ACHESON, George 1821 - 1881

ACHESON, HEMPHILL, CLARKE, GARRETSON, GOSFORD

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 5/14/2006 at 14:03:33

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Wednesday, April 27, 1881
Page 3, Column 6

DEATH OF GEORGE ACHESON.
A Pioneer and a Worthy Citizen Gone to His Home.

The announcement of the death of Mr. George ACHESON, which occurred in this city Sunday evening at 10 o'clock, is one that has created universal sorrow throughout the city, a grief which extends far beyond the usual limit--for a good man is gone. An active, energetic man in all the walks of life, in 1874 he suffered severe misfortune by the breaking of a limb, from which, really, he never recovered. Following this came a severe illness, one which impaired his activity, although he was able to attend to his ordinary duties, and in December, 1879, while at Sparta, Wis,. with his wife, who was in ill health, he was stricken with paralysis. From this attack he partially recovered.

April 2d, 1880, death visited the home circle and his beloved wife, a woman universally loved and respected, was taken away. From this time on Mr. ACHESON's health was somewhat improved, but his condition was still such as to excite constant alarm and fear for the worst in those who were intimate with him. On the 10th inst., he was stricken with apoplexy and has since lain in an unconscious condition until death relieved his sufferings.

George ACHESON was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1821, and hence was in his sixtieth year at the time of his death. He was the sixth child among five brothers and four sisters, six of whom are now living, three brothers and three sisters. He was educated at Washington College, Washington, Pa., and read law with his brother, A. W. ACHESON in that place. In the spring of 1843 he and C. W. Slagle, who still survives, started west in search of a location. They crossed the Mississippi river thirty-eight years ago April 6th, and located here soon afterwards, and have been in steady practice in this city ever since--the oldest law firm in Iowa, and we know of none older in the United States.

December 23d, 1847, Mr. ACHESON was married to Miss Mary HEMPHILL, daughter of Adley HEMPHILL, Esq., one of the early settlers of Jefferson county. From this happy marriage six children were born, two of whom are now dead. Two sons, John and George, are living in this city; one of the daughters is the wife of Lieut. C. A. CLARKE, of the U. S. navy, the other the wife of D. F. GARRETSON, of Kansas City. With a kind husband, a dutiful, affectionate wife and mother, no happier home was ever known. In their more than usual devotion to each other and children and friends their home was one of peace and contentment--a model for all who gained entrance to it, and the death of the loving wife so soon followed by that of the husband, and the destruction of the sweet home life, mars one of the prettiest pictures of earth and illustrates the swift passing away of earthly things. To those who mourn this deep affliction, however, are left as consolation the fond recollections of those who had lived life nobly and well, whose kindly feelings were appreciated on every hand, whose deeds of charity were those of pleasure rather than obligation. The damp earth hides them from our sight, but the knowledge of those sweet, well spent lives gives blessed promise of the great future, and the two souls so beloved by each other on earth are surely united in heaven now. Of them still remain the sweet recollections of a pure and happy life, and the two mounds, covered by the bright green turf, which mar their final resting place, will pass away long ere the dead faces will fade in our memories.

Of George ACHESON's life his friends cherish many pleasant recollections. During all his busy years he never swerved from the path of justice and of right. Honest and upright, his bright career as an attorney and a business man was never marred by a wrongful deed. He was devoted to his profession, and although many places of profit and trust were within his reach, in other directions he never availed himself of circumstances which might present themselves. His devotion to home and loved ones, so marked through life, perhaps stood in the way of his political advancement, and his aspirations for honors of that kind were put aside for the happiness and enjoyment of home life, with its quieter and sweeter pleasures.

In early life Mr. ACHESON was a democrat and as such was elected county prosecutor in 1846, succeeding Cyrus Olney, our first prosecuting attorney.-- He held this office one term, or it may be one term before his election in 1846, as the records are in such condition it is impossible to fix on more than the date of one term certainly. When Fairfield was incorporated, in 1847, he was the first city recorder, and afterwards, in 1862, we think, he was elected mayor, and held that office a term or two. He was for many years a trustee of the Mt. Pleasant asylum. He was also one of the holders of the deed for Fairfield's first cemetery, which was afterwards assigned to the city.

Although a democrat in his earlier years the firing on Fort Sumter aroused the patriotism within his heart and he cast his lot with the Union, and changed his allegience (sic) to the republican party, with which he has been identified ever since, though never an active politician. His patriotic words and noble deeds during the dark days of rebellion were those of a lover of his country, and had vast influence in the direction of affairs in trying times. Ever with the cause of humanity and right and justice, Mr. ACHESON was positive in his convictions and earnest in his advocacy of humanity. This was shown in a matter which was brought before him during his occupancy of the county attorneyship, and the first colored man in Jefferson county found in him a friend and defender. Under an old law all black and mulatto persons coming into the state were required to produce a certificate of actual freedom. One Charles Forrester came here from Agency without the certificate, and the democratic board of commissioners brought the matter to the prosecutor's attention with instructions to enforce the law. ACHESON declined and a considerable excitement was occasioned over the affair, which finally ended in Forrester locating and living in Fairfield for many years, conducting himself in a gentlemanly manner and prospering. This was not Mr. ACHESON's only stand in favor of human rights, but it serves to illustrate his character.

In all matters of public interest and for the advantage of Fairfield he was always at the fore. With others of our citizens he labored hard for our first railroad, and, perhaps, his connection with the Southwestern was more beneficial to Jefferson county than that of any other one man, for in addition to aiding our citizens in all the usual work, his effort more than those of any one else secured the right of way through the county. He was one of the founders of the Jefferson County Coal Co., the First National Bank, a friend of the Parsons College enterprise, our Library and one of the owners of the handsome brick block on the north side, and his name was connected with every enterprise which would aid us as a thriving young city.

As a husband he was loving and devoted, as a parent kind and indulgent, as a friend faithful and true. As a man he was possessed of many virtues and few faults. Few men Jefferson county has ever had who so readily gained public esteem and always retained it. As a fellow citizen, a brave, public spirited man, we will all miss him(.) His taking away is a public calamity, but his years of usefulness will live as long as Fairfield exists, and the town itself will be a monument to his worth and usefulness as one of its pioneers.

Mr. ACHESON was the first Mason ever initiated in Jefferson county and was one of the charter members of Clinton Lodge. He has held many positions in this order, and was of high standing in it. The remains were interred by the side of his wife in the Evergreen Cemetery near this city yesterday afternoon, with appropriate Masonic ceremonies, and the funeral was one of the largest ever seen in the city. President Ewing and Rev. M. E. Dwight officiated at the funeral, the latter delivering a beautiful and appropriate eulogy.

A meeting of the bar of Fairfield was held at the office of McCoid & West Monday afternoon, to take the customary action on the death of a fellow practitioner. James F. Wilson as made chairman and I. D. Jones secretary. A committee of five, consisting of Messrs. James F. Wilson, W. B. Culbertson, J. J. Cummings, M. A. McCoid and C. D. Leggett, was appointed to draft fitting resolutions, and reported as follows:

Resolved, That the members of the bar of Fairfield have with profound regret learned of the death of George ACHESON, for many years a member of our bar and an able and courteous practitioner.

Resolved, That while we remember Mr. ACHESON as a most worthy member of our profession, we also bear testimony to his worth as a member of this community, ever ready with deeds for the promotion of its best interests and always alive to proper means for the advancement of its prosperity.

Resolved, That James F. Wilson be requested to present these resolutions to the district and circuit courts for the county, at the next terms thereof, and request that they be entered on the records respectively.

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be communicated to the family of Mr. ACHESON with the heartfelt condolences of the bar, and that as a further mark of respect we will attend the funeral of our deceased brother in a body.

Respectfully submitted,
James F. Wilson,
W. B. Culbertson,
M. A. McCoid,
J. J. Cummings,
Chas. D. Leggett.

Upon notification of the death of Mr. ACHESON, the following resolutions were adopted by Clinton Lodge, No. 15, A. F. and A.M.:

Your committee, in the discharge of the sad and solemn duty assigned to them, find themselves led away from the ordinary thoughts suggested by such an occasion.

Brother George ACHESON was the first Mason made in this lodge. He was again and again elected as master, and brought to that high and responsible office a fervor and zeal, a brightness in its work, a learning and ability for which he has had no equal. On almost all occasions of our public ceremonies he has officiated. He has stood at the head of the grave of almost every Mason borne by us to that last resting place place to which we have just carried all that remained of him.

He was one whom we all loved and delighted to honor. These memories of him, filling our minds and hearts, tell in stronger terms than we can indite the incurable loss his death has brought upon us. His seat is vacant, his light extinguished, and in this desolated place we feel his loss can never be forgotten or filled.

Hear in lodge echoes upon our ears his tones familiar for a score of years, saying, "Brethren, we are about to quit this sacred retreat of virtue." Before many of us he seems to stand clothed and in form, as when he first approached to receive us into this ancient order; on our walls hangs his portrait, and our hearts are thrilled with hallowed and ennobling memories of him. Therefore, be it

Resolved, 1. That it is fitting that these sentiments and recollections of our beloved brother be thus informally written, as suggested to each of us at this moment when his departure has called us together, and be, and the same are hereby, ordered spread upon our records.

2. That to the friends of our departed brother more directly stricken and more deeply bereaved than we, as his home was dearer than his lodge, we can give no better token of our inexpressible sorrow and our tender sympathy than our silent conveyance with them of his body to the waiting tomb has done, bidding them, with us, look beyond in the well founded hope of his glorious resurrection.

3. That our lodge be draped in mourning for thirty days.

4. That a copy of these resolutions be delivered to the friends of the deceased and furnished to the city papers for publication.

M. A. McCoid,
T. L. James,
T. L. Hoffman.

----

"The Fairfield Tribune"
Thursday, April 28, 1881
Page 3, Columns 4 and 5

AN OLD CITIZEN DEAD.
The Death Last Sunday Evening of Mr. Geo. ACHESON.

No death of recent years in Fairfield has been more generally or more sincerely mourned than that of Mr. Geo ACHESON, which occurred last Sunday evening, at ten o'clock. For several years his health had been failing, and recently, on the tenth inst, he had been stricken with a second attack of paralysis. Since then he had lain very low and his recovery had not been looked for. We have not room nor posession (sic) of the material to make such a notice of his life as we could wish, and therefore attempt nothing. He was a good man,--a man whose example in private life or as a citizen may well be taken by others, and in his death the city has met with the loss of one of her purest and best citizens. In place of anything of our own, we publish the very full and eloquent remarks of Rev. M. E. Dwight, who preached the funeral discourse. It is as follows:

Deep and strange the mystery of this life sometimes appears to be, and singular and inscrutable seem the ways of Him who orders its incoming and outgoing. Just one year ago, if we measure by the springing grass, and singing birds, and budding trees, we were gathered in this house of mourning to perform the last sad rites over the remains of the wife and mother of this household, and to-day we are again assembled to carry the husband and father to his last resting place. Our hearts were heavy then with the sense of unusual bereavement, and our hearts are burdened now with the feeling of uncommon loss. One of our most honored citizens and most cherished friends, one who has identified himself with the growth and prosperity of this city since the beginning, has passed away. A good man, a faithful brother, a genial friend, a wise counsellor and an ardent patriot, has gone from us, and deep and unaffected sorrow pervades all hearts at his departure.

George ACHESON, fifth son of David and Mary ACHESON, was born at the manor house of his father in Washington, Washington county, Pa., on the 16th of June, 1821, and so was in the 60th year of his age when death summoned him away. Of his early life we are unable to speak with any fulness, but the most important fact relating thereto was his father's loss of property. From circumstances of affluence, the family were reduced to comparative poverty, and George, together with the rest of the children, was obliged to face the sternness of his altered lot. In the midst of his course at Washington College he broke off his studies and entered his brother's store at Chambersburg. Afterwards, having decided to make the law his profession, he returned to his native place, and entered the office of one of the leading lawyers in the city. While diligently pursuing his legal studies his father visited the home of his ancestors at Glassdrummond where he was cordially received by Lord GOSFORD, the head of the ACHESON family. For a time Mr. ACHESON entertained the idea of securing the old family homestead, so long held by his ancestors, by a perpetual lease to his son George, and resuscitating the collateral branch of the family in Ireland. But this scheme for converting his son into a British subject was found to be impracticable, and George, who meanwhile had continued his studies, upon his father's return turned his eyes to the New West, whither he proceeded in the spring of 1843 in company with his fellow townsman and early friend, C. W. Slagle, Esq., with whom he had already entered into terms of partnership. On the 23d of April of the same year--just thirty-eight years ago last Saturday--Mr. ACHESON arrived in this place and shortly afterward entered upon the practice of his profession. A modest sign bearing the names of Slagle & Acheson announced the appearance of a new law firm in Fairfield--a firm destined to continue unbroken for thirty-eight years and to wield a commanding influence upon the bar of Jefferson county.

On the 23d of Dec. 1847, Mr. ACHESON was united in marriage with Mary HEMPHILL, daughter of Adley and Jane HEMPHILL, a resident of this city. Six children were the fruit of this happy marriage, four of whom survive to mourn this day their father's decease, and two are in heaven with their sainted mother to welcome his entrance into life and add to the fulness of his joy. Of Mr. ACHESON in domestic life it may be said that he was a pattern of tender, indulgent, and abiding affection. The loss of his children deeply affected his sensitive nature, and the death of his beloved wife, with whom he had trod the joys and sorrows of life for more than thirty years, overwhelmed him with grief and doubtless hastened his departure. Not a day passed without expressions of lamentation for his beloved consort; and it was in the midst of sorrowful and depressing memories of the anniversary of her death that the stroke fell which terminated his earthly existence.

As a private friend, Mr. ACHESON was a man of ardent and sincere attachments. In the lodge, of which he was the first initiated member, he was a beloved and enthusiastic brother. In social life he was a general favorite. A man of warm feelings and sanguine temperament he was sometimes hasty in his utterances, for to err is human, but the native kindness of his disposition and the justness of his heart, led him to recall any ill-advised words he might have spoken and make whatever amends that lay in his power. Thus it may be truly said that he lived without coldness or alienation existing between himself and any, and that he left the world without an enemy.

As a business man Mr. ACHESON was upright and honorable in all his dealings. As a counsellor at law he was faithful to the interests of his clients, mindful of the dignity and courtesy of the bar, and an ornament to his profession. Brilliant in invention, acute in cross-examination, fluent in speech, magnetic in utterance and learned in the law, he won many a triumph at the bar, rose rapidly to the head of his profession and gained for himself a reputation as a lawyer both at home and abroad.

In political action Mr. ACHESON, following the sentiment of his father was at first identified with the democratic party. At the outbreak of civil war he hastened with patriotic zeal to throw all his influence upon the side of his imperiled country. In a speech that thrilled the hearts of all who heard it he cast his lot with that of the defenders of the Union, and called upon everyone to rally with him to the support of the star spangled banner. During the dark days that followed none were more active than he in measures for the promotion of his country's welfare, and throughout the war his magnetic voice was continually heard stirring the hearts of his fellow citizens to patriotic efforts and self denying sacrifices. No speaker was in more popular demand than he on all public occasions, and none did more than he toward forming that sentiment and shaping that action by which Jefferson county, for its conduct during the (note - 'e' in 'the' typeset inverted) war of the rebellion, has won such imperishable glory. When the news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln was flashed across the country, and strong men wept tears of uncontrollable grief, and meetings were held in every quarter to give expressions to the universal sorrow, Mr. ACHESON's voice was again heard speaking in tones of overpowering eloquence of the goodness and greatness of the martyred hero. Many here still remember the words he uttered on that that occasion, and with what pathos, what indignation, what overwhelming emotion he spake of the martyred president and the circumstances of his untimely end.

Mr. ACHESON inherited from his parents a vital constitution, although it must be added that from boyhood he was subject to attacks of inflammatory rheumatism. Aside from these painful attacks, however, he enjoyed robust health, and vigorous mental powers, until some five or six years ago when he was thrown from an omnibus and received an injury in his ankle. From this painful and crippling accident he never seemed to entirely recover. It was in reality the beginning of the series of causes which eventuated in his decease. A year ago last October, while on his way to the family re-union at Washington, Penn., he was attacked with his old malady and for several weeks lay at the point of death. While convalescing from this exhausting illness he was attacked with a singular disease of which the prominent features was the loss of the memory of words. For days he could only write what he wished to convey, and for weeks and months his speech was broken and imperfect. To one so gifted with flowing magnetic utterance, nothing could be more trying than such an affliction. It necessarily laid him aside from all professional labor and oppressed his active spirit with a sense of impotence. In the midst of this heavy trial, and at a time when she seemed more necessary to him than ever, his beloved wife fell sick and passed away. To his already sorely tried heart this seemed to be a strange and inscrutable providence. His prayer was that he might not long survive her loss. This prayer was heard. In death they were not long divided. A single year was allowed to intervene and then the summons came to him likewise. Two weeks ago on Monday he felt another paralytic shock. Lying down he said to his daughter: "This is my last illness," and presently became unconscious. The news of his alarming condition spread through the city and sorrow was depicted on all faces. "O, do you think he will recover?" said a poor woman, whose name is unknown to me, as I left the house that day. And when I told her the extent of his danger, she wrung her hands and said with flowing tears" O, I hope he will recover, for he was good to me in my sickness and trouble." And as I went my way I thought the tribute of this woman's heart was the best of all eulogies upon the life of George ACHESON, and felt that the tears of the widow and the fatherless shed at a drying pillow were more precious than the blazes of fame! In a state of unconsciousness, broken perhaps by occasional gleams of intelligence, Mr. ACHESON lingered until last Sunday night at ten o'clock when he breathed his last, and entered, we trust, as one who loved the Lord and his fellow men, into the land of love and eternal joy.

It remains for me to add that Mr. ACHESON was a man of deep religious convictions. Early in life he professed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and became a member of the Presbyterian church. Although in later years he cherished beliefs concerning the final restoration of the wicked at variance with the accepted doctrines of the church of which he was a member, nevertheless he held fast to Christ alone as the hope of glory. The afflictions and trials of his latter days seemed to develop within him a more assured and satisfying religious experience. Some here will remember his remarks at a social festival held in the Congregational church five or six winters ago in which he began with these words, "And it was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch." He touchingly alluded to the christian gladness he saw prevailing around him, and hoped there were none shut out in the wintry cold and darkness as Jesus was in Solomon's porch. All hearts were touched with his words of christian hope and tenderness, and tears stood in many eyes as he sat down. On his return from Sparta, Wis., a year ago last February, weak and croppled in speech, he took me by the hand and in reply to my words on consolation wrote down the sentiment which his palsied tongue could not utter, and these were the precious words he wrote,

"I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord."

In many a conversation thereafter he manifested a similar reliance upon the Crucified, and my heart was strengthened by his christian faith and hope. And although sorely tempted by his fast gathering trials to doubt and despondency, I believe he did not cast away his confidence, but in the patience of hope held it steadfastly unto the end.

The last time I called upon him before his fatal illness he bade me read from his scrap book an account of Miss Carry's hymn, beginning with these familiar lines:

"One sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o'er and o'er,
I'm nearer my home to-day,
Than ever I've been before,"

and then requested that this hymn be sung in church some day. The hymn, however, was not sung. The Sabbath on which it was to have been given Mr. ACHESON was unwell and remained at home. The next day he was prostrated with cerebral hemorrhage. Was there some premonition of approaching dissolution in this request? Did he have some intimation that he was near

"The bound of life
When we lay our burdens down,"

And was it indeed to him a sweetly solemn thought that he was near his heavenly home? I trust so. And I believe when

"That hidden stream,
Winding through the shades of night,"

bathed his wayworn feet, that his faithful spirit clung to Jesus, even as this hymn he loved exhorted him to do, and that strengthened with Christ's presence he pressed through the stream and emerged upon the sweet fields beyond the flood, when all his burdens and heavy griefs were laid down, and where his faithful heart now rests in the sweetness of the sunshine of the joy of the Lord and the companionship of the blessed. For a voice from heaven has been heard saying: "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth; Yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them."

The funeral took place Tuesday and was very large. The services at the grave were conducted by the Masonic Order, of which Mr. ACHESON was a member, having been the first member initiated in this county. Resolutions to his memory and reciting his virtues were passed by the order, but we are compelled from lack of room to omit publication of them. The bar also passed resolutions of respect.

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"The Fairfield Journal"
Thursday, April 28, 1881
Front Page, Column 4

FROM MONDAY'S DAILY.

DEATH OF GEORGE ACHESON.

Day after day adds to the roll of the lamented and honored dead, and the funeral knells of one dear departed rings out upon the air almost at the same hour that the spirit of another loved one is just winging its flight from earth, and the death-knell is riging (sic) in the hearts of the bereaved ones who are left fatherless. It is with feelings of sadness that The Journal is called upon to announce to its readers the death of one of our oldest and most prominent citizens, Mr. Geo. ACHESON, which occurred at his residence this morning. The announcement of his death fell upon this community as falls the notes of the bell tolling a funeral chime. Strong men stood still and wept when they heard it, and went and told it with heavy hearts. And so the sad news needed no iron tongue or brazen lung to herald it. It was beaten from one bereaved breast only to find lodgement in another, till the whole city mourned. It was a cloudy day in Fairfield to-day, for the sunshine of a good man's presence has been darkened, and hearts beat a muffled-drum-beat as men joined the mournful processions passing along the steeets (sic).

~~~~

"The Evening Journal"
Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa
Thursday, April 28, 1881
Page 12, Column 2

FROM WEDNESDAY'S DAILY.

HONORS TO THE DEAD.
Funeral of the Late George ACHESON Yesterday Afternoon--A Worthy Tribute to a Noble Man, and on Imposing, Solemn and Impressive Ceremony.

Tuesday afternoon, April 26th, 1881, will live in the memory of the people and the history of Fairfield for years to come, not only because on that quiet and beautiful afternoon the last sad tribute was paid to the memory of one of God's noblemen and one of Fairfield's most beloved and highly respected citizens, but because the funeral demonstration of the late George ACHESON was one of the largest, most touching and impressively suggestive of any tribute to the memory of the departed ever witnessed in Fairfield. The funeral of that beloved and noble citizen was a sad, yet grand and imposing spectacle--a solemn duty to the dead man that was participated in by a very large number of mourning friends, embracing in their numbers representative men of every industry, profession and calling in the city. The funeral procession of yesterday afternoon, and the crowded streets through which the imposing cortege slowly wended its way, was a silent tribute to the memory of a man whose sudden death cast a shadow of gloom over this entire community, and fell like a pall of darkness which went to the hearts of all who knew him personally or professionally. It was a tribute, the eloquence and touching beauty of which could not have been told plainer in glowing words and sentences, or the hold the deceased had upon the affections of the people of this city and vicinity could not have been better proved. The hosts of saddened faces and many tear-stained eyes indicated plainly what the heart felt.

The funeral obsequies were held at the late residence at 3 p.m. The house was crowded, and many were compelled to remain in the yard. The services were conducted by Rev. E. M. Dwight, assisted by Rev. Dr. Ewing, and were very beautiful and impressive.

After the services, the pall-bearers, Hon. M. A. McCoid, Hon. S. M. Boling, George Craine, George A. Wells, H. N. West and D. R. McCrackin took charge of the remains, and conveyed them to the hearse. The coffin was beautifully garlanded with flowers. The procession to the silent city of the dead was headed by the Masonic fraternity in uniform. Next were the members of the Fairfield Bar; then came the hearse; then the immediate relatives and friends in carriages and on foot.

George ACHESON was born in Washington county, Pa. June 16th, 1821. He attended school at Washington College. After finishing his education, he entered his brother's store, but soon changed his mind and concluded to read law. He entered a law office for that purpose in Washington, Penn. In 1843 he came to Iowa in company with Hon. C. W. Slagle, and the two hung out their law shingle on the 23d of April of that year, and the firm of Slagle & Acheson has existed in this city from that day to this--thirty seven years. He was married to Mary HEMPHILL, daughter of Adley HEMPHILL, Dec. 23, 1847, by whom he had six children, four of whom survive him--Mrs. Charles A. CLARK, John H. ACHESON, Mrs. D. F. GARRETTSON and George B. ACHESON. His beloved wife died one year ago the 2d of this month. He was prosecuting attorney of this district, and at one time was Mayor of the city.

But his labors are ended, his term of life is over; the interests, the wealth, the blandishments, and the honors of this world have ceased forever to be interesting to him. These things cannot affect or awaken him from the cold slumbers of the grave. His spirit has gone to meet his Maker and experience the realities of eternal things. His dust now mingles with that of Negus and Farmer, in the bosom of Jefferson county. Let us profit by his example; let us avoid and forget his faults; let us remember his virtues and imitate and emulate his good, his noble deeds. Peace to his ashes, honor to his memory.

-- Same paper and page, Column 5 --

--The editor of The Journal, seven years ago, while editor of the "Columbus Safeguard", in referring to the oldest law firm in Iowa, wrote as follows: "C. W. Slagle and George ACHESON were born within a stone's throw of each other in their native state; played together as school mates, and spent their boyhood days in each other's company. Finally, when manhood overtook them, they removed to Fairfield and flung their shingle to the breeze 'just thirty years ago,' and we presume will continue to do business together until He who does all things well shall separate them by death." The prediction has proven true. That Reaper, whose name is Death, separated the firm on Monday last. ...

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*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.