69. LXIX.
LOSES A FRIEND, AND WRITES HIS OBITUARY.
Church uv the Noo Dispensashun, }
October the 28th, 1864.
A piller hez fallen! Last nite, at 10 o'clock
and 67 minits P. M., Issaker Punt, a dekun uv
my Church, and the heftiest piller in the instooshn,
in fact the only one who pade his qwarterige regler,
departid this life.
Brother Punt wuz born a Dimekrat; he reseeved
the faith by inheritance, as his father wuz
one afore him. And that faith he kept. He mite
hev bin sedoost in2 the by and ferbidden paths
uv Whiggery and Ablishnism, and sich, but knoin
the frailty uv human nacher, he persistently refoozd
to learn 2 reed, and thus made himself
sekoor from the wiles uv unscroopulus politishns.
It wuz a butiful trate in his karikter that he
wood never vote a tikkit that he did not git frum
the hands uv a sentral committee-man!
Brother Punt commenst his polittikle life a
votin for Androo Jaxn, when he wuz but 18 years
old. The rigid moralist may obgect to this act, ez
illegle. It wuz obgectid 2 at the time, and the
youthful hero wuz arrestid and impriznd, and he
wood hev remaned in prizn two yeers, hed he not
bin pardoned out by a Dimekratik guvner, jest
afore the next elekshun. We next find him battlin
for Dimokrasy in the person uv Martin Van
Booren. At that elekshun he votid twice, and
drunk 172 times. Ez he repeetedly remarkt 2
me, that day wuz a tryin one. The first hundred
drinks wuz nateral—the balens wuz excess; but
he hed pledgd his township for a certain magority,
the candidates hed given him the munny 2
treet with, and he wuz determined 2 do it ef it
cost him a attack uv delirium treemens. He
wuz alluz reddy 2 sacrifice his bowils for the
coz.
He manijd to survive Harrison's elekshun, and
wuz activ in prookoorin Poke's triumph. He
mourned doorin Fillmore's rane, and rejoist with
eckseedin grate joy doorin Peerse and Bookannon's.
In 1860 he did n't vote for nobody. He knode
Duglis wuz a Dimekrat, and so wuz Breckenrij.
He attendid meetins uv both factions, and hoorayd
viggerusly for both, but, unforchnitly, the committy
who hed furnisht him tikkits for yeers wuz
divided—one-haff for Duglis and tother for Breckinrij.
He coodent deside wich wuz the reel Dimekratik
tikkit, and so, on elekshun day, he went 2
the poles, and went thro the moshuns uv votin
with a peese uv blank paper.
But he hed no doubts ez to opposin Linkin—he
knode he wuz no Dimekrat, for both committy-men
told him so. O, with what goy he heerd the
nooze uv the firin on Fort Sumter! With what
eckstasy he heerd uv Bull Run! No man in the
North exhibbitid more ability in swarin at Linkin—no
one cood retail 2 better advantage the
lies the sentrel committy desidid to serkelait.
Brother Punt growd low-sperited at the battle
uv Stone River, and kept failin ez Linkin's dorgs
advanst. He britened up a little wen Forist
killed the niggers at Fort Piller; but Sheridan
and the Injeany eleckshuns prostratid him feerfully,
and he becum so redoost that his likker hed
2 be fed 2 him with a spoon.
Brother Punt wuz a consistent member uv the
Church uv the Noo Dispensashun. Before jinin
my flock, it wuz his boast that he hed never bin
inside a meetin-house. There4 he rejoist at the
oppertoonity uv heerin a pure gospil, in2 wich, ef
the nigger wuz interdoost at all, he wuz put in
and held up hand-cufft, wich is alluz refreshin to
the troo Dimekratik mind. He despisd Ablishn
preechin.
Brother Punt's Dimokrasy wuz uv a broad,
comprehensive karicter. He follered the party.
Opposed to Stait's rites and secession under Jaxn,
he wuz in favor uv both in 1864. Opposed to
slaivry-extension in '48, he favord it in '60, and
so on. The immejit coz uv his deth wuz this
tyrannikle Administrashen. Whisky hed got so
high that he wuz forst 2 diloot it, and at his age
he coodent stan it. He died uv water on the
stumic.
I wuz with him in his last momence. His
mind wandered, and he talked uv goin wher he 'd
finelly hev a post-orfis. The docter, who wuz a
Ablishnist, unfeelinly remarkt, that ef ther wuz
mails in the country he wuz goin 2, it wood be
nessary to hev fire-proof mail-bags. Like all
other grate men, he hed his last words (no member
uv my flock shel die without hevin last
words, so long ez I kin write)—I writ em yisterdy.
They wuz: “Hev we carried Pennsylwany?—my
coppers is burnt out!—put on my
tomb-stun, “He voted erly and often, and never
skratched a tikkit.”
Ez winter is approachin, and I need a new soot
uv klose, I hev determined to call upon the brethren
for funds to erect a sootable monument to the
memory uv this sterlin Dimekrat. Sums uv 10
sents (wich, sence Vallandigum's speckelashun, is
the orthodox Dimekratik contribushen,) for this
purpus, may be sent 2 me, with the asshoorence
that it will be faithfully used.
Petroleum V. Nasby,
Paster uv sed Church, in charge.
