejoiced to see that the interest in this day’s duties is not flagging, and we trust that the flight of Time may but increase the devotion of our people to the memory of the Confederate Dead.

[I thought I would add the text of the poem “Cover Them Over,” which is printed in the paper at the end of the transcript of Mr. Harris’ speech:]

“Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, these brothers of ours,
Give them the meed they won in the past;
Give them the honor their future forecast,
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife,
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.
Cover them over, yes cover them over,
Father, husband, brother and lover,
Kiss in your hearts these dead heroes of ours,
And cover them over with beautiful flowers.

“When the long years have rolled slowly away,
E’en to the dawn of the earth’s final day,
When the great world its last judgment awaits,
When the blue sky shall swing open its gates,
And our long columns march silently through,
Past the great Captain for final review,
Then from the blood that has flowed for the right,
Crowns shall spring upward, untarnished and bright,
Blessings for garlands shall cover them over,
Father and husband and brother and lover.
God will reward these dead heroes of ours,
And cover them over with beautiful flowers.”

* Miss Wofford may be Lillie Wofford, one of Wade Wofford’s 3 unmarried daughters in 1878 (Martha 30 years old in 1878, Lillie 18 years old and Lura 16 years old).  She won a prize, according to an article on page 3 of the issue of July 12, 1877, for ‘best reader’ at Wofford Academy: “Although there was considerable difficulty in making a selection, Miss Lillie Wofford received the prize for the best reader.  Her selection was “Curfew Shall Not Ring To-Night.”  Lillie Wofford is the transcriber’s great grandmother.

 

GO TO: Text Site Map
 
CONTACT US
archives@bartowhistorymuseum.org
770-382-3818 ext. 6283
13 N Wall Street
Cartersville, Georgia 30120

Home
Bartow GenWeb Coordinator: Trey Gaines   
Georgia GenWeb State Coordinator: Linda Blum-Barton

          ©2002 - 2019 Bartow History Museum

Last modified: March 23, 2007