For whom the drum tolls...

In 1923, John Donne's famous poem For Whom The Bell Tolls was found in the locker of a Dakota police chief. He and his Puritanical Celtic Christian 12th generation Irish family were killed by a native deputy inspector and his wife who were upset with the chief arresting a native woman for disorderly and drunken conduct. The irony is that her disorderly conduct increased over the years as the deputy inspector had raped the woman several times when she was involved in shoplifting calls  following her manual dexterity at the local supermarket and drugstore. She was not arrested but only abused sexually and used for sex by the deputy inspector. He had also killed a couple of his new hirelings who had attempted to arrest the woman following such calls.  The deputy inspector thought he could  get away with just about anything since most of the town's head farmers were having relations with weekend ladies related to the deputy inspector and most of the local militia were partially related. The army, navy, airforce and marines were mindful. What was the intention as they were told that resistance was futile? The deputy inspector had put arsenic in their farm's water supply.  They did not die right away but were pronounced dead in spite of being only unconscious and dying.  A liter of clean water would have saved the lives of the young hirelings. It was such a small town and did not require such hedonism. The native woman was rumored to be the chief's secret child, his obvious victim, a whore and also his wife. The Deputy Inspector was finally killed by the old native woman who looped a  long shoe string around the Inspector's foot one night while they sailed down stream on a river boat for a quiet get away and she quietly slipped into the water. He followed as she swam deeper.  

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No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.

These famous words by John Donne were not originally written as a poem - the passage is taken from the 1624 Meditation 17, from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and is prose. The words of the original passage are as follows:

John Donne
Meditation 17
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

"No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee....