Fred Seegmiller - 1871-1907

Fred Seegmiller 1871 - 1907 You never met a man who loved my town. As I much as I did. Coming here in ’90 by the train. It nearly killed me, but I stayed on my knees. I prayed and prayed I would not go mad. For 15 years I played the organ. In the magnificent church on Bailey Street. I played the passions of Bach and the soothings of Handal. And I served refreshments in the churchyard. One night in Mid March After services had concluded, Rebecca walked into my life. She coyly received my flirtatious wink And a family of five was the magical result. For twelve years I moved lumber by horse and reigns, And drove the wagonload to the flowering homesteads. I worked hard, prayed to God And never forgot to kiss my wife goodbye. I lived on the end of Olive Street. Hidden by tall Elms, Inside my house with the white shutters, I brought two of my brood into this world And I watched one leave it in the winter of ’99. It was in that same room, The one in the back by the myrtle tree, That I too tasted death. I had the cancer And it was eating me like a cannibal unconverted. And now I am dead and buried in Clark Cemetery. And my living soul longs to spend just one more minute. Just one more minute As a dying man. My soul is not dead. My soul is not sad. Let me sleep now.