Library OF THE University of NortK Carolina This book was presented by Members of the family of the late COL. A. B. ANDREWS 00006777339 *<^ This BOOK may be kept out TWO' WEEKS ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE— | CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on the day indicated below: JUN23'5^ m-Tfisn ,1' 1^ Lib. lOM-Fe '38 Ri:v. R. H. WiiiTAKER, D.D. HALEIGH, N. C. WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. RECOLLECTIONS OF OTHER DAYS AND YEARS; OR, What 1 Saw and Heard and Thought of People Whom I Knew, and What They Did and Said. By Rev. R. H. WHITAKER, D.D., RALEIGH, N. C. PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR BY EDWARDS & BROUGHTON. 1905. Entered according to Act of Congress, on the eleventh day of November, 1904, by Rev. R. H. Whitaker, D.D., in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. DEDICATION To the old time friends who still linger on earth, and who will, I trust, find pleasure in reading these Reminiscences ; and to the memory of those other friends who have gone before us to the Spirit land, this book is lovingly dedicated, by The Author. i INTRODUCTION. This book is purely accidental. I knew there were enough books in 'the world, and I had not the remotest idea that I could be induced to become the author of another, while there were so many mil- lions of pages, of unread literature, lying upon libran^ shelyes. Had I been asked to write a book I should haye promptly and emphatically declined, unless most extraordinary inducements had been offered. Eyen then, I would haye hesitated, as I should haye doubted the wisdom of the under- taking. But the book is written, and I did it; so that the old adage has again been yerified : ^^The unexpected happens when least expected.'' The public must not blame me. I was attending strictly to my own affairs, leading a yery quiet life, not eyen thinking of making any noise in the world, when the editor of the Neivs 'and Observer, employing a subtilty, somewhat similar to that which turned old Mother Eye's head, beguiled me into the opinion that, pos- sibly, I might write a few letters that would inter- est some of the older people, and, perhaps, instruct a few of the younger. An extract from an edito- rial of the ISlews and Observer explains the whole affair, and places the blame of this publication where it should rest, upon the editor of that paper. On September 3, 1903, the News and Observer made this announcement : ^'At the request of the editor of the News and Observer, the oldest liying editor in Raleigh, Key. R H Whitaker, D.D., who is a useful and honored minister of the gospel, begins a series of reminis- cences which will appear eyery Sunday, for some months, in the Netvs and Observer, and on Mondays in the Farmer and Mechanic. * * * His first letter appears to-day. It is bright, witty, histori- 6 IXTRODrCTIOX. cal, and written in a style to make it absorbingly interesting.-' That Avas how the matter started. The "some months-' I was expected to write became a year, and then friends, who were pleased with them, sug- gested that niT letters were worthy of being pre- served in book form. Influenced by this suggestion, I consented to make a book of my reminiscences. If, after reading it, the reader is pleased, I shall be glad the book was published. The reader will observe that the contents of this book are incidents with which the writer was fa- miliar, and, in many of them, an actor, or at least a spectator, which must account for the so frequent use of "I,'' and what "I'' saw and heard. Another thing that will be observed by the critic is the lack of order in the arrangement of topics. I have thrown together letters as they appeared in the ^eics and OhserreVj each chapter representing a letter, and treating of incidents as they happened to occur to my mind, at the time of writing. So, the book is simply a compilation of letters which, when written, the author had no idea of converting into a book. Hoping that many may be profited as well as amused by a perusal of it, I hereby send it forth in search of friends. The drawings for the illustrations in this book were made by our young friend, Mr. Lamar Bailey, of this city. The reader will find errors in the book, which he, of course, will correct. Some have been discov- ered and regretted by the publishers, but, like the sins of the past, there they are. This correction, however, must be made on page 73 : "September 18'^ should read September. 17, the date on which Gen. Brancli was killed. R. H. WlIITAKER. Raleigh, N. C , June 15, ll)0.j. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGES. The Log Cabin Campaign 1-^ CHAPTER II. Some Newspapers and their Editors— A Marriage — Old Stephen — The Temperance Movement Begun . . . 9-lG CHAPTER III. The Live Giraffe— Gov. Bragg— Henry Clay's Visit to Raleigh — Incidents 16-22 CHAPTER IV. The Old Time Militia— New Bern Celebration — Fun- neling a Man — Gen. Winslow — Fayetteville 23-30 CHAPTER V. Horse Pulling the State House — Yearling up in the Air — Deems, Moran, Closs and the Spelling Boy 31-37 CHAPTER VI. Starting to School — First Teacher, First Speech, First Revival — First Sermon and First Impressions 37-4a CHAPTER VII Hon. George E. Badger — John Bobbitt, Esq. — First State Fair— The D. Q. I's 44-51 CHAPTER VIII. Raleigh Christian Advocate — Transfer that Made Some Methodists Mad — Dr. Hefiin in Wilmington.. 51-58 CHAPTER IX. Importance as Editor — Earliest Recollection of Rail- roads — The Baptist Church — Visit to Washington City 58-64 CHAPTER X. Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute — Gov. Graham — Thanksgiving — The Mexican War — "Jack Mitchell". 64-70 CHAPTER XI. Gen. L. O'B. Branch — How I Got Into Politics, and How I Got Out 70-78 CHAPTER XII. Raleigh and Gaston Railroad — Christopher Thomas' Dream 79-85 CHAPTER XIII. Danger of Moderate Drinking — "Uncle Billy's Story — Going Through a Window 85-92 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIV. PAGES. Some Reflections Upon Childliood — Imaginary Visit to Old-Time Scenes, Including the Old Home 92-100 CHAPTER XV. "Crap Lien" — Golden Rule — Sermon 'on the Mount — Nat. Thomas — A Good Old Gentleman — Wiley- Holmes 101-108 CHAPTER XVI. "Aunt Abby House" — A Once Turbulent Woman Whose Life Closed in Peace 109-120 CHAPTER XVII. Raleigh an Old Camping Place — First Methodist Meeting House — The Coman Family — A Letter — A Mock Marriage 121-130 CHAPTER XVIII. Isham Lloyd — Ingratitude — Old Time Christmas 131—138 CHAPTER XIX. How Some Men's Pockets are Picked — Whiskey Costs More Than the Gospel 139-146 CHAPTER XX. Bad Roads — Jonas Medlin — Some of His Characteris- tics — The Great Changes — Ministerial Professionals. 146-154 CHAPTER XXI. Dr. Cortland Myers — "Old John Brown," and What Judge Douglas Said of Him— Freedman's Bureau — Forty Acres and a Mule — Negro's Deed to His Land. 155-163 CHAPTER XXI I. Captain Woodall — A Sad Story — Some Advice to Farmers — A Little Common Sense 164-171 CHAPTER XXIII. Conference at New Bern — A Scene at the Station — Two Visits to Beaufort— An Old Widower — Setting up With a Dead Man 171-178 CHAPTER XXIV. Haw River Barbecue — Regimental Muster — Old Aunt Rose— A Visit From "Burt"— An Old Nurse 179-189 CHAPTER XXV. La Grippe, and Who Started It? — Kirkham's Spring- In a Quandary 189-196 CHAPTER XXVI. Temperance Campaign of 1881 — How Liquor Men Talked to the Negroes— A Church Trial 196-204 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 9 CHAPTER XXVII. pages. Gov. Zebiilon B. Vance and Gen. Robert B. Vance- Judge Gaston 204-211 CHAPTER XXVIII. Married a Widower with Seven Children— How She Lost Her Pet Name 212-222 CHAPTER XXIX. Sunday Freight Trains— Drinking Church Member- Toting Pistols— Lawyers— Tom Rhodes— Other In- cidents 222-229 CHAPTER XXX. Snoring and the Various Kinds of Snores 229-238 CHAPTER XXXI. Funerals — Funeral Sermons — Mr. Thompson — Handy Lockett— How Boys Flank their Mammies 239-246 CHAPTER XXXII. Rural Deliveries— Old Time Mail Route— Spanking a Yankee 247-256 CHAPTER XXXIII. Some Old Time Preachers — Chicken Eaters — Bishop Haygood's Dinner Hen— How the Preacher Got His Teeth 256-264 CHAPTER XXXIV. First Legislature Under an Oak— About Dogs 265-273 CHAPTER XXXV. Spoiling Children— Father and Son Meet at a Cir- cus — A Correction — Teaching School — Killing a Deer, etc 274-281 CHAPTER XXXVI. Conference at Goldsboro— Drs. Closs and Burton- Bishops Pierce and Duncan— Dr. Hiden— Capt. Pleasants — Anecdotes 282-290 CHAPTER XXXVII. A Quaint Old Character— Preaching to a Cold Congre- gation 291-297 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Some Old Time Preaching— "My Sheep Know My Voice-Ah!" 297-304 CHAPTER XXXIX. Ludicrous Incidents in Churches— Turpentine and Ton Timber— Dr. Byrd, and Old Time Recollections 304-311 10 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER XL. pages. Br. McKee's Black Horse — Dr. Edwards Before Henry Clay— Iron Wheel— Mr. William Holland— Col. Fagg— A Laughable Incident 312-319 CHAPTER XLI. Farming and Some Other Things — Plowing a Mule that Brayed 320-327 CHAPTER XLII. Uncle Ed. Crews and his Nice Young Preacher — Brother Sanctum's Good Talk — Seymour W. Whit- ing 328-333 CHAPTER XLI II. How Quick He Was Whipped — Knowing How — Visit to Macedonia 334-338 CHAPTER XLIV. Rip Van Winkle — How They Woke Him— Wake County Schools 339-347 CHAPTER XLV. Mother of Dr. Byrd Writes a Letter — Got up His Own Quarrel — Could Not Provoke His Wife — Misunder- standing— Capt. Woodall 348-354 CHAPTER XLVI. Meditating on Brighter Days — Yankee Cruelties 355-361 CHAPTER XLVIL School Advantages of the Present Day — The Old Time School and Teacher — Some of My Boys — Tlie Fall- ing Stars — Gander Pulling 361-367 CHAPTER XLVIII. Wyoming Hotel — Tongue That Waggles — The Young Temperance Orator and His Mule Back Ride 368-376 CHAPTER XLIX. Reasons for Drinking — Some Other Things as Bad as Drinking — Displaying Gallantry — Col. W. A. Yarbor- ough 376-386 CHAPTER L. Gov. W. W. Holden — Dedication of Edenton Street M. E. Church — Some Who Took Part in the Ceremo- nies—Preacher Who Had to Pay His Bill— What Is Man ? 386-397 CHAPTER LI. Gen. Joseph Lane's Visit to Raleigh — Samuel Whita- ker and Jim Miller— Some Old Pamphlets 398-405 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 11 CHAPTER LI I. PAGES. Centennial of Methodism in Raleigh — Bishop Marvin's Sermon — Judge Fowle's Great Speech — The Old Sis- ter Who Would Praise the Lord 405-412 CHAPTER Lin. Dangers of the Money Power — Fight Ahead — Davie Street Fight 413-420 CHAPTER LIV. Gov. Reid's Reception — Young Man Who Got Sick — Whiskey and Water Questions — Bone-Set and Blue Mass 421-430 CHAPTER LV. Some Old Time Newspaper Presses — Church Trial Fifty Years Ago — Singing Geography— Prof. John- son and Father John Monroe 431-438 CHAPTER LVI. Homely People — Some Ugly Good-Looking People — Bill Jinks and Jim Jones 439-444 CHAPTER LVII. Isfews and Observer's Tenth Anniversary — Paper and Its Editor — Capt. E. C. Woodson — Stronach's Joke — Joining Temperance Society 445-454 CHAPTER LVIII. Philip S. White — Various Things — The Gobbler That Sat on Cymlins 454-462 CHAPTER LIX. Dave Lewis — Mr. Peck's Ducks — Boxing Up a Fellow Who Got Drunk — Forgetfulness— Dr. Bailey 463-471 CHAPTER LX. How I Kept Out of the War — Man Who Did Not Be- lieve in Foreign Missions — Tried to Play Infidel. . . . 471-479 CHAPTER LXI. The Moon Man Interviews One of our Higher Critics. 480-483 INDEX OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. Log Cabin Parade in 1840 6 Old Time Militia Captain 25 Starting to School — First Speech 40 Rev. William E. Pell, D.D 53 Gen. L. O'B. Branch, Killed at Sharpsburg Sept. 17, 1862. . 73 Uncle Billy Going Through a Window 91 Aunt Abby House Shaking a Stick at Gen. Lee 114 Isham Lloyd With His Basket 135 Is dat de Way dat Paper Reads? 162 Anti-Prohibition Speech 199 Mrs. Shamlin — "Last Time He Called Me Honey" 215 Handy Loekett 243 Spanking a Yankee 251 Negro Shouting — Dog Barking 267 "I Cried, Nannie, O, Nannie" 302 Mule I Used to Plow 322 Yankee Bummer 359 Ex-Gov. W. W. Holden 387 Hon. Josiah Turner 416 Hon. Josephus Daniels, Editor Xeics and Observer 447 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. CHAPTER I. When I Was a Boy — Log Cabin Campaign — Old- Time Fourth of July. ^^Wlien I was a boy/' is the prefix that old men are apt to use when they begin a story, and it is so natural they should, because ^'when I was a bo} '' is the j)eriod of all others of a life time that furnishes incidents which are to be indelibly fixed in the mind and which in all after life, will oftenest be remembered. As much as we desired to be men, when we were boys, we can't help lov- ing the boy period, now that we are getting so far away from it; indeed, our happiest moments are when we wander back to those scenes and those brighter prospects which, in boyhood, were so lavishly presented to the eager eye and the in- gathering mind. Sixty-three years ago this writer was a boy, with all of a boy's propensities to see, hear and enjoy what was going on, and the things he then saw were more marvelous, the sounds sweeter, and the people better, than any things or sounds or people he has seen or heard or known since; upon the same principle that the first circus a boy sees is always the best, because the like of it was never seen before. The grand entry, the crack of the ring-master's whip, the somersault and jest of the clown, and the bare-back riding, so wonderful 2 whitaker's reminiscences, when first seen, become very tame affairs after awhile, not comparing at all with what they were "when I was a boy,'' and we are bound to con- clude the whole circus business has degenerated. The first circus still holds its own, and all the aggregations and combinations which the best shows can get up do not hold a light to it. To the writer, Kaleigh was a bigger place sixty- three years ago than it is to-day. It is true there were only three or four thousand people living here, whose houses were scattered here and there in groves, three or four churches, a market-house just built, about the size of an ordinary wagon shelter, a dozen stores or so, on Fayetteville street, and as many more on cross streets, with here and there a tailor shop, a shoe shop, a coach shop or a blacksmith shop; two hotels, the "Guion," where the Agricultural Department is, and the "Law- rence," where the post-office now stands, and the State House; I say it is true that Raleigh, as to size, population and wealth, was but a village then as compared with its present dimensions and pre- tensions ; yet, to the boy who came from the country it was the biggest town he had ever seen, and to his mind it was hard to conceive how it could be bigger or prettier. And to this day it is difficult for the old man to convince himself that his boyish estimates of the city were not correct; for, added to the other attractions, Raleigh had a cake and a candy shop; also a soda fountain, from which gushed the cold, sparkling "soda water" which was the delight of the small boy, as it was the custom in those days with the candidates to treat, on all public occasions, either to cakes, candy or "sody." Speaking of candidates, reminds me that sixty- three years ago the country was stirred from Maine to the land of alligators by a presidential campaign. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 6 Martin Vau Buren, the president, was the Demo- cratic candidate, opposed by General William Henry Harrison, of Ohio. Unfortunately for them, and the fate of their candidate, the friends of Van Buren referred to Harrison as living in the back- woods, in a log cabin and drinking hard cider, in- stead of being able to delight himself with the sparkling wine ; and that he ate from wooden bowls with wooden spoons, and wore a coon-skin cap, etc. It w^as just what the Whigs wanted to make cam- paign enthusiasm; and indeed they needed some- thing, for, although General Harrison had made some fame as the hero of Tippecanoe, he did not possess suflflcient magnetism to draw around him a successful following, even with John Tyler, of Vir- ginia, as a running mate; besides. Van Buren had made a good president, and being the acknowledged protege of ^^Old Hickory," it was regarded as morally certain he would be re-elected. The worst things the Whigs could say against Van Buren was that he was extravagant, and as a proof of it, it was claimed that he stirred his coffee with a silver spoon and had a silver teapot, cream pitcher, etc. The Whigs caught on to the idea of making an appeal to the poor people by contrasting the hum- ble life of their candidate with the extravagance and high living of Van Buren. The Whig party, al- though the party of wealth, posed for the time as the poor man's party, and the public speakers ad- vocating the election of Harrison always referred to him as the candidate of the poor man. So, no sooner had the Democratic politicians said that Hairison lived in a log cabin, than did the Whigs begin to say, "We told you so. Harrison is a poor man, and the poor man's friend. What fur- tlier proof is needed? Don't the Democrats say he 4 whitaker's reminiscences, lives in a log cabin?" So, the people cried out, "Hurrah for the log cabin man I'' And then the issue Avas made between the poor man in the log cabin, and the rich man in the White House; the one drinking hard cider out of a Avooden mug, the other champagne out of a silver goblet; one drink- ing pot liquor out of a wooden spoon and the other stirring his tea with a silver spoon. The tariff and other issues, which had served to make the political cauldron boil, in other cam- paigns, were relegated to back seats, and silver spoons, wooden spoons, log cabins, coon-skins and hard cider furnished the Whig campaigners with that kind of oratory which made the strongest ap- peal to the poorer classes. From the beginning of the campaign Van Buren's friends were put on the defensive. When the Whig orator would grow eloquent in his praises of ''Tippecanoe and Tyler too,'' and tell the people how economically the gov- ernment would be administered by the hero of the log cabin, as contrasted with the extravagance of the man in the White House who stirred his coffee with a silver spoon, the welkin would ring with "hurrah for Tip and Ty.' and good times!" The Democrats would reply by saying the silver spoons did not belong to Van Buren, but were the property of the government, and that all the presidents had used them. "That may be true," replied the Whigs, "but the time has come when extravagance, even in the White House, should cease," and so pub- lic sentiment swarmed to the log cabin like bees to a hive. The great campaign culminated in North Caro- lina in one of the most remarkable and most en- thusiastic gatherings here, in Raleigh, ever seen, before or since. Representatives and delegations from every county in the State, came here by scores INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. O and hundreds, and each county delegation brought a log cabin built upon wheels; and each cabin had a stick and dirt chimney, on which was stretched a coon skin, while near the door of each cabin hung a bread tray, a wooden spoon and a string of red pepper. On the day of the grand rally, the pro- cession of log cabins reached from the Governor's palace (now the Centennial Graded School), to St. Mary's, and to the mind of the boy, as then seen, there could not have been less than five hun- dred people to every log cabin. Two counties sent miniature ships, rigged up, instead of log cabins, which, to us boys, were verj^ great sights, as there were sailors aloft, speaking through trumpets as they passed, telling of the good times ahead w^hen the party of extravagance had been turned out and the ''x)oor man's party'' should come into power. The late Governor Holden made himself very con- spicuous as he rode on one of the cabins. Only a short while thereafter he changed his politics, and, purchasing the Standard from Thomas Loring, be- gan his career as editor of a Democratic paper. Governor Graham jocularly remarked that Hol- den's transition from the Whigs to the Democrats was so sudden, after his ride on the top of a log cabin, that his breeches were still smeared with the log cabin rosin, when he leaped into the Demo- cratic party. Two or three incidents during the parade of the log cabins on the streets furnished amusement. One was the breaking down of a wagon on which was the printing press of the Raleigh Eegister with *H^ld Stephen" working off an edition, while a printer stood at his case setting type. A wheel ran off and down came Stephen, press, typo, types and all in a heap. The Democrats flocked to'^the scene of disaster and hurrahed for Van Buren, re- whitaker's reminiscences, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. i garding the break-down as a sure prophecy of the defeat of the Whig party. Washington Williams, a young man who was raised eight miles south of Kaleigh, and gloried in the fact that he was a Demo- crat, put himself in the lead of a few young men who rode up and down the line of the procession and made all the noise they could shouting for Van Buren. It was all good natured and nobody seemed to care. During the campaign the Whigs of Raleigh built a log cabin on a vacant lot about where Tucker's store is. It was called the Wigwam, and in it many a rousing meeting was held and many a bar- rel of hard cider drank by the ardent admirers of "Old Tippecanoe." In the centre of this wig^^am, suspended from the joists was, what the Whigs claimed to be a Democratic scalp. It was a handful of hair which Dr. William Gr. Hill pulled from the head of a Democratic candidate for the Legislature, in a little affair. The Democrats tried to break the force of the log cabin and hard cider enthusiasm by saying that Harrison Avas no fighter ; that, at the battle of Tip- pecanoe he fled from the field in a red petticoat, and hid in a hollow log. A great many believed the story, and it was worked for all it was worth ; and so, it was no uncommon thing to see a red pet- ticoat hanging over a log cabin in the morning, which mischievous boys placed there at night. As the Cumberland county log cabin was being brought to Raleigh, the delegation which accompanied it was very much infuriated on finding, at Barclays- ville, twenty-four miles south of this city, a red petticoat suspended over the road under which the cabin was to pass. Reports said they hauled it down and tore it into shreds, to the great amuse- ment of the Democratic ladies who felt thev had 8 whitaker's reminiscences, contributed some things at least, to the campaign fun. Of course everybody knows that the log cabin and hard cider campaign won — that Harrison was inaugurated — that he lived only a month and was succeeded by John Tyler, who served as President three years and eleven months, during which time the Whigs had plenty of time to lament over the mistake they had made in making Tyler Vice-Presi- dent. A new cabinet had to be appointed, and prominent Whigs insisted that Mr. Webster, who was a member of Harrison's cabinet, should be a member of Tyler's cabinet. They said he could afford to do it, as his fame w^as already made. "Fame!" replied Webster. "Why,'' said he, "I was up in New^ England recently, near my old home, and conversed with one of my father's old neigh- bors. He said he knew my father and mother and the children, calling over their names, but did not call mine. Thinking he overlooked me, uninten- tionally, I ventured to ask, ^Didn't Mr. Webster have a boy they called Daniel.' ^I believe there was a boy they called Daniel,' he said, ^but I don't know what's become of him. He went down to Boston, I believe, and I've never heard of him. I don't guess he's ever come to much. But the old man's other children all turned out well." Fame indeed," sneered Mr. Webster, "when I am not known by the people among whom I was raised." A Fourth of July, sixty-three years ago, was a big event here in Raleigh, for it brought to the city the farmers, their wives and their children. In the Capitol Square, or in some grove, a stand was erected and seats were improvised to accommo- date all who came. The Declarations of Indepen- dence were read and a thrilling oration delivered, and, oftentimes, a big barbecue prepared to feed INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 9 the multitudes. At night there would be an illu- mination of Fayetteville street from the Capitol to the Governor's mansion, the whole to conclude with fire works. It was a great day for us country boys and the town people seemed happy because they had furnished a day of pleasure to their country friends. I will w^rite of other matters in my next, as recollection serves me, hoping by these sketches to give your readers some glimpses of the times that were very real sixty odd years ago. CHAPTER II. Of Some Neivspapers and Their Editors — A Mar- riage — Old Stephen — The Temperance Move- ment Begun. The first newspaper in w^hich I took any interest was a small sheet printed by Leonidas Lemay, son of Rev. Thomas J. Lemay, the proprietor and editor of the Raleigh Star, which was published on Salisbury street in an old building that has been removed of late years, and become a workshop. I cannot now remember the size of the "Microcosm,'' the paper above referred to, but suppose, as I now think of it, that it was about the size of a sheet of foolscap. It discussed such matters as would in- terest boys and girls, but the articles bore the ear- marks of more experienced journalism than Leoni- das, though a very smart boy, was supposed to pos- sess. But, an experience of over forty years in the printing business has long since established in me the opinion that two or three years in the old time printing office would develop even the "devil" into a right smart bo}^, at an early age, and, if he 10 whitaker's reminiscences, stuck to his business closely, he would average a long way, in the course of time, above the more fortunate boys who spent their first years at school, and did not have to play printer's devil. Therefore, I am prepared to believe that Leonidas Lemay, young as he was, did most of the work, mental and mechanical, on that bright little paper which once filled so large a place among the youth of Ealeigh and the surrounding country. At the time of which I am writing, there were three very ably edited papers in Raleigh, to- wit: The '^Raleigh Register," the 'aialeigh Star,'' both Whig in politics, and the ^'Raleigh Standard," democratic, of which latter paper the late ex-Gov- ernor W. W. Holden was the editor, having pur- chased that paper from Thomas Loring, Esq., im- mediately after the Van Buren defeat in 1840. It is not my purpose to write anything like a sketch of Governor Holden's career as editor of the Standard; were I to attempt such a thing I could not do it better than to say he made a splendid editor, and was, from the time he became estab- lished in the editorial chair until about 1858, when he began to aspire to congressional and guberna- torial honors, the king maker of his party, and be- cause of the splendid services he had rendered that party he certainly was entitled to preferment at the hands of those whom he had helped to make, politically. At the Democratic convention held in Charlotte in 1857, to make a nomination for Gov- ernor, Judge Ellis received the nomination over Governor Holden, because one man, who held proxies for nineteen western counties, voted them solidly for Judge Ellis. Wake county sent a large delegation, the Avriter among the number, to that convention, instructed to vote for Holden, which they did. The Standard supported Judge Ellis for INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 11 Governor, but it was understood that the editor had become very greatly soured on his party be- cause of its ingratitude to him. At that time, and for some years previous thereto, Frank I. Wilson, Esq., was associate editor of the Standard and did good service in the interest of Mr. Holden's aspira- tions for office, and was withal a good writer and a very clever gentleman. He went to Harper's Feriy, Va., to see old John Brown, the murderer and \he inciter of negro insurrection, hung, and brought home with him as a relic, which was prized very highly in the Standard office, a piece of the rope that broke old John's neck. It was still on exhibition at that office at the beginning and dur- ing the war; and since old John has got to be a saint and his soul keeps marching on, it would be a proper thing to place that section of rope, if it is still in existence and can be identified, in the State Museum, with a tag attached giving a short history of old John and his murderous career, and especially of the attempt he was making, at the time he was arrested and hanged, to bring about a wholesale rising of the negro population of the South to murder the whites. That^ or something of the sort should be done, for our children are required to study books that speak of old John as a martyr who died for his country, and make those who took part in the arrest and hanging of him a set of murderers. Our children should know the truth, and the truth is, John Brown was a mur- derer, and was justly hanged; and, he is either a fool or an ignoramus of the Sut Lovengood stripe, who tries to make a saint of that fomenter of strife and bloodshed. But, no more of that now, though later, I may take up the matter again. The Ealeigh Register established by Joseph Gales, was perhaps, at the time of which I write, 12 whitaker's reminiscences, better known and- more generally read than any other State paper. Its editor was Weston R. Gales, a man of great popularity, both as editor and private citizen, and whenever on the street he was sure to be the centre of a crowd of gentlemen wlio flocked about him because of his amiableness of character and cheerfulness of disposition. He had a great big heart that w^as easily moved to deeds of charit^^, never letting an opportunity pass to act the Good Samaritan, even if it took the last dime out of his own pocket, and he had to borrow^ another from some one else to complete the work begun. The old Register office was a brick structure which extended from near Salisbury street east tOAvard Fayetteville street, and on the north side of that building was a very popular meeting place, in the summer, where many a political campaign was planned, and many a good yarn was spun. As a school boy I stopped there, many a time, to listen to such men as Badger, Rayner, Gales, Bat. Moore and others who were wont to congregate there. On one of these occasions a fellow and his girl who had walked some fifteen or twenty miles to Raleigh to be married attracted the attention of Mr. Gales. "Those people over there at the court- house seem to be in trouble," he remarked. Mr. Badger in a jocular manner, said : "Gales, step over there and see what's the trouble, and come back and let us know." He did so, and found that after putting the contents of their purses together, the would-be bride and groom lacked just fifteen cents of being able to purchase their license. In his stentorian voice Mr. Badger said to them : "Come over here, ye lovers, and Ave'll fix you up!" They came smiling, the fifteen cents was made up, the license secured, a magistrate called over from the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 13 old Lawrence Hotel, and the twain, who a few moments before were looking so forlorn, were duly married. The magistrate remarked that to kiss the bride was all he ever charged for marrying peo- ple, but, in that case he thought Mr. Gales ought to have the honor as well a.s the pleasure of saluting the bride, as he was the man who made the first move toward raising the fifteen cents. The bride- groom said he thought so, too ; so he led her toward Mr. Gales, who, after handing his hat to the magis- trate to hold, very gallantly performed that part of the ceremony that completed the marriage. Speaking of the Kegister, we must not overlook Stephen, the colored pressman, for, in his opinion, if not in the opinion of the balance of mankind, the Kegister could not move a wheel unless he were about. Stephen was a very consequential negro, took on the airs of Chesterfield, when in the pres- ence of white gentlemen, but assumed the character of autocrat, adAiser, admonisher and dictator when among his oAvn color. He was the pressman of the Eegister office, and in his estimation, that fact placed him on the roll of honor; and Governor Morehead, then the occupant of the Governor's Mansion, could not have felt the burden of party responsibility any more than he did. Stephen heard all that was said in the office by the editor, and the politicians who went there to discuss the questions of the day, but he told nothing. He con- sidered himself one of them, and, his idea was, that everything he heard discussed was a secret that should be kept from the ears of ''Loco Focos." After the death of Weston R. Gales, Major Seaton Gales, his son, became the editor, but later on Mr. John W. Syme, of Petersburg, Va., pur- chased the paper and published it up to and during the war. 14 whitaker's reminiscences, The 8ta7' was a good paper, but the Kev. Thomas J. Lemay, the editor, was a conscientious Chris- tian gentleman, and not caring to be harrassed with politics and politicians, he sold his paper, in the earlj, .fifties, to William C. Doub, Esq., son of Rev. Peter Doub, one of North Carolina's most distinguished divines. Mr. Doub soon found that his new life was not congenial to his refined, retiring nature, and while he endured rather than enjo^^ed the excitements of a political life, and made withal a first-class paper, he availed himself of the first opportunity that presented itself to get away from scenes that he could not take interest in. In 1846 the temperance question became a pop- ular movement in Raleigh, drawing into it men of all classes and conditions of society, and laid the foundation, in part, of the very decided movement which we are now witnessing in this city. In the Bennehan grove, the square lying between Morgan and Hargett and between Person and Bloodworth streets, I heard the first temperance address to which I had ever listened. The occasion was a temperance mass-meeting and barbecue, and the principal speaker was a gentleman by the name of Zeigenfuss — (I don't know^ that I spell his name right) — who came here from Baltimore, and rep- resented the Washingtonian Temperance Society. Others made speeches, and enthusiasm ran very high. Some of the men who were taking an active part in the movement were William T. Bain, James M. Towles, Patrick McGowan, James Puttick, J. D. Royster, William Stronach, E. C alburn, Sylvester Smith; all of whom, as well as nearly, if not quite all, who were present that day, have long since gone to the land of spirits; but the movement of which the men of that date were leaders, has con- tinued to leaven public sentiment, until we have now the prospect of seeing that of which they but faintly dreamed. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 15 Very soou after that Wasbingtonian movement, the Sons of Temperance, a secret order, swept over the country, and "Old Concord Division, No. 1," was chartered here in Raleigh, of which division the writer became a junior member, or rather a "Cadet of Temperance,'' in 1847. I was nothing but a boy, but the good influence of that organiza- tion has not been forgotten in the fifty-six years that have gone by. I was a country boy, here at school, and temptations to drink were presented on every turn, and seeing that town boys could drink and play cards, I felt indeed like a green-horn when I had to decline, because I did not know how alco- holic liquors tasted nor know one card from an- other. I can not say how long I might have held out against these temptations if I had received no attention from those citizens w^ho were trying to save the boys. Suffice it to say, I was led into the temperance society, and thereafter, while here at school, it was an easy matter to resist the tempta- tions, which otherwise might have overcome me. In 1847, I think it was, A. M. Gorman, Esq., then foreman of the Register office, began the publication of The Spirit of the Age, as the organ of the Sons of Temperance in this State. It was a small sheet at first, but was enlarged from time to time until it became one of the largest four-page papers in North Carolina, and secured a circulation that was unprecedented in the history of newspapers in the South. Added to its temperance feature, it had its literary feature — also containing in each issue a well-written story by authors reared in our own State. Mr. Gorman made money on the venture, and, until the war approached, and discussion of those questions which led to secession diverted the minds of the people from temperance, his circula- tion continued to grow. But the dark cloud on lij whitaker's reminiscences, the political horizon, soon overshadowed the coun- try, and the temperance question was largely for- gotten, or at least neglected, and of course The Spirit of the Afje rapidly lost patronage. During the war, Mr. Gorman, having sold the paper to John G. Williams, Esq., became associate editor of the Daily Confederate^ which position he held until his death, which occurred the last year of the war. Mr. Williams kept The tSjnrit of the Age alive, as a bomb-proof, until after the war, when it ceased to be published. Afterwards, another paper was started by the same name, w^hich passed into the hands of the writer at a later date, but The Spirit of the Age which sowed the first seeds of temper- ance in our State was the one of which Alexander M. Gorman was the founder and the very able edi-* tor. CHAPTEE III. The Live Giraffe^ and How J Came to he an Editor — Gov. Bragg — Henry Clay's Visit to Raleigh — S>onie Incidents. Speaking of newspapers, I am reminded to say that in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred and fifty-three, just fifty years ago, I bought — or rather, my father bought for me — an interest in a paper called The Live Giraffe^ a paper that Wesley Whi taker, Esq., recently deceased, had been running for a year or so at a loss, I suspect, and we paid, that is, father did, three hundred dol- lars for the privilege of getting into trouble and expense, minus any profits; a worse bargain, as I now think it over, than Uncle Sam made in paying twenty millions of dollars for the Philippines. I IXCILENTS AND ANECDOTES. 17 don't remember how the trade originated — whether I made a banter or was bantered ; but this much I do remember, that when I came to look at the sub- scrixDtion books, and saw how many new subscribers had recently been taken in, it wasn't long before I was taken in, too, and my three hundred dollars, in a short while, had gone into a rat hole. The good showing which my partner was able to make came about after this fashion. Granville County had been thrown into the Fourth Congressional District. Hon. Abraham W. Venable had for a number of years represented the Fifth District in Congress, but by the new arrangement his county was thrown into the Fourth District. When the nominating convention was held, Mr. Venable ex- pected to receive the nomination, as he had been doing in the Fifth District ; but lo, and behold, A. M. Lewis, Esq., a young lawyer of Louisburg, re- ceived the nomination^ whereupon Mr. Venable an- nounced himself as an independent Democratic can- didate. Of course the Standard supported Mr. Lewis, the Democratic nominee, and Mr. Venable was w^ith- out a mouthpiece, in the way of a paper, here at the capital. The matter was finally arranged between him and Wesley Whitaker, the editor of the Live Giraffe, and for the next month or two the fur was made to fly in all directions. Every friend of Mr. Venable subscribed for the Giraffe, and clubs Avent m like hot cakes, all with the cash accompanying, and, before the election, the books were full. Hence the good showing that was made, when for the first time I was permitted to look upon the foundation upon which, I was led to believe, a for- tune would rise up to bless me and mine — especially the old father who was to pay for the one-half in- terest in the paper. The matter presented itself thus : Five hundred 18 whitaker's reminiscences, subscribers in one month with the cash ! At that rate six thousand subscribers would be received in a year. Six thousand subscribers at two dollars meant twelve thousand dollars a year, to say noth- ing of the advertising that could be done in a paper with six thousand subscribers. The thing looked like a gold mine, and it pleased my father immense- ly, when I gave him a statement, made from the books, and informed him, as I had been informed, that when my name stood at the head of the Live Giraffe^ railroads would furnish me with free passes and hotel men would drum me for the privi- lege of entertaining me, while I was going through the country, enjoying the profits of a paper with six thousand subscribers, and an advertising pat- ronage that would pay all expenses. I bit. And who would not have bitten such a bait? But it did not take me more than one week to find out that I was badly bitten. When the first Saturday evening came, instead of there being fifty dollars in the treasury, as I supposed there would be, fifty cents couldn't be found to meet the de- mands (in the persons of printers) that stared us in the face. During the week, however, we had received dozens of notes like this: ^^The time for which we subscribed expired with the election, and as we took the Giraffe as a cam- paign paper simply, you will please discontinue, as we do not wish to renew our subscription. Wish- ing you abundant success, we are," etc. So it turned out, all those who had subscribed for Mr. Venable's sake stopped their papers, and the twelve thousand dollar prospect faded out en- tirely, nothing remaining but occasional free rides, and a dinner now and then at a hotel free of cost, provided a half column was devoted to the land- lord's ham and ogji^s. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 19 It was not a great while after purchasing a half interest that my partner came to me one clav, and, in the spirit of a magnanimity that I ought never to forget, told me that he was willing for me to take his half of the concern, as he wished to get out of the printing business — "take it for nothing, only pay the debts of the concern, which amounted to a few dollars only." By the time I had settled those debts I had paid out quite as much as I paid for my half. Next year was 1854, and Hon. Thomas Bragg was the Democratic nominee for Governor. It oc- curred to me that it would be a good thing to change the name of my paper to The Metropolitan , and go right into politics. Mr. Bragg, who called in to see me, thought it would be a capital hit. By all means call it The Metropolitan^ and swing right out into the thickest of the fight, and make a reputation as a writer, he went on, and — (I waited to hear what he was going to promise) — and it won't be long, he wound uj), before you will rank among the best writers. I thanked him for the compliment and assured him that The Metropolitan should be made a ^'brag'' paper. He smiled and left me. Bragg was elected Governor, but the Metropolitan adventure was a failure, for the reason that the subscribers did not know how to pronounce the name of the paper. They said they just couldn't do it, and they were opposed to having a paper com- ing into their homes they could not pronounce the name of. I did not blame them, and as business was becoming slack, I concluded to tie up and rest awhile, which I did in the fall of that year. I must not omit to tell the reader that Gov. Bragg's opponent was Col. Alfred Dockery, known in those days as the ^'Old Fox," as he was said to be the toughest nag in a political race of any man of 20 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, his time. Governor Bragg found him to be ever on the alert and going all the time. He wculd remain on the ground where they had spoken, often times until night, and then stay somewhere in the neigh- borhood. Bragg would make some of the distance toward the next appointment that evening, and would flatter himself that he would be ahead in the morning. He would rise early to carry out his pur- pose, but would learn that Dockery had gone on an hour or two before he had got out of bed. Sure enough, he would find him there when he arrived at the speaking place of that day. The distribu- tion of the public lands was the question they dis- cussed, and Mr. Dockery in his droll way would make his audience smile when, instead of saying share, he would say "every State is entitled to its ^sheer' of the public lands." Be it said to the credit of the two men, they made a very able campaign. Governor Bragg made a most excellent Chief Magistrate, and was followed by Governor Ellis, upon whom fell the responsibility of marshalling the forces of the Old North State to arms when, during his administration, the State passed the or- dinance of secession. Before I get too far away from the starting point, I want to tell your readers that in 1844 Henry Clay, "the mill boy of the Slashes," the pride of old Kentucky, the most eloquent man of his da^^, was the Whig nominee for President, and he made a visit to Raleigh and spoke to a vast crowd of people from the west portico of the capitol. All the big Whig politicians of the State were here, and such an ovation as Mr. Clay received had never before been accorded to any man. He was worthy of it all, for he was indeed a great man — one of that trio of giants whose names will live as long as time lasts — Webster, Clay and Calhoun — all of whom INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 21 were then old, but still regarded as leaders in the discussion of those perplexing questions which eventualh' resulted in war. It was during Mr. Clay's visit to Ealeigh that he wrote the letter opposing the annexation of Texas to the Union, which, it was claimed, brought about his defeat for the Presidency. That might or might not have been true ; the majority of the people were of the opinion that the unexpected, w^hich happened when the Democrats nominated James K. Polk, of Tennessee, instead of Van Buren, as the Whigs hoped and expected, was the true cause of Mr. Clay's defeat. Mr. Clay could have beaten Van Buren, as General Harrison did in 1840; but, when the con- vention at Baltimore nominated Mr. Polk, it is said that Mr. Clay remarked that he was beaten again. Mr. Polk got the credit of the annexation of Texas to the Union, but, in reality. President Tyler had already taken the matter in hand during his term, and Mr. Polk followed up the movement, in that direction, already begun by him. President Polk was the first Chief Magistrate of the nation to pay a visit to Raleigh, which he did for the purpose of attending the Chapel Hill com- mencement, after shaking hands with all the people in and around the capital. Before dismissing Mr. Clay's visit to Raleigh, I yAU mention two incidents of the occasion. A man with a stentorian voice who occupied a seat on the west portico of the capitol, where Mr. Clay stood, made himself conspicuous by shouting at the top of his voice : "Fellow-citizens, you had better keep vour hands on your pocket-books — there are Loco Focos about!" That man was Wm. G. Brownlow, of Tennessee, and no one regretted the foolish re- mark more than did Mr. Clay. Another incident was, that a pound-cake sent 22 WHITAKER'S REMIXISCENCESj from Fayetteville, to be eaten by the crowd, was lield up b}' some distinguished man, to the gaze of the great assemblage, while he made these remarks : ^^This cake, fellow-citizens, was sent by a Mrs. W — , to be eaten on this occasion, but as there is not- enough to go round, a few of us will eat it and think of you all while doing so/' The crowd cheered as if the proposition was satisfactory, and the cake dis- appeared. I shall never forget Mr. Clay's face, his long, sandy hair, his flashing eyes, and above all his soul- stirring eloquence. Democrat, as I was, I could not help feeling a desire deep down in my heart that he might be elected ; but he wasn't, for the cam- paign ditty of that day which said '' Polk and Dallas is the pizen For Henry Clay and Frelinghuysen," turned out to be a true prophecy. It is said of Mr. Clay that he once remarked, he had rather be right than to be President, and his great life, which in the main was worthy of imita- tion, bears us out in the opinion that he really meant what he said. I may say, in closing this sketch, that John Tyler, as much as the Whigs disliked him, made a good President, and left affairs in a good shape for his successor. So that, although the Mexican War came on during Mr. Polk's administration, he had comparatively easy sailing. As a last remark, I will say, the Mexican War developed the timber for tAvo Presidents — Zachary Taylor and Franklin Pierce. General Scott also was a candidate in 1852, with Governor Graham, of this State, as a running mate, but like Mr. Clay he got a beating; and that, too, by one of the brigadiers in his cam- paign from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 23 CHAPTER IV. Tlie Old-Tlme Militia — Tlie Raleigh Military and the 'New Bern Celehration — Funneling Men With Whiskey — Gen. John WinsloiVy Fayette- i'ille^ y. C. When I was a boy I dearly loved to attend the militia ''musters/' as they were termed, for tw^o or three good and sufficient reasons: First, because it was a day off from the plowhandles, and therefore a holiday to the boy; secondly, because I liked to see the men ''muster,'' and lastly, because old Mrs. Stokes and old Mrs. Smith, two very motherl}^ old ladies, who stood yery high in the estimation of the small boy, generally carried a chest full, each, of ginger cakes; to say nothing of the watermelons a small boy would fall heir to in watermelon season. I acquired most of my martial spirit from the sto- ries I heard from the old colored nurse, whose recol- lections ran back to the latter days of the eigh- teenth century, and who could entertain us chil- dren by the hour, telling us of those stirring times w^hen "Old Master" and the "Young Masters" went to the wars, and "Old Mistress" and the "Young Mistresses" would cling to them and cry w^hen going away ; but how happy all were on their return ; and I used to think how nice it would be to be a man and go to the war, too. And so ver^^ early in life I took the greatest delight in going to the "musters." As I am writing of je olden times, I might as well give a description of the old-time way our State militia performed their military duties. They had company, battalion, regimental and general mus- ters. A company Avas made up of all males between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, who lived within 24 whitaker's reminiscences, the bounds of a certain territory, and, as my recol- lection serves me, a company was required to mus- ter eyery three months. The law required that all the men in ranks should carry fire-arms or pay a fine. A good man}' citizens had old cavalry pistols — holsters of the flint and steel kind — and these were frequently used in the place of rifles and shot- jD'uns, to meet the requirements of the law, as to hav- ing fire-arms. The pistol frequently had stuck into its muzzle a corn stalk, walking-cane or umbrella, to give it length, and it was a sight to which a circus would be a tame show to see a company go- ing through the manual of arms with such impro- vised weapons. Sometimes the pistol, in ordering and shouldering arms, would slip from the corn stalk and fall to the ground, and the unlucky sol- dier would cry out, "Hold on, till I get my gun fixed." The captain and the lieutenants were re- quired to be uniformed, but no new uniforms were ever bought. The uniforms they wore had come on down from the days of the Revolution, in regu- lar succession. When a new officer was elected, he would get the uniform of his predecessor. Some- times, but these cases were rare, the coat and pants fitted, and the new officer cut a swell in the old clothes, but in most cases the uniforms were either too large or too small. It was a funny sight to see a great big two-hun- dred pounder, with a stomach that could not be compressed, and whose height was equal to that of Saul, the son of Kish, strutting at the head of his company with his pants coming to about the top of his socks, while his coat, after he had used a buck- skin lacing string, lacked a foot or more of meeting over his breast, and the sleeves reaching to just be- low the elbow. But what cared he? He Avas cap- tain and he was uniformed, and the uniform he INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 25 Old Time Militia, Etc " I don't think he has any storage room to spare, he's about to bust now.'' (Page 26.) 26 whitaker's reminiscences, wore had the impress of honorable age, whether it fitted or not. As for the drilling, I need only say that if a small boY was anywhere nearby when a right or left wheel was ordered, he stood in danger of being run over, for Texas cattle could hardly get into worse confu- sion than followed such an order. Sometimes the company would keep a-wheeling until the tw^o wings would meet, notwithstanding the repeated command to halt ! Then the sergeant would try to get the men into line again, and he would say: ''Look to the right and dress!" One fellow would say, "Can't dress here, too many wo- men about.'' Another would say, "I dressed be- fore I left home." Then, in a^ stentorian voice would come the command, "Silence in ranks!" When some fellow would sing out, "Now you've got it, Jim ; if you don't stop that Avind-milf o' yourn, the cap'n will chaw you up and svf allow you." "He might do the chawing, but, from his appearance I don't think he has any storage room to spare; he is about to bust now." A laugh follov. ed, in which the captain was obliged to join, when it was moved and carried that the captain should buy Bill Jones' barrel of cider and treat the crov/d. Whereupon it was declared in martial tones that the next regu- lar muster would take place three months from that day on the same grounds, and unless all were present at the roll-call, armed and equipped accord- ing to law, they would be fined to the full extent thereof; and, with a w^hoop, the ranks would break, to partake of Bill Jones' cider, to Avhich the captain was going to treat. A regimental or general muster was no improve- ment on the company muster, as to fire-arms, drill, etc. Of course order, to some extent, prevailed while the colonel or general Avas reviewing the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 27 troops; but as for marcliing, I have seen Fayette- ville street, when a militia brigade was marching along, in such confusion that it was impossible for a looker-on to tell whether there w^as any line, for every man was looking out for himself; and in the midst of the confused mass might be heard such expressions as these : "Gee, Mr. Hicks !" "Haw, Joe Fuller!'' "Quit stepping on my heels, Bill Jones!'' and much more of the same tenor. As I see the matter now, the militia system was a burlesque, but, as I have shown, it had its funny side, and that suited us boys. As long ago as I can remember, Raleigh had her organized and well-drilled companies of volunteers. The "Raleigh Blues" and the "Raleigh Rifles" had their day away back in the forties, and, later on, came the Oak City Guards, commanded by Capt. William H. Harrison, and the Independent Guards, commanded by Capt. John Quincey De Carteret. These were fine companies, and did valiant service on many a holiday occasion, when the only enemies they had to encounter were well-filled tables, tubs of lemonade, and so forth. I do not now remember that either company was ever ordered out by the Governor, until the war came on. I was a member of the Oak City Guards, and Avent with that com- pany to Wilmington, New Bern and other places, and, as I remember, the duties of those occasions were light, while the hospitalities were immense and varied. At New Bern, on the occasion of the completion of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad, to that town, companies from Raleigh, Favetteville and Wilmington were in the parade, and partook of the hospitalities of that most hospit- able city. It was a big occasion, and the festivi- ties which the good people had arranged for, were so numerous that a visitor could not help finding a place to suit his taste. The boys were having a 28 whitaker's reminiscences, good time, fcr a uniform was a passport and an open sesame wherever seen, and the danger was that one would be foundered or made drunk. In- deed, I heard before I left the town, that the order had been issued, from headquarters, that no one was to leave the town hungry or sober, and that if a fellow wouldn't drink he must be funneled. I guess there v/as some truth in the report, for, as I was passing from the depot at night to the Gaston House, I was rudely halted at a pump, near the old Washington Hotel, by a man with a gun in his hands, who said, ^'Consider yourself under arrest !'' "By whose authority?'' I asked. "By order of King Alcohol," he replied, at the same time push- ing me toward an open door, through which came the noise of a struggle inside, and a voice saying: "Funnel him ! funnel him !" I took in the situation in a moment, and as the man v/ho had arrested me was getting into position to assist in the funneling process (it was Joe Arey, of Fayetteville, they had stretched on the bed), I broke and ran, and under cover of the darkness made my escape. I saw my friend Arey the next morning, and he said they spilt enough whiskey over and about him to make an elephant drunk, but they did not get any of it into his mouth. Col. John D. Whitford, the v\^hole-souled, big- hearted president of the Atlantic and North Caro- lina Kailroad, was the moving spirit in getting up that great occasion. The boys had their fun while there, and had the chance to have become drunken, over and over again; but our Captain, the late Maj. E. S. Tucker, often remarked afterward, when speaking of the occasion, that amid all the festivi- ties he did not have a man who drank to excess, while many drank not at all. As I think of that occasion and remember that forty-six years have flown, and that most of those who participated in INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 29 the scenes and festivities of those April days, are sleeping beneath the sod, I can but think how true it is that life at most is but a span. Our company went on another excursion — it was to Weldon — to meet some distinguished guest, I do not remember whom. I did not go, but I furnished a substitute, who, when the roll was called, an- swered to my name, and so, while I was not along with the boys, my name went ; and, it so happened, that when my name was called one morning, after the boys had been feasted and toasted, the night be- fore, the man who wore my uniform was missing. A search being made, it was found that my substi- tute was drunk. Being a temperance man myself, it was a good joke the boys had on me when they returned, that I got drunk by proxy. During the war many a poor fellow who went out as a substi- tute fared even worse than did my substitute. He came back, but they did not. I ought to have said, when telling above, of the funneling business in New Bern, that Gen. John Winslow, of Fayetteville, a man who loved fun and would have a good time, was the instigator of it, and it was all done at his "headquarters," as he termed his room. General Winslow was an old-time Whig, and when the political fight was on, he did as good ser- vice for his man and his party, as any other speaker (and he was an orator) ; but, when the fight was over he rejoiced with the side that won, saying, "If we are not happy our Democratic friends are, and so we'll help them to rejoice." I happened to be in Fayetteville on the occasion of a great torch-light procession and speaking, with which the Demo- crats celebrated the election of Pierce and King. At one point where the crowd halted for a speech, who should step forth but General Winslow, amid the shouts of the thousands who stood around with 30 whitaker's reminiscences, torches in hajid. The General began by saying it was one of the proudest occasions of his life, for the reason that, in the recent election, he foresaw that our people were soon to be of one mind and one polit- ical faith, as evidenced by the fact that Pierce and King had received 254 electoral votes, w^hile Scott and Graham — Scott the hero, and Graham the statesman and honored ex-Governor of this proud old commonwealth — had only received 42 votes." About that time a voice from the crowd asked: ''General, are we Whigs beaten as bad as that?" To which he replied in a very solemn tone, ^'I am sorry to tell you, my friend, that everything has gone Democratic from h — 1 to Texas," when the crowd moved and the General, amid shouts and laughter, retired. As I am in Fayetteville just now, I will tell the reader how the town used to look, to a country boy, who went there with a load of cotton or other pro- duce, in the days when, from Mt. Airy, Greensboro, Asheboro and Salisbury and all intermediate points, wagons went by scores and hundreds, carrying to the head of navigation corn, wheat, cotton and other products, and carrying back salt, iron, mo- lasses, sugar, cheese and other groceries, which came up to Fayetteville on boats from Wilmington, our principal seaport. It will not be a stretching of truth to say that from the foot of Haymount to the creek bridge, toward Campbelltown, there would not be less, some days, than jBlve hundred wagons and carts, all bringing produce and carrying back groceries, dry goods and spun cotton. To the small boy the street was a sight to be remembered. In a future sketch I may return to Fayetteville, and then I will speak of some of those merchants and those distinguished citizens, who, in the long-ago, made the old town so famous in the days of her i>reat prosperity. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 31 CHAPTER Y. One Horse PuJJing the State House — Yearling Up In the Air — Deems^ Tucker^ Moran, Closs and the Spelling Boy. My first sight of the present Capitol was when, as I remember it, the walls were about eight or ten feet high above the ground. Having never seen stone dressing, it was indeed a sight to me to look on and see how quickly the skilled v/orkmen changed the rough into the smooth stone, and how easily the great hewn stones VN^ere lifted into posi- tion. Look any way I might there vere booths, underneath which men, with paper caps on their heads, vrere, with mallet and chisel, making the chips and sparks fly. And that w-as not all that furnished interest to the country lad. There was running from the rock quarry to the Capitol Square a tram read, on which ran a car drawn by a horse, and thi loa.ds of stone Avhieh that hoj'ce pulled were simply immense; but the interest centered in the fact that that one horse was doing all the pulling, and was expected to move all the stone it would take to build the State House. I have heard that he did, though I do not vouch fo:? the ti'uth of the matter. I sav/ a colored man moving a house some time ago, and a small mule was turning the wind- lass that did the pulling. The negro was bragging on the strength of his mule, and seemed to think he was performing a. wonderful feat; but when I told him that one horse, tradition said, pulled the State House about a mile, he dropped his head and looked at me from under his flopped hat, and said : ^'Boss, I gives it up.'' But I heard him muttering to him- self as the mule went ^rc-and, and the house kept 32 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, inching along : ^'Fore God, dat v/as a pulling horse, for sho' nuffi'' Before I left, I explained to him that the horse pulled the stone of which the State House was built, a load at a time, and thus re- lieved his mind of the strain, when he said : ''Boss, I'm so glad you 'splanified the matter, case as you's a preacher, I just no'd it wouldn't dun for me to told enny body that horse story, as comin' from you." How many times we, carelessly, it may be, make and leave unexplained, false impressions. In my young days, I used to attend camp-meetings at Old Buckhorn Church, in Chatham County, near which lived a very prominent darkey, then a slave, named Ben Partridge. Uncle Ben was a patriarch as well as an apostle, and, during the camp meetings, it was allotted to him to look after the colored portion of the congregation. Under a vast arbor there was a pulpit, in front of which was an altar for the whites, and in the rear one for the colored. Both races heard the sermon, and v/hen the white preacher be- gan to call for penitents in front. Uncle Ben, in clarion tones, called for ''mourners" in the rear altar; and the slain of the Lord were always more numerous in Uncle Ben's altar than in the white altar, for the reason that Uncle Ben's sheep knew his voice and ahvays came when he called. Uncle Ben had a son named Dick, and to him was allotted the most difficult duties, in the time of meeting. For instance, if there was, on the outskirts of the audience, ^'a high headed upstart," as Uncle Ben denominated every young buck v/ho shied off and looked insolent, you might hear the old patriarch's voice saying : ^^Dick, you see dat fool lookin' nigger down dar, dat's putten' on dem airs; go rite out dar and bring him to ae mourner's bench, if you have to tie him." And Dick, it must be said to his INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 33 credit, always brought in his ''nigger"; when the old man would say : ''Well done, good and faithful servant ; but you must go out and do so again, and what you're gwine to do, do quickly." On one oc- casion a mourner, instead of coming to the altar, had knelt down, or rather, laid down flat on his back, out in the congregation, and his cries at length attracted Uncle Ben's attention. As soon as he saw the mourner, he called for Dick, and, in an authoritative tone, said to him : "Dick, dus you see dat mourner lying out dar ; he's wun of de slain of de Lord, dat fell among thieves, as it were; go right out dar, like de good Sa-mary-tan, and take him on yer shoulder and fotch him rite up here, and lay his head on dis dog- wood root, and get down and pray fer him, and den you'll know he is bin prayed for." And Dick brought him, according to instructions, and it was not long before Uncle Ben was heard to say: '^Bless de Lord, he's comin' thru !" I said above we sometimes make and leave unex- plained impressions that are false. We do it thoughtlessly, it may be, yet harm is often done all the same. At the time of w^hich I write, Eev. P. A. was the pastor of the Buckhorn church and, consequently, the j)astcr of Uncle Ben ; and no sheep ever loved a shepherd more or fol- lowed one closer than did Uncle Ben his pastor, until one August a storm of wind sw^ept over the Buckhorn hills, mightily tearing down the forests. A few days after. Brother A^^ , the pastor, stopped at" Uncle Ben's cabin to hear his account of the destructions of the recent storm, which was, to say the least of it, very highly colored. When Brother A. ought to have said, ^'I never heard the like of that," he replied by saying : ^^I v/as in a storm once that did worse than that; after the 34 whitaker's reminiscences, wind quit blowing, I saw a bull yearling still up in the air at least fifty feet high above where I stood." Instead of expl?ining that the yearling was alive and eating grass on the summit of a Buck- horn hill, fifty feet high, the preacher left the im- pression on honest old Ben's mind that the wind took the yearling up during the storm, and when it ceased blowing he was still sailing around in the air some fifty feet from the ground. For days and weeks the old negro wrestled v/ith the miracle; but at length he came to the conclusion that it was a lie, and his confidence in preachers was badly shaken. The preacher, perhaps, never thuught of the matter any more, for it v\as a little joke and literally true; but it did its work in weakening the faith of one of ''these little ones," which, of course, he had no idea of doing. It was at old Buckhorn I first saw and heard Eev. Charles F. Deems. He was called the boy preacher because of his size, as compared with such men as Hezekiah G. Leigh, David B. Nicholson,. Peter Doub and other stalwarts of the ministry, who had been and were prominent in those days. Speaking of Dr. Deems brings up the trying period through which the North Carolina Conference went, and which came very near disrupting it on more than one occasion. A letter was written from Raleigh, away back in the forties, for the Rich- mond Christian Advocate, under the heading of ''What Makes Infidels?" signed "Christopher Dun- can." The article, it was said, was aimed at a cer- tain gentleman of this city, and, his attention be- ing called to it, he became very highly offended. Mr. Rufifin Tucker, father of the late Major R. S. Tucker, was the gentleman, and the article to which he took exceptions he thought referred to him and his sons. Dr. Deems did not admit that he was the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 35 author of the letter; on the contrary, as I remem- ber, he threw the burden of proof upon Mr. Tucker to establish the charge. The matter threw a fire- brand into the church, and it took all of a genera- tion to repair the damage which grew out of it. All those who took part in the trial, held at the Con- ference in Pittsboro, in 1854, are gone to their re- ward; and though they greatly differed here, at times, it is to be hoped they are at peace now, and are resting from their trials and their labors. Dr. Deems was a great man and a fine preacher, but it cannot be denied that the matter to which I refer did immense damage to the Methodist church in North Carolina. The ^^Christopher Duncan" let- ter, if busybodies had not meddled with the matter, and persuaded Mr. Tucker to believe that it was aimed at him, was calculated to do good ; for, w^hen sifted to the bottom, it was simply a plea for home religion, while showing that a. lack of it was cal- culated to destroy the faith of children in their parents; and, that being destroyed, infidelity, as a natural consequence, would follow. The result of the matter was the family in time drifted from the Methodist church. In the trial of Dr. Deems, Dr. Closs was his principal attorney, and, so long as the two men lived, they remained very close friends. Speaking of Dr. Closs, justice requires me to say that he was one of the strongest preachers of his day, and perhaps the best known in the State. A great many jokes have been told concerning him, which, in Methodist circles have been repeated until they are stale, but as I am writing for others be- sides Methodists, I Avill venture to relate one of the best stories I remember, to which the Doctor was a party. He was at the time referred to, presiding elder of the Wilmington district, and Dr. R. S. Moran was serving Front Street church in Wil- 36 whitaker's reminiscences, mington. A certain good sister of that church had been, from time immemorial, accustomed to shout during the preaching; and so when Dr. Moran went to that church she kept up her old custom, very much to the annoyance of the Doctor, who did not believe in. shouting. He stood it for a few times, but at length he told his stewards that un- less the sister ceased shouting he would have her arrested for disturbing public worship. The stew- ards were shocked, for to them it seemed nothing less than sacrilege to interfere with tiie religious enjoyments of so good a sister, and the first time Dr. Gloss went to Wilmington, the stewards went in a body to him about the matter, expecting, of course, that Dr. Moran's conduct would be sharply censured. But, instead of censure. Dr. Gloss, in his inimitable manner, said : "Dr. Moran is right, for any body who will shout under such preaching as he does ought to be arrested.'' It has never been told me whether the sister shouted any more, or not, but the presumption is, vrhen she heard of the presiding elder's opinion of Dr. Moran's preach- ing, she cooled off. Dr. Gloss was a great debater and a hard hitter, and in some future sketch I may give the readers some incidents that will confirm this statement. He was as gentle as a lamb if you approached him on the gentle side, but, wdien he was challenged for a fight, the fight would surely take place unless the challenger backed down. He enjoyed a joke, if told on some one else, but was a little sensitive, sometimes, vrhen the brethren would tell one on him. He had the good sense, hovrever, aided by his mother wit, never to let his sensitiveness be seen, but would save himself by some witty remark, which, like a bucket of water thrown on a bomb shell, Avould extinguish the other fellow's joke, and INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 37 the laiii>li would turn to bis side. He once said, wlien alluding to the many coiLflicts he had passed through, that, the onh^ time in his life when he was at a loss for a word of reply to a remark, Avas in his early ministry. He was riding along the road and came to a school hoiise. The children were sitting around under the trees studying their les- sons. A little boy, with a blue back spelling book, sat near the road side, and the Doctor as he rode along close to the young idea, thought he would have a little past-time with him, so he, looking at the boy, said: ^'B-a ba-k-e-r-ker, baker." To which the little boy replied: '^D-a-m-dam-p-h-oo-1 fool — dam fool." "I had no reply to make," said the Doctor, ''but, as I rode along, I came to the conclu- sion that the quarrels of this life could, largely, be avoided, if people would attend to their own busi- ness." And in that the Doctor was more than half right. CHAPTEK VI. Starting to School— First Teacher— First Speech- First Revival, First Sermon and First Impres- sions. I saw a little boy starting to school a few morn- ings ago, and his mother was carefully arranging his collar and brushing his hair, saying as she was putting each lock and ringlet into its proper place, ''I want my little boy to be ^mart and learn his book, and be mother's little man," and the scene and the mother's words brought back so vividly a similar scene and similar words, sixty odd years ago, when this writer was about to make his first day at school, and a mother, long since gone to 38 whitaker's reminiscences, her home in the skies, was giving the finishing touches to toilet and hair, and telling her little boy how much she loved him, and how anxious she was that he w^ould learn his book, and be a good boy, and be mother's little man. Who can ever forget the mother love, the mother touch, the mother so- licitude? And what man will ever forget the high anticipations which were inspired by the mother talk to him, when, as a little boy, he was going forth from the home nest, to use his own little wings, preparatory for the flight that would take him safely through life's stormy scenes? Speaking of going to school, reminds me to say that the children of to-day are blessed in compari- son with those of sixty years ago, vrhen a thirty or sixty-day school was all that the average country boy or girl could attend. Now, children have six, eight and ten months' schools, and the average boy has as good a chance to get an education as the children of the rich had, in my boyhood days; and still the effort is being made, by our lawmakers, to increase the facilities and lengthen the terms of the public schools. The first school I attended was taught by Miss Harriet McCullers, away back in the thirties, and, as I remember her now, she was a saint, for the little children looked up to her as if she had been an angel, sent doAvn to tell her little pupils how good they ought to be, and to teach them how to be good. The old school house v as not far from Mc- Cullers' Station, on the Mills Road, south of this city. It was a log hut, with stick and dirt chim- ney, the fireplace being nearly as wide as the end of the hut ; the seats were benches made of outsid.es, flat side up, standing on four legs (when one leg was not broken out) ; the floor was laid with rough, undressed lumber, and the door was hung on I^XIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 39 wooden hinges, that creaked like a squediink when opened or shut. The window, that afforded light, when the door was shut, w?.s made by cutting out one log across the end of the hut, and a plank, fastened to the log above, by leather hinges, was the shutter to the window. Inside that window was another plank, which served as our writing desk, where we children, with our goose-quill pens, and our copy-books, learned to make straight lines, curves and pot-hooks, and, finally, to shape the letters of the alphabet, and follow the copy as best we could; and it was not long before we were writing such maxims and prov- erbs as : ^'Evil communications corrupt good man- ners"; "Time and tide wait for no man"; "Disap- pointment sinks the heart of man, but the renewal of hope gives consolation." And how we did lean to it, trying to make our letters as round and smooth as w^ere those in the copy, set us by our teacher. Our thirty-day school came to a close very soon, and our good teacher called in her patrons, on the last day, to see and hear for themselves what had been done for their children. All of us put on our best clothes that morning, for we were to be on ex- hibition that day, 'and our mothers wanted us to look nice, as well as to do nicely. I need not un- dertake to describe my feelings of that morning, for I was to stand on a stool chair and make a speech that day, and my mother and my father said they knew I would say my speech all right; and, of course, I was already in my estimation an orator, very little, if any, below Demosthenes or Cicero. That was the biggest day of my life. I have never seen another like it. I knew my answers all right; my penmanship was complimented by all the moth- ers and fathers, my copy-book had no splotches on 40 whitaker's reminiscences. starting- to School— First Speech. "You scarce expect one of my age, To speak iu public, ou the stage." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 41 it, and, so far as the clay had gone, I had stood number one. But the crisis was yet to come, when we little fellows w^ere to mount the stool chair and say our speeches. During tlie recess we young ora- tors might have been heard around the house, a lit- tle off in the woods, going over the speeches that were to make us famous if Avell said, but be the cause of our ruin, if we happened to get out, and go to crying. At length the hour came, and be it said to the honor of the memory of Miss Harriet, she had done her work well, and all her little boys acquitted themselves with credit, and each mother said, as she hugged her son and patted him on the head, ^'None of the boys beat my little boy.'' I can't forget how I was struck with the importance of the occasion and the subject, when after my bow, I began: ^'You scarce expect one of my age, to speak in public, on the stage," and how I magnified my importance when, after I had said the last word and made my bow, I was greeted with slap- ping of hands and complimentarj^ remarks from all the fathers and mothers in the room. If there is any highCi.' position in the world than teaching I have not discovered it, neither heard of it; so, to my mind, those who have our children in hand should be, if they are not, conscious of the great fact that they are moulding characters and giving directions to lives, and that God will call them to account hereafter for how faithfully or un- faithfully they perform the responsible duties of that high calling. It was during the time I was going to my first school that a great revival meeting was held at Holland's church, eight miles south of Kaleigh, by Rev. Daniel Culbreth, father of Mrs. W. B. Hutch- ings and Mrs. W. W. Wynne, of this city, in which meeting my father was converted. Our teacher 42 whitaker's reminiscences, dismissed school one day, and, as a mother hen would lead her little chicks, she led all we little immortals to the church, to see and hear; and, so we witnessed for the first time in our lives, the ex- ercises of an old-time Methodist revival in full blast; and Kev. Daniel Culbreth stands, in my memory, the first minister of the gospel I ever heard. He was an old-time Methodist preacher, full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, popular as a preacher, and loved by every one v/ho knew him. For many years he labored in and around Raleigh, and, among other things he did, was the moving of the old church, which stood where Christ church now stands, down Edenton street, to where St. Paul's M. E. Z. church now stands. That occurred away back in the forties, when the colored people were served by some of the ablest v\diite preachers which the Conference could send to them. Father Culbreth lived, when I was a boy, very near where the freight depot of the Southern Eailv/ay is, and it was my good fortune to board at his house, and be under his care when, as a country lad, I came to Raleigh to school. I shall ever believe that his godly infiuence over me had much to do in keeping me from falling into the temptations of the city, to which I, as a country boy, was subjected. I shall always revere his memory. I spoke of going to Holland's church, and I will go back there for a few minutes, and speak of some of the old-time people who used to worship there. As I ride up I see a great crowd, most of them standing about in groups; some sitting on a log between Iavo oaks; some going to, some returning from the spring. I get nearer and I recognize old Uncle Sam Walton, leaning his chin on the head of his long staff ; he is the oldest man, and his chil- dren have married and gone, save one or two, and INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 43 he looks as if he will soon bid adieu to earth and o'o to the land of the saints, xind I see Parker Eand, Harrison Rand, William Eand, N. G. Rand, Wm. Whitaker, James Rhodes, Dr. Jno H. Jones, John Walton, Samuel Whitaker, Willis V/hitaker, Jonathan Smith, Alfred Williams, Simeon Will- iams, Thos. G. Whitaker^ William Turner, Simon Turner, Wm. D. Crowder, Adam Banks, J. J. L. McCullers, Samuel Utley, Allen Adams, and others whose names I have not space to write, all full of life and seemingly happy; and all their voices sound so naturally I cannot help feeling that our meeting is real. But, alas! all have gone beyond the river, except W. D. Crowder and S. S. Turner, whom I saw in the flesh a few weeks ago at a pro- tracted meeting at the old church. Those old men — those strong men — who in my boyhood wielded such an influence in that community, and in the county, have all gone but two. But their children are there, and, although in my visit recently, while I found not the fathers, I did find sons and daugh- ters who are nobly and successfully filling the sta- tions their fathers once occupied, and I did find the old church, at which I went to Sunday-school sixty years ago, still offering an asylum to the sinner and a home to the child of God. Oh, these, old time memories ! how they call up scenes and faces, and make us to live over again the happiest periods of life. 44 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER YII. Eon. Geo. E. Badger — John Bohhitt, Esq., one of the Best Teachers of His Day — The First IState Fair and the ''D. Q. I/s: }> Major Crenshaw, of Wake Forest, informs me that it was Mr. Badger who said, in 1844, AYhen exhibiting that cake sent from Fajetteville to the great Whig meeting here on the occasion of Mr. Clay's visit : ^^The cake is not large enough to give yon all a slice, but when I eat it I will think of you all." I heard the remark, as stated in a former article, but did not remember who made it. By the way, I would be glad to be reminded by any of the ''old boys" of such incidents of the long ago, as may occur to them while reading these sketches. There are many things, worthy of a place in history, said and done by those who have gone on before us, that will be lost unless speedily written, and for the sake of the pleasure the living may derive from such his- tory, let us make haste to write, ere the incidents be forgotten. Speaking of Mr. Badger, I make bold to say, our people have not done him justice. If he had hailed from some Xorthern State, instead of from North Carolina, where we have not yet learned to properly appreciate our own great men, a shaft would, long ago, have been reared to his memory, and our school books would have been filled Avith extracts from some of his great speeches; but instead of that, a name once so familiar, not only in North Carolina, but all over the United States as well, is but little known to the children of the present day. George E. Badger Avas a native of New Bern, I^'CIDEXTS AND ANECDOTES. 45 born in 1795. His father came from Connecticut, and married a daugliter of Kichard Cogdell, who, in 1775, was a member of the Provincial Council of Safety for the New Bern district. He was edu- cated at Yale College, and studied law with the Honorable John Stanly, and entered the Legisla- ture in 1816 fyom the town of New Bern, serving one term of two years. He was elected Judge of the Superior Court in 1820, serving until 1825, when he resigned; was Secretary of the Navy under General Harrison in 1811, but resigned upon the death of the President; was elected United States Senator in 1846, and again in 1848, in which ca- pacity he took i)osition, side by side, with the great- est men of that period — WelDster, Clay, Calhoun, Benton and others, whose names are cherished and honored by the people of the States they so ably represented. I remember to have seen the state- ment made by Chief Justice Taney, to the effect that, ^'as a statesman and orator. Judge Badger was the equal of Daniel Webster, if not his supe- rior.'' When will old North Carolina erect a shaft to the memory of one whose greatness was so ap- parent while living, and the lustre of whose great- ness still illumines the horizon, though a third of a century has gone by since his sun of life went down? Judge Badger, though a very great man, was as genial and familiar on the streets as an old farmer, and would chat pleasantly with any person whom he might meet, whether preacher, doctor, lawyer, merchant or mechanic, and he invariably left sun- shine in his wake. He was fond of telling anec- dotes, and no one could tell one better than he. He used to tell about eating Daniel Webster's tur- key, while as Senator he Avas living in Washington. Mr. Webster bought a turkey at the market, but 46 vn^hitaker's reminiscences, the delivery wagon carried it to Mr. Badger's resi- dence instead of to Mr. Webster's, and of course it was cooked, as Mrs. Badger supposed it was or- dered by Mr. Badger. The consequence was, Mr. Webster had no turkey for dinner that day, while Mr. Badger did, though he knew not how it hap- pened. But, a day or two after, Mr. Webster was telling some Senators how a turkey that he had pur- chased in the market failed to come to his table, but doubtless went to the table of some other Sen- ator, and remarked that if, through mistake, some- body's turkey had been sent to his house he would have sent it back to the market, and had the mis- take corrected. Addressing Mr. Badger, he asked : ^^How would you have done. Judge?'' Mr. Badger replied : "If a turkey ever lights on my table, I'll be sure to eat him, as I did yours." Mr. Badger was by no means an early riser. He generally came down street between ten and eleven in the morning, having just finished his breakfast. His habit of late sleeping was well known, and it w^as no uncommon thing for some one to remark, in a jocular way, as he would pass along : "Judge, you are out rather early this morning." In reply to a remark like this, he told of a trip he made to seme court, stopping for a night at a country house. Before retiring, he told the landlady he wished to make an early start the next morning, and asked her what time she could have breakfast. "Well, Mister," she said, "I'll have it as soon as I can. I have a sight to do of a morning. By the time I make my fires, milk the cows, dress the children and get breakfast the sun's mighty nigh up." "For mercy sake, madam," said he, "don't call me up for breakfast; early dinner will be soon enough for me." "And so," said Mr. Badger, while the crowd laughed, "I got my breakfast as usual, about eleven o'clock, and went on my way rejoicing." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 47 After Mr. Badger left the Senate he was made a magistrate, and for several years he, with two other magistrates (Thomas G. Whitaker, my father, be- ing one of them), presided over the County Court of Wake, in which capacity he did invaluable ser- vice to the county, and made himself very popular with the lawyers, the officers of the court and the people generally. Mr. Badger was a member of the convention which passed the ordinance of se- cession in 1861, and he and Judge Ruffln were very enthusiastic when, on the 20th day of May, North Carolina, for the second time, declared her inde- pendence. I was not in Kaleigh that day, but heard the booming of the cannon at about noon, an- nouncing the fact that the "Old North State'' had just stepped out of the Union, and had taken refuge in the "Confederate States of America." I was soon summoned to dinner, and I remember so well a remark my father made at the table in reply to one I had made, that "we ate breakfast in the United States, but were dining in the Confederate States." "I fear," said he, "we will not be as well off when we get back into the United States as when we left." He was not a Union man; on the contrary, he was a secessionist; but, like all intelli- gent, thoughtful men, he realized that the infant republic had a terrible struggle to pass through, and the odds were all against it. But, let us go back to ante-bellum days, before a speck of Avar cloud had shown itself in the political sky. One of the best teachers I ever went to was John Bobbitt, Esq., who came to this city from Louis- burg in the forties, and opened a school on Har- gett street, beyond the city cemetery, near the old Fair Grounds. He had taught many years in Louisburg, before coming to Raleigh, and his fame as a teacher of the languages was State wide; but 48 whitaker's as a manager of a school he was a failure. He did not know any of his boys, and rarely ever knew what was going on in the school room. ^ Many times I have seen every boy leave the building, except the boy or boys reciting; for he was so intent on his work he seemed to be oblivions to all surroundings. He had a way of leaning back against the wall, with his feet upon the rounds of his chair and clos- ing his eyes, while the class or the boy (for he generally took one boy at a time) was on recitation ; and so it was an easy matter for all who were not reciting to get out and stay out so long as that reci- tation lasted. He was an inveterate chewer of to- bacco and expectorated freely. Sometimes, when very much interested, he would take off his old bell crown hat, and set it down on the hearth beside his chair, and then it was fun to us boys to see him chew his tobacco and spit in his hat, forgetting that it was down by his side. But for all that, he knew all the books b^' heart and would make a fellow who had not prepared himself for recitation see sights before he let up on him. He never knew me by name. When my father went to pay my tuition he said he didn't know any such boy, but he supposed Harriet (his wife) did; and so my father settled the matter with her. She kept the account all right. As instructor he had no superior, but as he used to say, he "didn't fool away his time on boys who did not try to learn." I attended the first State Fair held at Kaleigh, and, as I remember it now, it was the best fair we have ever had. True, it was on a very small scale, but as far as it went, it was complete, for the pumpkins, potatoes, turnips, beets, squash and cab- bages greAv as large then as now, and the corn, w^heat, rye and oats looked just as they do now, and the bed quilts and other feminine exhibits were INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 49 as pretty as the}^ are now, and I am sure the girls of that day have not yet been, nor can ever be, sur- passed at any State Fair. So, as I remember it, the first fair Raleigh ever had was the best one, small as it was, in comparison with those of mod- ern times. Midways had not then introduced the fakirs, the thimble riggers, the ^^Orientals" and the "hoochee coochees''; but we had amusements that pleased and entertained, and nobody was alarmed about i3ickpockets, for before the war that race of light-fingered gentry, Avhich seems to have grown so numerous, had not located in this country. In this connection, it may be interesting to the boys to tell them about the ^'D. Q. I.'s," an organi- zation Raleigh had away back in the fifties. But, if the boys have not read that inimitable book called ''Don Quixote," written by Cervantes, I am afraid they will not understand and appreciate this incident. But supposing that they have read Don Quixote, and are familiar with its characters, I as- sume they will know what I mean by a ''Don Quixote xlssociation" — that it was for the purpose of giving the public a practical demonstration of Don Quixote's vagaries and hallucinations, when, as knight errant, he went forth to right the wrongs and alleviate the distresses and sorrows of the world. The "D. Q. I.'s''— that is, the "Don Quix- ote Invincibles'' — made their first appearance on the streets of Raleigh during one of the fairs in the fifties. They were all dressed as knights, wearing masks, helmets and shields, and carrying spears or swords, and were mounted on the poorest horses, mules and no-horned oxen that could be found. Of course, Don Quixote was at the head of the column, riding his celebrated steed "Rosinante." and close behind him, came the ever faithful "Sancho Panza," riding that same old mule ; while at least a hundred 50 whitaker's reminiscences, true and lojal knights, mounted as I have above stated, made a procession that would beggar de- scription. About midway the column was a wagon drawn by a mule and a steer, in which sat Colonel Buck Tucker, who, dressed as a woman, with a bonnet on his head big enough for a buggy top, was blushingiy representing the famou&i "Dulcinea Del Toboso'^ — the queen of love and beauty — the inspi- ration that gave valor and daring to the immortal Don. At the fair ground, after going through a sham battle, in which many daring assaults were made upon imaginary and invisible enemies, a tourna- ment was announced, and the fun of the day began in earnest, as knights on horses, knights on mules, and knights on yearlings, contended for the ring. I don't remember who was the successful knight, but I do remember how gracefully he knelt at the shrine of "Dulcinea Del Toboso" and received the victor's wreath, made of collard and mullen leaves, and how he kissed the hand of the queen of love and beauty, who graciously bestovred on him such an honor. Yes, we had good times at the fairs of long ago, and got along very well v/ithout any mid- ways, thimble-riggers or pickpockets. But in these days, when mothers, in progressive euchre, whist and other games, are learning their children to gamble; and when serving refreshments to guests are showing their children how to sip punch and guzzle champagne; and when in church festivals they introduce fish-ponds, grab bags, dice throwing and other games of chance, and are thereby filling the minds of their children with the idea of getting something for nothing; it has become necessary, I suppose, in order to popularize our State Fair, to make it up as nearly as possible after the model which modern society has moulded. I am not an advocate of that ^'goody-goody" creed that would INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 51 banish amusements from the home, or curtail the enjoyments of the young people in society ; but, so long as we reverence the Bible, as the divinely in- spired Word of God, it becomes parents as well as those who make and execute our laws, to see to it that our children are not needlessly exposed to temptations which are so well calculated to lead them, in after life, into sins that may ruin them for time and eternity. OHAPTEK VIII. Raleigh Christian Advocate — Transfer That Made ^ome Methodists Mad, in Wilmington — Br. Hef- liUy the First North Carolina Preacher There. The "Raleigh Christian Advocate,'' of which that most excellent paper of the same name, issued by Dr. T. N. Ivey, is the granddaughter, was first pub- lished in this city, upon the press of the "Spirit of the Age," in January, 1856, the Rev. R. T. Heflin, D. D., being its editor. Dr. Heflin was stationed at Edenton Street Church, this city, during the years 1849 and 1850. Prom Raleigh he was sent to Front Street Church, Wilmington, remaining there two years — 1851 and 1852. Wilmington, until the Gen- eral Conference, in 1850, transferred that city as well as all the territory south of the Cape Fear river, had belonged to the South Carolina Confer- ence, and been supplied with South Carolina preachers; but in 1851 the North Carolina Con- ference supplied Wilmington and the other trans- ferred territory with preachers, and Rev. R. T. Heflin was the flrst North Carolina preacher sent to Wilmington. His reception was anything but cordial ; in fact, many of the members of the church 52 whitaker's reminiscences, were so incensed because of the transfer, they did not treat their neAv preacher with common civility. They did not hesitate to let him see and feel their dislike of him on every occasion. Before he arrived the parsonage had been almost entirely stripped of its furniture, so that for a while he and his family had to put up with many inconveniences as well as indignities. I happened to be in that city soon after Dr. Heflin entered upon his first year's labors, and was invited to dine with him. At the dinner I noticed that he used his pocket knife, and was told that the ladies of the church had taken al- most everything out, even the knives and forks, except such things as were old and worn, leaving only two knives and forks, two cups and saucers, and such plates and dishes as I saw on the table, most of which were broken. But he was jolly, and remarked that it would be all right before the year ended, and that if I would come again later on he would insure that there would be plenty of knives and forks and everything else. It took only a few weeks for him to show the Wilmington Methodists that North Carolina had one preacher, at least, who was the equal of those sent them from the South Carolina Conference, and before the first year had ended, some of them would not have given Hefiin for any of the preachers they used to have. In 1856, as I have already stated, he began to edit the Kaleigh Christian Advocate, and contin- ued to do so until 1862, when he was succeeded by Rev. W. E. Pell. Dr. Heflin was a vigorous writer and made a good paper, and this writer, having become the pub- lisher of the Advocate in 1858, had the best of op- portunities of arriving at a proper estimate of his fine abilities. Added to the fact, that he was a good editor and an eloquent preacher, he was a ready and strong debater, as was manifested in a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 53 Rev. WILLIAM E. PELL, D.D.. Editor of the "Raleigh Sentinel. 54 WHITAKER'S REMIXISCENOESj three or four days' debate which took place at Banks' Chapel, in Granville County, between him and Rev. George W. Purefoy, upon the subject of baptism, some time in the fifties. Hundreds of people went, day after day, to hear the debate, and the verdict was that Heflin did not come out of the fight second best. Dr. Heflin was a native of Gran- ville County, I think, but his home, at the time he edited the Advocate, was in Franklin County, about five miles west of Franklinton. During the war he moved to Texas and became the president of a female college, I have heard. Rev. W. E. Pell continued to edit the Advocate until the close of the war, when its publication was susi)ended, and he began the publication of the Sentinel, a paper which boldly and fearlessly de- fended the Southern people, in those days of re- construction, when the country was filled with car- pet baggers, and the scalawag element, which had filled the swamps during the war, as deserters, was holding high carnival. As a political editor, Dr. Pell wielded a vigorous pen, and rascals soon began to fear him; for he v/as merciless in his denunciations of villainy, and bold in defense of the rights of an oppressed people, who were being robbed of what the war had left them. During the Legislature of 18G8, I kept a boarding house, and around my table I could hear from boarders, some of whom had been deserters or ^^Union men," how deep-seated was the hatred they bore against Dr. Pell; and I could see from their appearances they felt their unfitness and unworthiness for the posi- tions they held, and that every word uttered by the Sentinel cut like a two-edged sword, taking off the hide of rascality and at the same time probing the meanness and rottenness of that combination, which had been formed of the worst elements which the demoralized condition of the country afforded. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 55 In the 3^ear 1867, Kev. W. H. Cuninggim, as the agent of the Conference, began the publication of ^"The Episcopal Methodist,'' of which the writer was the business manager, and Dr. H. T. Hudson, the pastor of Edenton Street M. E. Church, the editor. The unsettled condition of the country and the lack of mail facilities, added to the losses sus- tained by fire, so crippled the enterprise as to threaten a suspension of the paper; but Dr. Hud- son, the editor, bought the material and the publi- cation of the Methodist was continued by the writer until the Conference held at Statesville in the fall of 1868, when Kev. 'J. B. Bobbitt pur- chased it and afterward changed its name to the Ealeigh Christian Advocate. In the course of time our esteemed fellow citizen, R. T. Gray, Esq., bought an interest in and became associate editor of the Advocate, but afterwards sold his interest therein that he might give his whole time to his law practice. Leaving the Advocate history right here, I go back to Wilmington to explain what may seem strange to the reader in the conduct of the Metho- dists of that city toward Dr. Heflin. It must be understood, in the first place, that when the North Carolina Conference was formed, the Virginia Con- ference retained all that North Carolina territory north of the Roanoke river ; the Holston conference reached over all the western counties to the top of the Blue Ridge, and the South Carolina Conference occupied all the territory south of the Cape Fear river, as well as all the country lying west of the Pee Dee and the Yadkin. The first transfer which the General Conference made of that cut-off terri- tory was that of 1850, when Wilmington and the whole Cape Fear country were given to the North Carolina Conference. Most of the people in the territorv favored the transfer, but others were bit- 56 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, terly opposed to it, many of wliicli class lived in Wilmingtou, and so bitter was their opposition that they said and did a great many unbecoming things. The men thought the Xorth Carolina preachers were not so well educated, and could not preach so well as preachers who had been reared in Columbia or Charleston, while the women just kncAy that the North Carolina preachers were not and could not be half so nice and good looking as the South Carolina preachers, and of these two classes arose the opposition, which slapped Dr. Heflin in the face with a wet rag, when he set foot on Wilmington soil' as the preacher in charge of Front Street Church. Dr. Closs had heard what the yv^omen said of the good looks of the South Carolina preachers, as compared with the North Carolina preachers, and remarked : "The reason the good women think the South Carolina preachers are better looking than we, is because they haye not seen us'^ — emphasizing the "us.'' The humor of which remark was in the fact, that while the Doctor Ayas a great and good man, he never was considered a beauty; and Avas ahyays less so when he tried to look so. If the women could have seen him when he said "they have not seen us," their opposition to the transfer might have been intensified. But they did not, as good luck would have it, and so the transfer was made. But they did see him after aw^hile and liked him, too, and became satisfied that the transfer was the right thing. What a history Methodism has made in Wilming- ton ! I have often thought that instead of charging the people with disloyalty, because they acted a little rudely when their long-tried pastors were about to be taken from them, their conduct only showed how deep-seated were their love and rever- ence for those who had been their spiritual guides, I^X"IDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 57 and how sacred to them were the memories of the early struggles of Methodism in that town, through which those preachers had led them ; and, after all, their conduct was commendable, and not censur- able, as it might have seemed in that day. As I have referred to the fact that I was a pub- lisher of other papers, it is material to a proper understanding of the situation to say that I was the proprietor and the editor of the "Democratic Press'' from 1858 until, in 1860, I sold it to John Spelman, Esq., who changed its name to the State Journal, and published it as the ofacial organ of Governor Ellis, and of the secession wing of the Democratic party, after Governor Ellis' death, un- til 1862, when the office was demolished by a mob. And thereby hangs a tale, which may be new to some of your younger readers. It must be remem- bered that the Raleigh Standard, of which the late Governor Holden was the editor, was looked upon by many during the war as being "an Union" paper ; that is, opposed to the fight which the South was making for its independence, and therefore as being opposed to the interests of the South. So intense was the feeling against the paper that a Georgia brigade Avhen passing through Raleigh on its way to the front, went to the Standard office and overturned the cases and pied all the type. By way of retaliation some of Mr. Holden's friends a few days after, went to the State Journal office, and not'^only threw all the type into "pi," but, with sledge hammers, broke the presses to pieces, completely demolishing the office, so that no effort was made to publish the paper again; but a joint stock company was organized, of which Governor Bragg was 'the president, and a new paper, the "Dailv Confederate," was established. Of that paper'^Col. Duncan K. McRae was editor-in-chief; A. M. Gorman business manager, and this writer 58 whitaker's reminiscences proof reader and mailing clerk^ at a salary of six thousand, two hundred and forty dollars a year Confederate money, equal at that time to about sixty-two dollars and forty cents in gold; but it would buy lots of bread and meat, and that was the main thing. CHAPTER IX. Eow I Felt My Importance as an Editor — My Earliest Recollections of Railroads — The Old Baptist Church — Visit to Washington in Time of the Breah-up. As I told the reader in a former sketch, I bought an interest in the ^'Live Giraffe," a newspaper de- voted to the best interests of humanity, generally, in the year 1853, but I left untold many things of that period which might interest, if properly nar- rated. I said the ^^Giraffe" was devoted to the best interests of humanity ''generally,'' and it was; for it was a religious paper, a temperance paper, an agricultural paper, a mechanical paper, a political paper, and, above all, a humorous paper. From the motto which stood at its head, the reader can very well imagine the scope of the animal's pasturage. Here it is : "We care not for boundaries, mountains nor seas, Creation's our forest, we roam where we please." That is about the case, in these sketches; we roam where we please, and, instead of grazing a field dry, we prefer to go from pasture to pasture, and nip the finer bunches, and let the younger grass grow for future grazings. Now, be it known to the reader, that I was an obscure country lad before I became an editor; but, no sooner had I mounted the tripod, than I began to know and become known, and Avhen I was favored vrith my first pass INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 59 on the railroad, and started off to a neighboring town on ^^editorial business/' ni}^ importance had assumed the dimensions of the meadow frog, in ^sop's Fables, when he thought he was as large as the ox. Speaking of railroads reminds me to say, that my first impressions of them were about as crude ass were some of the first roads built; but, crude as they were, and as much unlike the roads we now have, laid with heavy steel rails, they were rail- roads; and railroads alw^ays w^ere, and always will be, big things to a boy raised in the country. My father went to Petersburg, Va., when I w-as a small boy, to buy goods for a country store, and he an- nounced, when he returned, that he had not only seen a railroad, but had ridden on one; that the w^heels ran on iron rails; the cars w^ere propelled by a thing they called an engine; that the train, engine and two or three cars, ran at the rate of ten to fifteen miles an hour, and that said train could carry fifty passengers. I looked at him with amaze- ment, and wondered how I would feel if I had seen ai much as he had, and knew as much as he knew. It W'as a long time after that before I ever saw^ a railroad; but it came at last — the old Ealeigh and Gaston — and for over half a century the old w^agons that did the hauling, between Kaleigh and Fayette- ville, and betwee^ Kaleigh and Petersburg, Va., have gone into ^^innocuous desuetude,'' as Grover Cleveland w^ould say, and the iron horse has been doing the pulling. Of course it is known that the Raleigh and Gas- ton railroad w^as first laid wdth strap-iron, on wooden stringers, and that, in a few years, it was like taking his life into his own hands, w^hen a man got aboard a train ; for, as the w^ooden string- ers began to rot and wear, the strap-iron w^as in- clined to "snake up" at the ends; and, not unfre- 60 WHITAKER-S REMINISCENCES, queutly, a ^'snake head/- as .it was called, would run through the bottom of the car and tear things up. The first conductors I remember on that road were Captains Riggan and Horton. The latter, Capt. Jeptha Horton, after he quit running as con- ductor, was made yardmaster at the depot, and one day, as a freight train was pulling from under a shed, the top of a car pulled the end of the shed upon, and killed him. John Horton, his son, took his place and filled it satisfactorily, so long as the management of the road was in the hands of home men; but, after strangers got control of the road, most, if not all, of those who once ran the shops, as well as the engines, and many of the operatives in other lines, had to give place to favorites, which other officers and managers brought in, until it has come to pass that most of the positions that were once filled with natives, are now filled with strangers. At one time the old road was in a pretty bad fix, and there was but little regularity in the schedules ; indeed, it was by no means certain that a train, v^hen it started, would reach Gaston that day ; for, in many places, there was no iron on the track, but the wheels had to run on the wood; and, some- times, even the wood was so badly worn that the engineer had to go in a snail's pace over it. On one occasion, an excursion was leaving the depot for Wake Forest, to attend a commencement. James T. Marriott, Esq., the then clerk of the court, came down toward the train as it was mov- ing off. He was left; but he went back up town, got his horse and buggy and went out to Wake Forest, on the country road. When our train reached the college we found Mr. Marriott seated under an oak conversing with some gentlemen, and he said, as our crowd went up, he had been there some time. I guess he had, as I remember it took INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 61 our engine about three hours to make the run. Wesley Hollister was, I believe, the first president of that road; but I think that Major W. W. Vass, the life long treasurer, had the management of it during a part, at least, of the time when it was in such bad condition, and it was said that he man- aged to make it pay a dividend. "Some of the school children may not know that on Moore Square, not far from Hargett street, about southwest from the Tabernacle church, used to stand what was known, in my boyhood days, as ^'the old Baptist church.'' It way built in 1812, as I have heard, and occupied by the Baptists until that denomination built and moved up near the Capitol. The Christian denomination was worshipping in that old church when I first remem- ber, and Rev. Henry B. Hayes, who, if I am not mistaken, was at the same time publishing the '^Christian Sun,'' was the preacher, sometimes aided by old Dr. Hinton, a minister of that denomi- nation, who owned and lived in a hous'3 on Fayette- ville street, kept now as a boarding-house. That old Baptist church was frequently used for politi- cal meetings, and many a big speech was made therein. In the gubernatorial campaign between David S. Reid and John Kerr, I heard the discus- sion there, and remember whi.t a fine looking man Judge Kerr was and how his fine oratory eclipsed the plain matter of fact speech made by Governor Reid. I v/as a Democrat, and Reid v/as my man, but, boy as I was, I could not help feeling that Judge Kerr was more than a match for him. But he beat Kerr, as he had before beaten Governor Manlv, and from the gubernatorial chair he went to the United States Senate, his colleague being Hon. Asa Bigjgs, of Martin. The Whigs had a good deal to say about little Davy's "sloshing around" in the seat formerly occupied by Judge Badger, 62. whitaker's reminiscences, and quite as much to say about how uneasily Judge Biggs fitted the seat which Judge Manguin had occupied so long; but we Democrats thought they were very good men, and the mantles that had fallen on them fitted very well; so everything quieted doTsn after a little, and Senators Reid and Biggs served faithfully and well. Gov. Thomas Bragg and Hon. Thos. L. Clingman were in the Senate when secession came on. I will stop here to tell my readers a little story. It is this: When the Democratic National Convention met in Charleston, S. C, in 1860, to nominate a man for I*resident, it remained there ten days, balloting es^ery day, yet failed to make a nomina- tion, the reason of which was there were two fac- tions in the party — a northern faction that favored Judge Douglas, and a southern faction which did not like the position Judge Douglas occupied with regard to vrhat was called ^'Squatter Sovereignty," and some other questions. At that time, it must be remembered, James Buchanan w^as President, and John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, Vice-pres- ident. I say the convention at Charleston failed to make a nomination, and it adjourned to meet in Baltimore a few weeks later. There the two ele- ments failed as at Charleston to harmonize, and the Douglas wing withdrew from the convention, and Douglas was nominated by it, while the regu- lar convention nominated John C. Breckenridge, then the Vice-president, for President, and Gen. Joe Lane, Senator from Oregon, for Vice-president. There v/ere four presidential tickets that year, to- wit: Breckenridge and Lane, the Southern Demo- cratic ticket; Douglas and Johnson, the Northern Democratic ticket; Bell and Everett, the Southern Whig ticket, and Lincoln and Hamlin, the Black Republican ticket, as it was called here in the South. Of course, it is but too well known that INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 63 the Lincoln ticket was elected, but Breckenridge and Lane carried North Carolina and mo'st of the Southern States. When the Electoral College met and cast the vote of the State for Breckenridge and Lane, I was chosen messenger by the college to take the package containing the result of the rote to Washington, which I did. Arriving there, I found the city in a whirl of excitement. South Carolina had already seceded, and the sentiment, as I could gather it, was that South Carolina had done right, and that secession was the only redress for the South. Cockades were as abundant as May roses, and it really looked as if the hoops were off and the whole thing was about to tumble to pieces ; that a new government was an inevitable result, and from the way I heard them talk in the lobbies, there would not l3e much left of the oM government when secession had done its seceding. Senators Bragg and Clingman paid me very courteous attention, and opened the way to me for a most enjoyable time while I sojourned there. By them I was conducted into the presence of the Vice-president, to whom I delivered my package. He received me graciously, complimented the gal- lant Democracy of the "Old North State," and asked me to bear back to the Legislature, then in session, his heartfelt gratitude for the high compli- ment the State had conferred upon him. Others then coming in, our conference ended with a hand- shake. I Vy'ent to the Senate the next day and lis- tened for two hours to a most impassioned speech by Senator Jefferson Davis, the last one he ever made in that body. Gen. Joe Lane, the Vice-presi- dential candidate, liavin,^- visited Raleigh during the campaign, and, with myself and others, taken a ride into the country where his ancestors had lived, near the city, sought me out, soon after I arrived in Washington, and repeatedly told me to 64 whitaker's reminiscences, tell his friends in North Carolina to fight for their rights, and to assure them that when the Abolition- ists started with an army to fight the South, he, and thousands of good Southern men in the North, would give them h — 1 in the rear. He might have done so after the war began, but his friends down here never heard of it. Governor Bragg, I remem- ber, said, '^Tell my friends at home to move slowly in the matter of secession: "Fools rush in, where angels fear to tread.'' CHAPTEE X. Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institution — Governor Gra- ham — Thaiiksgiving — The Mexican War — ^'Jach MitchelV' In his message to the Legislature of 1848-'49, Governor Graham said : "A contract has been made for suitable buildings in Ealeigh for the education of deaf mutes and blind persons, according to the acts of the last session, and these edifices are par- tially finished.'' The Governor also stated that a school for the instruction of deaf mutes was then in successful operation and contained twenty-five pupils. The Legislature which authorized the erec- tion of the buildings of the present blind institution was that of 184()-'47. I Avas at school here at the time the buildings were going up, and I remember 1 wondered where in the whole world enough deaf mutes and blind could be found to fill those im- mense buildings, for, raised in a corner as I was, I had never seen but one or two blind persons, and not a single deaf mute. But when the buildings were completed, the fact very soon was made mani- fest that they were not too large. And what a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 65 blessing that iustitution has been, is, and will ever be to the unfortunate children of our State. From that little beginning of twenty-five pupils, of which the Governor spake, have grown the two gTand schools : the deaf mute of Morganton, and the blind of this cit3^, added to Avhich is the Deaf, Dumb and Blind School, also of this city, for colored children, bestowing immeasurable blessings upon hundreds of homes, in the education and training of their un- fortunate ones, who but for such training would have lived and died in darkness. Speaking of Governor Graham, I am reminded to say, it was he who suggested, in his message of 1848, that the Legislature should adopt a joint resolution, requesting the Governor, in future, to recommend some d-d.j in each 3 ear to be observed as a Thanksgiving Day. North Carolina had not, up to that time, kept a day of thanksgiving, al- though, as the Governor said, '^the custom of such an observance is now nearly universal in other States." Governor Graham was a model chief ex- ecutive, a finished scholar, an able lawyer and a polished gentleman of the old school. My recollec- tion of him leaves the impression upon my mind that, in addition to his many other good qualities, he had a dignity of manner and carriage that would say, more forcibly than words: ^'He's the Gover- nor!" The Mexican War occurred during Governor Graham's administration, and it became his duty to raise a regiment of volunteers in this State. A company of said regiment was raised partly here in Ealeigh by Captain William J. Clarke, a young man reared in this city and educated at Chapel Hill, and who by profession was a lawyer. He was a brave and gallant officer, and was promoted by the President and Senate for his courage and 66 whitaker's reminiscences, splendid conduct in battle at the National Bridge, Mexico, where he received a severe wound. He married Miss Mary Bayard Devereux, who made herself well and popularly known in the South as a writer of verse and of fiction. In the Civil War Major Clarke was made a colonel, and added fresh laurels to his military fame. After the war he w^as made a judge and resided in New Bern. One of the men who went from Raleigh, in Cap- tain Clarke's company, to Mexico, was A. J. Mit- chell, known as ^^Jack Mitchell." He was a good soldier, and did good service until wounded and so disabled as to be unfit for further duties, when he received an honorable discharge. But, as I re- member, he went as a soldier in Lee's army, and served through the war between the States. But what I wish to say of "Jack Mitchell" occurred just after the war, in 1868 or 1869. The Order of the Friends of Temperance was making considerable headway in this city, in the work of pledging men to total abstinence, and sow- ing the seeds of temperance among the young peo- ple; and so, at every meeting of the lodge, there were several initiations and as many more petitions to be acted upon. One night, to the astonishment of every member of the lodge, the name of Jack Mitchell was proposed for membership. The brother who brought in his name made a very earn- est and Christly talk to the lodge, on presenting the candidate's name, saying if there was any man in the city who needed to be helped. Jack Mitchell was that man, for unless sometliing was done, and that speedily, he would die of drunkenness and be lost. The ballot was favorable, and Jack Mitchell, the drunkard, was declared elected to membership, and at the next meeting he was duly initiated. He was not drunk at the time, but had been drinking, as was verv manifest bv the odor of alcohol which INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 67 came in with him. Nevertheless, the ceremony went on, and finally "Brother MitchelP' was given the right hand of fellowship by all the members of the lodge, both men and women. I shall never forget his look, for by the time the initiation ended he was thoroughly sobered, had come to himself, and was conscious that he had gotten into a new and better atmosphere. During the remainder of the meeting he seemed to be in a daze; and, when the lodge closed, he left so hastily many thought he was hurrying to a bar-room. At the next meeting of the lodge he was there, and not only cool sober, but altogether changed for the better in appear- ance. Jack Mitchell, I ought to say, was a stone cutter, and at the time of which I am now writing, he was working on the penitentiary. His home was near the old rock quarry, and so to get to his work he had to pass througli the city. A few weeks after he joined the Friends of Temperance, I was awak- ened about daybreak one morning by a most terrific banging on my front door. I ran with all haste to the door, thinking nothing else than that the house was on fire and somebody was trying to save us. As I opened the door, a voice in a loud tone said : "Don't be scared; it's nobody but Jack Mitchell; and here's a two-dollar bill ; send me the temperance paper. I must be going, for I work at the peniten- tiary ; so good morning !" I don't think I went back to bed, for the reception of that two-dollar bill so excited me I could not have slept any more. About a year after Jack joined the lodge I met him near the corner of Williams and Haywood's drug store, dressed as if going to church, though in the middle of the week; and as he approached me, extending his two great brawny hands, and grasp- ing both of mine, he said : "I'm keeping my birth- day!" Seeing that I did not understand, he ex- I)lained : "I'm keeping my temperance birth-day." 68 whitaker's reminiscences, And then he went on to say: ^^I^ve been sober a whole year, and I feel like a gentleman. About a year ago, one morning, I was 'round there at Mr. Upchurch's store, half drunk — for I never went any other way than half drunk or whole drunk — and a man came along and said something about my joining the temperance society, but I didn't pay much attention to him, for I had no notion of join- ing anything but a bar-room. ^'But next morning, Needham Broughton (I think it was Needham), met me in the market and says to me, ^Jack, we elected you last night.' ^Elected me to w^hat?' says I. ^A member of the temperance society,' says he. ^How come you to elect me?' says I. ^Because we thought you'd make a good member,' says he. I couldn't speak for a minute, for I didn't know what to say. The idea of my be- ing elected was more than I could understand, for I knew I was not fit to be elected to anything; but after awhile I said: ^Well, if I'm elected, I'll be there next Tuesday night.' And I w^as, and when I was initiated and all the members — women and all — came around and took my hand and called me ^Brother Mitchell,' and said they w^ere glad to have me as a brother member, it just seemed to me as if my heart would burst, I was so full. Just to think that I was ^Brother Mitchell' ; I, who had not been cool sober in a year; I, lying Jack Mitchell (for a man who gets drunk will lie) ; I didn't know^ what to say nor what to do; for, as I say, my heart was too full." While he was saying all this, and still holding my hands, streams of tears were running down his face. ^^Thank God," he continued, "I have been sober a whole 3^ear, and this is my birth- day — my temperance birthday. I have paid off the mortgage on my little home, and saved money enough to buy some good clothes for me and the old woman ; and I have got plenty to eat at home ; INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 69 and just look at this!" — showing nie a roll of bills as big as my wrist — "here's what the bar-keepers would have got if I had not joined the temperance society. They've tried mighty hard to get it — even sent for me to come around and see them for the sake of old times; but I sent them word back that I was ashamed of the old time;^, and didn't want to remember them; and so I didn't go round to see them. But I hain't told you the half yet, Brother Whitaker. I went to the revival up at the Metho- dist church, and the first time they called for mourners I went and fell right down on my knees and prayed until I felt the load had been taken off of my poor, sinful heart; and, Brother Whitaker, I'm in the Lord's army now, and intend to fight it out. I was true to old Taylor in Mexico, and to old Bob Lee in Virginia, and bless His holy name, 1 intend to be true to Jesus, who died to save my soul. Yes, this is my first birthday," and giving my hands another hearty shake, he went on doAvn the street, sa.ying to himself as he went: "Bless the Lord for saving such a drunkard as Jack Mitchell." After Jack became a member of Edenton Street Church, he usually sat on the end of a pew right in front of the preacher, with his ear trumpet to catch every word as it fell from the preacher's lips. When the service ended, he hastened out, took the middle of the street, and, talking to himself, he wc3nt along praising the Lord. And, if I met him any time the next week, he would be almost certain to refer to the good sermon and the good meeting of last Sun- day. In the course of time, Jack died in the faith and went home to his reward. Drunkard as he was, that Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation, lifted him out of that degraded condition and fitted him for the heavenly land where the "wicked cease from troublincr, and the wearv are at 70 whitaker's reminiscences, rest.'' When I remember the noble fight he made, and the victory he won, I think of him as a hero of the Pauline type; and the miracle, which changed him in old age from a drunkard to a gentle follower of Jesus, was no less than that which changed Saul of Tarsus from a persecutor of Jesus to an apostle to- the Gentiles, for Jesus' sake. CHAPTER XI. Gen. L. O^B. Branch — Eoio I Got Into Politics ^ and Eotv I Got Out. The death of Mrs. L. O'B. Branch of this city the 9th of November, 1903, brought up many old inci- dents of the ante-bellum period, of which the world will never hear unless they are written up very soon. General Branch was one of the few men in my young days in whom I had implicit confidence and whose suggestions I was always ready to ac- cept and act upon. A little circumstance unexpectedly drew me into politics in 1858, and Gen. Branch at the time was the party leader. He was a partisan, that is, he held tenaciously to party creed and stood squarely on its platform; yet he was as fair and as conscien- tious in debate, and as just to an opponent, as a sacred regard for the golden rule could make him. I was honored in my young days with his confi- dence during a heated campaign, but I do not re- member that I ever heard him utter a word of un- kindness about anyone, however sharp the contest between him and those who opposed him. Being a thoroughbred gentleman, he had no patience with the sharp tricks of the wily politician who often resorts to harsh words, short cuts, and to means INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 71 that are unfair. He seemed to think that all men, like himself, were gentlemen and were entitled to the respect due to gentlemen. He represented the metropolitan district in Congress, following as I remember, Hon. Sion H. Rogers, a Whig, wlio in the campaign of 1853 defeated Maj. A. M. Lewis, the regular Democratic nominee, and Hon. Abram W. Venable, an independent Democratic candidate. During Mr. Branch's first term in Congress he in- troduced a bill in the House of Representatives called the ^'Thirty Million Bill," looking to the purchase of Cuba from the Spanish government, which amount my recollection is Spain was willing to take for the ''Queen of the Antilles," at that time; and the bill might have been passed and the trade been effected but for the strong abolition sen- timent North, which was determined that slavery should not be strengthened by the acquisition of any more Southern territory. If in 1858 that thirty million bill had passed and Cuba had been annexed to the Union with her rich sugar estates and her slaves, the Civil War might have been indefinitely postponed, and the bloody chasm, which has not yet been entirely leveled up, might never have been dug. Monopolists and low-bred money kings, who now lord it over the poor, might never have gotten higher in the financial world than gamblers and thimble riggers, and the statesmen, Avho, by some kind of hocus pocus, manage to become millionaires during a single term of Congress, might have lived hcmest lives, died happy and gone home to heaven. But, alas! our Northern brethren who after they had imported the negroes into this country, sold them to the Southerners and gotten rich in the transaction, were getting immensely pious about that time and couldn't bear the idea of seeing Cuba with all her slaves added to the Southern end of the Union; so the thirty-million bill failed, 72 whitaker's reminiscences, though General Branch was re-elected and was in Congress when in 1861 the State seceded. I have several letters received from him while in Congress which I value ver^^ highly, and when the noAvs came after the battle of Shaipsburg that he had been killed, I felt that one of the bravest and truest of men had fallen, and I had lost a friend whose memory I would never cease to cherish. Gen- eral Branch was for a while president of the Kaleigh and Gaston Eailroad; indeed, he was occupying that position when first nominated for Congress. He was commissioned a Brigadier-General at the beginning of the war, and but for his untimely death the opinion was that he would have been promoted very soon to a Major-General. I said above that a little circumstance drew me into politics, which I had as well explain, as it may explain some other things. I was quietly pursuing the even tenor of my way, publishing the Raleigh Christian Advocate, the Live Giraffe, and doing tlie press- work of the Raleigh Register, and had no more idea of being drawn into the political Avhirlpool than I had of being killed by a cyclone. It came this way. The town clock struck twel/e one day and all hands, editor, printers and the "devil," started to dinner; but just then the bell over the market house, known as the Town Hall, began to ring for a Democratic meeting, the object of Avhich was to elect delegates to a congressional convention, to be held at Franklinton, to nominate a candidate for Congress, Hon. L. O'B. Branch then being the Kepresentative. As I was passing the town "hall, Mr. Quentin Busbee hailed me and insisted that I should stop and attend the meeting, and as an in- ducement to me to stop said they wanted me to act a:.' secretary. I yielded ; the meeting was called to order, W. B. Allen, Esq., was made president and T requested to act as secretary. For a few moments INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 73 Gen. LAWRENCE O'B. BRANCH, Born in Enfield, Halifax County, N. C, Nov. 28, 1820. Killed at Sharpsburg, Sept. 18, 1862. 74 whitaker's reminiscences, it had the appearance of being a very uninteresting affair, as no one seemed inclined to make a move, although the house was full and the strongest men of the Democratic party, town and county, were there. From the city were Ed. Graham Haywood, A. M. Lewis, Judge Cantwell, Moses A. Bledsoe, Quentin Busbee, George W. Brooks, Frank I. Wil son and others whom I do not now remember, while a host of the unterrified from the country were in attendance. After a good deal of whispering and undertone conversation, h^ld here and there in the hall, a move was made to the effect that, "it is the sense of the meeting that the delegates chosen to attend the Franklinton convention shall go unin- structed, and vote as they please in the selection of a candidate." That motion opened the ball and the fun commenced in earnest. The friends of Mr. Branch were determined to instruct the delegates to vote for him for another term, for the two-fold reason that he was entitled to it, and ought to have an endorsement for what he had done and tried to do, especially in the matter of the thirty-million bill. Some other delegates, prominent a.mong them were Moses A. Bledsoe, Quentin Busbee and George W. Brooks, contended that the c'elegates should not be instructed. The fight was long and persistent, and in the de- bate it cropped out that (so the Branch men said) a cut and dried programme had been arranged to defeat the re-nomination of Mr. Branch, but it failed, for the delegates, when finally appointed, were instructed to cast the solid vote of Wake County for Hon. L. O'B. Granch, first, last and all the time. At the adjournment of the meeting, no motion was made to have the proceedings published in any paper; so, being in possession of them, I prepared them for the press and on Wednesday I published INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 75 them in the Live Giraffe^ innocently supposing I was doing a very commendable thing, furnishing a proof-sheet of them, in the meantime, to the Standard y the organ of the Democratic party. No sooner did the Giraffe make its appearance on Wed- nesday than I found myself in hot water. What I thought was a most impartial report of the pro- ceedings of the meeting was termed "one-sided,'' "distorted," "unfair," "unjust," and a great many other very uncomplimentary things, and I was so discouraged at the outcome of my first dabble in politics I was about to determine that I would never go to another political meeting. But pretty soon here came some of Mr. Branch's friends and consoled me somewhat by saying my report was "very fine," and "very impartial," and "very fair," and so forth and so one, and they thought I did a very proper thing, and exhibited an enterprising spirit that ought to be commended in giving to the public two days earlier than any other paper could publish them, the proceedings of so large and en- thusiastic a meeting of the Wake Democracy. Of course I felt better, but I was not feeling altogether at ease, because, somehow, I had a presentiment that there was electricity in the political atmos- phere and there might be heavy thunder and some terrific flashes of lightning before the atmosphere was cleared up. And my presentiment was a prophecy. When the Standard came from the press Friday morning it was red hot; three long columns, besides a great many little shells, coming from all quarters of the paper, were turned loose upon the Giraffe and its "insignificant," "inexperienced" and "unscrupulous" editor, and the public were told, after the Giraffe and its editor had been completely annihilated, that the Standard had "the power to kill and make alive." While the Giraffe and its editor were frequently 76 whitaker's reminiscences, mentioned, it Avas but too plain that the thunder- bolts were intended for other and bigger game, and the consequence was that in a day a revolution took place that greatly changed the course of men and things, in the fourth congressional district espe- cially, and largely in the State. The next week the Live Giraffe became the Deniocratic Fress^ and during that campaign, as well as the gubernatorial campaign two years later, the Press had the benefit of the very best help which such men as Governor Bragg, Hon. L. O'B. Branch, Ed. Graham Hay- wood and Edward Cantwell could find time to con- tribute. Thus I got into politics, and now, if the reader will be patient a few moments longer, I will tell him how I got out, and thereby hangs a tale — yes, two or three of them — but I will try to make them short. The question of Ad Valorem taxation was a live one in those days, and for a while parties were afraid to take sides on it for the reason that it was considered a dangerous question to be discussed just at that time, as the abolitionists were, and had been, doing all they could to weaken the insti- tution of slavery. Mr. Syme, the editor of the Raleigh Register^ took the ground in his paper that the question was a very improper one to raise in the then very highly excited condition of the coun- try. The Standard, the Democratic organ, came out strongly and unequivocally in favor of Ad Valorem, and published what was known as the "Working Men's Address," in pamphlet form and broadcasted it all over the State. When, in 1860, the election for governor and members of the Legis- lature was coming on the question had to be met by the State conventions and positions taken by them. The Whig convention met first and passed a resolu- tion endorsing the doctrine of Ad Valorem, and INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 77 nominated for governor John Pool, of Pasquotank. Mr. Sjme,to be in harmony with the utterance of the convention, had to turn a somersault on the ques- tion and get on the platform. In a short while the Democratic convention met and re-nominated Gov- ernor Ellis and passed a resolution opposing Ad Valorem. The editor of the Standard^ like Mr. Syme, was obliged to turn a somersault to get on the Democratic platform. He was unwilling to turn and would not turn ; so the State executive commit- tee, consisting of Ed. Graham Hayw^ood, chairman, James Fulton, John Kerr, Thos. Settle, Jr., D. M. Barringer, W. L. Tate, William Sloane and George Greene, to relieve the situation, made the Demo- cratic Press the organ of the party, instead of the Standard^ with the assurance from Governor Ellis that I should be made State printer if he were elected and the Democrats controlled the Legisla- ture. He was elected and the Democrats controlled the Legislature, but I was not made State printer. I did not go up to the capitol the night the Legisla- ture held the caucus to make nominations — mod- esty forbade — and I thought to be informed of my nomination the next morning would be more ap- propriate. So I went to bed and was soon sound asleep. But about midnight I was aroused to be informed that Governor Ellis, to relieve John Spel- man, Esq., who had also done good work in the campaign, had decided it would be the proper thing to give me "something better," and make Mr. Spel- man the State printer. The "something better" that I got was the sale of my paper to Mr. Spelman for three thousand, five hundred dollars. Governor Ellis and friends to secure the payments which they did: was chosen messenger to carry the vote of the State to Washington City for Breckenridge and Lane, and lastly was made reading clerk of the House of Commons. I will leave it for the reader 78 whitaker's reminiscences, if I did not get out better than I went into politics. I shall never cease to thank Governor Ellis for giv- ing the matter the turn he did, for the little experi- ence I had had thoroughly disgusted me with poli- tics. Mr. Spelman, my successor, was an old stager in newspaper life, and did not care what people or papers might say about him, but took things quietly and philosophically. Nevertheless, he had to go through some very rough scenes as the organ of the party, and I was sorry for him — but glad all the same I was out. I have steered shy of political meetings ever since, and while I am very much interested in poli- tics and take pleasure in watching political move- ments I prefer to see them at a distance. There is not a movement on the political board that I do not notice and bestow more or less of thought upon; but I am coming to the conclusion as I gTow older that the less one has to do with politics the happier he may be, and, consequently have fewer sins to answer for in the great day. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 79 CHAPTER XII. Raleigh and Gaston Road — Christopher Thomas^ Dream. I had somewhat to say of the old Raleigh and Gaston Railroad in one of my recent sketches, speaking of its very bad condition, but I did not take time to deal in particulars as to its earnings and expenditures. I was reading a few days ago a financial statement showing the condition of the Seaboard Air Line system, and I remembered the time when the earnings of the Raleigh and Gaston Road were not above |65,000 a year. In 184S the earnings of the road w^ere |57,000, and the disburse- ments 152,500. On the night of the 25th of Febru- ary of that year the machine shop and engine house, with all their contents of a combustible nature, were destroyed by fire. Such was the extremity into which the road was brought by that fire that it became a question with the State whether to try to borrow money to repair the damages, or sell the road. Governor Graham convened the council of state and submitted to them the question of calling an extra session of the Legislature either to provide means to meet the occasion, mortgage the road or to sell it. I do not remember just how the matter was arranged, but this I do know, that the difficulty was overcome, the machine shops rebuilt and the road took on a new lease of life. The old Raleigh and Gaston after it was laid with "U'' iron, soon acquired the reputation of al- ways being on time. So much so that w^e all knew to the minute what time it was when we heard the whistle of the incoming train. Further along I will speak of this road and its able management in modern times — that is, since the war. 80 whitaker's reminiscences, Railroads used to be more accommodating than they are now. About half an hour before leaving time the engineer would let off his whistle in a blow that lasted for fully a minute. That long blast was understood to mean that in thirty minutes the train would leave ; so, if one had not yet gotten out of bed, he knew just how many minutes he could devote to his toilet, how many to his breakfast, and how much time would be left to reach the depot. One minute before the train left the whistle blew again, when the tardy fellow would strike a trot, and reach the train just as it began to move. One day I was belated and the train was moving off when I got in sight of it. The engineer could not stop for me; but, seeing me running, a hundred yards or more away, he moved along at a snail's pace, the wheels barely turning, until he saw that I was on board, when he pulled open the throttle and sped away. He knew I would be disappointed if left, and he made it possible for me to go, yet Avithout stopping his train. On another occasion T\'e stopped at a breakfast station; the conductor, engineer and passengers all eating at the same table. After breakfast we passengers went aboard, but the conductor did not happen to see me, when I entered the car; so, after he had given the signal to start, I heard him say ^'Lold on,'' and speaking to the hotel man, he asked, ^^Has Whitaker come out?" I answered for myself from inside the car, when he said to the engineer — "Go ahead !" They are not so accommodating now, so a fellow has to keep the right time, and be on time, or he will be left. I guess it is better for us that we have to move up a little faster, and be a little more prompt, than we were in the past ; and if the rail- roads teach us these lessons we ought to be thankful and not complain. But coming back to the Raleigh and Gaston, al- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 81 though it now belongs to a great system the annual earnings of which run up into the millions, and its trains are moving palaces, and its traffic streams of cars miles and miles long; and its officials receiv- ing salaries that, even to old Croesus himself, would have seemed fabulous; yet, it is not half so big a thing to the boy of to-day, as it was to the boy of my day, when those terrible monsters, "Tornado,'' "^Whirhvind,'' "Volcano" and "Spitfire," were pull- ing two or three cars at the rate of ten or fifteen miles an hour, when the engineer had to take all the w^eather, because there was no cab to shelter him. As Uncle Kemus says of "Br'er Rabbit," "he was a mity man in he day," may be as truthfully said of those little engines — they were mighty en- gines in their day ; but the four put together, with their awe-inspiring names, would not equal one of the fine engines which go skipping along at the rate of fifty miles an hour, pulling eight or ten heavy coaches; much less one of those monsters that can move, up hill and down hill, at a rapid rate with fifty loaded cars. As I lock back to 1848 and be- hold the little thing called a train, poking along on the level, running like fury down grade, but puff- ing up grade, and compare it with the train I see sweeping along majestically, paying no heed to grades, curves nor bridges, I realize that a mighty change has taken place which only he who has seen the past as well as the present, can appreciate. But, enough of railroads for this time, and I will relate a story which not only takes the reader away back to times long past, but will suggest other thoughts, and perhaps better emotions. I do not vouch for the truth of the story, but, as I heard I tell, and let the reader think it over and come to his own conclusion. 82 WHlTAKEil^S REMINISCENCES, Kev. Christoplier Thomas Bailey, D.D., for many years the able editor of the Biblical Recorder, was reared by Methodist parents, and was named for a Methodist preacher of the Virgiuia Conference, when that Conference and the South Carolina Con- ference shook hands across the old North JState, and there was no such thing as a North Carolina Meth- odist Conference. In a conversation with him one day, he remarked that, though a Baptist, he came of good Methodist stock, and proceeded to relate a very thrilling story concerning the preacher for whom he was named, and offered to lend me a pamphlet written and pub lished by Key. Leroy M. Lee, of Richmond, Ya., which would give the story more fully than he could relate it. I read the pamphlet and, as I remember it, the story was briefly told, about as follows, not giving dates : A session of the Virginia Conference was about to convene at Lynchburg, and the preachers, on horseback, were coming in from all directions, and the nearer they came to the place of meeting the larger became the companies; so that, on the last night before they reached Lynchburg many a farm- house was filled with Methodist preachers. Christopher Thomas, a young preacher, with sev- eral others, spent the night at a house not far from Lynchburg, and as conference was to convene at 9 o'clock in the morning, an early start was made. As the preachers rode along, two and tAvo, Christo pher Thomas, usually very sprightly in conversa- tion, seemed to be in deep thought and not inclined to talk. His brother preacher ol)served this and remarked upon it, when Thomas said, "I had a sin- gular dream last night, which I was thinking over.'^ ''You don't believe in dreams, do you?" asked the preacher companion. "Ko," said Thomas, ''but my dreaui of last night INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 83 seems to me more like a prophecy than a dream. It was so pkiin and seemed so real, I feel like there must be something in it." The dream was about like this. He said : ^'I dreamed I saw and knew the bishop on sight ; that the conference business closed late one night, but the bishop did not read out the appointments, I thought, until at sunrise the next morning. My appointment was a station. During the early part of the year I had a great revival on my work ; and when that ended I was prostrated with sickness and died.'' The other preacher made light of the matter, but soon the conversation ended, for they were riding into Lynchburg. They saw two men walking the street, as they rode along, when, pointing to one of them, Thomas said : ^^There goes the bishop !" ''Have you ever seen the bishop?'' asked his companion. "Only in my dream, last night. That is the man I saw," said Thomas. When conference finished up its work it was late one night, and the appointments, as Thomas had dreamed, were not read out till next morning. All the Virginia appointments had been filled, and yet the name of Thomas had not been called. Salis- bury district, in North Carolina, was filled, and finally the New Bern district was reached. The bishop read: "New Bern district — Moses Brock, presiding elder; New Bern station, Christopher Tliomas; Washins^ton and Plvmouth, Lerov M. Lee." "Now," said Thomas, speaking to the preacher to vrhom he had told his dream, "only two other events are to happen and my dream will be ful- filled." Thomas went to New Bern, and during the sum- mer, a revival broke out which not only swept 84 through the town, but it went like a tidal wave down the Neuse to the seashore, all the country being deluged by its gracious overflow. Thomas was taken sick with fever, but his friends did not think his illness would be serious, Moses Brock, the elder, Leroy M. Lee and other preachers hastened to his bedside, and endeavored to make him believe he would soon be well ; but he said: ^^My work is ended; I am simply waiting for the Master to release me from my last earthly charge." He lingered for several days, but the end was apparent. Friends gathered about the house, and, with bated breath, spake in whispers, when the last struggle was going on. It w^as night, and a single candle, in the fire-place, with a screen partially before that, w^as all the light in the room. Moses Brock, Leroy M. Lee and other ministers and friends were standing or sitting near the dying man, when, all at once, he exclaimed : "They come ! They come! Behold, they come!" At that moment the room was filled with a light equal to the brightness of the noon-day sun; and when, after a moment, it had faded out, Christo- pher Thomas was dead — the angels had come and taken him home. I may not have given, in every particular, the story as it w^as written and published. But, in substance, I have written the story as memory has kept it. If any member of the Virginia Confer- ence (or any one else) has a copy of that pamphlet, they would gratify a great many people by having the whole story republished. Dr. Bailey often spoke of the strange occurrence, and firmly believed that, in the dying moment, while living friends could hear his voice, he was permitted to see and to welcome the convoy which heaven sent to bear his spirit home. In these days of materialism, when nothing is to INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 85 be accepted save that wliicli may be seen and han- dled, such a story as the foregoing, is at a discount; but to those who believe that Saul of Tarsus was stricken down on the way to Damascus, and that he heard a voice from heaven, Avhile a light, above the brightness of the noon-day sun, shined about him, there is nothing the least impossible or im- probable about it. CHAPTEII XIII. Danger of Moderate Drinking — Uncle Bilh/s Story — Going Trough a Windoiv. I met Mr. J. W. Holloway the other day, who stopped me to say that he was very near to General Branch at Sharpsburg, the day he was killed, and to tell me how much he appreciated what I had written about his general. He told me also of an incident that came under his observation in 1857, when General Branch and Col. Lynn B. Sanders were canvassing this district for Congress. They spoke at Gunter's Store, in Orange County, one day, and while speaking Sanders occasionally sip- ped some brandy and water, to keep himself toned up to his work, while General Branch drank only water. An old gentleman named Herndon, now eighty years old, who was a Whig, and went to the speaking that morning expecting to vote for San- ders, said, when the speaking was over that he would not vote for any man who had to drink grog to en- able him to make a speech, but would vote for Branch, who drank his water straight ; and he did it. The story has a moral that the young reader will not fail to see, I trust, which is : a man is ab- solved from the duty of supporting his own party candidate, if that candidate disregards the opinions 86 whitaker's reminiscences, and teachings of that element, in society, which is striving to protect the weak against the insidious assault of the liquor curse. Mr. Herndon set an example worthy of imitation and worthy also to be remembered by his descendants, to the latest gener- ation, as well as by every reader of this sketch. When he saw that one man set an example of liquor drinking, though that man was the party nominee, he repudiated him, and went to the man, who, by drinking only water, and thereby setting a good example to the young men, was in his estimation the better one to represent the people in Congress, and, for that reason he voted for him. Oh, how many young men have become drunk- ards and died horrible deaths, because they tried to follow the example set them by moderate drinkers ! I knew a man away back in the past, who took his toddy three times a day, and boasted of his ability to drink only that much ard no more; and, so far as I ever knew, he never went beyond that limit. But he had three boys who thought they could do as their father did — drink moderately. For awhile they did ; but they soon got beyond the three drinks a day; and, after a few years, still following fa- ther's example, as they supposed, they were con- firmed drunkards, spending the fortunes that came to them from their father's estate, at the barroom, and in the lowest brothels; and, a. last they died in drunkenness and poverty. Who dare say the father's example did not ruin the sons? And who dare say that most of the wrecks in society are not the legitimate results of the thoughtless indiscre- tions of those to whom the young people look for example? No man liveth to himself, and we should never lose sight of it. These reflections lead one back to the old-time days, when the temperance movement was begin- ning to take hold upon the public mind, and the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 87 temperance societies were offering asylums to mod- erate drinkers and drunkards, and remind me of a story related in old '^Concord Division" of the Sons of Temperance, one night by an old gentleman whom I wi-1 call ''Uncle Billy,'' then an old man. He was a carpenter by trade, and a very clever gen- tleman, but he would get on a "spree'' sometimes, and not only spend his money, but often lose his job. But I will let him tell his own story. The lodge had gone through its regular business and the worthy patriarch announced that remarks for the good of the order would then be heard, if any brother had anything to say. The audience cheered lustily when old ''Uncle Billy" arose, for they kncAV something funny was coming, and they were not disappointed. "Worthy Patriarch, I don't get up to make a speech," commenced Uncle Billy, "but just to tell these young people what a fool I have been. I was born poor, and I've kept poor, not because I have not made money, but because I spent what I made for whiskey. They tell me that a fool and his money will part, and, as I have got clear of the most I ever had I must conclude I'm a fool. You all needn't laugh, for its no laughing matter to an old man, like me, to feel that his race is almost run and so much of life has been worse than wasted. No man ever worked harder than I have, and no man was ever blessed with better health than I have enjoyed; but, for all that, I am a poor man,, and I know why. Drink has been my besetting sin, tha one that has kept my nose to the grindstone, and made me the failure that I am; and, I want to tell these young men to beware of dram drinkers, who meet in the barrooms, at night, to spin yarns and have what they call a good time. The good time won't last long. I started that way, and I went from bad to woi^e, so will anv other vouuo- man 88 whitaker\s reminiscences, who is fool enough to think that he can associate with drinking men and not fall into their habits. ^'No man who drinks liquor ought to think about getting married, for a drinking man ain't fit to have a wife; any woman is a fool who Avill marry a drinking man, if she knows that he drinks. Some girls are silly enough to think they can reform a fellow after marriage; but it's a mistake. If a fellow learns to love whiskey before he's married, and drinks on the sly while he is courting, he'll get drunk in less than a month after marriage; and, after that he'll get drunk as often as he pleases, wife or no wife. Yes, he'll promise his wife every time he goes home drunk, with a headache that feels like his skull is about to burst open, that if she'll put a mustard-seed plaster on the back of his neck, bathe his feet in hot water, and give him a cup of coffee, and rub his head until it gets easy, he never will drink another drop as long as he lives. Yes, he'll promise anything then, but, it won't be a month before here he'll come again, worse off than ever. ^^I've made my wife thousands of promises, and broken every one of them. After awhile she got tired of my lies, and so, one day, when I was cool sober, she said: 'Billy, as it will soon be time in course for you to get drunk, I want to tell you right now, I don't want you to come about me any more when liquor has made a fool of you. I love you, when you are sober, and love to have you at home; but it makes me miserable to have you about the house, before the children, when you are drunk.' I said, ^Do you mean that?' ^Yes, I do,' she said. ^But remember,' she added, ^I don't drive you away from home, for I don't want you to be away; so, if you get drunk again it will be with the understand- ing you are going to leave, of your own accord.' INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. S^ "A few days after that conversation I announced my determination to go a fishing, and asked my wife to give me a basket of provisions, enough to last two men a day or two, as I expected a friend of mine to go with me. The provisions Avere packed in the basket while I was in the garden digging bait, or pretending to be digging ; for that was only a ruse. The truth was, I was going off to get drunk, and had no need of bait. I thought I was throwing dust into my wife's eyes, but I wasn't. She saw through the whole thing, while she acted as if she thought I really was going a fishing. "At length my friend and I, after we had gotten several bottles of liquor, started out to Peace's mill, on Steep Hill Creek, thinking and laughing over how nicely we had fooled our wives ; and every time we had a hearty laugh we'd take a drink, and then we'd take another drink to make us have an- other hearty laugh. Well, xve got down to the pond just about the time we were drunk, and then we forgot all about home and wives. We fished some, and caught enough fish to make our provisions hold out as long as our liquor lasted. I don't know just how many days that was. I think it was about a week. We had not become cool sober Avhen we came back to Raleigh ; but, it seemed to me I never did want to see my wife so badly, in all my life. I passed my house a time or two to see how things looked, and finally made up my mind to go home, anyhow, be the consequence what it might. Just before reaching the house I saw my w^ife come out on the piazza, and she saw me coming. Thinking I'd be a little funny, I pulled off my hat and thrcAV it at her, trying the while to look sober and walk straight; but, no sooner did the hat hit the floor than she kicked it out, half across the street. I knew what that meant; so, picking up my hat I went off and spent another week fishing. I had 90 whitaker's reminiscences, to fish that time, for I had no provisions to go upon. At the end of the week I Avas so hungry and tired of fishing I was determined to go home, and stay there, if I had to take a beating, which I deserved. I walked around town, going by home every now and then, until my wife had gone to bed. Then I went around the back vray, crawled in at a window, and crept softly into my wife's room. There she was on the bed, but I was afraid to say a word. I was so hungTv I could have eaten anything. There was a little light in the fireplace — enough to enable me to find some cold hominy in the cup-board. As noiselessly as a mouse, I got the long-handled pan and put the hominy into it and putting the pan on the fire, I sat doAvn to let the hominy warm a little. But, I dropped off to sleep, as bad luck would have it, and got to dreaming; in my dream I thought I was fishing and had a good bite. I gave a tremen- dous jerk, carrying the pan over my head and throwing all my pan of hot hominy right into my wife's face. She came out of the bed like a tornado, and I Avent through the nearest window like a whirlwind, carrying the sash like a yoke, around my neck, for more than a hundred yards, before I got clear of it. You can all laugh, but if you'd been in my fix then you would have felt as badly as I did. I laid in a fence corner just out of town that night, and as I looked up at the stars, and thought of God who made them, and all else, for His creatures, and how good He was even to the ungrateful and the sinful, and how unworthy I was, even to look up toward heaven, I determined, if I lived to see the daylight, I would be a better man. Yes, I went home the next day, made peace with my wife, put in the sash I broke out, and — '^ (here he stopped for a moment, AvliiU^ Avipini? the tears from his eyes) "and, thank God, I liave not tasted liquor since. T am so glad to be a member INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 91 Danger of Moderate Drinking.--Uncle Biliy going through a window. 92 whitaker's reminiscences, of this temperance order, and I do pray that none of these young men Avill ever bring the trouble into their homes that I brought into mine; nor waste their time and money as I wasted mine.'' I think it was in 1847 that I heard that speech, but as I go back in my thoughts to that incident, it seems as if it were but yesterday. Most of the faces I looked upon that night are gone to be seen no more in the flesh. Yet, oh, how real ! I see old Uncle John Palmer, Lewis Peck, William Stronach, A. M. Grorman, J. J. Litchford, Jas. Puttick, Mark Williams, Rev. Daniel Culbreth, Seymour W. Whiting and many others, who, fifty years ago were laying the foundations of a mighty movement that will, I trust, sweep the liquor traffic, with all of its evils, from this community before another generation has passed. CHAPTEPv XIY. ^ome Reflections Upon Childhood — Imaginary Visit to Old-Time Scenes, Including the Old Home. I have never taken a ride on the Mills railroad, although it goes right out into the country in which I was raised, passes through two plantations my father once owned, runs very close to the old school house in which I learned to spell, read, write and cipher; goes through the old "goose nest field" where I used to plow, down near the lake where I used to fish, through the low grounds in which I used to hunt, across jNliddle Creek in whose waters we boys used to swim, and then runs on down to Fuquay Springs near which I had my first experi- ence as a school teacher, and in the direction of INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 93 where I used to go to eee my first sweetheart. I say although and notwithstanding all these things, I have never taken a trip on the Mills road. I think I will before long, for I very much wish to see the places which were once so dear to me, the bare recollection of which makes the blood course through the veins stronger and the pulse beat quicker, as I am carried back to that May day of life when all was tinged with hopes and bright an- ticipations. I am sorry for the child that does not have a happy childhood — nothing to look back upon with pleasure, when cares, anxieties, disappointments and troubles come, as they will to all, sooner or later. If I had but one suggestion to make to parents, it would be, make home and child-life pleasant to your children; for they Avill remember that pleasant home-life when the grass covers the dust of father and mother, and find their sweetest pleasure in recalling the incidents, and looking with memory's eyes upon the scenes of that happy period. As I intimated, I taught my first school not far from Fuquay Springs, in the neighborhood of Piney Grove church, and I have the little book in which are recorded the names of all the scholars and the time each one came. I had as scholars six Ballen- tine's, four Holland's, six Jones's, seven Smith's, four Powell's, three Mason's, a Baker, a Crawley, a Driver, a Fuquay, a Gower, a Johnson, a Kennedy, a Lee, a Matthews, an Oliver, a Spencer, a Stall- ings, an Utley, and a Wood; forty-four in all. Where are all they? If I were to go out into the old neighborhood and ask for the parents of those children, I doubt if a single one would be found. And were I to go to the old school-house or where it used to stand, and call the roll, how many of the Ballentine's, or Holland's, or Jones's, or Mason's, or 9J: ^yHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, Powell's, or Smith's, thirty all told, would answer? And how many of the fourteen others would re- spond to the call? A brother Smith hailed me on the street the other day to ask me if I were the writer of the reminis- cences in the News and Observer^ and said he lived in the Fuquay neighborhood, but he did not remem- ber me as a teacher there in 1848. It seems so strange that people can't remember, when it all seems so plain and real to me. But it dawns on me that 1848 was fifty-fiYe years ago, and many of these old gray-haired fathers and mothers, I see now, were not born then, and, of course, I must excuse them for not knowing me, and remembering the first school I taught. For the life of me I can not imagine how people get ahead of me as they do, in growing old and becoming bald or gray-headed. I meet people who are stoop-shouldered and gray headed, and bear marks, otherwise, of old age; yet, when I begin to talk to them of the old times they don't seem to remember. They look older than I feel, and they must be older than they think they are, but they just can't remember things. When I go out to Fuquay, I hope to see some of my old-time friends, and talk over things that are remembered by us. James D. Ballentine, Esq., was one of the smaller boys in my school. John was the eldest brother of the ^ye Ballentine boys, but not my oldest scholar. David Crawley was about thirty years old, I believe, while Chesley Driver and David Fuquay were over 21, as I now remem- ber. My school lasted 05 days, and about half of the scholars attended every day. Some went only five days. The night before my school would close the next day I was informed by old ;Mrs. Crawley, the grandmother of ]Mr. James Ballentine, that I was to be "turned out" the next morning; which meant, the scholars were to 2:0 to the school house INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 95 early and barricade the door, and when I came I would not be admitted, but must submit to such terms as would be proposed by them. In case I declined to submit to their proposal, I was to be taken to the branch and ducked until I did submit. In the matter of "turning out'' teachers there was an unwritten law to the effect that, if a teacher Avas in his chair, he was in authority, and he could not be molested. So, before day the next morning, I was at the school-house, and when I heard the boys coming, just as day was breaking, I went in and took my seat. Here they came like a whirlwind, every one talking and laughing, and all bent on, and expecting to have a whole sight of fun, besides eating several pounds of candy and fruits and other good things, at my expense. It was becoming light enough to see men and faces, when one of the boys threw open the door and looking in beheld me. He fell back as if he'd seen a ghost, exclaiming : "Boys, I'll be drat if he ain't in there!" That announce- ment stilled the tumult for awhile, the boys draw- ing off at a safe distance to consult. I heard one say, "You can't do that; you dare not touch hinj if he's in the chair, it ain't lawful to do that." From which I inferred a proposition had been made to bounce me anyhow. A plan was finally agreed upon. It was to get up an exciting sham rabbit race, and make that race right up to the school-house, and pretend that the rabbit had gone under the house. Then they were to come in and raise the floor planks, especially the one my chair was over, with the excuse they wanted to get at the rabbit, and when I rose to move my seat two of the boys were to seize me ; and, once out of my seat, the situation would be just as they would have it. But, I heard enough. to understand their purpose; so, I moved my seat upon the hearth before they came in to tear up the floor. As that ruse failed, the next move 96 whitaker's reminiscences, was to build such a fire that I would be obliged to move. That failed also, for it was an easy matter to move my chair without rising, and really I was so cold I could have stood considerable scorching. The school hour finally arrived, the girls and smaller children having come in, school was opened and everything went smoothly on. My breakfast was sent to me, which I ate, while I sympathized with the boys, who had missed theirs; but I dared not leave my seat. At ten minutes past twelve o'clock I made the children a speech and announced the close of the school, giving them the evening as a holiday. The boys said I had beaten them in the affair and they had a great mind to duck me anyhow, but it ended up in a game of baseball, and I took leave of the children, some of whom I have never since seen. Some of them, perhaps most of them, are dead, and I shall not see them again in this life. I will imagine that I am out at Fuquay and that I came by rail; have seen all the people and am ready to return. As I came by rail and saw only the fields and houses, it will be more pleasant to return through the country and stop by the way, to see some of the old-time people. A few miles brings me up to Isaac Eowland's, who lived on the top of the hill south of Terrible Creek. He is not here, for he died many years ago, so also did his wife, but I can see them all the same, and their voices are just as natural as they used to be, as the strangers there describe the changes that have oc- curred in the neighborhood since" I used to be so familiar with it. I ask about Bennett Kowland, Benjamin Womack, Green Austin, Almon Austin, Elmond Eowland, Austin Jones, John Adams and others, his neighbors, whom I used to know, and the answer is, "All gone; most of them dead." I cross the creek and come over to the place where I was INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 97 born, and I see no one I know ; but, of a stranger, I ask, where is the house in which I was reared, and all the houses which I knew so well in boyhood and young manhood, and the trees that once shaded the yard and the lane, and the fences I used to climb, and the answer is, ''Gone, all gone; the Yankees burned the dwelling, and others coming in posses- sion of the land, haA^e cut down the trees, removed the fences, and torn down the barns, you used to see, and there is nothing left but the well you used to draw water from." I go to the well, look dow^n upon its wall of stone, draw a bucket of water and drink to the memory of those days when father, mother, brothers and sis- ters were all at home, and for a moment I forget reality and dream of the past. But as I turn to- ward where the house once stood and see nought but brickbats and a few stones, the dream fades away and sadness fills my soul as I remember we shall never come back again to the home we loved so well. Of that family, four of us are left, the others have crossed the river. Soon we shall fol- low. I am loath to leave the sacred spot, where, as a child I used to play, and as a young man I used to build castles, and from which I used to go out to see the world, and to which I would come back again to fill my place at the table and my seat at the morning and evening prayers. But, somehow, I want to see the neighbors, and I am about to start to visit them. But the stranger at the well informs me that the people I once knoAV are all gone. The Crowders, who lived just beyond the branch, are gone; the Jones's a little farther on are gone; the Banks's over on the road are gone, the Utleys who lived over the hill almost in sight are gone, the Avery's whose land joined ours are gone; and all the older members of the McCullers' T 98 whitaker's reminiscences, family are gone; in short, he tells me were I to go to the places and the homes I once knew so well, I would be a stranger, and so great have been the changes I would not recognize the places I once knew. I turn my eyes again toward whece the old dwelling stood, and beyond it to the mound in the garden where sleep the ashes of a brother who died nearly fifty years ago ; and, for the last time, sweep- ing the horizon all around, while memory calls up every home and family and face that in other years made the neighborhood so nearly like a paradise, I bid them all adieu, and turn m}^ steps toward my Ealeigh home. I cross the old Spring branch, pass the road lead- ing down to Simeon Utley's mill ; cross Mill branch, and on the hill come to where ^'Old Trigger Smith'^ lived; a short distance leads me to the old school- house, where Stinson Ivey, Simeon Williams and others taught, fifty odd years ago. I must halt here for av/hile and have a game of marbles under those giant white oaks, -neath which we played in the olden time — which oaks, tradition said^ old Col. McCullers, of Revolutionary days, topped with a pen-knife. School is out, and here come the boys and girls and what a happy period will our play- time be! We are children and don^t know what care means, so, no one can blame us for having our fun. * -=^ * The play-time hour ends, the teacher rings the bell for ^'books,'^ and here the children go, as if racing, to their evening tasks. A little further on I pass the place where the ]\rcCullers's lived — where Miss Harriet taught when I was a little boy, and made my first little speech. But it's so changed! I don't see any of the faces I knew, and no one seems to know me. The next place I come to is the residence of David Stephen- son. Other settlements have been made, but I am in the olden time. I don't know who owns the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 99 Stephenson place; but it used to be a home of wealth and hospitality, and two sons, Matthew and Col. L. D. Stephenson, Avere the only children. Mat- thew never married. ''Lon," as he was called, mar- ried a Miss Mitchener. He and his wife are dead, but some of their children are still living. Between Swift and Steep Hill creeks I pass Au- gustine Turner's residence, but, I hardly know the place, and as I see no one, 1 pass on. On the hill this side of Steep Hill Greek I am at the old home again, for it Avas here my father and family lived just before, during, and after the war. Over the hill, to the southeast, is the little home I built, about the beginning of the Avar, and where I lived during the Avar. And not far off is the old grave- yard where most of the fathers of the Whitaker family sleep. Father and mother are there ; mother dying in 1866, father in 1877. On my Avay to Kaleigh I pass the residence of Mr. Harry Parker ; but he is gone, and his son Han- nibal, a boy when I Avas a young man, died recently, and so I am a stranger at this gate. I pass also the residence of Mr. Lawrence Hinton, but see no one I know; nor do I find at the homes, from here to Kaleigh, any that I used to know. The reader will pardon me for this old-time trip out into the country. It was an imaginary one, but very real, all the same. When I take that ride on the Mills road, I may write another chapter, in which I can then describe things as they are to- day, and I have no doubt but I will be forced to admit that changes haA'^e been improvements, and, dear to me as the old-time memories are, I will find more and better things than the old times could afford, but no more real happiness; not half the independence; for, in the olden times we made what we lived upon, at home, and always had plenty. True, we did not have biscuits all the time, 100 whitaker's reminiscences, but they were better when they did come, and that made up for the skips. We had plenty of corn, pork, chickens, turkeys, eggs, peas, potatoes, pump- kins, turnips and all kinds of vegetables, all raised at home ; and it was a sort of disgrace for a farmer to have to buy meat. I learned that when I was a very small boy; the cholera killed my father's hogs in the fall, and he did not have enough to go through to beef-killing time, so he bought a side of bacon someAvhere and brought it home after dark, and tried to get it into the smoke-house without its being seen by us children or the servants, but I happened to see the smuggling in process and moth- er called me into her room and explained to me how it happened that father had to buy meat, say- ing that people would talk about it and think less of us if they were to hear of it, and told me in a threatening tone of voice she would whip me if I ever breathed it to a single mortal. I could hardly sleep that night, thinking of the disgrace which had come to our family — ^'liad to buy meatr Yes, we made all we used, and wore home-made shoes, of leather tanned at home, so that we were emphati- cally independent, and did not have to lie awake at night, thinking about trusts, or of the accounts against us for supplies, already consumed, and of how to get more. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 101 CHAPTER XV. '%'rap Lien^' — Golden Rule — pennon on the Aloimt — Nat. Thomas — A Good Old Gentleman — Wiley Holmes. The ''crap lien/' as it was called, began its career soon after the war, but has grown to very large proportions. Of course it was a great convenience to be able to go to a store and buy what one wanted, or to send a servant with an order to have the thing charged. The result, however, was that wants in- creased, and a great deal was bought that was not really needed. I remember reading a story about like this. One neighbor said to another, in a sort of boastful way : ^^I have made arrangements, with a merchant, by which I can get whatever I need on my farm, all through the year, without paying any cash.'' ''How did you do that?" asked the other neighbor. "Why, I just gave him a 'crap lien,' " answered the first neighbor. "What is a crap lien?" asked neighbor number two. "O, it's nothing but a promise to pay, at the end of the year, when the crop is gath- ered," said neighbor number one. "I believe," said neighbor number two, "I had rather pay the cash, for what I am obliged to have, and do without what I can't pay the cash for," said neighbor number two. "O, you are an old fogy," retorted neighbor number one. "My mouto is, while we live let us live." "That's my motto, too," said neighbor num- ber two; "and while I am living I had rather keep out of debt. That 'crap lien,' you tell me about, may be a dangerous thing after all, instead of a blessing. At any rate, I wish you would let me know at the end of the year how it worked." As a matter of course, neighbor number one, who 102 whitaker's reminiscences, had given the crop lien, traded extensively — and so did the family — they got such things as they sever- ally wanted, all the time feeling highly elated over the fact that they had such good credit. At the winding up of the year the crap lien be- gan to draw, and it kept on drawing. It drew all the cotton and the corn, the wheat and the oats, the shucks, the hay and the fodder, the horses and the mules, the cows, the hogs and the poultry, the farm utensils and the wagons, the carriage and the bug- gy; and, not being satisfied with its drawing out- side, it drew the household and kitchen furniture, and as neighbor number one, in sadness explained to neighbor number two, it didn't quit drawing until it got the table, the plates and the dishes, the cups and the saucers, the knives and the forks, and, when it had gotten everything else, it reached for the dish rag, and wiped up the whole concern, not leaving even a grease spot. I think they must be using that same old "crap lien" yet; for very often I see an auction going on in front of a store, and I notice that the horses, mules, wagons, buggies, plows, hoes and rakes, baskets and buckets, and every old thing, is put up for sale. Some people don't seem to care; but it does seem to me it's paying too dear for the whistle to give "crap lien" prices for things which might be made at home, and then have to give up what has been made, at the end of the year. But, that will continue to be so, as long as farmers buy their meat in Chicago, their hay in Kentucky, and their corn and wheat from the Northwest and depend solely on cotton or tobacco to foot all the bills. A people who run in debt for meat and bread all the year can't expect to have much in the fall. I wonder, sometimes, when I read of the dealings of men with men — how the better-informed take the advantage of the ignorant, and how the rich INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 103 take the advantage of the poor; 1 say, I Avonder, if they have ever read the Sermon on the Mount, or have ever read the golden rule, which Jesus said, was the ''law and the prophets." ''Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thou- sands mourn," is as true as it was when the poet penned the lines, and it's as disgraceful as well. It is a sad commentary upon man to say that he is the author of his own misfortunes and the pro- moter of all the evils that aftlict the race. Take, for example, the liquor traffic. What greater mis- fortune than the manufacture, sale and use of alco- holic liquors, as a beverage, could have befallen this earth? Alcohol sold by the consent of men is killing men; and yet, for the sake of money, men go on murdering each other, and each other's chil- dren. If I were to go into a man's yard and dig a pit, and leave it open, for his little children to fall into, and be killed, I would be a murderer, and the law would punish me. But, I can set up a place for the manufacture and sale of alcohol, that will not only destroy the lives of people, but in addition, send their ruined souls to eternal death, and the law will protect me in my murderous business, and public sentiment will sustain the law. That's true in almost every land, even where men claim to be the disciples of the immaculate Son of God. In the matter of bread and meat, our land is cursed with a monopolistic spirit that doubles the prices of many things, thereby making it doubly hard for the poor to keep the wolf of hunger and starsT.tion from enterinp; their doors and devouring their wives and children. If men would but learn, and then live the golden rule, all the hard problems of life would be solved, and we'd have a heaven, even on this earth, very 104 whitaker's reminiscences, much like that to which we hope to go when the dark river is crossed. That Sermon on the Mount is the Christian's platform, and unless he stands on it flat-footed, and does the things therein enjoined, the Saviour says He will not know him in the judgment. Fear- ful thought I How simple that sermon, and yet what great things taught! It was the Son of God preaching, and, unlike too many preachers of these days, he tried to make no display, but delivered the heaven- sent message in the iDlainest, simplest style. Of course we want fine preaching in these days, be- cause we have itching ears; but, the most effectual preaching is the simple story of the gospel, as Peter, Stephen and Paul told it. Educated people want educated ministers, and the educated minis- ters feel that they are expected to show off their learning; even if they have to discuss the sciences and the events of the day. By-the-way, a story will illustrate a point, and point a moral at the same time. It is said that the pastor of the Methodist church, in Lexington, Ya., years ago, was thinking of com- mencing a protracted meeting in his church, and invited the celebrated Nat. Thomas, a man of ordi- nary abilit}^, but a good x)ractical preacher, to assist him, but told him he must be careful how he preached, as the Lexington people were very highly cultured; and, besides, there were two colleges in the tow^n. Thomas, who was a country circuit rider, and paid but little attention to dress, gram- mar or rhetoric, promised the Lexington divine that he would do the best he could and behave as well as he knew how. The evening came for the opening of the meeting and a great crowd filled the church. Thomas had not arrived when the first hymn was sung; but just as it was finished and the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 105 people were wonderiug what the pastor was wait- ing for, in he came, just as he had come ott' his cir- cuit, rough and dusty; and, walking rapidly, he entered the pulpit, and, without speaking to the pastor, dropped on his knees and prayed. The peo- ple seemed to be amazed; but when he arose and announced a hymn they were shocked at the idea of having to listen to such an ordinary looking preach- er. After the hymn, he prayed a short but very earnest prayer. A\ hile the congregation was sing- ing another hymn, the pastor again reminded him what a cultured audience he was about to stand before, and begged him to be very particular as to what he said, and how he said it. When Thomas arose he stood looking as if he did not know what to say. He tip-toed and looked; squatted down and looked; put on his spectacles and looked; looked in both amen corners, on each side of the aisle, up in the gallery, out in the vestibule, and kept on looking until everybody in the house seemed to be almost crazy to know what the block- head was looking at. All which time the pastor was in agony, for he knew there was a meaning in Thomas' drollery. At length, after he had seemingly satisfied him- self, he said, in his drollest manner : "Brother K. told me I must be mighty particular here ; that you all are mighty stuck-up sort of folks; but, after looking at you all the best I can, I've come to the conclusion THAT I'VE PREACHED TO JUST SUCH CATTLE AS YOU AKE A THOUSAND TIMES." The pastor thought he had ruined everything and tried to hide himself from the audience behind the preacher. Without opening the Bible, Thomas an- nounced his text: "Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish," and just waded right in after the manner of old Stephen, giving it to both church 106 whitaker's reminiscences, members and sinners, as he went on. Soon, what little merriment there was in the beginning, sub- sided and every eye was fixed intently upon the preacher, and the pastor who had been trying to hide, began to show himself, and soon heads began to droop, and handkerchiefs were seen wiping tears from eyes; and then sobs were heard in various portions of the church ! and when the preacher ex- tended an invitation to penitent sinners to come to the altar, for prayer, it looked like the whole house was coming. They had a great meeting, and all because Nat. Thomas, by his drollery, took the starch out of the pastor and the congregation, and then preached a plain, simple, yet earnest gospel sermon. Wiley Holmes, at Louisburg, tells a good story that is in point, right here. He says he was walk- ing to church one day when a young man and an old man, riding on horseback, overtook him, saying as he rode up: "Going to preaching, I suppose?" "Yes, sir,'' answered Wiley. "That's right, my son ; and we are going to have a good meeting to-day, my son — I feel just like it. I am going soon and we'll have a meeting before the preacher gets there. I am going to talk some myself. These preachers preach well enough, such preaching as they do, but they don't tell us anything, Wiley. They take a little text about half as long as my finger, and they spin it out, and spin it out, and spin it out, until there's nothing in it, and you can't get anything out of it. Ain't that so, Wiley?" "I reckon it is,"^ said Wiley. "I know it's so; and I'm going out there to-day to tell, before the preachers get there, what ouglit to be done and how to do it." When they arrived at the church, Wiley said he went to the spring, and coming on back he saw the old man down by the trunk of a tree just talking to the Lord, asking Him to send the Holy Spirit INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 107 on the meeting that day. Pretty soon he came on toward the church, saying, as he entered: ^'Come in friends; we can't do a day's w^ork commencing at 11 o'clock. We'll go in and have a little meeting before the preachers get here." They went in, and the old man commenced talk- ing, and the people kept coming. By 11 o'clock the house w^as full, and the old man was still talking. Just then in came the preachers, walking briskly; and after kneeling and praying a very short prayer, the preacher in charge rose, looked at the old man who was talking, then looked at his watch, and whispered to the other preacher. The other preacher found a hymn, and looked at the preacher in charge, who nodded his head, as much as to say, yes, sing on. The other preacher licked out his tongue to wet his lips, but the old man, by that time, was warming up to his work, and so he didn't start his song, that time. The preacher in charge looked at his w^atch again, and again nodded to the other preacher, who commenced wetting his lips again; but before he could get a tune to fit the hymn, somebody in the congregation began to shout, and that gave new impetus to the old man; where- upon the two preachers, in the pulpit, fell back in dismay, and submitted to the inevitable. The old man did all the preaching that day, and they had a great meeting there. Going on home, the old man overtook Wiley and said : "I told you, Wiley, we were going to have a good meeting to-day. I just felt it this morning. Yes, Wiley, the Holy Ghost came down on us." "That was because you w^ere talking, I reckon," Wiley answered. "I couldn't help it, son ; the Holy Ghost made me talk. I knowed I was worrying them preachers ; I cut my eye at them and saw how restless they were ; but I had the floor, and I was determined to tell it all." 108 Many a meeting has been ruined by big sermons — the preacher tr^dng to make a reputation as a big preacher, instead of trying to reach the hearts of the people with plain, old-fashioned Holv Ghost talks. Paul said to the Corinthians: ^^My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." By which he means to say, he could have used enticing words and rhetorical sentences, and capti- vated those who had itching ears ; and made a great reputation for himself; but, that their faith might stand in the power of God, and not in the wisdom of men, he spake simiDle words in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Paul made a big repu- tation as a preacher by not trying to preach big sermons. The reader understands, I hope, that I favor an educated ministry, for the reason that well edu- cated men are less apt to put on airs. The better a man is educated the more he ought to know of human nature, and the more one knows of human nature, the more successful he can be in persuad- ing men to become Christians. A five-talent man is, of course, able to do five times as much as a one- talent man. But will he? Does he? Where is the man who does the best he can in his sphere: with his environments, his infirmities, his tempta- tions does all that God expects of him? The Psalm- ipt says : " He knoweth our frame ; He remem- bereth that we are dust." And how comforting the statement that He pities us as an earthly father pities his children. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 109 CHAPTER XYI. ^^Aunt Abby Hous&^ — A Once Turbulent Woman WJiose Life Closed in Peace. "Aunt Abby House'' is remembered by many, and what she did and said, especially in the last years of her life, are so closely connected with the history of the war and the days of reconstruction, she de- serves a full chapter, if not more, in these reminis- cences. I rode by the little cottage a few days ago in which she spent the last days of her life. It stands beside a ditch near the old Fair Ground, and was built at the expense of a few Confederate soldiers who appreciated her kindness to them dur- ing the war, when sLa, with the bravery of a Moll Pitcher and the tenderness of a Florence Nightin- gale, served in the double capacity of soldier and nurse, doing deeds worthy of places in story and song. At that time she was a wicked woman, but she afterwards became a Christian, and in her last days gave evidences of that change which can be effected only by the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation; for she forgave her bitterest enemies, and died in the assurance of an immortal life. To the reader whose memory goes back thirty- five years, "Aunt Abby House" needs no introduc- tion ; but, there are so many, especially among your numerous female readers, who can not remember that long, and, perhaps, never heard of "Aunt Abby,'' I take it for granted that a few incidents connected with her very extraordinary life — her sayings and doings — will be interesting to them, as I am sure they will be to those who knew her in the flesh. "Aunt Abby House" was a native of Franklin 110 whitaker's reminiscences, County, born the latter part of the eighteenth cen- tury, according to her statement, being, as she once told me, "a right smart gal, enduring of the time of the war of 1812; big enough to have a sweet- heart." That sweetheart, she said, went to the war, and the news came to her that he was sick at Norfolk, Va., and, she said, she walked every step of the way from Franklin County to Norfolk to see him, arriving there the day after he was buried. ^^O, yes," said she, ^'I was a right smart gal endur- ing of that war; but, I can't tell you exactly how old I am noAv." The conversation in which she gave me this information occurred in 1877. I have heard that in her early days, and, indeed, through most of her life, she was a turbulent wo- man; fond of contentions and law-suits, and that she was able to stand her ground in the court-house, on the court-house grounds, or anywhere else, and that no man could beat her swearing, when things did not go to suit her. Indeed, she had not stopped the swearing habit when I first knew her, when she was quite old. I knew but little of her before the war ; but, dur- ing the war she began a career that brought her before the public ; and, until she died in 1881, there Avere few women in North Carolina better known. The first time I remember seeing her after the war, was at Franklinton, at a district conference. Some one was preaching, and in the midst of his discourse he bore down pretty hard on certain sins, especially that worst of all sins, taking the name of God in vain, showing how worse than foolish was the habit some people had of cursing at every- thing; even some women, so far forgetting their sex sometimes as to use bad language. About that time "Aunt Abby," with a cane in each hand, bounced up and went toward the door, about half bent, making as much noise with her INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. Ill feet and two canes as a horse could have done. She halted just outside the door until the services closed, and as the congregation passed her, she was giving the preacher fits, and fully demonstrating the fact that cursing was no new thing to her. That was in 1867 or '68. From that time I saw her frequently and began to be on speaking terms with her, as I frequently saw her on the train. She never bought a ticket, and the conductor rarely ever got any fare from her. If she had a quarter, she'd give the conductor that, and if he hesitated as if that were not enough, she would threaten to hit him with her stick, and he would move on. On one occasion I heard her ask General Kan- som for half a dollar, at the depot, just before the train left. The General, in a sort of teasing way, said : '^Aunt Abby, I don't think I have half a dol- lar." She stepped back and looking him full in the face she said: "Matt Eansom, you know that's a lie; and I'm going to tell your wife about it the first time I see her." The General ran his fingers into his vest pocket and pulled out a dollar and gave it to her, saying, "That's the nearest I can come to it. Aunt Abby. Will that do for you?" She held it in her hand a second, dropping her head as if in deep thought, and said, "No, that won't do. I'll get it changed." "No," said the General, "you may need the other half sometime. Keep it." She replied, "Matt Ransom, I always did say it, you are a gentleman, every inch of you," and the last I saw of her she was crawling into the car. Aunt Abby's war record will soon be forgotten, as the brave men who wore the gray are falling ou(: of ranks every day, and there will be, very soon, none left to tell how faithfully she ministered, in her rough way, to the sick and wounded men on the Virginia hills. I heard it said of her that she was present at several battles, and that she was as 112 ^yHITAKER'S IIEMI^'ISCENCES, cool and self-possessed as any veteran, and that, on one occasion, while the fight was going on, she was seen, in a very exposed place, holding a horse. Some one said: ''Old woman, you'd better get out of here before one of those shells tears you all to pieces/' ''I ain't gwine a step. I told Colonel I'd hold his horse till he came back out of the light, and I'll do it, shells or no shells." While that may not have been literally true, it would not be saying too much of her, that she would have done just such a daring thing if occasion had offered. Everybody heard during the war how anxious Aunt Abb}' Avas about her nephew who was in the army, and how she importuned Governor Vance to help her get that nephew out. She was a con- stant visitor at the Governor's office, and he treated her so nicely, that she became a life-long admirer of him. Governor Vance, at her earnest solicita- tion, did secure a furlough for her nephew^, upon the condition that she would be sure to send him back to the army when the furlough expired. But she did not do it. One snowy day she walked into the Governor's office, stamped the snow off her shoes, and sat down by the fire, seeming to be in a deep study. All at once she turned to Governor Vance and said: "Zeb, that boy can't go back to the army, he's got the consumption right now, and he'll die in less than a week if he goes back." "Ain't that boy gone back yet?" asked the Gov- ernor, in astonishment. "No, he ain't, and he can't go, for I tell you he's got the consumption." The Governor put on a grave face and said: "That will never do. I gave General Lee my pledge of honor that if he would give Marcellus a furlough he should certainly go back when the time was out, and you promised me that you would send him back; and here it is a month over time and he not INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 113 gone. That will never do, Aunt Abby. General Lee Avill never have any more confidence in my word. Marcellus must go right back." ''Well, Zeb, won't you write a letter to old Bob and tell him how it is?" ''Go bring Marcellus here and let me see him, and if I think his case is as bad as you say it is, 1 will w^rite a letter." In a few days Aunt Abby brought Marcellus in, and just as he expected, there were no signs of con- sumption, but a very well-looking man stood before him. The Governor wrote a letter to General Lee which sounded all right to Aunt Abby, but, w^hen read between the lines, meant that the young man's complaint w^as largely imaginary, and was super- induced, doubtless, by his abhorrence of hardtack and gunpowder ; in other words, that Marcellus was fit for duty. As the Governor handed her the let- ter, he said : "Now, Aunt Abby, take this to Gen- eral Lee and let me know what he says when he reads it. The General don't like me much, and he may try to make fun of my letter." She said she'd do it; and out she went, Marcellus folloAving; but in a few days she came again, saying as she en- tered the Governor's offtce: "Zeb, they took that boy and put him right back in the army, and he's gAvine to die in less than a month." "Did you show General Lee my letter?" "Yes, and w^hen he read it he sorter smiled, and I raised my stick, jess so, and said : 'I dare you to laff at Zeb Vance's letter, I'll crack your head in a minit, if you do. Zeb told me you upstarts up here didn't like him.' " "And then what did he do?" "Why, he pretended like he thought a sight of you, but under the circumstances he reckoned he'd 114 whitaker's reminiscences, •Aunt Abby.---I dare yon to laff at Zeb. Vance's letter ; 111 crack vour head in a minit. if you do." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 115 have to take the boy back into the army; and so he tuck him right in.-' Aunt Abby Avas ^^•ith Lee's army Avhen it surren- dered, and gave me a very thrilling account of it. She said they told her that she must wa\'e her handkerchief to let the Yankees know that she Avas willing to surrender, too. ''Did you Ava^e it?-' I asked her. ''Not much. I shook it so, a time or two, and then I stuck my hand behind me Then I shook it again, and put it behind me. I neAer AA as so mad in all my life as I was when one of them Yankees came along and sed to me, ^Old woman, you needn't mind about shaking that rag any more, AA'^e don't care Avhether you surrender or not.' I said, 'Drat jour mean soul, if I had a gun I'd shoot you off that horse and leaA^e you here for the buz- zards to i)ick.' " ''And then Avhat did he say. Aunt Abby?" "He didn't say another AA^ord, but rode off look- ing as cheap as if he'd stole a sheep." When Aunt Abby arriA^ed at Raleigh from Greensboro, after the surrender, the city, of course, Avas in the hands of the Y^ankees, and, as she Avas getting off the car at the depot a Yankee soldier, seeing an old woman hobbling out, went to help her down. She raised her stick as he approached her and said, Avith an oath that shocked him, "Don't you come any nigher, if you don't want your head cracked. No d — d Y^ankee shall touch me." Not long after her return she Avent to headquar- ters to see the Yankee officials about some horses that had been taken from her. The GoA^ernor's office was being used as Yankee headquarters, and to that Aunt Abby went. When she entered the door, the room being full of Yankee officers, she stopped, leaned on her cane, and aa itli a contemptu- ous look gazed all around. Of course every eye Avas upon her, and they Avaited to see what she 116 whitaker's reminiscences, wanted. At length she spoke : ^^ Yes, here's where gentlemen used to sit, but now it's a den of thieves.'' Then, in a very commanding tone of voice, she said, ''I want my crap critters." "Your what?" asked a Y^ankee. "My crap critters — my horses, you fool; my horses you infernal thieves stole from me." "Ah, that's it ; you want your horses. How many did you lose?" "Two as good as ever pulled a plow," she replied. "Well, madam, just go down to the lot and pick out two of the very best horses there." "I won't do it. I'll go and get two of the poorest sore-backs I can find. I won't take a fine horse. No Y'ankee shall ever have it to say I got back more than he stole from me." It was about 1875 that Aunt Abby made a profes- sion of religion and joined the Methodist church. I saAv her not long after, and in our conversation, I told her that in her new life she would have to avoid the saying of bad words. She thought, she said, she wouldn't curse anybody but niggers. She didn't think it any sin to curse them sometimes. I told her cursing was cursing, and she finally prom- ised that she would try not to curse at all. I then told her she must forgive everybody and try to live in peace with all men. She said she Avould forgive everybody but Bill Holden. Why not forgive him? I asked. Because, she said, he treated Zeb Vance so mean. But, said I, you and Zeb, too, must for- give him. I hate him too bad, she said, to forgive him. And, then, she added, "Don't the Bible say that God is angry with the wicked every day?" "Y^'es," said I, "but you are not God, and you don't know that Mr. Holden is wicked." She said she'd try to do the best she could. I do not know how it came about, but she did forgive Mr. Holden, and in her older age, when she was dependent largely II^CIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 117 upon charity for the necessities of life she had no better friend than he, and there were none she thought more of than she did of him. Aunt Abby occupied a conspicuous place in Tucker Hall, the day Governor Vance took the oath of office, standing very close to the Governor and watching his every movement with a concern that could only have been equalled by a juother for an only son; and Avhen the Governor, repeating the oath after the Chief Justice, came to the end of it and said, ^'I will, so help me, God," Aunt Abby, looking upon him with more than a mother's in- terest, said, "That you will, honey, that you will." During the "Centennial of Methodism" here in Raleigh in 1876, three of the bishops of that church attended, and, daily, all three of them sat on the stage, in Metropolitan Hall, where they were seen and heard by the thousands of people who came to ptirticipate in the proceedings at that most interest- ing occasion; and, on the same stage, over to one side, there sat an old woman whose eyes and ears caught everything ; who sometimes smiled and some- times cried; Avhose bunchy figure, oid-time clothes and fly-bonnet attracted the attention of everyone who entered the hall. That v/as "Aunt Abby." Not the Aunt Abby House of 1845, nor of 1850, when engaged in lawsuits, nor the Abby House of the war and reconstruction periods, when she, like the man of Gadara who lived among the tombs, could not be restrained; but. Aunt Abby redeemed; clothed, and in her right mind, with a heart as full of gratitude as was his out of which the legion of devils had been driven, when beseeching Jesus that he might be with Him. It looked so strange to see her there, to see her smiling and weeping when men talked of the love and of the mercies of God; so strange to see one, just a little while ago so full of sin, and so prone to seek the company of scoffers, lis whitaker's reminiscences, enjoying the company of the people of God. One sitting out in the congregation, could hear a whis- pered conversation like this: ^' Which is Marvin; and which is McTyeire; and which is Doggett? And what old woman is that on the stage?-' And when told it was Abby House, the question would be, ^^ What's she doing up there among the bishops?'- Yes, it was a strange sight, but no more so than seeing that man who, so lately was dwelling among the tombs and cutting himself with stones, clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesu^s. And, dear reader, if we are so fortunate as to get a glimpse of heaven we shall meet many surprises there ; for we shall see many whom we have judged to be unworthy here, and, in our self -righteousness, have shunned, sitting on the right hand of the Father, very close- to the friend of sinners, whose blood can wash away all sin and make the foulest clean. No one enjoyed that centennial occasion more than Aunt Abby; and perhaps she had more to be thankful for. All the bishops, as well as Aunt Abby, who sat on that stage, and most of the speak- ers, have gone to their rewards. It was said that Aunt Abby was on very inti- mate terms with President Davis, and always called him "Jeff," when in conversation with him; and it made no difference to her whether callers Avere allowed or not, to see the President, she'd manage somehow to see him. She heard the ex-president was at the Yarborough House on one occasion and went to see him. The meeting between them was amusing, for the reason that she gave him a pair of her home-knit socks, and was anxious to know of him when he expected to have another war. I do not vouch for the truth of it, but I heard that she went to Washington City during Grant's administration to see the gold chair she heard that the President sat in. That was before she professed INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 119 religion, quit saying bad words, and doing ugly things. She got into the White House, saw Presi- dent Grant, and then turning and looking about she asked, ''Where's that golden cheer?'' The President said he didn't know. She said, "There's one here somewhere, for Joe Turner told me so, and I know he wouldn't tell me a lie; and I've come all the way Jrom North Caro- lina to see it, and I don't want to hear any more of your lies about it. Bring that golden cheer right out, and let me see it and sit down in it." After a long parley with the President, she was forced to leave without seeing the ''cheer," but she always thought that Grant hid it from her. She knew there was a golden chair there somewhere, for Joe Turner told her so, and Joe Turner would not tell her a lie. In the last days of Aunt Abby she was a quiet, gentle-minded old lady and seemed never happier than when in a prayer-meeting. She opened the doors of her little cottage for prayer-meeting ser- vices, and seemed to enjoy, as much as anyone could, the hymns, prayers and exhortations. She was sick for quite a while before she died, but 1 don't think she suffered for the lack of food, medi- cine or attention. I went to see her a few days before her death, and as I was taking my leave of her I remarked that I was going away from the city for a few days. "Then," said she, "I'll tell you good-bye for good, for I won't be here when you come back, but will be with Minnie," alluding to my wife, who had died a little while before. And holding my hand for a moment she asked: "Do you want to send her any word?" I never saw her afterward, for when I returned her weary body had been laid to rest, and her blood-washed soul, freed from the troubles of this life, had gone home 120 whitaker's reminiscences, to rest, and be forever with Him who died to save a sin-cursed world. ^'All's well that ends well.'' It is not how one is born, how one is reared, how one runs for awhile ; but, how the race ends. The roughest diamonds when polished are as bright as any; they may have lain for ages in the dirt unnoticed, but they are diamonds all the same, and sooner or later will find their places in the crowns of kings. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and will save, to the uttermost, all who believe. A great sinner may be a saint. Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 121 OHAPTEK XYII. Raleigh an Old Camping Place — First Methodist Meeting-House — The Coman Family — A Let- ter — A Mock Marriage. In a conversation Avith a gentleman not long ago, he told me what his grandfather used to tell him about a eamping-groundj the old-time people, going to and returning from market, had at the cross- roads, about where the State House stands. His grandfather said a night rarely ever passed when there would not be a crowd of market men at the cross-roads, some going north toward Petersburg, some south toward Cross-Creek — Fayetteville — some going west toward Hillsboro and further west, and some going toward New Bern. Droves of cat- tle, sheep and hogs often lay around in the Avoods where now stand the Presbyterian, Baptist and Episcopal churches, all unconscious of the fact that they were resting on the future site of the capital of a great State. And little did the hogs, that rubbed themseh^es against the oak saplings, near the cross-roads, think that these saplings Avere in the future to be the umbrageous trees beneath whose branches grave legislators, governors and State officials would study statecraft; the young men and Avomen would stroll, at night, as the soft rays of the moonlight Avould steal through the overspreading foliage, Avhile the balmy southern breeze whispered of loA^e and marriage; and that little children were to find a playground and the nurses a shady retreat for the mothers' darlings, in the days that were to come. And as little did the market men, who met at the cross-roads, coming from the four quarters of the globe, strangers to each other, but friends for a night — I say, little did 122 thej think, as the}^ sat around the camp-fire, smok- ing and chewing, and talking of the news of that day, that in the years to come, the ground on which they rested for a night, would be the most noted spot in the State. I haye heard that the first Methodist meeting- house Ealeigh eyer had, stood near the Heck resi- dence, and was built of logs. The Halifax road, instead of going out Halifax street, ran, before the city was laid off, nearly a straight course from the cross-roads, where the capitol stands, to the Henry Mordecai residence, so that the church aboye re- ferred to near the Heck residence, was on the public road. There is no liying man who eyer saw that meeting-house. I can not now remember who told me; but I am sure that, in my boyhood days, I heard the old log meeting-house, that used to be a place of note, frequently spoken of by the older people. It don't look now much like a place for deer hunting; but, an old negro told me, when I was a boy, that there was a low place northeast of where Christ Church stands, and that in ante-Reyolution- ary times it was a great place for deer, as the woods were not only heayily timbered, but there was a highland pond, or rather a marshy place, some- where near the Dr. Dick Haywood corner, known as the ''salt lick," and that a deer could be killed there at almost any time. I asked that old negro who told her the deer story, and she said, ''My daddy told me." I guess it was so; but to chil- dren and grown people as well, who neyer saw a liye deer, it sounds yery much like a Munchausen, to say that Raleigh used to be a good place for deer hunting. It will soon go out of the minds of our people that where the Governor's Mansion stands used INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 123 to be called the Lovejoy Academy Grove, and that more youug men were prepared for college at that academy than at any other school in the State, ex- cept perhaps the Bingham School in Orange. ''Old Jeff/' as the boys called him, Avas a popular teacher, and filled a big place for many years in the City of Oaks. It seemed sacrilegious, indeed, when, to build the Governor's Mansion, the workmen began to tear down the old academy and the residence that had stood so long on that square. I received a letter the other day from a gentle- man whose ancestry once lived in Kaleigh, and as it refers to many people and incidents that may call up in other minds other incidents of the olden time, I will take the liberty of giving it, as I re- ceived it, to your readers. Here it is : ^'Sylva, Jackson County, N. C, ''January 7, 1904. ''R. E. WUtaker, Esq. "Dear Sir: — I am a long-time subscriber to the Neics and Observer, and have been very much in- terested in your old-time reminiscences of men and things in Kaleigh and its vicinity, more so on ac- count of the many things related by my mother, who was born in Ealeigh on the 1st of July, 1810. She was the daughter of James Coman, who mar- ried Sallie Ai-mstrong. Margaret Elizabet'n Co- man was mv mother's maiden name, and married John B. Love in 1825, and came to this place, then Haywood County, now Jackson County, and lived in the house now occupied by myself and brother sixty-seven years, and died in 1893. Her father, James Coman, died in the city of Raleigh on July 2, 1841. From the time of her marriage in 1825 until her father died in 1841, she made frequent visits to her father's home, in a carriage with her children and negro driver, a distance of over three 124 hundred miles. I have often heard her tell of her experience on these trips to and fro, and how her many friends would come to see her when she got to Kaleigh, and have her to tell all she knew about the mountains and its people. The HajAVOods, the Polks, the DevereQxs, the Whitakers, the Free- mans, etc., are all familiar names to me as though I was to the "manor born,'' as they were my moth- er's contemporaries. "Dr. McPheeters was her teacher and Gonaka her music teacher. I have heard her speak of Betty Haywood — Betsy John Haywood, and the May-day parties when she was crowned queen, and the Eal- eigh Blues, and the visit of LaFayette, etc., etc. She had a granddaughter to be born in 1858, and my sister said : ^Now, mother, you must name my baby.' ^Well,' she said, ^I will simply call her Love, after my pretty and old-time friend, Miss Love Freeman, of Kaleigh, N. C Kichard Smith and wife, Penelope, and daughter, Mary, she often spoke of as friends of the family. My mother had but one brother, Matthew James Coman. He came to the mountains of North Carolina and lived with his married sister, Mrs. Maria W. Love, wife of James R. Love, and Mrs. John B. Love, my mother. He married late in life to Miss Betty Ann Fulbright. His granddaughter, the wife of Hon. W. T. Craw- ford, of Waynesville, N. C, inherited the talent of her grandfather and often wrote for the papers. My uncle, after the Civil War, moved to Texas and died there. I must believe you knew him in boy- hood and young manhood. I have heard him say that he was a schoolmate of James K. Polk and that he studied law under Judge Gaston and ob- tained license to practice law. Intemperance was his ruin. I am glad to see that while the State is making a good effort to educate her children, she INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 125 is also making an effort to destroy the demon whis- key that has been such a blight upon her well-being. I love to read your papers of the past, and hope by this means the history of the State may be more successfully attained. Why not, in each and every county, some old man capable will write the his- tory of its great men and women and publish in the News and Observer, to be filed away for the future historian? I have taken this liberty to oc- cupy a space of your time that I may know more about you and your family history. With many kind wishes forVou, and that you may be spared for years to come to write all you know and feel, I am, very truly yours, "An old Confederate, D. L. Love." If the reader will look on the imaginary map I will draw he wall see the old Coman residence. I stand in front of Sherwood Higgs & Co., and look- ing across Fayetteville street, I see a residence that stands about \alf way between Fayetteville street and Salisbury street, fronting on Fayetteville, the negro houses being on Salisbury street. The yard fence takes in all the ground covered by the Kaleigh National Bank, the buildings in which Edwards & Broughton are located, as job printers, and the large store occupied by Boylan, Pearce & Company. The gate opening on Fayetteville street is about the center of the lot. That is the Coman property, of the olden time, but when I w^as a boy James T. Marriott, Esq., clerk of the county court, lived there. Right across Hargett street, going out a side gate, I find the family, Richard, Penelope and Mary Smith, referred to in the letter above. But, how many people now living in Raleigh ever heard of old "Dick Smith?" Of course the older ones re- member something of the family, but the younger ones, and they are the majority, do not. 126 whitaker's kemixiscences, Just at this point I remember how the bojs played off a most cruel joke on a half-witted fellow, who took a great fancy to a rich young lady of the olden time, all unknown to her, for she did not even know him, though he was telling around how much he loved her, and making, or trying to make, the impression that she was favoring his suit. The rea- son he thought so, the boys had told him the way to make her fall in love with him, was to get him a blue broadcloth coat with brass buttons on it, a buff vest and lavender colored pants, a silk hat and kid gloves, and, every Sunda^^ morning, when Miss Mary sat on the porch or at the window, walk past the house and cast love glances at her. He did it, and of course a delegation of mischievous boys were on the lookout watching his movements, as he'd go and come, stopping sometimes to heave a lover's sigh. After such dress parade, he generally reported to the boys the supposed result, vrhich to his mind was always favorable. The boys told him to keep on parading, and casting glances at her, and sooner or later she'd be certain to fall desperately in love with him — she just couldn't help it. Not long after that he received a letter from (as she signed her- self) "The Girl Who Loves." It was written on sweet-scented paper and breathed in every line the most delicious tenderness of sentiment; but, with girlish coyness, the writer said, "I'll not sign my name for fear you do not love me as I do you, and you might go off and make sport of my weakness. But you know who I am, for, as you have gone by my home, these last few Sunday mornings you could not fail to see how tenderly, sweetly, yea, lovingly I gazed upon your matchless form and handsome face," etc., etc. This letter went to him through the post-office, and was carried by him right to the boys to be read, for he could neither write nor read writing. The reader understands, of course, that INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 127 these boys wrote the letter. He took one of them off to one side and made him promise not to tell any- thing, and the promise being duly made, he handed him the letter to read. It was too good to keep, so he let all the boys read it, which they did gravely enough, and then very enthusiastically congratu- lated him upon the prospect of speedily becoming a rich man's son-in-law. Of course a reply had to be written at once, and the boy who volunteered to see that the correspondence should be carried on all right, said, after reading the loving etfusion to the hero of the story, that he would properly address and mail the letter, which he did by tearing it up Soon, however, another letter came filled with more love than the first, and it made the request that, in the next Sunday morning promenade by her house, he Avould stop in front of the porch, if he saw her there, and let her feast her eyes on the man she loved better than she did herself. And sure enough he did it. Over on the other side of the street, near a shade tree, he stood for half an liour playing Romeo to his Juliet ; but she thought, if she noticed him at all, that he was some vain fellow ^7ho, proud of his Sunday clothes, was standing and admiring himself under the tree, as he watched the people going to church. But the next letter he re- ceived told how she almost went into transports at sight of him, and then told how miserable she was, and always would be, when she could not see him. and intimated that marriage was the only escape to her out of the almost unbearable condition. That letter almost ran the felloAV crazy, and it was with difficulty the boys restrained him from doing some- thing rash. One or two more letters passed, and they were engaged. Elopement and marriage Avere suggested, and she said the sooner over with, the better she would like it. The arrangement was to meet under the big oak on Xash Square about nine 128 whitaker's eemixiscences, o'clock at night, and be married, as she suggested, without license, lest the secret might get out, but s.z soon as the ceremony Avas over and the danger of interference no longer stood in the way, the license was to be secured. All that was satisfactory. So at 9 o'clock, one night, our hero and his friends, one of whom posed as a squire, were promptly under the tree. Presently one said, ''There she comes!" Sure enough, a figure in trailing dress, hooded and veiled beyond recognition, entered the circle, ask- ing in a tremulous tone of voice: ''Where is he? AVhich is he?" They locked arms, Avhen the 'Squire asked : "Where is the license?" "The money is in my hands with which to buy the license as soon as the marriage is over," said one of the groom's friends. "That being so, I'll proceed," said the 'Squire, and he proceeded. The marriage over, it was arranged by the boys that a reception be given aJ; a place designated, after which the bride and groom would go to the home of the groom, and there remain until the irate parents became reconciled. At that reception the bride disappeared. The boys had a medley of things not usual at ordinary recep- tions, and it turned out, in the whirl of excitement, that the bride, who, up to that time, was still hooded and veiled, suddenly disappeared. While the groom's attention was turned in another direc- tion, the dress, hood and veil suddenly fell off the bride, and, instead of a woman there stood a man in her place. When the groom turned to look upon his bride she was nowhere to be seen, and the boys swore that the door had not been opened and that no one had gone out. "But where is my wife?" the groom demanded. "I'm the one you married," said the boy who had impersonated the bride, "and if you are ready we'll leave this crowd and go to your lovely home where we can be happy together." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 129 The remark the groom made would not look well in print. The next day he came to my office and wanted me to ''write a piece,-' as he said, to tell how badl}^ he had been treated. He gave me the names 0£ all the boys Avho had figured m the matter, and assured me that if I would not publish them he intended to sue the last one of them. I told him I thought that would be the better course, but he'd better think over the matter awhile. It was not long before I noticed that he and the boys were on good terms again, but I don't think he ever prome- naded by Miss Mary's residence any more. She was happily unconscious of the whole matter, and the boys justified their conduct by saying it w^as the only way to bring the blockhead to his senses. And I guess it was. I heard that some young men played off a similar joke on a very prominent citizen, near Forestville, one night; waked him up and hurried him out in the cold to marry a runaway coui^le which turned out to be a couple of men; that ended in a jolly good time, w^hich all parties enjoyed, but the joke on the magistrate could not be suppressed. One of my old pupils v^-ho lives twelve miles in the country called me up on the 'phone a few nights ago to tell me how much he enjoyed reading my trip to Fuquay, and he told me a thing about the second school I taught I never knew before. I whipped a boy in that school, and he and his father never liked me. I knew that, but did not know why. The Avhipping I gave the boy did not hurt him; I was very certain of that, although I heard along about that time, as the news flew in the air, that I gave him' a cruel whipping; cutting the blood out, etc. I knew it was not so, and I could not understand how such a report ever got out, and for all these years it has been a mysterv. But over the 'phone 9 130 whitaker's reminiscences, the other night my old pupil told me how that bloody story started. The boy, in order to make himself a martyr and his teacher a tyrant, on his way home lacerated his back with bamboo briers and then shook the bloody shirt at his father as evidence of the teacher's cruelty. What a wonderful thing is the telephone! The other night I stood in my own house here in Ral- eigh and conversed with four gentlemen in the country, the conversation going on just as smoothly as if we five had been sitting around the same fire. Jeff Gulley, Tom Turner, William Turner and Dr. McCullers, each at his own home, twelve miles in the country, and several miles apart, and this writ- er, talking together as though looking into each other's faces. Wonderful! Not long ago I held my watch near the 'phone and asked a friend 15 miles away, what she heard. The reply was, "I hear a watch ticking." In many things we are certainly getting ahead of the old times. The ques- tion is, are we getting better? INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 131 CHAPTER XVIII. Isliam Lloyd — Ingratitude — Old-Time Christmas. One of the oddest characters that lived in our city during and for several j^ears after the war, was Isham Lloyd. In the first place, he never made any pretension to good looks, but seemed to take pleasure in being homely. I don't think he loved to work, though he sometimes had it to do, for he had a wife w^ho made him move about, and turn his hands to many things he would never have touched but for her. Isham was very chunky, stoop-shouldered, and his head bent forward, mak- ing him appear as if he were all the time looking for something on the ground. Everybody knew him, for he was the only one of his kind, and he knew everybody and was pretty well posted as to the dinner hour of a great many, which knowledge he made good use of nearly every day. He as well as his wife, was a member of the church, but he never did learn how to conduct himself when he attended divine services, as an incident or two will verify. On one occasion he arrived at church soon after the preacher had announced his text, and getting just inside the door he stopped, turned his head this way and that way, cleared his throat as if to attract attention, and when everybody in the house, preacher and all, turned to look at him, he spoke out, saying, "How'se you all this mawning?'' Wait- ing for a moment for some one to answer his salu- tation, but seeing no one did, he repeated, "How'se jou all this mawuing?'' Then turning to take a seat on the nearest bench he said : "I got a mighty hurting in my back and I ain't a feeling well ; and the old 'Oman's too sick to come to meeting to-day," 132 whitaker's reminiscences, Of course the congregation could not help exhibit- ing a little merriment at his expense; but Isham never looked more solemn or pious, and didn't see anything to smile at. The reader must not think that Le Avas an idiot, or that he lacked mother wit. He was simply a rough specimen of untutored humanity, raised v/hen and where polish w^as not considered neces- sary, perhaps; or, what is more probable, where he had not the advantages that would have better fitted him for the times into which old age carried him. As an evidence of his wit, on one occasion, when the good people of the city vvcre giving out wood to the poor he called at headquarters to put in his plea ; he had some wood, and was aware that some of his neighbors who were also asking for wood knew that he had a little on hand, and think- ing they might tell the committee about it, he fore- stalled anything of the sort by rushing into the room and asking: "Do you give wood to anybody that's got some?'' "No," answered the chairman of the committee, "not until we supply those who have none." "Then," replied old Isham, "me and the old 'oman will freeze to death, for the little wood I've got is green ^swiggum' and it'll take all the iitard' in the county to burn a stick of it." The committee thought, that being the case, they had better let him have a small load, which they did. He did have a stick or two of green sweet- gum, or "swiggum," as he called it, and some more besides, but the committee, thinking that "green swiggum" was all he had, and but little of that, did not hesitate to divide with him. One Christmas day a family sent him and his wife the very best dinner that could be made up from their table, filling a good-sized basket with such palatable things as turkey, ham, potatoes, rice, beans, bread, biscuits, cakes, and so forth, and, withal. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 133 a bowl of stewed oysters, expectiug, of course, Avlieu the servant returned he would bring the thanks of a grateful old couple for the nice Christmas dinner sent. And so, as the servant came in, the lady asked, "What did they say?" The servant seemed to hesitate, but at length answered: ''Missus, I'm ashamed to tell you, but 'spose I must. Old ^Mrs. Lloyd said it was a right good dinner; but Mr. Lloyd said he didn't thank nobody for sending him a dinner and not send a wheelbarrow full of Avood to make a fire to eat it by." The lady said to the servant, "Get the w^heelbarrow and carry the old people a load of wood." "No, Missus," said the servant, "dey's got more wood at dey wood pile than you'se got at you'rn, and, if you please, mam, I don't want to carry 'em any." And he did not. On one occasion at a church meeting the question of purchasing an organ was being discussed, and Isham thinking he had as much right to make a speech as any one else, said : "Dar ain't no use o' gittin' a or gin for dey '11 never play on it. Dey got a shan'leer here last year and dey's never played a chune on hit yit, as ever I hearn tell on." Some of the boys prevailed upon Isham to allow his name to be run for Mayor, assuring him in the morning when the polls were opened that it was only a matter of a few hours before he would be sitting in the Mayor's office with his feet on the desk, smoking cigars, dealing out wise and right- eous decisions, and drawing his hundred dollars a month. All the forenoon he was going from ward to ward seeing how the matter was progressing, and at each he was informed that Lloyd Avas the coming man. Dozens of young fellows, w^ho wished to be policemen, importuned him to help them to secure positions, and in the goodness of his heart he promised to do all he could for each one. At 12 134 whitaker's reminiscences, o'clock he went home to dinner and told his wife that to-morrow she'd be Mrs. Mayor and wouldn't have to take in washing any more, and they'd move up town and go to the big church. The old lady heard him through, and then chopped him off by saying : "Isham Lloyd, you are an old fool ; you'd better be cutting wood for somebody, which will pay you a sight better than listening to what them lying fellows up town are telling you." But he paid no heed to her words. As soon as he swal- lowed his dinner he went back to look after his in- terest, and was astonished to hear that, while he was at his dinner, his opponent had gained on and even gotten ahead of him; that it was going to be a mighty close race. And so, as the evening wore away, his pretended friends, feigning a gTeat deal of disappointment at the turn things had taken against him, gradually prepared him for defeat. About sunset he started home, a sadder yet a wiser man. The writer happened to be in the locality of Isham's home, and heard an angry woman's voice saying: ^'Leave here, you good-for-nothing old fool !" and looking in the direction of the voice he saw Isham going half -bent, about which time the irate woman hurled a brick-bat which struck him on the back of his neck and knocked him on his hands and knees. As he crawled along trying to rise, I heard him say : "I got two beatings to-day. Mayor Harrison beat me up town, and de ole 'oman beat me down here. Now what's I gwine to do?" I interposed and secured from the old woman per- mission for him to return to his home on the condi- tion that he'd cut that wood at the wood-pile. And the old fellow went at it. In the last years of his life, Isham spent most of his time going around with a basket on his arm, asking alms, but unlike most people who receive charity, he was hard to please. He wanted the best INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 135 Isham Lloyd going around with a basket. 136 whitaker's reminiscences, you had, and a basket full of it. And he did not hesitate about going into the kitchen to see for him- self what was being cooked, so that if he staid to dinner, which he generally did, he could tell whether or not anything had been kept back; if it had, he would ask why such a dish had not been brought in. Because of his prjdng disposition, added to his in- gratitude, he became in the last years of his life, a very unwelcome visitor at most places. While I am on the subject of ingratitude, I am reminded that it is a very universal failing, as old as our race; and while some may be better than seme others, yet we see in the whole human family a very decided tendency to be ungrateful. Ingrati- tude is seen in the fact that we do not trust in the Lord, but in ourselves — our wisdom, our strength, our righteousness; and in the further fact that we do not do good. Instead of acknowledging God as our Father and the bestower of every blessing, we assume that we take care of ourselves, and owe God nothing; demonstrating to the angels who are looking down in amazement upon our ingratitude, that the ox which knoweth his owner and the ass which knoweth his master's crib, are more consid- erate and more grateful, brutes as they are, than is man who is made in God's image, and for whom Christ died. A hog doesn't take time to say grace nor to return thanks; but we can excuse the hog on the ground that he's a hog; but, there can be no good reason given why a man should be as hog- gish as a hog; eating, drinking, lying down and sleeping without, by word or act, ever showing that he is grateful for the air he breathes, the bread he eats, the water he drinks, the light which cheers his pathway and the reason which elevates him above all other creatures, assuring him of the truth of the statement that God "breathed into him a living soul." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 137 How many Godless homes there are in our so- called Christian land it would shame us to know — homes in which God is never remembered in the way of prayer or of praise — homes in Avhich the I^ible is not read, except perhaps when the preacher comes ; in which there are no evening nor morning- prayers, and no blessing is asked at the table. Men eat,*^ lie down and sleep, rise up in the morning and eat and go out and spend the day, never uttering a prayer or lifting up the voice of praise, as if they were hogs indeed. • The old-time Christmas in the country was an occasion of more than ordinary pleasure. In the first place, we small boys expected to put on shoes and stockings Christmas morning, shoes made at home and stockings knit at home. With copperas blacking and tallow^ shining, our home- made shoes looked almost as fine as store shoes; and we were proud of them, for, after wearing out the shoes of last winter we little fellows had been going barefooted. From an hour before day until sunrise, the larger boys, who could manage firearms, shot off Christ- mas guns. We smaller boys made almost as much noise by slamming wide boards upon the frozen ground, and were quite as happy as the big boys. Santa Claus did not go round in my young days with all sorts of jim-cracks and tinselled nothings, and feed the children on taffy; he brought things that were useful, and always suited the gift to the special need or wish of the child, and the presents thus bestowed made us just as happy as if more had been given. After awhile breakfast would come on, and, to an old man, living in town, and eating mar- ket sausage, the ingredients of which one had bet- ter not be too inquisitive about, the recollection of the home-made sausage that we had Christmas 138 whitaker's reminiscences, morning, is a memory that makes the mouth water, to say nothing of the luscious spare-ribs, the chit- terlings, the crackling bread, the big hominy, the biscuits and the batter cakes, etc. Christmas day was spent in rabbit hunting by we. smaller boys, the larger ones went to see the girls, and friends and neighbors met, and enjoyed themselves. At night the young people would congregate at some neighbor's house, and, unrestrained by formal- ities and conventionalities, would engage in such sports as would give pleasure to all present, even the fathers and mothers who might drop in. Yea, they had refreshments. A barrel of persimmon beer was handy, and a glass of that, and a big slice of the old-time pound-cake, our mothers used to make, would lay in the shade the so-called "dainty refreshments'' of modern times, when a fellow gets a cracker, a thimbleful of ice-cream and about enough cake to fill a hollow tooth. Certainly we had refreshments — in the plural number at that — for, before one could drink the first glass of beer and eat his first slice of cake, here came the pitcher and the plate again. Yes, they v/ere good times, real old-fashioned Democratic times — times long to be remembered. So different from our "Keceptions of to-day," when a fellow and his wife and some or the aunts, nieces and cousins put on their best clothes and stand up in the hall "to receive"; and the crowd marches round, and into the dining-rooia and out at the back door and off home, as stiff* and as solemnly as a funeral. But I guess it's all right, and fifty years hence some writer will tell how times were and how much enjoyment the peo- ple had in these days, and, till Gabriel blows, I doubt not, the people will still be bragging on the good old times of fifty years ago. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 139 CHAPTEE XIX. How Some Men's Pockets are Picked — Whiskey Costs More Than the Gospel. Many a man addicted to taking his drams — to treating and being treated — has gone home and startled his wife and grieved his children by say- ing as he thrust his fingers into his pocket : ^'Some- body's picked my pocket; I have lost a five-dollar bill !" And getting up, he'd stamp the floor, clencJi his fist, put on the air of injured innocence and swear he'd "kill the first man he caught fingering ii^ his jacket pocket the next time he went out/' And then sitting doAvn and dropping his face into his hands he'd pretend to be almost heart-broken as he said to himself (but loud enough for wife and children to hear him), "To think how hard I worked for that five dollars, and how many comforts could have been bought with it; and wife and children needing shoes; and my taxes not paid; and the preacher is expecting his money the next time he comes around; I could kill the rascal that picked my pocket !" In sympathy for her poor, distressed husband sitting there, seemingly overwhelmed with grief, the wife says : "It was only five dollars, let us be thankful it was no more. Other people have had their pockets picked the same v/ay yours was picked, and some of them lost more than you did." And then the barefooted children, to help soothe the father who seems almost heart-broken, because, on account of the loss of his five dollars, he can't buy them any shoes, chime in with their cherry voices saying: "Papa, don't grieve so; we can go barefooted a little while longer." 140 whitaker's reminiscences, The husband and father raises his head, grinning like a 'possum, as he puts on an air of resignation, and savs : ^'I do reckon I've got the best wife and children of any poor man in the world," and with that the farce ends. Pretty soon they are sitting at the table eating their scanty supper, and all is serene. Pocket picked, indeed! If you could have seen that fellow a few hours before, standing at a bar, the central figure of a half dozen dead beats, w^ho lounge around bar-rooms, and could have heard his boastings and seen his consequential airs, as he waved that five-dollar bill and ordered the bar- keeper to put down the best he had; and, if you could have seen that half dozen dead l3eats rushing to the counter, like hogs to the trough, drinking at his expense, you would not have felt very much like shedding tears over the story he told so tragi- cally to his wife and children. If all the lies hus- bands have told their wives about losing money could be traced back a few hours, the truth would be: "Spent in the bar-room!'' Now, I see in the papers that when a man buys ar the dispensary he is required to register, and the book will tell when he bought and how much, and also what grade of liquor he treated himself to. But as I understand it, the register is not to be opened to the public gaze, and therefore the wife IS still at a disadvantage. If wives could go weekly to the dispensary and glance over the book, and see how often their husbands' names appear, and for what amounts, they could sorter keep up with them. As it is, however, it is likely there will be a saving, as the fellow with a five-dollar bill will not be so apt to spend so much of it, buying a pint or half a pint, and drinking it behind a lamp-post, or in an alley, as he would in a bar-room, with a crowd of dead-beats to help him. And what makes it still INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 141 better, the drinking man, as arrangements are now, can post up his drinking accounts weekly and monthly, so that at the end of the year he may know exactly how it stands. That will be a great advantage. '^Men who tipple at the bar don't keep any account of their spendings, therefore they are not able to properly balance their books. In fact, the books won't balance. Money is short which can not be accounted for. But now when balanc- ing the year book, and there is a deficit, the drinker can go to the dispensary, look at the register and find the explanation : twenty-five, fifty, seventy-five or a hundred dollars spent for liquor, will tell the tale of shortage. Men are apt to keep pretty well posted as to the amounts they pay the preacher and for church pur- poses ; they keep a little book for that purpose, and are very careful to put it all down ; hwf not so about whiskey. The little they spend in that direction is s=r insignificant they don't think it worth while to keep an account of it. As an illustration, I will give an incident. Some years ago I bought a load of shingles of a country man, and after agreeing upon the price, he asked me to take a seat beside him on the wagon and ride to my house. I did so, and discovered, as soon as I got a whiff of his breath, that he had taken a dram. Being in the temperance work, and wishing to do individuals as well as communities good, I remarked in a casual way that I was a temperance man and was organizing societies and that I would like to organize in his community and hoped he would help me to do so. He said in reply he was a member of the church, and the church was a good enough temperance society for him. I said, by way of reply, church members sometimes drink, and a total abstinence society might do them good; be- sides, I went on to say, we church members are, ac- 142 whitaker's reminiscences, cording to the statement of Christ, the light of the world, and we ought to be total abstainers, for the same reason that Paul gave when he said : "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend/' In repiy he said, 'Taul talked two ways, for didn't he tell Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach's sake? I don't eat hog meat because it don't agree with me, but I do take a dram when I feel like it, and it's nobody's business. I work for my living, and make my own money, and spend it just like I please, and I let other people's busi- ness alone. If they are a mind to drink, and get drunk because I take a dram, when I feel like it, it's nothing to me. Every tub must stand on its own bottom; that's my doctrine." "You make your money and spend it as you please," I remarked, "and of course you pay most for that you like best — and besides, you like to get the worth of 3^our money Avhen you pay it out?" "Yes, that's my rule, and that's what I practice," "You told me you were a church member. Of course you pay your preacher." "O, yes, I always pay him ; I pay a dollar for my- self and fifty cents for the old woman." "Pretty good," I remarked. "I have seen the statement," I went on, "that sixty-six and two- thirds cents is about the average which the people of the United States pay for having the gospel preached." "They ought to be ashamed of themselves," he said, brightening up and looking pious. "You are right," I said, "and I am glad to know that you and the ^old 'oman' are paying more than the average, if you do take a drink now and then." "What little I drink don't cost anything hardly; for I never drink at home, and only take one drink INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 143 when I come to town, and don't come to town but three times a week; that don't cost much and won't hurt anybody." '^Oh, no," I answered, "that don't cost much, unless you pay very high for your drinks." "I always pay ten cents, for I believe when one does drink at all he ought to drink pure liquor, and not poison his stomach with cheap stuff." I told him he w^as right about that, and if I ever got to taking my drams, I thought I would do like him, take the best. Then taking up a shingle I made this calculation : Three drinks a week at 10 cents per drink are equal to thirty cents, and thirty cents a week are equal to fifteen dollars and sixty cents a year. And subtracting one dollar and fifty cents from fifteen dollars and sixty cents I found that he was paying fourteen dollars and ten cents a year more for whiskey than he said, he and the "old 'oman" were paying the preacher, and that if he should pay the same amounts for fifty years he would in that time pay out for whiskey seven hun- dred and eighty dollars, while he and the "old 'oman" would pay the preacher, for the same length of time, only seventy-five dollars. "You needn't be figuring," he said, seeing me us- ing my pencil ; "three thousand shingles at |2.50 a thousand comes to $7.50, and you can't make noth- iug more of it, if you figure all day." "I'm not figuring on shingles, but how the ac- count is going to stand against you at the day of judgment," I said; "and I tell you, my friend, the thing looks bad." "Why? How?" he asked. "In the first place," said I, "I find you love whis- key better than you do your preacher." "It ain't so," he replied. "Didn't you tell me awhile ago that you paid most for that you liked best?" 144 AYHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, "I believe I did. If I didn't, I'll say it now.'' ^^All right. I find that you and the ^old 'oman' pay the preacher fl.oO a year, while you in the same time, pay for whiskey |15.60, which is ?14.10 more for whiskey than you pay for the gospel. I find also that you and the ^old 'oman' will only pay |T5 to the preacher in fifty years, while you alone will pay out 1780.00 for whiske3\ The recording angel ifj keeping the account just as it is, giving you credit for all you pay for the spreading of the gospel, and charging you with all you spend for self-gratifica- tion. What do you reckon you'll do when the Judge opens the book and reads out, right before the an- gels and the assembled world, as follows : 'Bill Mitchell, member of the church, paid for himself and wife to support the gospel |75.00, being |1.50 a year.' Then turning to the other page he'll read out, ^Bill Mitchell, so-called member of the church, paid out in fifty years |780.00 in support of the liquor traffic, which is the agent of the devil, being §705.00 more to support the devil's cause than he paid to build up the Lord's cause.' I say, what do you think you will do, when the account is read out that way?" "I don't know what I'll do, but I suppose I'll have to pick up my hat and walk right down to the other place. But look here, I didn't know the thing was as bad against me as that, upon my honor I didn't." ^The reason you didn't know how the matter stood," I said, as we drove into the yard, "is because you keep no account against yourself like you do against God." And that's the mistake too many of us make; we magnify the little that we do and give to make the world better, and thereby to glorify God, while we minify, if we do not entirely forget, what God INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 145 does for us, and especially the claims which he has upon us. Yes, I like the idea of making people register when they buy liquor at the dispensary. But I heard a man say, the other day, that he would quit drinking before he would put his name on the liquor register ; he didn't want Gabriel to find his name in such a place as that, and w^ouldn't put it there. Come to think about it, I am really glad that the bar-room business is passing away, for it Avill do away with a servitude that I don't see how any young man could stand, to-wit, handing out decan- ters to and washing tumblers after all sorts of drinking men, Avhite and colored. Don't seem to me a fellow engaged in the tumbler-washing busi- ness could have a very high opinion of himself. And then c'. man can never know when he is selling the fatal drink to a customer — the drink that will make him drunk and send him home to murder wife or child — the drink that will ruin him for time and send his soul to hell. I don't think I could sleep well after selling liquor all day. Bat some people don't seem to have any scruples about it, and they are very clever, too, and are expecting to get to heaven like other folks. It is so hard to get to heaven, I'd rather n(.t make the chances worse, and perhaps block the way so that I can not make the journey at all. The golden rule is a hard, mighty hard thing to dodge, turn it as we may, and yet we understand that vU of earth's dealings are to be settled by it. If I would not have a man ruin my son by selling him liquor and making him a drunkard, that rule says I must not ruin his son. If I would not have a man cheat me, or take advantage of me, in a horse trade, I must not cheat or take advantage of him. The golden rule being the foundation upon which relig- 10 146 whitaker's reminiscences, ion is based, no man is nor can be a Christian and get to heaven who disregards it. And, it seems to me, the first thing I'd have to do if I were going into the liquor business, would be to cut the golden rule out of my Bible. CHAPTER XX. Bad Boads — Jonas Medlin at Barbecues — Some of Eis GliaraGteristics — The Great Changes — Ministerial Professionals. As I ride down Fayetteville street, in the dead of winter, and see but little mud, and go out into the country and find myself on good hard roads, my mind goes back to other winters when a ride down Fayetteyille street, and into the country, was about like driving through a brick hole flooded with wa- ter. The old-time stages v/hich carried the mails, and the old-time wagons that hauled the heav}^ gro- ceries from Fayetteville to Raleigh, generally tore up the road beds, during the winters, and the streets of Raleigh were often as bad as the country roads. Fayetteville street, all through the winter, was a loblolly, and could be crossed at only certain places, by pedestrians; and even at those places travelers did not always find it easy to cross v/ithout getting more or less muddy. They used to tell wonderful stories as to the depth of the mud on the roads, one of which I will relate, not vouching for its truth, of course. It was told by a wood hauler who man- aged to get into the city, with a four-horse team, bringing less than half a cord of wood. Driver, wagon, wood and horses were all covered with red mud, presenting, as they appeared on the street a most ludicrous picture. "How are the roads out INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 147 in the country?'' asked a Raleigh man of the wood hauler. "There ain't no roads," he replied. "How did you get here, then, with your load of wood?" the Raleigh man asked. "We s^\aim; didn't try to tech the bottom, for there ain't no bottom. My horses are all good swimmers, or I'd never got here. The road is full of wagons and drivers between here and Lawrence Hinton's that are sunk clean out of sight. I saw a hat on top of the mud and picked it up. A fellow down in the mud, under that hat, told me he was setting on top of his load of wood and his wagon was still sinking in the mud. No, there ain't no roads; but, if a fellow's horses can swim pretty well they can make the trip, provided they keep agoin' ; but if a team ever stops, its good-bye, vain world." "Did you leave the fellow down under the mud?" one asked. "Yes," said the wood hauler ; "but I told him the road hands would dig him out next spring; and he said, all right." While all of that talk was a story well told, it, nevertheless, was tru^e to the extent of giving the reader an idea of the terrible condition of our roads, before better methods of working them were em- ployed. What a pleasure it is now to take a drive out to Wakefield, for instance, as compared with other days when one had to split the mud nearly all the way. Good roads are blessings to man and beast, and I am glad to know that, in almost every section of our State, the road question stands next in importance to education. Jonas Medlin was a character of the ante-bellum times that figured largely at certain times and in certain places. He called himself the "Grovernor of Rhamkatte," and in his opinion he was, in his 148 whitaker's reminiscences, sphere, as big a man as the governor of the State. He came to town nearly every day, and not unfre- quently ^^Mrs. Medlin,'' as he called his wife, came Tsith him. He was so well known that almost every- body had something to say to him, and, of course, such attention made him feel his importance. Jonas claimed to be a Democrat, but he and Mrs. Medlin were both of the opinion that Whig barbecue was just as good as Democratic barbecue, and to save his life, Jonas said he couldn't tell any difference between Whig whiskey and Democratic whiskey. He said he never saw any bad whiskey. Some was good and some better; but none bad. During a campaign, one summer, both parties had big barbe- cues, a few weeks apart, and Jonas, as well as Mrs. Medlin, attended them. The Whig barbecue came off first, and no man ate more and carried off more ham and barbecue, in his basket, than did Jonas; and no man cheered more lustily the speeches that the Whigs made, abusing the Democrats, than did he. A few weeks after, the Democratic barbecue was tc come off, in the old Baptist grove, and it was understood that John Hutchings, Esq., the grand- father of our very popular Superior Court clerk, was to have the management of it. Jonas sought out Mr. Hutchings, and lost no time in telling him what a good hand he was at barbecues, and how handy "Mrs. Medlin'' could make herself; and how glad they'd both be to help the Democrats get ahead of the Whigs. And sure enough ( for how could he help doing so?) Mr. Hutchings asked the governor to come in, early, on the appointed day, and assist him. And a great day it was for him and his wife, and the many children and friends they brought with them. Mr. Hutchings soon found out that provisions were getting scarce, down at the end of the table where Jonas was helping. A tray of bar- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 149 becue was gone, and a dish of ham and one of chick- en had disappeared; but, the matter was soon ex- plained. Jonas had turned his attention to ^^Mrs, Medlin'' and her many friends who, squatting around the roots of a big oak, were having a good time. Enough barbecue and othet* meats, and enough bread and biscuits to matcJi, were spread before them to feed fifty people. Mr. Hutchings, taking in the situation, said: "Jonas, I left you here to look after this end of the table, and you have taken almost everything off and piled it around the root of that tree.'' Putting on an injured air, and speaking loud enough for everybody in that vicinity to hear him, he said : "Drot a man as won't wait on the ladies." Mr. Hutchings only said : "I'll see that you don't get anything more from this table to wait on 'em with"; and he took a position where he could cut Jonas off from the table. But Jonas flanked him; for a little Avhile after, Mr. Hutchings saw him coming down from the other end of the table with a basket full of meat and bread, going in the direc- tion of " Mrs. Mediin" and her friends, but he said nothing to him. The baskets of fragments with which Jonas and his friends walked off, after the table was cleared, ought to have lasted them for a v/eek. On one occasion Jonas was lying on the railroad track, drunk, just ?.bove the penitentiary. The en- gineer happened to see him in time to stop his en- gine just before it go to him. Getting down and going to Jonas, he said: "Get up, you drunken wretch. What would you have looked like if my engine had run over you?" He answered by say- ing: ^And what would your dinged old engine 'a hoked like if I'd a ruii'over hit? That's what I want to know." And staggering back into the ditch and running his hand into his pocket, as if to 150 whitaker's reminiscences, pull out liii> money, he asked, "What's the damage, Mister? If I've hurt your old train I'm willing to pay for it." Jonas was a good-natured fellow, and while ho would take too much whiskey at political gather- ings, and hurrah for the man that set up the treat, he always "voted tight,'' he declared, " 'cause ho Toted just like Sheriff High told him." Speaking of Sheriff High brings up other mem- Oj'ies, one of which is the old jail, built of logs partly, if not entirely, that used to stand where fhe present jail is. If I am not mistaken, W. H. High, Esq., was acting as deputy to Sheriff Ed- wards, away back in the forties, and succeeded him as sheriff. At any rate, I remember the old log jail, when "Jim Edwards" was sheriff, and I re- member that, in course of time, the old jail gave place to the new one, and that W. H. High, Esq., then a handsome and very popular young man, became the sheriff of Wake, which position he held, I think, up to the war, if not through the war and after. No man could beat him before the people. After the war he removed to California and re- mained for awhile ; but came back to Ealeigh, where he spent his last days with his daughter, Mrs. Roys- ter, whose husband runs the well-known candy es- tablishment of A. D. Royster & Co. As a cam- paigner, Sheriff High had no superior, and, with the exception of Sheriff Kearney, of Franklin Coun- ty, who has been in office for upwards of twenty years, and is good for twenty more, Sheriff High held office longer than most sheriffs do. James T. Marriott, Esq., for a long time clerk of Wake County Court, married Sheriff High's sister, who, after the death of her husband, married George W. Norwood, Esq., whose son is a resident of this city. Oh, the changes that have taken place since the days of which I am writing! One must have INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 151 lived in tlie '^Olcl Time South" to know what it was, and to realize the changes which the last forty years have wrought. To my mind, the difference between, before the war and since the war, is quite as great as living in two countries speaking differ- ent languages and engaging in different pursuits. Ti'ue, we have the same country and very largely the same people, but how changed are both! If one who died before the war could come forth from the grave and walk about and look and listen for awhile, he would come to the conclusion he had waked up in the Avrong place ; for, while he would sre many things he remembered, and hear a great many voices that would sound natural, he would see and hear so much he had never seen, heard or dreamt of in the old time; the great improvements on the one hand and the changes in manners and customs on the other hand, he could come to no other conclusion than that he had resurrected in the wrong country. In the old-time South there were rich people and poor people, slave owners and non-slave owners, but not that exclusiveness seen and felt now. Neighbors were neighbors ; and a rich man's neigh- bors, who helped him to shuck corn or to roll logs, viere invited to his feasts, and made to feel that they were as welcome as if they owned land and negroes, however poor they might be. Money did not make the man, but true manhood and woman- hood stood for themselves and were at a premium. Money is everything now — respectability, moral- ity, social, political and even ecclesiastical stand- ing. Commercialism is seen and felt in everything and everywhere. Even a man's opinion is rated according to the size of his bank account; and everybody knows how transcendentally high a mon- eyed man stands in the church, especially if he donates liberally toward the endowment of col- 152 whitaker's reminiscences, leges. It makes no difference how many poor men he has oppressed, how many have been impover- ished, by him, in the accumulation of his great wealth, if he is liberal, now and then, with his bJood money, he is looked up to and praised by men who are preaching — or ought to be preaching — against the sin of covetousness, and those hard- h'.'arted methods ^vhich make millionaires at the expense of the hard-working poor. Yes, commer- cialism — love of Avealth — is even getting into the church. This was not so in the old-time South. Why and how this great change? We know that up North, ever since they sold their slaves to the Southern people and became rich on negro money, they have been trying to ape the aristocracy of the old world, and that during the war, not being satisfied with the fortunes they had made by this sale of their negroes to Southern people, they became army con- tractors and swindled Uncle Sam out of enough to swell their negro money into making themselves millionaires; and that being done they dethroned manhood and womanhood and enthroned the dollar. Is it true that the South — the old-time, high-mind- ed, honest, conservative South, is trying to ape New England as New England is aping the com- mercialism of old England? This may account for the changes that have come over us, and explain why we rate men and women according to what they have, and not according to ^\lmt they are socially and religiously. And it is this condition of things that makes men desperate in tlieir eager- ness to get rich. I wish to remark that when preaching has been made a science and ranks as a profession, and the style of preaching has been so changed that any topic may be discussed from the pulpit, the profes- sional preacher may be quite as successful in win- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 153 njng fame, as any other professional. In fact, I don't know but what the preacher will have the shortest and easiest road to success, He has but one book to study, from which to select topics; v/hereas, in other professions, many and some very hard to be understood, books have to be mastered. I don't think there are many ministerial profes- sionals down South, as yet; but the day is coming when we may expect that they will make their appearance. Novv and then one has sprung up, but he soon went North, where his professional ser- vices would command better pay, and where greater latitude is allowed in the pulpit. Almost any piney-woods rooter, with an ordinary education, hailing from the South, can make a reputation up North, if he will descend to the low business of be- littling his kin-folks down here, and of praising and admiring the superiority of that Puritanism which, like Phariseeism, has never been able to see any good only in itself. Some year.s ago a North Carolina preacher went as a fraternal messenger to a Northern convention or conference, of his denom- ination, and in the address he made before that Northern conference, he slopped over in his praises of the North, its institutions and its general superi- ority over the South; while, he humbly acknowl- edged, as true, many things which had been un- tvuthfully charged against the South. The conse- quence was he received a call to a church away up in the cold regions. He came back home after awhile — after he had lived among and found out more about a people he supposed wer^i our superiors — but his brethren have never thought as well of him, as they did before he went off in a wild-goose chase after a little notoriety. As an illustration of what I mean by professional preachers, I Avill relate a circumstance. 154 whitaker's reminiscences, Soon after the war, a Northern local Methodist preacher spent a year in Raleigh, and some time, during the year he attended the Raleigh District Conference. A few days after, he came to my office, and the Conference matters, he had witnessed, were discussed. I asked him which of the preachers preached, and what he thought of their preaching. "Aw, well," he said, "Aw, yes, as to matter they preached well enough, but as to manner, aw, I — well — I must say it was horwibul. They don't seem, aw, to have any ideah of elocution." "They seemed to have a pretty fair knowledge or the Bible, did they not?" I asked. "Well — aw — I guess so. But, aw, you know, aw, it is not so — aw, essential, in pi'eaching, what a man says, as how he says it. For instance, aw, I had a cousin, a blacksmith, who decided, aw, to enter the ministerial profession. He did not think of wasting his time at any theological institute, av/, but, aw, very sensibly put himself under the tuition and elocutionary training of a retired actor, and, aw — yes — in less than a year ]ie was able to command a salary of two thousand dollars. It'^ not — aw, brother — what a preacher says, but how he says it." I think he was mistaken. "What he says and how he says it" are equally essential. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 155 CHAPTER XXI. Dr. Cortland Myers — ^' Old John Broivn/^ and What Judge Douglas said of Him — Freedman's Bureau — Forty Acres and a Mule — A Negro's Deed to His Land. In an address before a convention of the Young Men's Christian Association in Washington City, delivered by Eev. Cortland Myers, D.D., a Brook- lyn divine, a few weeks ago, his subject being "The Men of Destiny," he is reported as having said, "All men fulfill their destiny when they do their duty," and gave John Brown as an illustration of one man who fulfilled his destiny by doing his duty. Who was John Brown, and what duty did he perform ? In the estimation of Dr. Myers, he was, of course, a very great and good man, who fulfilled his destiny by doing some great and good deed, or else he would not have used him as an illustration. Did John Brown fulfill a destiny by doing a duty? is the question the reader would like to have an- swered. And the answer to that question must be in accord with the facts of history, and not warped by prejudice or sentiment. Hon. Stephen A. Douglas was a Northern man, and was thoroughly conversant with the history of the Kansas troubles and the John Brown raid, and I will let him give the reader an idea of the matter as he saw it. In a speech delivered by him in the United States Senate, January 23, 1860, favoring a resolution in- structing the Judiciary Committee to report a bill for the protection of States and Territories against invasion, Judge Douglas said in effect that John 156 whitaker's reminiscences, Brown was a desperate character. Referring to Brown and his associates, he asks : "Who, until the Harper's Ferry outrage, ever conceived that American citizens could be so for- getful of their duties to themselves, to their coun- try and to the Constitution as to plan the invasion Gi another State, with the view of inciting servile insurrection, murder, treason, and every other crime that disgraces humanity?'' John Brown was the man to whom Judge Dou- glas referred — the man who "planned the invasion or another State, with the view of inciting IN- SURRECTION, MURDER, TREASON, AND EVERY OTHER CRIME THAT DISGRACES HUMANITY." Again, Judge Douglas said : "We have been told that a notorious man (John Brown), who has re- cently suffered death for his crimes upon the gal- lows, boasted in Cleveland, Ohio, in a public lec- ture, a year ago, that he then had a body of men einployed in running away horses from the slave- holders of Missouri, and pointed to a stable in Cleveland which was full of stolen horses at that time." John Brown, then, according to Judge Douglas, was a wholesale horse thief, in addition to planning and trying to put into execution "insurrection, mur- der, treason and every other crime that disgraces humanity." And this is the man that Dr. Cv^rtland Myers wuld hold up to the Young Men's Christian x\sso- Ciation as an example of the "fulfillment of destiny in the performance of duty." The question very naturally arises, what duty performed by "Old John" fulfilled destiny? Invading another State, stealing horses, or pulling a rope? His last act ^\'as on a tight rope, and Judge Douglas said he INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 157 suffered death lor HIS CKIMES, insurrection, mur- der, treason, etc. I would suogest to Dr. Cortland Myers that a better illustration of the fulfillment of destiny would be Judas Iscariot; for, while he was not charged with as many bad things as Judge Douglas brings against John Brown (all of which were true), Judas was gentleman enough t^ acknowledge his wickedness and, to save expenses, went and hanged himself; whereas, John Brown gloried m his murderous and treasonable intent, and threw tbe cost of his hanging on the State he invaded. Judas Iscariot did not intend, nor did he expect, when he betrayed, to the Chief Priest, the where- abouts of Jesus, to procure his death; that was farthest from his thoughts; for, when he saw the mischief he had done, he was so sorry for his act tbat he went and hanged himself. But John Brown, Y.ith seventeen white men and five negroes, started out to "incite servile insurrection, murder, treason, and every other crime that disgraces humanity," and didn't repent. But Judge Douglas said he died on the gallows for his crimes. When will our Northern brethren cease trying to pervert history, and learn to tell the truth? John Brown, a martyr indeed! If so, then may e\ery murderer who is hanged be placed in the cal- endar of saints. I am not surprised that men arose and left the hall the other night when Dr. Myers was eulogizing the old horse thief and murderer. When the war ended and Yankee troops were straggling all through the South, and Freedman's Bureaus were set up in all the towns, we had an experience that proved two things: First, that the average Yankee hated the whites of the South ; second, that while he pretended to be the negro's special friend, he would take from him as soon as he would from a white man. The Freedman's Bu- 158 whitaker's reminiscences, reau, which purported to be a sort of court of ad- justment of misunderstandings between the whites and the negroes, was, in fact, nothing more nor less than a scheme of judicial stealage. Negroes were given to understand that the law was in their favor, and it was their right, as well as their duty, to bring all the complaints against the whites, they could, to the bureau, and, in case of conyiction, the informer, the negro who brought the complaint, would share in the money which the white defend- aiit would have to pay; and the case usually went a<>ainst the white man. "You catch 'em and bring 'em to me, and I'll skin 'em," was about the way the bureau worked it, with the negro informer. Yes, it was a money-making business, with the man running the bureau, for the negroes were instructed to bring complaints against people who were able to pay fines. A gentleman might be eating his breakfast, feeling that all was right; he owed no one; and no one had ausrht of malice toward him, £is he had none against any one; v/hen, hark, the door-bell rings! A soldier stands on the thresh- hold with paper in hand; the gentleman reads it. He is ordered to be at the headquarters of the Preedman's Bureau at 10 o'clock. When he ar- rives, he is told that the matter against him is of a very serious nature, and that clou(is of witnesses are hovering around to make good the complaint. The gentleman knows the whole thing is a lie — a trumped-up affair to extort money from him, but he is powerless. He shows that he is perplexed, that he is outraged. The officer, pretending to sympathize with him, deplores the business he is in, and would make the gentleman believe that he almost despises the gov- ernment which requires him to distress people. "But," speaking very softly to the gentleman he says, "you see how it is; I can't help myself; I am INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 159 bound to hear and adjudicate these complaints, however distasteful the duty may be. If you will, however, allow me to make a suggestion to you as a friend, I would, were I in your placf, compromise this matter. If we go into a trial with all these T\ itnesses to pay, it will cost you not less than fifty dollars. Yes, I think, if I were joii, I'd compromise the case." "How much will it take to compromise/' the gen- tleman inquires. The officer figures, looks at the wall, and figures again, and then in his blandest tone of voice says: "It will only cost you, if compromised, about twenty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents; and I make this suggestion of a compromise as a special favor to you." The gentleman hands over his check and departs, knowing that he has been held up and robbed of twenty-five dollars. It is probable that the negro who informed against him received twenty-five cents as his share. "Forty acres and a mule" were all the go with the negroes in the days of the break up, while the Yankees were here. Word got out somehow that every negro w^ho could raise and pay over to the "head man" of the Yankees, ten dollars in gold, silver or greenbacks, would be entitled to forty acres of his old master's land and a mule. Along would come a Yankee straggler, and seeing a negro man, he would hail him and enquire if he had gotten his "forty acres and a mule yet?" Then the Yan- kee would explain to him how the government was going to cut up and divde all the land, and give every negro man who could raise ten dollars, forty acres, and a mule to plow. "Of course you can get your forty acres, if you can raise the ten dollars, and I'll be along here to-morrow and stake off your farm right where you want it," was the way the Yankee would state the case to the dupe. 160 whitaker's reminiscences, In some cases the negroes raised and paid over to "the head Yankee'^ the ten dollars, and taking a parcel of red pegs, the Yankee would make the ntgro believe he was actually staking off his forty acres. I heard of a case of this sort. The row of red pegs, which the Yankee stuck down ran close by and parallel with a fence; and the negro land- owner thought, as the fence and the pegs were so near to each other, that he would tear the fence down and make it up where the pegs were, so that the fence would be the line between the new posses- sion and the "old boss.'' But while Sambo was tearing the fence down, the "old boss'' came out and inquired of his former slave what he was doing. "Well, boss," said he, "my line runs so close to the fence I thought it mout be better to put the fence on de line so we'd both know where de line was." "How came you to own that land over there?" asked the old master. "I paid de head Yankee man ten dollars for de forty acres, and he stuck down dem red pegs along dar and told me my forty acres laid down dat dar way." "You say you paid him ten dollars for your land?" "Yes, boss." "Did he give you a deed for the land, when you paid him the money?" "O, yes, boss; I got de deed all right." "You wouldn't mind showing it to me, would you, Sam?" "Course I don't mind showing it to you. I got i{ rite here in de top of my old hat Here it is," handing to his old master a leaf torn out of a mem- orandum book, saying. as he did so, "You can read it for yourself, boss; read it for youiself." The old master did read it for himself, and then INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 161 lie read it aloud for Sam's benefit; and, now I'll write it for tlie reader's benefit. Here it is — the deed^'^the head Yankee" gave to old Sam : ^'Know all men by these presents, that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so I have lifted ten dollars out of this blanked old fool !" ''Good Lord-a-mitY, is dat de way dat paper reads?'' "Yes," replied the old master, ''that's what it says." "And dat Yankee's got my ten dollars and gone?" "Yes, I expect he's gone." "Fore de Lord, dat Yankee shore did treat me scan'lous. I reckon I'd better put dem rails back Oil de fence I took off." Another negro claimed that "the head Yankee man" who rode a milk-white horse, gave him a mill, out on Swift Creek, as the army came along; and another Yankee stopping at the mill, awhile after, and hearing of the gift, asked the negro if that "head Yankee man" gave him a deed to the mill property. He said no. "Well, come out here," said Yankee number two, "and I'll fix your deed for you." The Yankee shot him through the head and rolled him into the mill-pond, is the way I heard tlie story. We had Avonderful times in the days of recon- struction; but as our country is at peace with all the world, and the rest of mankind, as General I'aylor said, we ought to let by-gones be by-gones. But they will come up, now and then, especially when an incident like the Myers' one brings up old John Brown and the memories that cluster about him. The extremist, in the body politic, is about as great a trouble to it as was the egg to Pat after he had swallowed it whole. "Mike," said Pat, "Oi'm in a divil uf a fix. Ef Oi don't kape still Oi'll 11 1(>2 WHITAKER S REMINISCENCES, " Is dat de way dat i)aper reads? " INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 163 break tliat egg and the shell will cut me stumake ; if Oi do kape still the egg'll hatch and there'll be a Shanghai rooster crowing inside o' me.'' To prevent the breaking or the hatching of that extremist egg, a good-sized dose of Common Sense timely administered, will so aid digestion that the body politic will soon be rid of it; so that, at last, in spite of the extremists, common sense and Chris- tian patience will solve the race question. Lest the reader may come to the conclusion that I am not reconstructed, and have not become re- conciled to the situation, I wish to say, (and then I'll close up on the "John Brown" matter), that the South has a future that will far surpass the glory of the slavery period, provided the same con- servatism which now controls public opinion, in church and in state, continues to be the leading characteristic of our people, white and black. If let alone, the South can and will solve the race problem, and do it in such a way that both races Vvill be better and stronger, and, of course, become happier; and, instead of being antagonists, they can make it mutually advantageous to live to- gether, as when they were master and slave. But, it can not be done while Northern speakers con- tinue to make saints of men like John Brown, for no other reason than that they hate the w^hite peo- ple of the South. But, we are thankful the num- ber of such speakers is becoming less as the years go by. I can not see any reason for, much less any sign of, a conflict between the races; nor do I believe there will ever be any change of that relation the two races now sustain to each other; therefore, I take no stock in the Bassett theory; but, I do be- lieve that, as the years go by and the white race continues to march onward and upward, it will use ail the resources, which wealth, education and en- lightened Christian philanthropy can furnish, to l;ft that other race into a his/her and better life. 164 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER XXII. Captain Woodall — A Sad Story — Some Advice to Fanners — A Little Common Sense. Capt. Absalom Woodall was as well and faA ora- bl}^ known in the olden time, both in this city and in the county of Wake, as any man of that day. For a long time he served as ^'Crier of the Court,'^ and was noted for his faithfulness in attendance, and more especially for his courtliness and dignity of manner, in the discharge of his duties, and in his intercourse with the bar and bench, as well. Everybod}^ liked the Captain, of which fact he was well aware, and Avas proud of it. The Captain was a p^reat politician, and prided himself upon being a Jacksonian Democrat, as he St'id, ^^Oi the first water.'' Andre \y Jackson, as everybody ought to remember, was known in his day and time as ^^Old Hickory," and so it became the custom with the Democrats during presidential campaigns to raise hickory poles on Avhich to float their campaign flags. Martin Van Buren was the Democratic candidate, and inasmuch as he was known to be General Jackson's choice, as his suc- cessor for President, of course hickory poles were raised by the Democrats. One had been raised here iu Raleigh, and Captain Woodall helped to do it. Enthusiasm ran high, when the pole went up and the Van Buren flag floated out on the breeze, and the Captain declared, inasmuch as he could not be iii town every day to gaze .on that pole and flag, tliat he would have a pole and flag of his own, right in his yard, and so he told his wife tliat night when he went home; and told her, furthermore, that instead of raising a pole, it was his intention INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 165 to cut the limbs off of a very beautiful hickory in front of his door and hang his Van Buren flag on that. Mrs. Woodall, so the story was told, tried to dis- suade the Captain from his purpose, but his mind was made up, and his Democratic blood was hot; so, no amount of reasoning on her part could change him from his patriotic purpose. Sure enough, the next morning he made a rope and some pulleys, with which to hoist a flag, and Tvith these, as well as a saw in his hand, he climbed the tree as high as it was safe to go, and began his work. Sawing off the top, he fixed his rope and pulleys with which to raise his flag, and then, start- ing from that point, he went down, sawing off limb after limb, bringing the ends of his rope with him, until he reached the last limb. Into that limb his saw went, he standing on it, and soon limb, saw, Captain Woodall and all hit the ground in a heap, and Mrs. Woodall, who had been watching, as well as cautioning the Captain, from the time he sawed off the first limb, until his fall, ran out and tried to lift him up, saying as she did so : ''Captain Wood- all, are you hurt? I told you not to climb that tree. And then to think you went and sawed off the limb that you were standing on. I'm aston- ished at you!'' ''That proves, Mrs. W^oodall, how little you know about politics," said the Captain, by which time he had gotten his head out of the brush, and was feeling for his snuff-box to take a pinch of snuff, which was a constant habit with him. This is the story the Captain's friends used to tell on him; whether true or false, the Captain would sa}^, while the crowd would laugh and he'd tcdvc a pinch of snuff : "It ain't everybody that can raise a hickory pole all by himself." I have heard several versions of that old story, and all of them 166 whitaker's reminiscences, embodied about what I have written. The Captain has been dead a number of years, but he has many descendants still living v/ho are, as he was while living, honest and upright. As I have been very much interested of late in the question of temperance, and the movements that are being made to rid our State from a traffic vihich is so ruinous, in its very nature, to the best interests of State and church, I will relate a story as it was told to me in Northampton County, many years ago, showing how cruel the liquor traf- fic is, and how the innocent as well as the drinker has to suffer. A young man married and took his wife to a lit- tle home where life was begun in an humble but very happy way. They had but little to start with, but they loved each other, and life, with ail uf its possibilities, was before them, and w^hy could they not be happy? They went to work, and the first year's effort gave them assurance of what the fu- ture had in store for them in the way of prosperity. The wife not only did cheerfully the work that fell to her lot in the home, but would lend a helping hand to the husband. During the second year of their married life, a babe having been born to brighten their home and inspire their efforts, they concluded to plant an acre or two of cotton to make a little money to buy clothing, pay taxes, etc., and the wife, in her eagerness to help, said she would do the chopping. And she did it. After the break- fast was over, and before dinner had to be started, she would wrap the babe in a quilt and put it dowi'* in a safe place, at the end of the rows, and for an hour or two she chopped the cotton, while her hus- band was plowing the corn and the potatoes, and doing other work on the little farm. As that wife faithfully and cheerfully did the chopping in that cotton, who can tell how many happy thoughts INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 167 passed through her mind, looking forward to the time when the cotton would be sold and many things which they needed in housekeeping, could be bought, to say nothing of the dress she was to have and the shoes and hat the husband would get, aiid also the many little things baby could have? Every lick she made with her hoe sw^elled her in- terest in that bale of cotton that was to bring so many blessings into their little home. The picking time came and the wife, who had contributed so largely to the raising of the crop, took her bag and went into the patch and helped to pick the cotton, smiling as she drcAV the fleecy locks from the bolls, thinking boAV near the time was when the home was to be made so happy be- cause of the many new and bright things that were to be bought with the labor of her hands. At length the bale of cotton was ready for mar- ket, and the husband made his arrangements to start early in the morning. He greased his wagon, got his harness together, and rolled his bale on the vagon, so that when the sun arose he might move right of. As he mounted to the seat on the bale, his wife handed him the memorandum they fixed up last night, and he threw a kiss as he drove off, saying, "I'll be back before night.'' "I do hope he won't. He promised me before we married that he'd never drink another drop, and he has kept his promise two years, and surely he will keep it now, if not for my sake, for baby's sake. I won't think of such a thing." And now I hear her singing and talking to the baby, and telling it what pretty things papa will bring it when he comes back, but I can see she is uneasy. She goes to her work, and the day passes slowly avvay. Let us go over to the town and see the cotton sold. As soon as the husband drove in he was met 1(^8 bv a well-to-do merchant, who, in addition to dry goods and groceries, kept a bar in a back room, and was withal the principal cotton bnyer of the place. He soon made it plain to Tom, for that was the husband's name, that he paid the highest prices for cotton and sold goods to his customers at the lowest prices. So the cotton was sold at the high- est figures, and the bale, weighing ii\e hundred pounds, brought in the neighborhood of fifty dol- lars. The merchant complimented Tom, patting him on the shoulder, and jokingly remarked that a man with as much money as he had just received ought to treat. Others standing around said they tliought so too, and although he protested for av/hile, yet at length he said, being too weak to say NO, and stand to it, ^^Come in and I'll set 'em up one time." At sundown the wife was looking down the lane for the hundredth time, when at last she saw the wagon coming. She rushed around to have things in proper shape when it came to the house, and be ready to give the welcome kiss when Tom drove in. A'\lien she looked again the wagon was at the gate, bnt she did not see Tom. When she went out she found him lying in the wagon looking as if dead, but too soon the truth flashed into her mind, ^- Drunk !" Not a cent of money in his pocket ; not a sack of flour, nor a pound of coffee, cheese or su- gar; no dress nor shoes nor hat; nothing for the baby; nothing but a drunken man. The year's w(U'k gone and the only return a drunken husband. Enough to break any woman's heart, yet thou- sands of times has a like event occurred. ^'I bonght his cotton and paid him for it, as I can prove by a dozen men," (and so he could), ^'and T don't hold myself responsible for a man's money after I pay it to him. If he got drunk and lost it, or spent it, Tom's wife mustn't blame me for it," INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 169 is the Avay the merchant talked Avhen the news got out about Tom's misfortune. The merchant might not have taken the money, but he set the net ; Tom was pulled into it; in there the money was lost, for a man who lived at the place where the thing oc- curred told me in relating this story, that after Tom sold his cotton he was not seen again until taken out the back door of the merchant's bar-room and put into his wagon, and the horse's head was turned towards Tom's home. That merchant was a mem- ber of the church. He would have been insulted had it been said that he kept a bar-room. His business was merchandizing, cotton buying, etc., '^only keeping a little liquor for the benefit of cus- tomers," benefiting them as he benefited Tom — getting their money from them and sending them home drunk. But I'd better stop, or I might run into a temperance speech. When I make u\) my mind to serve the devil to his notion, I'll deal in liquor. I am sure that business pleases him. I am very much interested in farming, and pre- suming upon the fact that I was reared upon a farm, used to plow a mule and do any kind of work ^^'hich others did on the farm, I take the liberty of making a suggestion or two to my brother farmers. One is, don't become discouraged because you did not make as much this year as you did last, and quit the farm. Right up and try it again; but be sure to take a dose of good common sense to get your head right before pitching the next crop," or you may not come out next fall any better than you did the last. The high price of tobacco in the fall of 1902 made your head swim and obscured your men- tal vision. The consequence was, you lost your bal- ance and took a fall, figuratively speaking. ^ A mod- erate dose of common sense would have prevented all that. But you thought, because tobacco sold h^gh then, it would sell high next fall, and so you 170 whitaker's reminiscences, went ahead and bought a top buggy and a fine horse, paying half down and promising the balance when you sold the next crop at a high price; and didn't plant any cotton, and not more than half a crop of corn, because you thought when you sold your big crop of tobacco at a high price you could buy corn and pork cheaper than you could raise them. What was the result? Got left. No, don't quit farming, but use more common sense and less guano on a single crop. Cotton is away up among the stars, in price, now, and your head will get to swimming again if you don't mind, looking at that high price ; and the danger is, you'll take another fall by risking everything on a crop of cctton; and, next fall when you ought to be hous- ing corn and peas, and feeding and fattening hogs, and working the tobacco you made, in addition to the cotton and other crops you raised, you'll be flat of your back again, cursing hard luck. No luck about it. When a farmer deliberately puts him- self in the hands of trusts, by confining himself to one money crop, luck has nothing to do with it. He needs a few pills made of common sense, that's all. I know some farmers who are in fine shape, for tliey diversified their crops, and did not risk every- thing to the tender mercies of the American To- bacco Company. "Old Br'er Rabbit," according to Uncle Remus, could always come out at the big end of the horn, in any scrape or contest he had with the other animals; whether in single combat or against a trust of the whole menagerie; and he did it. Uncle Remus informs us, by "thunkin'," and not in a measuring of strength with them. We can't whip the trusts in a hand-to-hand fight, but, by the use of a little common sense we can keep out of their clutches and be as independent and as safe as Br'er Rabbit was in the midst of bears, lions, wolves, and even elephants. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 171 Now, brother farmer, don't go and plant all cot- ton because it's 15 cents a pound ; unless you have a gold mine close by to fall back upon in case cotton goes down to 5 cents ; but plant other crops so that you may hit the market either "gwine or a coming," or both; and next fall have a pen full of fat hogs, and a crib of corn and plenty of fodder, pea-vines and hay, and one or two good milch-cows, and you needn't care the snap of your finger whether the winter is cold or mild, long or short; or whether the Russian bear has torn Japan into mince-meat^ or Japan has knocked the impudence out of the aforesaid Russian bear — you'll be all right ; plenty to eat, money in your pocket and no debts to pay, for Western meat and cotton-seed lard. Dear brother farmer, as a parting injunction — take a few doses of common sense before you commence plant- ing the next crop, to keep your head from swim- ming. CHAPTER XXIII. Conference at Neiv Bern — A Scene at the Station — Ttco Visits to Beaufort — An Old Widower — Setting up tvith a Dead Man. I don't know why I happen to think of this inci- dent just at this moment; but, so it is, my mind calls up a very funny scene witnessed at New Bern near forty-six years ago. I Avas then a young man, looking about to see what there was in the world, and what kind of people went to Confer- ences, (for that was a Conference occasion), and especially, I guess, to see a certain girl I expected to find there. At any rate, in the fall of 1858, I was at New Bern in attendance upon the North Carolina Conference of the M. E. Church, South. 172 whitaker's reminiscences, After I had seen as much of the Conference as T cared to, I concluded to run down to Beaufort and spend a day or two ; so to the station I went. There I found quite a number of persons, gentlemen and ladies who were also going to Beaufort. They A\ere strangers to me, but all good looking people, and I was glad when I heard them saying they were going to Beaufort, as I observed there were some pretty girls in the company. I soon discov- ered that the crowd consisted of two parties — that some were from Guilford County and some from Granville. In the Guilford party there was a very beautiful young lady, while in the Granville crowd there was a fine-looking young gentleman, dressed from head to foot in faultless style, wearing kid gloves and sporting a gold-headed cane, who, I soon discovered, had had his heart pierced by an arrow from Cupid's bow, the penalty imposed for looking into the eyes of that pretty young woman from Guilford. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her, and of course she couldn't help casting glances at so good looking, well-dressed a gentleman as he was, especially as she saw that he w^as interested in her. He asked this one and that one who she was, but no one could tell him. He was restless, yea, in a state of unbearable anxiety, for having accom- plished two of the feats accredited to Caesar, he was impatient to add the "Vici." With him it was "shoot Luke or give up your gun," so he concluded to shoot. Advancing toward her with hat in hand and making a profound bow that Chesterfield, in his best practice, could not have equalled, he thus addressed her : "I beg your pardon. Madam, for my seeming rudeness, but I am so anxious to know whether you are single or married." "I am married, sir." "Happy the fortunate husband I It is a good IXCIDEXTiS AND ANECDOTES. 173 tiling for liim the marriage took place before I ever saw you.'' ''Thank you, sir," she said. ''Madam'," he asked, "have 3'ou a sister as pretty as YOU are .77? I did not hear her reply, for by this time all in the room were laughing ; the husband of the pretty young woman made his appearance, and introduc- tions were giYcn until all who were present became acquainted, and a right jolly good time we had on our excursion to Beaufort. Hon. W. H. P. Jen kins, one of GrauYille County's most distinguished citizens, was the young man, the hero of that very thrilling incident, which resulted in giving to a party of a dozen or more people, hitherto strangers to each other, a most delightful time at Beaufort for a day or two, besides making friends who for forty-six years have rejoiced in the good fortune that threw us together. I do not know how many of. that party are living. Some are dead, I know, and all of us are getting near the border-land. At this Conference, Benjamin F. Guthrie, John C. Brent, William A. Wheeler (all dead), R. A. Wil- lis and J. W. Jenkins (living) were admitted. Bishop H. H. Kavanaugh presided, and Rev. Wil- liam E. Pell was secretary. The number of mem- bers in the State, reported at that Conference was, white, 27,997 ; colored, 11,770 ; total, 39,767. Now there are 145,972 white members, a gain in forty-five years of 106,205, an average of 2,360 a year. The colored members belonging to other branches of the ^(ethodist church are not included in this state- ment. W. N. Fuller, Esq., of Mapleville, Franklin County, the steward of Cooke's Chapel church, as well as the best surveyor and readiest calculator in that part of the country, was one of the party that went to Beaufort from the New Bern Conference, 174 whitaker's reminiscences, and is a daily reader of the Neivs and Observer. If he will take the time to write some of his remem- brances of that occasion, I will be obliged to him for them. I would like to know how many of those who took that perilous sail from Beaufort that stormy morning are living. That w^as indeed a most perilous sail. As I think of it now, it is a mystery to me how that little boat lived amidst those waves and breakers. In after years I made another visit to Beaufort; this time my Avife accompanied me. We had not been married very long, therefore we mingled with the young people and had just as gay a time as any of them, boating, fishing, and othervdse. Among the many others there, a most conspicuous charac- ter that was seen in every sailing and fishing party, was a rich widower. He was not only seen, but heard, for he was a great talker; said many things and had the gift of being able to laugh at his OAvn jokes, and make others laugh. He spent his money freely, standing treat on all occasions. Of course he soon became quite a lion, and while the girls did not care specially for him, they could not help en- teitaining very kind feelings toward him. He was a personal friend of mine, and my wife and I re- ceived from him very special attentions, and were placed under many obligations to him for numerous acts of kindness, for all of which we promised to speak a good word in his behalf to a certain lady from Caswell county, who, after her brother and sister had gone home, was being chaperoned by my wife. He was very much pleased with her, follow- ing her like a shadow, and she seemed to be as much pleased with him; at any rate she allowed him to be her constant escort, and accepted very graci- ously, and I thought quite as feelingly, the many tokens he gave her of his very high esteem. He kept her room filled with flowers, and as for cakes. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 175 candies, fruits and cool driul>:s, she had enough to treat all her friends. As I saw the matter, I felt pretty well assured that my friend, the widower, and the Caswell girl, would surely arrange matters, and that opinion was strengthened each day. At last we left Beaufort, the young lady, wid- ower, wife and I coming off together; wife and I on one seat, the widower and the young lady on another. We expected that as the widower lived in or near New Bern he would drop off there, when the train came through. But he did not. At Goldsboro we expected he would turn back ; but no, when the train moved off for Raleigh he still held his seat with his girl. They spent the night in Ealeigh as our guests, and of course we gave them the parlor, all to themselves, thinking that when the parting came in the morning between them all would be satisfactorily arranged, and that the wid- ower would turn his face homeward. Not so; he had not been able in all his interviews, to bring the woman up to the point of giving him an answer to that question which had been so earnestly urged for the last few days. And so, instead of going east, the widower went on west, hoping that at the last he would hear from her lips the little word that would more than pay him for all that he had spent, and for all the anxiety he had suffered on her account, as well, and make him the happiest of men. The lady's father was to meet her at Com- pany Shops, now Burlington, and it was there the separation was to take place, though, before leav- ing that morning, the widower told my wife it was his intention to hire a carriage at Company Shops and take the young lady home. Well, they departed, and I went to my office and wife turned her attention to domestic duties. At dinner we talked over the matter and speculated on the probable outcome of the affair. We had no 176 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, idea of hearing- amthijQg more of it soon, and so we dismissed, or thought we had dismissed the whole matter. But that night as we sat at the supper table, the door-bell rang, and as the servant opened the door we heard the widower's voice. He didn't take time to say good evening, but, as he entered the hall where wife and I had gone to meet him, he exclaimed : ^'She's a cheat! a perfect swindle I" ^'Why, what's the matter?" asked my Avife. "Enough's the matter, madam. By the time we reached the depot this morning that woman would hardly speak to me. xlnd after we had got on the car she looked as cold as an iceberg, and the further we went the colder she got. And when we got to Company Shops and her father met her, I gad, she didn't even know me, but Avalked right off with her father without so much as looking at me! She's a cheat! a first-class swindle; that's all I've got to say about her." I frequently saw my friend after that, and, of course, we talked over the Beaufort affair. But he's dead now — died a widower and maintained to the last that "that woman was a swindle !" And I guess that she was ; but, not any more so than many other very innocent looking girls who make merry at summer resorts at the expense of other widowers, and bachelors as well. Soon after the close of the war — I think it was in 1866 — a gentleman was living in this city who had on hand quite a lot of cotton tliat he had man- aged to keep hid away from the Yankees, until things had quieted down, and he could safely put ii: on the market. He made arrangements to ship it. deciding that on a set da}^ the train, which at tiiat time was a mixed one, carrying freight and passengers, should take him and liis cotton to Nor- folk, as he was determined his cotton should not ii'et out of his sight. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 177 There was a yerj sick Yankee in the city, in whom our people took much interest, and the gen- tle man who owned the cotton, whom I Avill name '^Eill Dew," had given him a great deal of atten- tion, even taking his wife to the sick man's room that she might, with her Avomanly gentleness and sympathy, smooth the pillow upon which lay his fevered head. One of the last things which Bill did before going off with his cotton was to take his wife around to the sick man's room to look after liis comfort. He was gone about a week, sold his cotton for big money, and telegraphed his wife that ho would be home on a certain evening. Of course the wife was rejoiced to hear the good news, but could not help being uneasy, as the times were troublous, and she didn't know what might happen if the bummers and thieves, then so i3lentiful, should find out that he had a pocket full of money. All day long she could hardly stay in the house, be- cause of her anxiety, and could not pass the clock without counting the hours before the train would arrive. At last the whistle blew, and she took her position on the front porch watching every figure that made its appearance on the street. But Bill did not heave in sight. At length night came on, and wore Oil, but Bill did not come, but some one passed by who told her that Bill certainly came on the train, for he saw him get off. Then she did not know what to think, but sat up all night expecting every moment to hear his footsteps. Now, about Bill. When he came down the street he met a gentleman who insisted that they should go up into a room in an old building that stood about where Briggs' Hardware Store is, and see a very fine game that was being played up there. Bill declined, saying his wife was looking for him, ai d that she'd be uneasv, etc. ; but the friend said, 12 178 whitaker's reminiscences, ^^You needn't stay long''; and so lie went up, goc it'terested in the game, and staid until the sun rose the next morning. Hurrying home, he found his wife standing on the porch, where she had stood most of the night, crying as if her heart was break ing. '^O, Bill," she exclaimed as he hove to, "what made you do so? Here I've stood all night long expecting every minute to hear that somebody had robbed you and killed you, and, O, I — I — ," and dropping her head on his manly breast she gave vent to her feelings in a good, old-fashioned cry. xls he laid his arm around her and drew her closer to his honest heart, he said in tones so full of love and tenderness : "Mariah, don't go on so ; I'm here safe and sound, and I'll tell you, love, how I happened to stay away last night. As I came down the street, I thought I'd run in to see the sick man a minute and find out how you all had been attending to him while 1 was gone; and I found him so much worse and all alone, I just couldn't get away from him; so, as much as I wanted to see you and as uneasy as I knew you would be, I thought it Avas my duty to stay with the poor fellow; and when I left I told him that I'd come home and get you and we both would go back and carry him a nice breakfast." All of a sudden the weeping wife raised her head, pushed Bill off at arm's length, and flashing her eyes at him, said: '^Bill, that man you say you sat up with last night was buried last Thursday." Bill said he made up his mind, right there and then, it was best, in tlie long run, for a man to tell his wife the truth, for she'd catch up with him, sooner or later, and then he'd Avisli he had. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 179 CHAPTER XXIV. Haw River Barbecue — Regimental Muster — Old Aunt Rose, the Old Colored Manwiy — A Visit From "Burt^^ — An Old Nurse. In one of my letters I had something to say about the visits the Oak City Guards made to various places, but I failed to speak of an excursion which that company and the Independent Guards inade to Haw River in 1857. General Trollinger had opened a hotel at Haw River, and to popularize it, I suppose, he invited the two Raleigh companies and the Orange Guards of Hillsboro, to have a grand parade there and to partake of a barbecue; and the invitation, as we understood it, (I was a member of the Oak City Guards), meant that the military companies would be his guests while there. Of course our ranks were full, for who wouldn't go to war when the only enemy to be met was a barbe- cue and free entertainment for a night, with sup- per and breakfast thrown in? Arrived at Haw River the three companies, looking their best, were drawn up in line to be inspected by our host, and admired by the hundreds of ladies who graced the occasion. There was not a soldier there, from the captain down to the lowest man in ranks, who did not feel his importance, and try to look his very best, for we were not only hotel guests, but we were on historic soil, very near to where in the cause of freedom men had lost their lives in other days, and of course we wanted to make it appear that, if not chips off the old blocks, we were chaps that would make chips, sometime. The hint was thrown out, that after a little while spent in drill, the military were to march to the warehouse, stack arms and have a hand-to-hand 180 whitaker's reminiscences, fight with that barbecue, of which so much had been said in the papers, and of which we were think^ ing, while on parade. Every time we wheeled in the direction of that warehouse we got hungrier and hungrier, but still the signal was not given by the General, who had requested the officers to keep u^ in ranks until by a signal he should announce that dinner was ready. Sometimes w^e would march very close down to the warehouse, and we'd think surely the signal will come now, but it didn't; in- stead would come the command, ^'Right about, march !" and up the hill we'd go again. And thus we paraded for at least two hours. At last the sig- nal was given, arms were stacked, and in good order we marched into the warehouse, determined to clean up that barbecue, for we thought we were hungry enough to clean up anything. But as gal lantly as we marched in, and as confident as Ave were of our ability to dislodge the enemy, we ut- tery failed, for, after the most desperate assault along the line, we were forced to retire, leaving the enemy in possession of the field. Why? Well, the boys had no stomach for the fight, after the first as- sault; so, hungry as they were, they marched out, leaving the "ram, lamb, sheep and mutton" and the stale corn bread, pretty much as they found them. Of course all ate some, if a piece of the sheep (for it was all sheep) could be found that was done enough; in some dishes, there was wool enough to tell the color of the sheep. Well, we understood that the supper was to be a swell affair, and so we soldiers (invited guests as we were), consoled ourselves with the good news that would now and then come from the hotel din- ing-room, which was in effect, that it was being filled with all sorts of good things, and such a sup- per, as we would all sit down to, had not been seen since Haw Eiver was a spring branch. That o-ood INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 181 news put some of the boys in such fine spirits that a dance was gotten up in no time to keep things lively until the supper-bell would ring. So, the dancers, as empty as they were, seemed to be jolly enough. But all at once General Trollinger made his ap pearance in the warehouse, mounted a bench and rapped for silence. Every eye was upon him, and every stomach gave attention. "Ladies and gentlemen," said he, "supper is now ready!'' Tremendous apiDlause. "The ladies," he continued, "pay nothing — gentlemen will pav a dol- lar !" I took a lady and made haste to reach the dining- room ahead of the crowd, thinking the hungry boys would be pouring in like so many half-starved cat- tJ(: fighting their way to a hay-stack; and I had just taken my seat and cast my eyes over the well-filled table, when I heard a gun fire off, and the long roll beat; then the order, "Fall in. Oak City Guards!" fell upon my ear like a death knell. Hastening from the dining-room, I at once took in the situa- tion. The captains of the three companies, after a hasty consultation, had decided to march their men to Graham, two miles away, where they would get supper and better treatment than they had re- ceived there. Soon the column was in motion, the band playing "Eoot Hog or Die!" In less than an hour (for a dispatch had gone ahead of us) we were all seated at various tables, in Graham, eating ham and eggs, biscuit and butter, and drinking hot cof- fee : the happiest crowd old Graham ever fed. The boys could not sleep that night, they felt so good, though ample sleeping arrangements were made. The breakfast next morning was even better than supper the night before, for in addition to ham and eggs we had fried chicken. Our bill, when we were ready to leave the town, had been paid by the citi- 182 whitaker's reminiscences, zcns of Graham, and receipted to the senior cap- tain, with the invitation annexed: ^'Come again! Our doors are always open.'' We took the train at Graham station, and of course had to come by Haw Kiver. As the train stood in front of the hotel the boys showed their bad manners by singing to the tune of ^^Eoot Hog or Die" : "We military boys are off upon a spree, Came to General Trollinger's to get a dinner free, Dinner wan't the thing, then supper was the cry, Down with your dollar bill, root hog or die." I am afraid the boys were a little too rude that morning, but the Graham people had treated them so nicely, and they felt so good, having just filled up on ham, eggs, fried chicken, and the so-forths, they were hardly responsible for what they did and said. General Trollinger did not show himself while the train halted, though it was said that he heard every- thing. He made a terrible mistake, and it ruined his hotel. As his conduct was interpreted, his idea was to draw a big crowd there, ostensibly to a free barbecue, but in reality to make money on the sup- per out of the three militar^^ companies which he had invited, as well as out of the people generally, who might come. He had no idea the matter would take the turn it did ; that, at the last moment, after the supper bell had rung, the three hungry and tired companies would shake HaAV Eiver dust from their feet and march to Graham for their supper. But they did. As I am talking about the military of the olden time, when, as a young man, I marched and went 0:1 excursions with the boj^s, I will stop to relate an experience I had when a very small boy. My father was a colonel of the militia, and once or twice a year there was a regimental muster. I had never witnessed one, and really had no idea what INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 183 it was. So, one morning, my father said to an older brother and me that we might go with him to Ral- eigh to the muster if we would promise to be good hojs when we got there. Of course we i^romised, and so we went. As I remember, the parade ground was in the southwest x)ortion of the city near where the cotton platform is, and m}' father carried us out there and placed us in a good position to witness the muster. Pretty soon the old field began to fill up with people, and it was not long until the com- panies belonging to the regiment began to march out on the field and take positions. Such drum- ming and fifing, and such marching and counter- marching, wheeling and twisting, and handling of guns made my eyes run water to behold. Company after compam^ marched in, manoeuvered and halted in position, until, it seemed to me, the line was a mile long. Then, there was a lull, and the men began to squat down, kneel down, or lie down and talk, laugh and joke. But presently, an officer said in a loud, martial voice : '^Attention !" Men sprang to their feet, shouldered their guns, and orderlies up and down the line, were saying: ^'Look to the right and dress!'' I asked my brother what dress- ing meant, but he didn't know, and so all that we could do was to watch and wait. Our station was about half way the line, and some twenty-five yards in front of it, so we could see all the companies which made up the regiment and see everything that was done, as well as hear all that was said. I noticed that the officers with swords drawn took positions in front of the line, and pretty soon the word passed along the line : ^^The ColoneFs coming ! The Colonel's coming!" And sure enough there came three or four men, on prancing steeds, wear- ing gay uniforms, cocked hats with feathers, long- legged boots, military gloves, red sashes, while sa- bres, that looked as long to me as scythe blades, 184 danoled at their sides. If I had had the eyes of Argus, himself, I could have kept them hu^j taking in all that was new to me. On the riders came, the men in line presented arms, the officers their swords, and I kncAv that the big event of the day was taking place or soon would be. ^^That's the Colonel, the man in the middle on the bay horse," I heard some one say, and of course I looked, and my brother and I said at the same time, ^'Vv hy, that's father !" "Your father, honey?" queried a well-dressed ne- gro mammy, who held two pretty children by their hands. "Is de Kernel your father?" "Yes, ma'am," I said. "Well, fore de Lawd, he's a putty man ; he's putty nuff to be a gineral. What's your name, honey?" I told her, and then she made the two little chil- dren she had in her care, shake hands Avith "de Kernel's sons," and divide with us the cakes she had in a basket for their lunch. I have thought of the incident often, and I bring it into review for the puri)ose of giving the reader some idea of the pride and importance of the old- time negro, especially the old-time "negro mammy." In my young days there were as many grades in negro society as there were slave owners; and the grades depended u^dou the number of negroes on a plantation or upon the title a man bore. I used to know one of the finest looking negro men in mj young days who Avas honest and industrious, A\'ho dressed well and behaved well, and, all things considered, he was, to my mind, a good catch for any negro girl. But, strange to say, among the negroes, he was rated aAvay down; in fact, called "dat poor nigger," when alluded to by the negro girls belonging to men who owned ten, twenty, or perhaps fifty slaves. What was the matter with him? A great deal in the estimation of other ne- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 185 o'j-oes. He was the only negro his master owned, therefore he was poor. There Avas no class of peo- ple in the old time that had more pride than ne- groes; and no class that paid more homage to AA-ealth and position. There were other children standing nearby that day, when that old negro mammy divided her children's cakes with me and my brother, but they were not "de Kernel's sons," so she offered them no cakes. "Aunt Rose" was the mammy at our home, and she was always telling us children of "old master," and of our uncles and aunts, and I am sure that, ac- cording to her views, no such people ever lived "in her day and time," as "Old Marster and his folks." If I had the gift of Joel Chandler Harris, I would reproduce "Aunt Rose," incarnate her as "Uncle Remus" has been, and let the reader look upon and listen to the old-time mammy, who, fifty years ago, was quite as regal in her views and opinions as Vic- toria ever was, and had more influence over us chil- dren than mother herself, in certain things. Har- riet Beecher Stowe wrote a book that fired the Northern mind and heart to the extent of making the North hate us; but it was as untrue as were Satan's words to Eve, when he beguiled her into believing a lie. I am glad that slavery has been abolished, but I wish to write it that children may hear what an old man says, that slavery was a good thing for the negro; and, with comparatively few exceptions, negroes were as well cared for as were the master's children. And so long as the old-time negro lives, he knows that the old-time master, who played with him, and worked with him, when they were boys together, will never let him suffer. "Burt" came in to see me the other day, and I gave him the best rocking-chair; and what memo- ries were revived as he and I talked! I could see the old home as it was when Burt and I were boys. 186 whitaker's reminiscences, father and mother, with the care of a home and a large plantation, so intent upon the faithful per- formance of the many duties and obligations that devolved upon them, going here and there, looking after everything; the children, (all of usj the ser- vants, the dogs and the cats, the horses, the cows, the hogs, the geese, the turkeys, the chickens, yea, everything. Yes, Burt and I talked, and fifty years were blotted out, as we went over the old planta- tion. We went doAvn to the "copper mine" field Avhere we first plowed together, and over in the "goose nest'^ field, where we as young men helped to cut down the timber and clear up the land ; and over to the Avery field, where the corn rows were so long it seemed like a day's journey to us to make a round; down to the lake field Avhere we made our fii-st money cutting ditches at night. In short, we went to every place so well remembered by us — and connected with each there was a something that made its recollection very sacred to us. As I sat and looked at the old man Burt, whose head is grey, and whose face is wrinkled, and remembered that he and I were boys together, played together, and many times, in the field, ate together from the same wooden tray, he felt so much like a brother — one of us! Deep down in my heart I said, "God bless the faithful, old-time negro!" While we were talking, wife came in and said. "Uncle Burt, I have fixed a breakfast for you in the kitchen." "Thankee, Missus, ^^Jjankee," and cutting his eye at me, with the old-time smile on his face, he went out following wife, repeating as he went, "Thankee, Missus!" When Burt left he had on his arm a suit of clothes and an overcoat, and said, as he closed the gate: "I'm coming to see you again, if the good Lord spares my life. If I don't, I'm gwine to try to meet you up dar I" turning his eyes heavenward. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 187 Soon the last old-time master and mistress and the last old-time negro will have passed away, and the last sacred tie that bound the two races to- gether will, forever, have been severed. But, may we not hope that, the two races, in t]ieir new relations to each other, may so adjust themselves to the requirements of peace and good order as that the future may be as happy to them as was the old-time past to the generation now has- tening away? I have had considerable to say in these letters about raising and training children; and perhaps have said enough. But for the benefit of the moth- ers, whose babes are carried out in their best dresses, by hired nurses, I will relate a circum- stance of which I was a witness. A half-dozen nurses, with babes in charge, con- gregated the other evening near my gate, and among them was an old-time colored ''mammy.'' One of the nurses, however, was a young girl, 12 or 15 years old, who had in charge a three-months'-old child, that looked very fragile and was so feeble that, although roughly, and I might say cruelly handled, it made no outcry — in fact, it appeared to be so completely tired out by rough treatment as to be unable even to whimper. I felt like I ought to make an appeal to the nurse in the child's behalf, but knowing how pert and imj)udent some are who go out as nurses, I refrained. But, the old colored mammy came to its aid in a real snap- ping turtle st^de, by saying: ''Look-a-here, gal; Avhose chile's dat you got dar, slinging it on yer arm jes like 'twas a cat? You ort to be 'shamed er yerself to hold a poor little chile dat way. I say, whose chile is dat?" The girl paid no attention to her, but slung the little thing from arm to arm as if it had been a rag, its little head hanging down; then catching it up 188 whitaker's reminiscences, sbe threw it on her shoulder, while she pranced around, as if trying to waltz off. But the old mammy persisted in knowing "whose chile is dat?" "Dat white 'ooman's 'round de corner, dar," she answered, as she slung the child again. " 'Fore God, you'll kill dat chile; it's too little to be out here dis time o' day. The poor thing's cold rite now. Carry it home to its mother. You'll shorely kill dat chile." The nurse paid no heed to what she said, but, continued to sling the babe from arm to arm, some- times almost dropping it, leisurely sauntering along, looking as careless and as indifferent to the child's comfort or health, as if it had been a cat, indeed. The old mammy looked after her as she slowly turned the corner, still slinging the child, and as if talking to herself, exclaimed : "Dat's how come so many white chillun's gone to glory! Emph! Dat's de Lawd's trufe! Heav- en's bin mity nigh filled up wid white chillun sense do war, and taint gwine to be long 'fore it'll be chock full. Yea, Lawd! Dese nigger gals gwine 'round here nussin' ain't fit to nuss a puppy, for dey kills mor'n half de babies dey nuss, and den de mothers grieves deyselves half to death and say, ^De Lawd gave and de Lawd has taken'd dem away.' But dat ain't so. De Lawd give 'em to de mam- mies and de mammies give 'em to dese no 'count gals to nuss, and deys de ones dat's filling glory with white aingels." "Is that the way of it?" I asked. "I'm telling you de Lawd's trufe. Bless de Lawd, I know. I've bin the mammy of twenty-six white chillun, and none o' dem chillun's never gone to glory yit. You can't treat a chile like it was a injun rubber shoe or a rag-doll. You hear me! Dese gals gwine 'round here, with white aperns on, 'tend- ing like they can nuss, shouldn't nuss a fice dog for me 'dout I wanted to kill de dog." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 189 The old mammy tucked the wrapping about the biiby she had in charge, started her carriage and repeated to herself as she moved along: "None of de white chillun dat called me mammy ain't gone to glory jit, bless de Lawd !" CHAPTER XV La Griijpe, and ^M^o Started It? — Kirkham's Spring — In a Quandary. Who, until a few years ago, ever heard of the grippe? And who, if he has had an attack of the grippe, wants to hear of it any more? When I was a boy we had bad colds, and worse, and "the worst colds"; and had the influenza and all other kinds of diseases, brought on by the changeable winter weather, but, there was no such thing as grippe among us common people. They might have had it among the rich people, but the poorer classes were not able to indulge in such a high-sounding, Frenchified complaint as "La Grippe." I don't know who introduced the thing here, and, wishing him no harm, I don't want to know; for I am sure he is no friend of mine. I don't complain at a bad cold, nor grumble much (however much I may sneeze and cough) over a worse cold ; but, the grippe is something I have no patience with, and am, by it, very much like old Mrs. Alston used to say of the preacher who would come to see her and stay a week at a time. She said: "I always hate to see him come; I'm in a bad humor all the time he's here, and mighty glad Avhen he is gone." That ex- presses my feelings about the grippe, exactly, for I've had it. About ten years ago the thing took me, or I took it : either would be correct ; and I've had 190 whitaker's reminiscences, annual visitations ever since. It is the grippiest grippe that ever gripped me. They say that a tur- tle, when he bites one, won't let go his hold until it thunders; but I've never heard any thunder that would break the hold of the grippe. It makes no difference whether the weather is clear or cloudy; raining, hailing or snowing, the gri^Dpe puts in its work. And it is no respecter of persons, but like t]iat old fellow who goes about seeking whom he may devour, taking all and leaving none, the grippe treats all alike, and just as mean as possible. What is the grippe, anyhow? I know it well enough by the way it treats me ; not that I can tell it by sight, nor by sound; but, it has a way of its own by which it can make known its presence. A fellow feels badly when he has a bad cold; when he's got the tooth-ache, ear-ache, or the head-ache; and feels mighty bad also when he's got the rheu- matism, the sciatica or ^'lumbago" ; but, he don't know how badly a man can feel until he has had the grippe. If I have a friend in this world who is as fond of me as the grippe, I don't know it. Uninvited and unwanted, whether I'm busy or otherwise, here it comes, and there's not a particle of use of trying to excuse myself, for it will take no excuse ; but walks right in, hangs up its hat, takes a seat and crosses its legs, and there it is ; and there it's going to stay until I have spent from five to ten dollars to have it turned out. That's my trouble right now, trying to oust that disagreeable visitor that I hate to see come, that keeps me in a bad humor when here, and though driven out a dozen times, has no more man- ners than to come right back again. Again, I ask, what is the grippe, and where did it come from? Old Dr. Keely said it was the same thing as the epizootic in army horses. That raises the question, did we catch the grippe from horses, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 191 o:* did the horses catch the epizootic from us? I thought there must be some horse-power connected with it, somehow, for it's strength is wonderful. 'S'^^hen you have sneezed enough to loose the hair on your head, and coughed enough to bring up things from the very bottom, and blown enough to run a Munchausen wind-mill, and begin to indulge the iiope that you have broken the grippe's grip, you find, after the struggle is over that the grippe is still holding its grip. Ten years ago, with the aid 01 one of the best doctors in Raleigh, I tried to break the thing loose; but it held on w^eek after week, and though spring was coming on, it showed no signs of leaving me. I was getting impatient, aye becoming desperate, and was willing to try any remedy. As luck would have it, I saw a statement in a paper, made by Dr. Keely, to the effect that asa- foetida would cure the worst kind of case of grippe, that he had tried it in all sorts of cases and cured e^ ery one. The dose was sixteen grains four times a day, making sixty-four grains a day. I didn't know whether there was any virtue in the asafoetida; but, I thought I'd treat Mr. Grippe to a few^ doses of it; anyhow; if it did nothing else, it might make his longer stay very unpleasant. So, for three days I swallowed sixty-four grains of asafoetida a day, a total of one hundred and ninety-two grains in the three days. Did I get well? Of course I did. Did the asafoetida cure me? I don't know. Some of the doctors who tried to tease me about my asa- foetida remedy, said the supposed good effect was imagination. To which I replied: ^'It makes no difference which it was, the asafoetida or the imagi- nation, so I got clear of the grippe." But I've had it since, repeatedly. Yes, I've got the grippe right now ; my limbs ache, my head aches, my throat is sore, my nose is stop- ped up, my eyes are running water, and, altogether. 192 whitaker's reminiscences, I'm feeling as old Mr. Stokes used to say, ^^powerful bad.'' That's the reason I'm not writing an old- time story. I'm feeling too solemn for story writ- ing; and in too bad humor to try to be funny. Coughing and sneezing take me by turns, and pocket handkerchiefs have to be changed so often I can't give an idea half a chance to hatch out, before the whole thing has to be repeated. I wonder if Job ever had the grippe? I don't expect an answer from any honest Bible reader, but I thought that (maybe) some of the advanced thinkers and higher Clitics would like to try their hands on it, as it's about on a par with the most of the questions they like to tackle. There is not much religion in the grippe, nor is it, in any sense, a means of gTace; but it certainly does make a fellow feel his utter dependence and causes him to place a hitherto unacknowledged high estimate upon the faithfulness of the wife, who patiently bears with him in his cross moments, reg- ularly physics him, rubs his head when it aches, and even bathes his feet and makes him say, after each of said ministrations, that '^he does feel a sight better." By the way, that's a smart trick of the wife. She doesn't propose to let her patient say he feels worse, but makes him say he feels better, and then makes him stick to it. There is a lot of philosophy in that. The old story of a well man's dying just because every one he met said he was looking badly, demonstrated the power of the imag- ination on that side of the question ; and it's just as reasonable to suppose that a man can be helped back to health by making him think he's better. If a man's got any grit left in him, he don't like to go back on himself after he has told his loving, anx- i(>us wife that "he feels better," and bring back the shadow on her face. Yes, whenever the wife per- forms anv of those womanlv tricks that none but a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 193 l('Ying wife knows how to practice, she's sure to conclude Avith the question, "You feel better, now, don't you?" And of course he says, "Yes, much better.'' I am getting better and hope to be out in a few days. This is not that tough old grippe that we run out Avith asafcetida years ago, but one of: the younger grippes ; therefore more easily man- aged, but it's surely a chip off the old block. I'll stop right here, with the ^proposition, that if the grippe will let me alone I Avill let it alone, for all time to come, and hold no grudges against it. That's fair. In the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hun- dred and fifty-eight, our city was made to believe, that, in less than a mile from the capitol building, there was a fine mineral spring. The news of its discovery filled the toAvn with an interest almost as absorbing as the political campaign of that fall, as was attested by the crowd that rode or walked to a low place filled Avith mud that smelt like sul- phur, copperas, iron, and every other thing that one's olfactories would revolt at. The spring Avas on the land of Mr. J. H. Kirkham, and was on or near the southern extension of Person street. Mr. Kirkham dug a hole in the mud and planked it up ; built a sort of paAdlion, and the public enjoA-ed the evening visits to the rapidly becoming famous Kirk- ham Spring. If the water was ever analyzed I do not remember who did it, or w^hat the analysis dem- onstrated; but, I AA^ell remember how exuberant were Mr. Kirkham's expectations of amassing a iortue from his spring, and how rejoiced the city AAas, in the fact that it had, almost within its cor- pt>rate limits, a mineral spring Avhose waters smelt and tasted as badly as the waters of the most cele- brated spring of the South. For a year or two the spring continued to be patronized, and but for an unfortunate remark made by some person, to the 13 194 whitaker's reminiscences, effect that the mineral (or minerals) with which tlie water seemed to be so highly impregnated, might, after all, be the washings of that part of the city whose waters emptied into that bottom, filling it with filth of every kind; I say, but for that re- mark the spring might have had a big run. But no sooner did that idea get afoot than did certain gentlemen take the task upon themselves to follow the watershed to ascertain whether the gentleman's tiieory was correct or false. The investigation sat- isfied them that the theory was correct, and then everybody who had been drinking the waters of Kirkham's Spring felt that he ought to take a dose of ipecac. And Kirkham's Spring was no more. Nevertheless, while the spring was in good stand- ing, we young people had just as good a time, prom- enading down to it and returning, as the twilight brought out the stars; and were just as romantic in our thoughts and feelings as if Ave had been visi- tors at springs whose waters floAved out of a pure rock on a mountain side. Mr. Kirkham Avas sorely distressed over the down- fall of his pet enterprise; but when the older citi- zens, who kncAV the history of the whole matter, showed him so clearly that the place where his spring was had been raised from a cow-mire, by the deposits that had come from slaughter pens, and numerous gutters had brought the Avashings of the streets, all east of Wilmington street, he had to ad- mit that the people were not to blame for turning against his mineral Avater. I'm in a quandary. Things are getting in such a fix I hardly know hoAV to pray an orthodox prayer and, at the same time, a consistent prayer. To be on the safe side, I usually fall back on the Lord's Prayer; but I don't get more than half through that before I run up against a difficulty, and I liaA^e to leave out ''lead us not into temptation, but de- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 195 liver us from evil," entirely; for when I remember that our people are educating their children upon whiskey money and this whiskey money is made by leading men into temptation and causing them to drink and spend their money in drunkenness that we may educate some more children, it would be inconsistent in me to pray the Lord to keep men from being tempted to drink, because that would be withholding education from our dear children. So, there it is. And, then, how can I consistently pray that our children may not be led into a knowledge of the sinful ways of the world, such as gambling and dancing and drinking, when I know that the opin- ion of the good mothers is, that gambling and danc- ing and drinking at receptions (even to becoming "how-come-you-so'' sometimes), are not any harm, but badges of social superiority? If I see a boy whose health is well-nigh ruined by smoking cigar- ettes, I may be sorry for him and orthodoxly pray that the Lord may have mercy upon his soul, and that he may, when he leaves this world of inconsist- ejicies, find a home where the weak are never tempt- ed ; but how can I be consistent in praying the Lord to lead us not into temptation of cigarette smok- ing? Don't you see what a scrape it would lead me into? So, the best I can do is to repeat, "deliver ub from eviF' (the evil we uphold) "by taking us home to glory, after that evil has ruined us." I tried to reason with a poor drunken man, some- time ago, about drinking and spending money in a sinful indulgence; but, he soon knocked the dirt from under me by saying : "I buy my liquor at the dispensary, and that's run by church members, and they want me to drink that they may have money to educate the children." After we separated I thought it all over, and I came to the conclusion tiiat, to be consistent, I would be obliged to change 196 whitaker's reminiscences, the Lord's Prayer a little and make it read : "Lead us not into temptation (except in certain cases wherein we have educational interests, and where- in, also, the mothers are becoming gamblers and punch guzzlers for society's sake), and finally, Lord, deliyer us from all evil, when we can't enjoy it any longer, by translating us to the city of gold, and thine shall be the glory," etc. Yes, I'm in a quandary. The question is : Shall I be orthodox in theory and inconsistent in prac- tice? Or, shall I make my practice as well as my theory orthodox, so as to be able to pray the Lord's Prayer as it is? I will leave the question open for debate. I hope I'll be better next week, and then, perhaps, I'll not be in a quandary. CHAPTER XXVL Temperance Campaign of 1881 — How the Liquor Men Talked to the l^egroes — A Church Trial. What a wonderful stride has public sentiment made on the prohibition question in the last quarter of a century! Twenty-three years ago, there was a prohibition campaign in this State that was al- most a failure, so far as votes were concerned, but, in reality, it was the most important and far-reach- ing movement on a moral line that had ever been made in the old Common Avealth. The Legislature, in response to the hundreds of petitions that were presented to that body, passed a bill allowing an election to be held on the question of prohibition, and in 1881, a campaign was made that some of us can never forget. In the early part of the cam- paign, it seemed that the measure would receive an INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 197 overAvhelming majority of the popular vote. All the ministers, white and colored, with but few ex- ceptions, in the State, were for prohibition, and the colored people, if anything, were more favorable to it than were the whites. A great convention was held here in Kaleigh, over which Judge James C. MacRae presided, and such was the enthusiasm manifested that one could hardly see how the State could go otherwise than for prohibition. But, somebody discovered that there were elements of politics in the movement, and so a call was made for a meeting of the Republican State Executive Committee, to consider the pros and cons of the matter. The committee consisted of seven men, as 1 remember, and five of them came together here in Raleigh, and after talking over the matter, three of the fiA e, decided it would be a good thing to array the Republican party of the State against prohibi- tion, and make an appeal to the negroes on the score of politics, telling them prohibition w^as a Democratic measure that w^ould take away their rights, and put them all back into slavery. That act of three of the committee was published and acquiesced in, as the dictum of the Republican party in North Carolina; the result of which was the great bulk of the negroes turned right about and were as much opposed to the movement as they had before favored it. The Republican party swapped off its name for "The Liquor Dealers' Association,'^ under which name two campaigns ^vere conducted. I want to say to his everlasting credit that Col. J. C. L. Harris was one of the two committeemen who opposed making politics out of the movement, and would not be led into the fight against prohibition, but worked for it. As a fur- ther consequence of that political move, as soon as it was seen the negro vote would be cast almost solidly against prohibition, hundreds of white men 198 whitaker's reminiscences, who had intended to vote for it, began to ease off, and to trim their sails for the future. They did not care to be identified with a moral movement that was, in their opinion, doomed to be a failure. So, that, it was a forlorn hope almost from the be- ginning of the campaign. Many a white politi- cian who, if the chances had been better, would have been a staunch friend and advocate of prohi- bition, played weather-cock for awhile, and veered clear around to the whiskey crowd, when he became satisfied how the wind would blow on election day. I was sorry for some of them, whom I knew. Their better judgments and their consciences pro- tested, but they were afraid of the whiskey power, and did not care to be stranded on as dry a thing as prohibition. I heard some of that class several times, before large crowds of negroes, who were ignorant and very much afraid they might be put back into slavery again, and this is about the speech they made : "Fellow citizens!" they would say. "These are mighty ticklish times!'' ("Eh! you hear dat," a negro would say.) "Yes, fellow-citizens, I know what I say, when I tell you that we are in danger of losing our most sacred right — the right to eat and drink what we please." ("Dat's de Lawd's trufe!") "I'm a white man and I've always voted the white ticket, but, my fellow-citizens, in times like these, I know no party nor color, but stand on those eternal principles of independence and jus- tice which our forefathers secured to us by the shedding of their blood." ("Bless de Lawd, don't he talk sweet!") "I can't help it, my fellow-citi- zens, that my skin is white, and your's is black, but I don't stand on the color of a man's skin, when my brother is in distress; it's my duty to be his fiiend, though he be as white as snow or as black as the ace of spades." ("Dat's de way ter talk it, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 199 Anti-Prohibition Speecli.— ' Fellow Citizens— These are mighty ticklish times. 200 whitaker's reminiscences, gem'men, dat's de way ter talk it!") ^'This pro- hibition bill is the most infernal and diabolical thing that was ever concocted by the enemies of a free and independent people.'' ("Dat's de Lawd's trufe; what'd I tell you, Br'er Sam?'') ''This dam- nable bill, my fellow-citizens, is to keep us from tak- ing a morning dram when we feel badly ; from hav- ing a little in the house for snake bites, and when the old woman is poorly, and from even making a liltle camphor for the headache." (''Dar, now, you hear dat, don't you?") ''I tell you my fellow- citizens, as sure as I am looking into your honest And intelligent faces, upon which I see a determina- tJon, writ as with a pen of steel, to defeat this iniqi- tous measure, there's something behind it." (Dat's your God-a-mity's trufe!") ''Why, fellow-citizens, Tin a member of the church, and I read my Bible, and I say here, before these prohibition gentlemen, that the Bible is teetot'ally against prohibition." ( "I sed so, Br'er Jim !" ) "My fellow-citizens, hear what the Bible says : 'Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish.'" ("Dat's de Avord.") "Now, fellow-citizens, Iioav are we going to do that if all the strong drink is voted out?" ("Yea, Lawd, dat's Avhat I want ter know! Hit 'em ergin!") "And didn't good old Paul tell his son Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach's sake, and for his often infirmities?" ("Dar, now! Umph!") "And weren't old father Noah a preacher for one hun- dred and twenty years, and didn't he get drunk when he pleased? And I dare these prohibition gentlemen to show us from the Bible that they ever had him up in the church." ("Now you got it, bless the Lawd!") "And didn't the blessed Sav- iour say, 'Not that which goeth into the mouth de- fileth a man, but that which proceedeth out of the mouth?' " ("Now you're hittin' 'em good!") "And, fellow-citizens, these gentlemen here would make INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 201 you believe that all the murders are the result of drinking whiskey. Will they say that Cain had taken a drink th^ day he. killed his brother Abel? I dare them to do" it;'? ('^ow, what's tley got to say for deyselves? Bless de Lawd^ de Bible's on our side!") The foregoing is a fair sample of the speeches made to the negroes, and, ignorant as they were, it ^as no wonder they were almost solidly opposed to the prohibition bill and voted, or were voted, a.o-ai nst it. Some people said Judge MacRae's po- litical future would be ruined because he presided over the prohibition convention. But, they were njistaken. Two years later he was elected a mem- ber of the Supreme Court, and got as good a vote as the balance of the ticket. The work done in that campaign is bearing fruit to-day; and if the wheel continues to turn, and I think it will, a few more revolutions will make the Old jSTorth State prohibition. "Not that which goeth into the nTouth, but that ^^ilich proceedeth out of the mouth defileth a man,'' a Scripture which the liquor men quoted frequently to prove that liquor drinking was no harm, thor- oughly satisfied the average negro. I heard of a church trial, which took place, about that time, in a colored congregation. Sam Black Avas arraigned before the church for being drunk, and several wit- nesses testified that he was not only drunk, but that he was "dead drunk," and had to be "toted in," to keep him away from the hogs. The moderator, having adjusted his brass-rimmed spectacles and groaned deeply and piously, re- marked, looking in the direction of the accused: "This is a mity ser'ous matter, brethren, and we must be keerful how we perceed wid de perceedins. Dey's allers two sides to a pancake, and ef we don't see bote sides, how we gwine to tell which is y 202 whitaker's reminiscences, de best side or de worse side? I dare fore a'point Br'er Juliis Seezer Jones to persecute de brother, and I a'point Br'er George Washington Smith to 'fend him. We'll now perceed with de pereeedins." The attorneys took their positions and Sam Black was brought to the front and required, by the mod- el a tor, to stand up and make his confession, which he did in a few words, saying : "I don't no nuffin' 'bout de fuss dey's raisin' 'gin me; all I no is, I tuck wun or two drinks wid Br'er Peter Snow, and es I was gwine 'long home I got tired, as it were, in my limbs, and lade down to rest. When I waked up I was in my own cabin and Mandy, dat's my wife, was right dar, and she'll tell you I was jest as sober as a jedge." Peter Snow testified that Sam took at least a dozen drinks, but he didn't say a bad word as he heard. Several other witnesses testified to about the same. Whereupon Julius Caesar Jones arose and said : "Mr. Moderator, it's mity cleer to my mind dat Br'er Sam was drunk, and dat he's fotch an ever- lastin' disgrace on dis er church, and I move dat he be turned out." "But, Mr. Moderator," said George Washington Smith, "Br'er Sam mout a bin drunk, but all the witnesses say he didn't use a bad word; and you no de Scripture ses dat old Noah got drunk as often as he pleased and dey didn't turn him outen the church, for I hearn a white man say so. I move T^ e don't turn Br'er Sam out." The Moderator said: "We've hearn bofe sides, and 'cording to de evidence, dar's nothing agin Br'er Sam, 'ceptin', maybe, he mout o' tuck too much at a drink, and it mout o' flew into his hed. 'Tain't been proved dat he sed enny bad words, or dat enny- thing perceeded out'n his mouf; darefore, I shall rule dat Br'er Sam is in good standing in dis ere church ef — " INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 203 '^Biit, Br'er Moderator/' said Julius Csesar Jones, ^^it can be proved dat something did perceed out'n Br'er Sam's mouf. I call sister Mandy Black to de witness stand." "I'm here!" sister Mandy said. "Sister Mandy, tell us what Br'er Sam dun when dey fotch him into de house." "He didn't do a thing, but lade rite dar and groaned and sed, 'O Lordy, O Lordy, O Lordy, I'm so sick ! I'm so sick ! I'm so sick !' till all at once Le sot inter heavin' and a heavin', and a heayin', and de fust thing I no'd he'd throwed up all over de bed and de floor, and den he sot up and sed he felt better." "Stop right dar," said the moderator ; "and, Sam, you stand up and hear de righteous sentence dat's gwine to be recorded agin you. It's bin proved by your own wife dat arter you drunk dat licker you turned sick and throwed it up. Now, 'cording to de Scripture, Br'er Sam, you'se defiled yourself and ain't fit to be a member of dis church no longer. Old Br'er Noah got drunk, but dey never turned him out'n de church 'cause arter he drunk his licker he didn't let it perceed out'n his mouf, to defile him." And Sam was turned out, not because he got drunk, but because he "throwed up." As ridiculous as it may seem, just such nonsense characterized the campaign made by the Liquor Dealers' Association, against prohibition in 1881. It would make some men blush, and might make their families feel badly, to call their names; so, I won't do it. But I see the men occasionally who carried their Bibles around to prove to the ignorant that whiskey drinking and even drunkenness were n(; harm, but, on the contrary, were defended by holy writ. What terrible disappointments there are likely 204 WHITAKEirS REMINISCENCES, to be in the next world when all the rascalities of life are exposed and all accounts are squared up! Then, it will be seen how little the average politi- cian cared for his country, and how much of selfish- ness and little of patriotism there were in those whom we considered our wisest, purest and great- est. If there were no other reason for a general judgment, it is needed to show us all up as we are. And, inasmuch as there is to be a looking into and a squaring up of all life's affairs, would it not be better, while we are making history, to make it so that it will neither shame us in this life nor con- demn us at the judgment? CHAPTER XXVII. Gov. Zehulon B. Yance and Gen. Robert B. Vance — Ttvo Distingimhed Men — Judge Gaston. Mr. William' Womble, a young man of about my age, whom I have known for fifty years, stopped me in the market a few evenings ago to tell me how much he was enjoying my reminiscences, and, while talking, gave me an incident that is worthy of a place in history. Mr. Womble lives on East Har- gett street, and it was just beyond his home that Aunt Abby House spent her last days, in a little cottage which Maj. John Gatling, Sheriff Dunn, and other Confederate soldiers built for her in token of their gratitude for what "Aunt Abby'' did for them, and the soldiers generally, in the way of a nurse, in the camp. ^Ir. Womble was, therefore, a near neighbor to "Aunt Abby," and knew what happened every day. He said Governor Vance fre- quently went to see the old woman and would sit aod talk with her, "And," said he, "I'll tell you INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 205 what I saw with my own eyes : Zeb Vance coming to my well, drawing water and carrying a bucket full to ^Aunt Abby/ when she was too helpless to wait on herself." The reader may say that was doing no more than any one else ought to have done, to which I agree; but, it is not an everyday affair to see a Governor or a Senator in the Congress of the United States, visiting on the outskirts of a city and ministering to the comforts of an old Avoman. The incident is worthy of a historic setting, as it shows how warm a heart the Governor possessed, and how true he was to the poorest and humblest in life. While I am speaking of Governor Vance, I will relate a story he told on himself during the canvass he made for his second term as Governor. It is known, of course, that he was elected the first time while Colonel of the 26th Regiment, and in active service in the Army of Northern Virginia. And it is also known that his men almost idolized him; and, of course, the name of Vance w^as a household word in every home from w^hich a member of his regiment went. The mothers, wives, sisters and sweethearts who had heard, from their friends in the army, so many praises of "Zeb Vance," natu- rally wanted to see him ; and so, when the Governor made a canvass of the State, all the women, in cer- tain counties from which the companies making up his regiment were drawn, went out to see him. I do not remember in what county the incident oc- curred ; but, as the story w^as told, the Governor and several of his political friends were walking in the direction of the place of speaking one day, while on either side of the street hundreds of women, with a sprinkling of men, were waiting to see the "Old Col- onel." As they were going along, one woman was heard to say : "I've come ten miles this morning just to see Zeb Vance. Bless his soul, I love him good 206 whitaker's reminiscences, er.ough to hug and kiss him." The Governor was about opposite the woman speaking, and turning toward her, he said : "God bless you, madam, come to my arms !'' And the Governor said as he laugh- ingly told the story to a parcel of gentlemen in this city afterwards : "The woman and I gave each other a good hugging." "Yes," said the Governor, "her husband was one of my men, and a good soldier, and he seemed to take a delight in coming to my tent and listening to me and other officers, and that accounts, I suppose, for his wife's desire to see me. I don't know w^hy she wanted to hug and kiss me, unless it was be- cause her husband had told her what a good looking fellow I was." "Did you really hug and kiss her, Governor?" a bystander asked. "I will give you her name, and you can write and ask her about it. I think she'll tell you that the old man never gave her a better squeezing than I gave her." "Was she good looking, Governor?" some one asked. "I don't know; I never stand on looks in an en- gagement of that kind. The thing had to be did, and I did it in first-class style." A Charlotte gentleman told me two or three sto- ries of Governor Vance that occurred while he lived in that city, after the war, which I have never seen VA print. Judge Moore was holding court in Charlotte, and, as the story goes, there was at that time a man named Moore, who sold pipes and stems about the door at the court-house. Under the stairway that led up into the court-room, the old man had a rest- ing place and sort of depository. There he was from morning until night, and ever and anon he ligged up a pipe for a countryman and pocketed a nickel. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 207 One day, after the adjournment of court, Judge ^loore and Governor Vance came down the stairway together, and had to pass, as they were going out, the old pipe man. '^Hold on. Judge," said Vance; "I want to intro- duce you to my friend, Mr. Moore, a name-sake of yours, by the way; a man, who though not a judge of law, is a judge of a good pipe-stem, and can rig up a pipe in a jiffy, for a nickel, fit for any judge to smoke.'' They shook hands, the Judge saying how pleased he was to make the acquaintance of a name-sake, and how glad he was to be able to get hold of a real, old-fashioned reed-root pipe-stem, and an honest old ciay pipe for a nickel. The pipe was rigged up, the nickel paid, and the Judge and Vance went out. The old fellow never felt happier than at that moment, when he said: "There ain't but one Zeb Vance in this world. Stopped to introduce Judge Moore to his name-sake, Mr. Moore." The old fellow jumped up and popped his heels together, while repeating several times, "Mr. Moore." "Mr. Moore." "The Jedge's name-sake." "Hurrah for old Zeb!" The Governor was sitting in the hotel office in Charlotte one cold day, his feet propped up, while he leaned back in an office chair. Two men, who, from their appearance, had brought wood to mar- ket, opened the outer door and peered in, one of them saying as they did so : "Ain't that old Zeb sit- ting there?" Vance heard it, and looking over his shoulder as he leaned farther back, he exclaimed: "Hello, old Stick-in-the-Mud and Turnip Tops! Come right here and give me your paws ! How are all at home, the wives and the babies?" After talking a moment or two they went out, sjid one said to the other as they reached the street, "Ain't old Zeb the best felloAV vou ever saw? He 208 whitaker's reminiscences, krows eYerybody, and eyen knows their names/' He had called them "Stick-iu-the-Mud'' and 'Tur- nii^ Tops." The Goyernor was coming from Asheyille down to Charlotte one day, and there happened to be a yery talkatiye gentleman on the car he did not care to be familiar with, so the Goyernor took out his Bible and began to read. The gentleman made sev- eral attempts to engage the Governor in conversa- tion, but he kept his eyes on his Bible and answered in monosyllables. At length the gentleman, in a tone of impatience, remarked : ^^You seem to be very mnch interested in your Bible." ^^I beg your pardon," said the Governor, "I am obliged to read. My wife laid off a task for me to read while gone, and it will take about all the time I have left to finish." ^^But," said the gentleman, "Mrs. Vance will not think to ask you about it." "Your wife might not think of such a thing, but when my wife lays off a task that means I've got to do the reading ; so you will please excuse me." And he read on without further interruption. As the Senate adjourned one Saturday evening, Senator Hoar repeated, in Vance's presence, that ojd spelling-book verse: •'How pleasant is Saturday night, When I've tried all the week to be good, Not spoken a word that was bad But obliged every one that I could." "As bad as I am," replied Vance, "I'm too con- scientious to lie like that." I saw Senator Vance the last time he was in Ral- eigh, before his death. He did not seem to recog- nize me when I spoke to him. "I know you," he Sfciid, "but I find I am forgetting names in my old age. Don't tell me Avho you are; I am thinking." In a moment he said : "Mr. Whitaker, I should INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 209 not have known you but for your voice; I never fcrget voices." And so lie knew me, and we chatted pleasantly for a few moments; the last time I ever saw him. I wish to speak of the Senator's brother, General Eobert B. Vance. In addition to the many valua- ble services rendered by him to his countiy, as citi- zen, soldier and legislator, and the still more valu- able services given to home, Sunday school and church, he was a life-long temperance man, and aided largely, immediately after the Avar, in build- ing up the Friends of Temperance; of which order he was the president in 1867-8, and for which, as long as he lived, he never ceased to work. I shall ahvays hold in memory our first meeting. He had been reading my paper and was, of course, familiar with my name, but had no more idea how I looked than I had how he looked. He had made up his mind, no doubt, to see in me a portly, handsome fel- lv>w; and I had formed the opinion that General ^^ance was an austere looking man, of martial bear- ing, whose very presence would make the air chilly. When he wrote me that he was coming to the Grand Lodge of Masons, and desired to get board with me, Avife and I held a counsel, and came to the conclu- sion that our house and fare would not at all do, for tiie entertainment of so distinguished a man, and our opinion was that we ought to write to him and assure him of our high esteem, but to say to him frankly, we did not think our accommodations Avould satisfy him. But we did not so write ; finally concluding we would let him come, and we'd do the best we could for him. He came. I met him at thi door. He announced his name; I gave mine. ''And this is R. H. Whitaker!'' he exclaimed, in evndent disappointment. "And this is Gen. Robert B. Vance !" I answered, with equal disappointment. I really thought, as I saAv him, at the door, in his 14 210 WHITAKER\S REMINISCE^'CES, long-tail overcoat, with a pair of saddle-bags on his aim, and a slouched hat pulled well down on his head, that he was some circuit rider, or, perhaps, some member of the Grand Lodge from a neighbor- ing county. '"Where's Sister Whitaker?'' he asked, and before. I had recovered from my pleasant disap- pointment, he Avas in the sitting-room, perfectly at home, and everything was as easy as an old shoe. He remained with us for a week, and I am sure that we could not have enjoyed each other more if we had been raised together, from boys. From that visit, to the day of his death, he called upon us whenever he came to Ealeigh. He was a pleasant speaker, and did good whenever he spoke, for, in addition to the strength of the argument he was making, he had a fund of humor upon which he drew, that al- ways made his speeches spicy as well as strong. We were born very near the same date, and, of course, I can not hope to remain very much longer here; but the spring time of the life eternal will be so sweet to those who knew each other in this short life, should they be so fortunate as to meet beyond the skies. A good lady, writing from Burgaw, asks me for some information about old-time friends, away back in the thirties, when she was a pupil of Mrs. Taylor, of this city, and alludes to a building on the lot known as Judge Gaston's office. By the way, do the school children of this city know that those thrilling verses known as the "'Old North State" were composed by Judge Gaston in that office, on the corner of Hargett and Salisbury streets, oppo- site Mr. John Brown's undertaking establishment? I think it would be a very appropriate thing for the children to gather around that corner, on the 11) th day of each September, his birthday, and sing with all the spirit, and fervor, and sweetness which their young souls can throw into the song, this pa- ti'iotic stanza : INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 211 ''Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her! While we live, we will cherish, protect and defend her; Though the scorner may sneer at, and witlings defame her, Cm- hearts swell with gladness whenever we name her. Hm-rah ! Hmrah ! the Old North State forever ! Hm-rah ! Hm-rah ! for the good Old North State ! " After which some one, well read in the life of Judge Gaston, might deliver a short oration, such as the smallest child could understand, illustrative of the times in which he lived, mentioning, of course, other distinguished men who were Mr. Gas- ton's compeers and fellow-laborers. It seems to me that such a service would be very beautiful and interesting, not only to the children but to all lovers of history — especially that which pertains to our own State and people. The war cut the last cen- tury in twain, and most of the people alive now were born near the beginning of, or since the war, and with them history goes back only to the war period. The men and events back of it seem to them more like mythology than reality. Our chil- dren here in the capital have need to be reminded that in the first half of the nineteenth century North Carolina had greater men, in many respects, than have lived since the war, one of whom was Judge William Gaston, born in New Bern, Sept. 19, 1778, and died in Raleigh, Jan. 23, 1844. 212 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER XXVIII. Married a Widoiver icitli Seven Children — Called Her '^Eone'if' and ^'Darling''-- Eoio she Lost her Pet Name — Soine of her Pranks — Keeping ''Peep Day;' Etc. I am sure that some of my readers would prefer a romance rather than read a stor}' of reconstruc- tion days and carpet-bagism. So believing, I'll turn this week to the romantic side of life, and tell a story of love, courtship, marriage and the happen- ings that spoiled the romance. I don't propose to have but one hero and one heroine in this story, but a number of characters may drop in, as the narra- tive proceeds. Once upon a time, I need not say where or when, I knew a widow who was fond of talking about the past; and, if the reader will agree to ask no ques- tions, I'll tell some of the ludicrous things I used to hear her say of her young life, her marriage to a widower, with seven children, and how she spent her wedded life. "I had plenty of beaux," she said; ^nice young fellows, and I loved 'em every one, and I hated any girl that either of those boys would fly around. Of course I didn't expect to marry all of them, but as I didn't know which one I loved best, nor which one might ask me to marry him, I couldn't bear the idea of seeing any of them paying attention to other girls. Yes, I was as jealous as I could be, and sometimes I was just that miserable I couldn't say my prayers, but for all that I would carry a high head, for I was too proud to let anybody know that I cared a straw for any fellow. "I was not a day older than twenty years when a widower, with seven children, turned up. He was INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 213 as old again as I was; mighty nigh as old as my father. I saw him at church one Sunday, just about the time he'd begun to spruce up after his wife died. I almost killed myself a laughing Avhen some one told me that the old widower had been talking about courting me. But it wasn't long before he came, and he popped the question so sudden it liked to have taken my breath. Of course I didn't intend to have him, but as these young chaps had not asked me, I thought I could flirt a little with the old man, and maybe that Avould hurry them up to say some- thing. If they didn't, why I could have a good time anyhow. I didn't know as much then as I learned afterwards, or I never would have gotten into the scrape I did. Some of those boys began to tease me about my "old beau," asking me wiien I and the ^old grandfather' were going to get married. That made me mad, and I said in as haughty a man- ner as possible : ^It's better to be an old man's dar- ling than a young man's slave,' and so I made up my mind, just to worry the boys, that I'd marry the old man and be a ^darling.' We were married. He borrowed a horse and buggy to carry me home, and when we went through town, and everybody came out of the stores or put their heads out of the win- dows to see us go by, I was so happy I felt like a red bird sailing through the air. I was then ^Mrs. Clay Shamlin.' Mr. Shamlin didn't call me by my name at all. It was ^darling' and ^honey' and ^sugar,' until I actually forgot that my name was Mary. "After we had been married a week we went back to my old home, and father called us out to the cow- lot, Mr. Shamlin and me, and said : ^I am going to give you that milk cow^, or if you prefer it, I'll give you that young steer.' I said, ^Mr. Shamlin, you take your choice.' But he said, ^No, darling, you take your choice.' ^No,' said I, ^I want you to have your choice.' ^No, honey,' said he, ^I want you to 214 whitaker's reminiscences, htive your choice.' ^I do wish/ said I, ^you would take your choice.' ^I have no choice, sugar/ said he, ^but I do hope that "my darling" will choose for me.' Who could help choosing after all that sweetness? I never felt so good in all my life as I did standing there in that cow-lot, for my father had heard, with his own ears, what a ^darling' his daughter was. But, Avhat a responsibility rested upon me — making a choice between a good milk cow and a three-year-old steer? I thought for a moment. I remembered that Mr. Shamlin had a steer about the same age and size of that one, and I jast knew that he would be glad to have another to work with him ; so, stepping forward, and touching the young steer, I said, ^We will take this, Mr. Shamlin.' ^You darling,' he said. Then I knew the steer was his choice; but, oh, what a mistake the selection turned out to be! How I wished af- terwards I'd taken the cow! "The steer was taken home in a few days and the two were roped and yoked, and their tails tied to- gether, (as has to be done in breaking young steers), and when Mr. Shamlin had tied them up by the side of the barn, he called me out to see them — see what a pretty pair they were — and putting his arm around my waist he said, just as sweetly, as if his mouth had been filled with candy : ^Honey, I am so glad that you took the steer.' And just be- fore he went in the field to work, he came to the kitchen door and said, ^Darling, keep your eyes on the steers 'till I come back,' and I said I would. And I did. Who could help thinking about a yoke of steers all the time, after being called so many sweet names? It had not been more than ten min- utes, after I had looked and seen the steers were standing there all right, before I heard Mr. Sham- lin call : ^Mary ! Mary !' I did not think he was calling me, for my name was ^honey' ; I thought he INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 215 Mrs. Shamlin.— -The last time he called me honey. 216 \yHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, Avas calling his twelve-year-old daughter, whose name was Mary, so I went on with my cooking. Again he called : ^You, Mary !' and I wondered why his daughter did not ansAver. So I went to the door to see who he was calling. As I did so he saw me, and baAvled out: 'Get the axe and run doAvn hr-re, you good for nothing huzzy; run, I tell you!' I was scared half to death, for I'd neA^er been called a huzzy before in all my life. When I got to the barn, there lay one of the steers, his horns run into a crack of the barn, his eyes rolled up as if he AA^as gazing at the sun, and Mr. Shamlin was trying to held him still to keep him from breaking his neck. I was that scared I didn't have a bit of sense, and I know I must haAe looked like a fool, when he bci wled out at me : 'I thought I told you to watch these steers !' 'I-I d-d-did aa -w w-Avatch 'em,' said I, a^l over in a tremble. '^ 'No you didn't, you lying huzzy ; take the axe and cut the bow, and do it quick!' "I hacked and I hacked, and after a Avhile I cut it in two. 'Now take the knife and cut their tails apart.' I run around and cut the string that held their tails together, and the steer got up. But right tiiere and then I lost my pet names. From that day until the day of his death I never heard any- thing more of 'honey,' or 'darling,' or 'sugar,' but, Avhen any of those old-time beaux Avould see me they'd ask me how the steers Avere doing. Yes, he had seven children Avhen I married him, for me to look after; I had seA^en more — fourteen in all. I paid right dearly for the priA'ilege of being an old man's darling, didn't I? I have had a pretty hard time in my life, but I'a e had a sight of pleasure, too. I soon cut my eye-teeth and learned to take things as they came, and, taking it all together, I don't reckon I'd done any better if I'd married one of those young felloAvs. I'ac ahvays had something INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 217 to eat, though, I must admit that sometimes I could have eat more if we had had it. We didn't have ^peep-days' very often, but did have them occasion- ally, and somebody would come every time. Don't know what I mean by ^peep-day' ? I thought every- body had a peep-day, once in a while. When you are out of everj^thing to eat except a corn-meal hoe- cake, or a few roasted potatoes, you are bound to keep a peep-day: — Just shut the doors and keep some of the children peeping through a crack, or the key-hole, and if they see any one coming, the alarm is given, and then you lie low and keep dark, tc make 'em think there's no one at home. One day one of the children on the lookout said : ^Mam- my, I do believe the preacher's coming! Yes, he's turned in; he's getting out'n his buggy. Mammy, he's giving his horse fodder, and he's coming right in.' ^Yes,' said I, ^and he's expecting to get dinner here, and we've only got one roasting of potatoes.' I peeped through the crack and saw he Avas mighty nigh the door. I knowed I'd have to let him in, for you can't fool a preacher ; so I opened the door, and, in my liveliest and most cordial manner, said: ^Brother Kicks, I'm so glad to see you. I was just a thinking about you not more'n a minute ago.' (That w^as the truth; but I hadn't thought of him in a month until the children said he Avas coming. ) ^Come right in. Brother Ricks,' I said, ^and let the children feed your horse. I'm so glad to see you !' 'No, sister, I've already fed my horse; and I've got a lunch with me, so I'll set here by your good fire and hear you talk some.' (Thinks I, if talking's all you want, I can do enough of that for you. ) ^O, no. Brother Ricks,' said I, ^you must not eat your lunch ; that's cold. You must take dinner with me ; you haven't been here in such a long time.' Just then the children opened the door into the kitchen room and the scent of roasting potatoes came in. 218 whitaker's reminiscences, ^Don't I smell potatoes, sister?' he asked. 'I expect jou do, Brother Ricks, for the children are all the time roasting them.' (Those potatoes were our dinner, you know.) ^They keep the house always smelling like potatoes; I get so tired of it I don't know what to do.' ^Why, sister,' said he, 4f you were as fond of potatoes as I am you'd like to smell them all the time.' The children heard that re- mark, and before I had time to think one of them came bringing an old ash-pan piling full of them. ^Carry them right back,' I said, ^haven't you got any better sense than to bring potatoes to a preacher in such a pan as that. Carry them back and peel them and bring them on a plate.' ^Brother Ricks,' 1 said, ^I rather you'd let me fix dinner for you.' ^No, Sister Shamlin, these potatoes make just as good a dinner as I want' (If he had known it he was eating my peep-day dinner. ) When he started off, I followed him out to his buggy, saying : ^Broth- er Ricks, I'm so sorry you wouldn't let me fix din- ner for you.' "There was one thing Mr. Shamlin would not do ; buy snuff for me. I thought he might have done it; for I worked hard enough for his first wife's seven children, and for our seven as well, to have ail the snuff I wanted. But he wouldn't give me a dip, unless I paid him for it; though he kept it for sale in pound bladders. Sometimes I'd say, ^Mr. Shamlin, please let me have some snuff.' ^You can have it for the money,' he would answer. He made mighty nice white-hickory axe helves for which he asked fifty cents. One day a neighbor came over and asked me if Mr. Shamlin had any of those nice white-hickory helves, and said he'd like to see them. After looking at them awhile he said he believed he'd take one, and paid me fifty cents for it. That night after supper I said: ^Mr. Shamlin, I wish you'd let me and Mary (she was his first wife's INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 219 daughter), have a bladder of snuff.' ^You can have it for the money/ he replied. ^Here/ said I, ^is the money ; now go and get the snuff and cut the blad- der in two halves, one for me and one for your daughter Mary.' He brought it out, took a string and measured it, so as to get the middle, and finally cut the bladder, handing half of it to me and half to Mary. We sat there and dipped, and looked at each other and laughed. ^What are you laughing about?' he asked in a very surly tone of voice. ^We can't help laughing,' I said, ^the snuff tastes so good, and we haven't had any in such a long time.' Presently he asked again, 'What are you laughing at?' Mary and I got close to the door before I an- swered: 'That fifty cents I paid you for the snuff I got for an axe helve I sold to-day.' He rose like a thunder-cloud, but, before he could turn around we jumped out at the door and ran down toward th-? spring, staying out till he'd gone to bed. I never heard a thing from him about it afterward. "No, he wouldn't allow me, nor one of the chil- dren, to go about his watermelon patch, but one day when he was gone to town I told the children I just must have some watermelons, but they said daddy would whip any one who went into his patch. 'But how will he know I've been in there?' I asked. 'He'll see your tracks,' they said. I went and put on his everyday shoes, took a bag and told two or three of the children to follow me, but not to leave the path. The watermelons in that patch were a sight to behold. Every one that was anyways near grown he had marked with a letter 'S,' and then stuck a switch down beside it, as much as to say, 'He'll get a whipping who pulls this melon !' "I pulled four of the finest I saw, and carried them out to the path where the children were, and they put them in bags and we went home; and such an eating of watermelons we did have. The chickens, 220 whitaker's reminiscences, ducks and geese ate the seed and the hogs cleaned up the rinds, so there were no signs about the i^rem- ises to arouse suspicions. A few days later Mr. SJiamlin said, ^Mary.' I said. 'Sir!' 'Don't you want some watermelons?' he asked. " 'Yes, sir,' I said. 'Then get a bag/ said he, 'and follow me.' When we got opposite the patch, he said: 'Now, stand here and I'll bring the melons out here.' I saw him making his way to where I pulled a fine Georgia melon. He stopped, and look- ing intently to where the missing melon grew, he Siiid: 'Mary, that blamed nigger has got my fine Georgia melon, and I'll kill him on sight.' 'Do you see his tracks?' I asked. Moving the vines care- fully, I heard him say : 'No, that's my track. Shoes h&lf-soled with i)egs and run down at the heel. That's my track, certain, but I don't remember about pulling that melon.' And, so he found four of his largest melons gone, but he could find no tracks in the patch but his own. He said finally: 'I can't remember pulling them, but I suppose I m.ust have done it, the last load I carried to town, for these certainly are my tracks — half-soled with pegs and run down at the heel.' Then he pulled three or four, and, taking a bag of them on his shoulder, went toward the house, I walking behind tickled half to death, thinking how nicely those old shoes had done their work in deceiving the old man. He was so confident that he pulled those melons, he did not allude to them any more. A few years after that he was telling brother Luke, that's our preacher, what a good wife I had been and how honest I was ; never had taken the wrapping off his little finger without telling him about it. "That's so, Brother Luke,' said I, 'except four watermelons I stole one time.' 'When did you ever steal any watermelons?' Mr. Shamlin asked. 'Don't you re- member five or six years ago, when you missed four INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 221 very fine melons and you thought at first that nig- ger Jim got them.' ^Oh, yes/ said he, ^but after I saw the tracks I knowed he didn't; I got 'em my- self.' ^No, you didn't/ said I. 'Them were my tracks/ said he. 'They were your tracks/ said I, 'but my feet were in your old shoes when the tracks were made.' If Brother Luke hadn't been there I do believe he would have tried to whip me. But Brother Luke laughed so heartily the old man struck up a grin, too, but he wouldn't walk home ^dth me from church that evening. "I expect nothing else than that you, or somebody else, will write out my life, some of these times," said Mrs. Shamlin, one day; "if you do write it and put it in a book, I want you to have these pictures : The old man and I going through town, the day we were married, and the people standing on the streets and sticking their heads out of windows, looking at us. Then have father, Mr. Shamlin and me stand- ing in the cow-lot, deciding between the milk cow and the steer. Then have the steers roped, yoked and their tails tied together standing by the barn. Then have a life-size picture of Mr. Shamlin with his arm around my waist calling me 'honey' for the last time. Then you might have two pictures, one of me, after he had called me a 'huzzy,' trying to cliop the bow in two, while Mr. Shamlin was hold- ing the steer; the other of me with a knife in my h^.nd cutting the steers' tails apart. Be sure to have a picture of Brother Kicks sitting by my fire eating roasted potatoes and me a-standing there trying to persuade him to let me fix dinner for him. And, if you have room for two more pictures, I v.'ould like for you to have one of the old man cut- ting the bladder of snuff in two, and one showing how he looked when I told him I'd sold one of his axe helves to get the money to buy snuff with. And the last picture should be the old man with a bag 222 whitaker's reminiscences, of: watermelons on his shoulder and me walking behind. Don't put in any picture of me and the old man and Brother Luke at the church, for I don't Avant my grandchildren to see how mad he looked that day, right after preaching, too." If Mrs. Shamlin sees this sketchy she may be dis- appointed at not seeing all the pictures, but I hope the one given will recall the happy moments when she heard herself called ^'honey" for the last time, and, as she indulges in the memories of that occa- sion she will forgive me fop failing to have the others put in. CHAPTER XXIX. Sunday Freight Trains — Drinking Church Mem- ber — Toting Pistols — Lmvyers — Tom Rhodes — Other Incidents. I noticed a few weeks ago that the grand jury of Franklin county had indicted the Seaboard Air Line Railway for running freight trains on Sunday, and I suppose they did so in pursuance of the charge of the presiding judge. If the law is against the running of freight trains, the grand juiy did right, of course, and if the law is not against it, it ought to be, for, railroads have no more right to do business on Sunday than has the man who half-soles shoes, to support himself and family. The law would soon pick him up, "awl and end," and run him into the court, and make him answer to the charge of violating God's holy com- mandment, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." But what can you do with a railroad? A corporation has no soul, and is not, therefore, supposed to be accountable. It has no conscience. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 223 iieitlier sense of shame; it fears not God, neither regards man ; but does as it pleases, when it pleases, and as much as it pleases; having no regard for tired human nature that ought to have a day of rest and relaxation. Hard-worked operatives are not responsible for the labor they are required to do on the Sabbath. They are simply trying to get in reach of the next hoe-cake, and they would not be compelled to such a life, but for the fact that aggre- gated caj)ital and monopolistic combinations have so narrowed the field of labor as to make it a neces- sity for men to sell their manhood and almost re- nounce their religion in order to feed themselves and families. Freight trains laden with "perish- able" matter, as for example, fruits and vegetables, and also Avith horses, cattle, sheep, chickens and other kinds of poultry are allowed to run on the Sabbath day; and there is reason in that; but, w^hen we see dozens of trains every Sunday, each with from 40 to 50 cars, going north, south, east and west, we wonder at the amount of "perishable" mat- ter the railroads do manage to pick up ; where they find it and where they are carrying it. They say (though I do not vouch for all "they say"), that a railroad don't want but one cabbage as an excuse for running a train of 50 cars on Sunday, loaded with lumber, coal, oil, guano, merchandise or any other kind of freight. One car loaded with perish- able matter and 49 with other things, looks like whipping the old bo}^ around the stump. I am reminded of the church member who, having been arraigned for drunkenness, and having made his confession and received forgiveness, most sol- emnly and unreservedly promised the church and pastor that he would drink no more, except when he sheared sheep. Of course the church and pas- tor agreed to that, supposing that sheep shearing would occur not oftener than once, or, at most, 224 whitaker's reminiscences, twice a year. But it was soon found that the brother w^as as drunk as usual, though he declared he had not drank a drop since he sheared sheep. The brethren thought it strange that the old drunk should last so long, and that his breath still had the odor of whiskey on it. Every day he was drunk, but every day declared he had not tasted a drop since sheep-shearing. They decided to put a spy 0/1 him, and very soon discovered that the drinking brother had a sheep tied up in the barn, and near by was a jug of whiskey; and, a half dozen times a day, he'd go to the barn, clip off a lock of wool, and take two or three stiff drinks; so, it turned out he was shearing sheep a half dozen times a day, and telling the truth, literally, in saying he had drank nothing since sheep shearing. I dare say, if the matter were looked into, those ^'perishable property'' trains would turn out, in many cases, to be a shearing of the same old sheep, or words to that effect. A man asked me the other day, how it is that law- makers and lawyers, who, in their speeches, make it out such a flagrant violation of law and such a cowardly thing for a poor fellow, who hasn't any better sense than to tote pistols, can strut around with their own hip-pockets loaded with guns? When I answered I didn't know that they did, he said: ''You'd better not 'sass' one of them if you don't want to hear something pop." I gave him my word I wouldn't — and I won't. I am getting along in years, and I've never thought I needed a pistol; in fact, I'm afraid of the things. There's some sense in having a double-barreled shotgun handy, ready for business when robbers or burglars disturb your slumbers ; but, Avhen a fellow has his eyes open and tlie sun is shining, he ought to be able to keep out of scrapes, on his good looks and good behaviour. What a horrible tiling is murder! To take the life of a human being — that which can not be re- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 225 Stored — and plunge a whole community into grief. Poor Cain ! How miserable he was always, after he, in a fit of passion, killed his brother ! The blood of the murdered man crieth unto God from the ground, and the conscience, that is not dead, is CTer being goaded by remorse. I wish all the pis- tols were buried in the Pacific Ocean and it was a hanging matter to make another. If big men tote them, little men, boys and fools will tote them, too ; and, as in the case of selling liquor, the dealer is just as apt, and quite as ready (for the money), to sc'll to the one as to the other. And since Cauca- sia' ns tote them, Africans must tote them, also. And s^) it comes to pass, in times of peace, we are armed and equipped for war. A pistol like a mortgage is a reflection and a stigma. In my pocket a pistol is a reflection upon my courage, and a stigma upon my morals ; publishing to the world that I am afraid of men, and, in heart and in purpose, a murderer, if provoked or attacked; and that I am still abiding in that old faith — "an eve for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'' Speaking of lawyers, I have often w ondered if the lawyer, who knows his client is a rascal and his case immoral, as well as a violation of law, really sym- pathizes with his client and rejoices, if, perchance, the verdict is in his favor ; when the rascal escapes and the innocent has to suffer? Lawyers have to undertake some very bad cases, and it seems but reasonable to suppose they can but loathe the situ- ation, and feel a hearty contempt for the beings with whom they have to be even professionally asso- ciated. While that may be true as a general rule, I have seen, or, at least, known of instances in which law- y(irs, in order to gain their cases and secure their fees, assailed the character of people vrhom they 15 226 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, knew were upright and innocent; even subjecting timid and shrinking females to most cruel and em- barrassing cross-examinations, for no other reason than to break the force of an honest, truthful state- ment; to the end that the wrong might prevail in- stead of the right. A conscientious, high-minded lawyer will not descend to such methods. He will not brow-beat, nor try to intimidate a witness; and in the long run, his gentlemanly deportment and just treatment of witnesses will gain for him a far better standing as a man and a lawyer. At this point I am reminded of an anecdote I have either heard or read, some time in my life, which illustrates what I am writing, concerning the proper treatment of witnesses. The story was as follows : A lawyer had a very bad case, but he thought he might probably clear his client, if he could break down the testimony of a country boy who had told, in a straight-forward way, a very damaging story, in the way of evidence, against his client. With a great deal of dignity and a self-righteous air that was intended to be appalling, even to the court, the lawyer arose and said : ''May it please your Honor, I have my doubts as to whether that country urchin, who has been allowed to testify in this case, understands the nattire of an oath, and especiall}^ am I in doubt as to his mental capacity to be a witness in a case of so much importance ; I therefore pray your Honor to allow me to ask him a few questions. '^ "Certainly,'' said the Judge. Turning to the boy and bestoAving on him a con- temptuous, withering scowl, he asked : "Boy, who made you?'' "Moses, I speck," answered the boy. "Stand aside," said the lawyer in a tone of tri- umph, and turning to the Judge and also to the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 227 jury, he said : ^'May it please your Honor, and gen- tlemen of the jury, I have shown you, by asking only one question, that that boy is not a competent witness — don't even know who made him.'' Just then the voice of the boy piped out . "Mister Jedge, can I ask that lawyer a question?" "Certainly," said the Judge. "Well, then," said the boy, "who made you, Mr. Lawyer?" The lawyer, affecting a great deal of pity, mixed with sarcasm, replied : "As Moses made you, I guess Aaron must have made me." "I hearn as how old Aaron made a calf once, but who'd a thought the derned fool would ever a found his way into a court-house?" the boy replied. The Judge decided the boy was a competent wit- ness, and, on his evidence the jury gave a verdict against the lawyer's client. I have great admiration for the legal profession, and without an exception, I think highly of all the lawyers that I know ; and will add, considering the rascalities with which lawyers have to contend, and the bad atmosphere, morally, they are com- pelled to breathe, and the bad company they are obliged to keep, much of the time, I guess they do, as Tom Khodes used to say of himself, "about as well as mout be expected, considerin'." Who was Tom Rhodes? He was a man of my boyhood days, who had a gold mine ; or thought he hud, which was all the same to him, so far as his feelings were concerned. He imagined he was rich, and like other rich men, he gloried in his riches, and therefore talked of nothing but his gold mine. He pretended to have a little farm^ but he paid so little attention to it, it yielded him next to nothing; but, all the same, he kept in good spirits, and looked forward to the time when he would dwell in a pal- 228 whitaker's reminiscences, ace, and Ms daughter, Narcissa, would ride in a cciacli and four, dress in silks and satins, and have more beaux than (as he expressed it) "any of the gals in the neighborhood — not exceptin' Dr. Jones's darters." He spent most of his time digging holes in his field, and breaking rocks, "sarchin' for speci- ments.'' And when he came out to old Pleasant Springs or the Red Meeting House, on Sunday, to preaching, he generally had his coat pockets so full of rocks that, as he walked, his half-bent posture v/ould remind you of a peddler with a pack on his back. The men, seated on logs near the church, seeing him coming, would begin to frame questions to ask him about his mine, and to make up stories to tell him, pretending like they had heard this or that man, who was skilled in mining, descanting upon the immense value of his mine. Soon he'd begin to unload his pockets, and from then until the preacher went in and began to sing "Children of the Heavenly King,'' Tom would be explaining where he found this, that and the other "speciment," and relating what John Cullers and Captain Ste- vens (he meant McCullers and Stephenson), and others had said about the value of each rock, and the probable wealth of his mine ; provided his "spec- iments" turned out to be gold. When the others started into the church Tom would begin to reload his coat-tail pockets, and when he went in, he put on the air of a millionaire, and didn't like it at all if the preacher had too much to say about rich men, "they that have riches," etc. Thought that was a personal hit at him. He dug so many holes in the woods, as well as in his field, that people's hogs and cattle were constantly falling into them; and, so, his mining operations finally became a nuisance to the community. About which time, the gentleman from whom he purchased the land, seeing that he would never pay for it, required him to move off, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 229 which he did; but always felt and said that he had been cheated out of his fortune. Tom was about a fourth or fifth cousin of mine, but, as his gold mine was a failure, I never claimed kin with him v.'3ry much. I don't know how it would have been, if his isin-giass had been gold and he had become a millionaire. I might have treated him as a dou- ble first-cousin, and paid court to ^'the beautiful and accomplished Miss Narcissa." No, I can't tell how it would have been, or what would have hap- pened if Tom Rhodes' gold "speciments" had been STire enough gold, and Narcissa had become the petted daughter of a millionaire. I am sure of one thing, she would have had plenty of beaux; for, as molasses draws flies, so will money draw boys. CHAPTER XXX. honoring and the Various Kinds of Snores — ^ome People WJio Do Not Like Snoring — Nervous People Who Are Afraid of Snoring — Snoring Convention Suggested. Most people snore in their sleep — some more, some less — but they are not conscious of it. Some people do not mind sleeping in a room with others, as snoring does not disturb them, while others dread snorers as they do mosquitoes or those other pests which sometimes disturb sleepers. Snoring i?, by no means, a very popular accomplishment, for one to possess; for, though he may snore ever so carefully, he will, sometimes, either degenerate into a monotonous kind of "gourd sawing," or rise to those undignified snortings and brayings which, in the dark, scare children and weak-minded people almost into fits. 230 whitaker's reminiscences, I can not speak, from my own knowledge, for I do not know whether I am a snorer, and, if so, to what class of snorers I belong. I have been in- formed, by gentlemen whose veracity I Avould not like to question, that I do breathe a little hard sometimes; but, no man has ever told me that my hard breathing could be heard across the square, on a stormy night; therefore, I infer I am not much of a snorer; though I always like to be first-class in anything I undertake. There are various kinds of snoring and as many kinds of snorers. I need not take the reader's time to describe all the different kinds of snores, as I take it for granted other people are as well posted as I am ; but, I do want to mention a few of them — if, for no other reason, to let the reader under- stand that I have been an appreciative hearer of that midnight music which, some sensitive people, pretend they do not admire. In the first place, there's what may be termed the "smoking snore." That's the simplest form of snor- ing, and the easiest executed; as a man has simply to lie on his back and puff, as if he were smoking a pipe. It doesn't require any exertion, whatever, and, consequently, it doesn't tire the snorer. He can keep up his "pooh," from the moment he begins to puff until the sun rises, the next morning. And what makes it so aggravating, if you punch the fel- low and make him promise to stop, he'll begin again right where he left off. And should you shake him again, and beg him to ctop his puffing, he will say, "All right — p-o-o-o-hl" and go right ahead as if there had been no interruption. I have a very dear friend in Smithfield who graduated witli distinction as a "smoking snorer," and, as far as I have been able to enquire into the matter, he stands at, or about, the head of that class. It is worth the loss of a night's sleep to be permitted to room with him INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 231 and satisfy one's self as to his proficiency in the art of p-o-oh-ing. The "goose hissing snore'' is somewhat like the smoking snore; but it differs from it in two partic- uk:rs. In the first place the montli is partly open and the snorer "s-s-s-h-e-s" instead of "p-o-o-h-s"; and, in the second place, the hissing gets louder and louder until it becomes a sort of whistle, which gen- ej ally scares the snorer and wakes him up, when he v/ill be pretty apt to remark : "I believe I w^as snor- ing." And then he will most likely turn over and sleep quietly the remainder of the night. The next snore, in order, is the "frog snore," or rather a cross between the noise made by filing a hand-saw and the croaking of a meadow frog. Such a snore is enough to make the flesh crawl on a per- son who is nothing but skin and bones, and make him forget all the other troubles and disagreeable tilings in this world. Beware of a person who snores that kind of a snore. The next snore is what might be called "the snort." The noise is made through the nose, and sounds as savage and quite as discordant as the roar of a young lion mixed with the braying of an ass. That snore is known as "the baby-waker," and is therefore a terror to the household ; but the one good feature about it is, it soon exhauts itself, or it Avould exhaust the snorer. Lastly, though there are other kinds, I mention the "gourd-sawing snorers." There are two distinct kinds of these; the hand-sawyers and the cross-cut sawyers. The hand-saw fellows are those who bloAv out, simply — the cross-cut fellows are those who snore "a-gwine and a-comin'." Of all snorers this last mentioned class, by all odds, stands highest, and is entitled to a premium as a sleep disturber; for no man with a bad conscience can sleep while the cross-cut snorer runs his machine. I have heard much better music than the average 232 AYHITAKEIl'S REMINISCENCES^ snorer can make; but, I never heard any snoring that could keep me awake. If the snorer can stand it, I know I can; so, I generally let him run Ms machine as he pleases, if it be all night. Some folks can't stand snoring — at least they make out they can't. It has been my misfortune to be thrown with some of this unfortunate class sev- eral times, and I speak the truth Avhen I say they are to be pitied. It is so sad to see a man who thinks he's a hero, a patriot, or a saint, scared half to death; rolling and tumbling and groaning as if he had the head-ache, the ear-ache, the tooth ache, thi; back-ache, and all the other aches, just because a bed-fellow, in the exercise of a God-given right, is blowing his horn of praise and thanksgiving, wliile he is sleeping. I would not like to sleep Avitli a dead man; so, I like for my bed-fellow to let me know he's alive. A snorer does that. I am ashamed to tell some things I know about these scarey fellows. I think too much of them to let my readers know what cowards they are; or at least know how little nerve they have. If you w.mt to make one of these nerveless fellows miser- able, just start him off to a room T\'ith a good, jolly fellow, who has too much of life in him to lie like a log all night, and you'll do it. In a voice tliat is pitiful in the extreme, betokening an anxiety, or an alarm that is truly heart-rending, he Avill ask: "Brother, do you snore?" If you say you do, the poor fellow begins to tremble at heart, at once, and to see hobgobblins, and to hear, in his imagination, unearthly sounds. In other words, he's miserable, from the crown of the head to the soles of his feet, at the idea of his being kept awake all night in the dark, tliinking of his sins. One thing I have learned from experience is, that those fellows who can't stand snoring are generally th( worst snorers, and do the most outlandish kind of snoring. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 233 One uight a brother preacher and I were i^ut in tJie same room — yes, had to sleep in the same bed. He began to sigh and groan as soon as we entered the room, and to say, in a sort of troubled way, he was afraid he would not be able to sleep a wink. Of course I thought there must be some great trou- ble on his mind — that he and his wife might have had a misunderstanding; or, that he had lost his pocket-book; or, that some neighbor, or somebody, had been sa^^ing unkind things of him or his family ; but, I felt a delicacy about prying into his trouble, so I said nothing. Presently he groaned again, and sighed a sigh that almost brought the tears to my eyes, so I was bound to say something. In reply to my remark he asked: ^'Brother, do you snore?'' I told him I had never sat up with myself all night to find out , but, I had heard people Avhose words I had no right to doubt, say that I did. He groaned heavily and going to his valise, took out a bottle that contained a sedative of some sort, and took a big dose, and sighed a sigh that made me feel very miserable in- deed, as I knew that I was the cause of his extreme trouble. He disrobed himself and put on his gown, and took another dose of his sedative, remarking, he believed he would keep a fire burning all night, as he just knew he couldn't sleep a wink. Then he fell on his knees to say his prayers, and the groans and the seeming agony of that moment brought the mourner's bench to my mind. While he was saying his prayers, groans and sighs punctuated every petition, all of which time I was feeling that I was the guilty wretch who was giving him all the trouble, and was wishing, with all my heart, that I Avas at home, or in some hay loft — or anywhere, aAvay from that room. He rose from his knees, groaning heavily, and remarked for the third time, '^I shall not sleep a wink to-night," 234 WHITAKEPv'S REMINISCENCES, whereupon lie took sedative number three — and crawled upon the bed. I lay on the other side, with my handkerchief over my mouth and nose to keep even my breathing from being heard. In about an hour my restless pardner arose and took sedative number four, and groaned some more, but I said nothing. I suppose it was somewhere near two a. m. when he began to snore. When he snorted the first time, I said: ^'Thank God for that!'' I had been lying there three or four hours, pinching myself, lest I might fall asleep and breathe a little loud, and, with my handkerchief over my mouth and nose, so that I might not disturb the poor fel- low. But now he was snoring, not caring how much he might disturb me. Then I fell asleep, and the sun was away up before either of us woke, in the morning. The first thing my companion said was: "I don't think you snored any last night." "But you did," I replied, "and I certainly enjoyed it ; for as soon as I found out that you were asleep I turned about and went to sleep also." I am heartily sorry for all such scarey folks. They ought never to go from home, for they not only make themselves miserable, but put house-keepers to trou- ble. I told one of these nervous preachers, who can't stand snoring, that he ought to take his wife along with him so that he would be sure to have a room with no other man in it. "Why, brother," said he, "my wife has to sit up every night until I have gone to sleep; I am so nervous I can't even bear to hear her breathe." "I would not blame her to leave you," I said, and I wouldn't. At a camp-meeting some years ago, a very ner- vous preacher and I occupied a bed together. A doctor of divinity and one of North Carolina's most distinguished politicians, who was quite as great a snorter as the doctor, occupied another; and two INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 235 younger preachers occupied a third bed. I soon fell asleep, and, with an elbow, that felt to me as sharp and as hard as a horn, my man hunched me, saying, ^^Whi taker, turn over !" I turned, of course, for I always like to be accom- modating. But, it seemed to me only a moment, before he hunched me again, saying, "Turn over!'' I turned, for, when I like a man I'll do almost any- thing to oblige him. But he hunched again and asked me to turn over the third time, saying as he did so: "You breathe just like you are about to snore.'' That remark woke me up, just in time to hear the doctor and his bed-fellow open their bat- teries. They skirmished around a minute or so, with a few snorts, but soon unlimbered their big guns and went at it in siege fashion. There was no shamming about it; the engagement was on. My man didn't ask me to turn over any more; but, be- fore I went to sleep, I think he turned a hundred times, and in the morning he announced that he had spent a sleepless night. I never slept better. I re- marked to him the next morning that any man who would lie awake all night to listen to that snoring was fonder of music than I was. He said it was simply cruel to serve a man that way. I had to sleep with a nervous preacher not long ago — one that hates snoring, but snores all the same. I muzzled myself and behaved all right until he got to sleep, and, although he snored "a- gAvine and a-comin'," I made no complaint; for in this democratic land of ours, I hold that every man has a perfect right to blow his own horn, according to his own notion, over on his own side of the bed. Understand me, I am no apologist for, much less an advocate of snoring, and if I could keep awake, all the time I am asleep, I wouldn't even breathe hard, lest I might disturb some fellow who is court- ing sleep that he may forget his sins. In fact, I 236 whitaker's reminiscences, don't admire snoring any more than I do the bray- ing of a donkey; but, inasmuch as we've got the thing among us, and everybody is more or less tainted, it is the part of wisdom to adapt ourselves to the situation, and make the best of it we can. My presiding elder is all right. When he says his prayers and takes his side of the bed, he asks no questions about snoring, but proceeds at once to business, and sleeps as only one can who is at peace with all the world, and the rest of mankind, as Gen- eral Taylor said. Does he snore? Of course he does, sometimes, and he has a right to snore; and what makes him a truly consistent man and Chris- tian is, he don't bother the other snoring man; neither does he try to pose as a martyr, at the breakfast table next morning, telling how badly he feels, because he could not sleep on account of the brother's snoring. No, he don't descend to that kind of tactics to make himself, by implication, so saintly as to be above snoring. He blows his own horn and, acting upon the golden rule, accords to others the same right. He says that I snore, and I expect he tells the truth. I know he snores; but it doesn't disturb me, for two reasons; I just know he's having a good time; and again, I'm fond of hearing him preach; and, as he does not try to change the sound of his snore, I can lie there and imagine he's preaching one of his fine sermons. And, as preaching has the tendency of making one drowsy, I soon fall asleep, and that's the last of it, until the next morning; and all is well. Some folks become so used to snoring they can't sleep without a snorer close by. The old lady who went to town to visit her married daughter, and left the old man behind, could not sleep at all, so tradition says, until her daughter got the coffee mill and set to grinding. That sounded so much like the old man's snore she soon fell asleep as happy as a child. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 237 In conclusion, it would be well for me to say to those gentlemen for whom separate rooms have to be prepared, that they deceive nobody. It is not because they are so very nervous, but because they are so very selfish, and don't like to be bothered A\ ith room-mates. I wonder if they expect the Lord to fix up little private ai^artments in heaven Avhere the shouting can't be heard by them? A fellow who can't stand snoring would be sure to object to shouting. At all the Conferences, Synods, and Con- ventions there are squeamish, selfish delegates who do not want to room with anybody else. They are the trouble. One nervous, selfish delegate gives more trouble than all the balance of the delegates, put together. When I hear a man say, "I can't sleep in a room with another man," my opinion is made up about him. I heard Dr. Hiden, a very distinguished Baptist minister, tell the story of the old darkey and his four-ox team, with which story I will close. The darkey had a name for each steer, and, he said, ''he named 'em 'cording to der carrec- ters." All the four were good oxen, but each had his fault. The Methodist steer was a ''mity pullin' steer," when he got into a bad place; but at times "he'd drap back and not pull a pound." (Falling from grace.) The Presbyterian steer never pulled much, but would pull a little all the time, therefore he was a good steer. The Campbellite was a good steer, also, but he wanted water all the time. ( Bap- tismal regeneration.) The Baptist steer was also a good puller and always to be depended on, but he gave him more trouble than all the rest — had to have a separate trough to eat out of. (Close com- munion. ) So it is with the delegate at Conference A^^ho is afraid of snorers — he has to have a separate room — therefore gives more trouble than all the rest. I suggest that a snoring convention be held in 238 whitaker's reminiscences, Raleigh, to take into consideration the proper treatment of that class of our fellow citizens who are so unfortunate in temperament as not to be able to sleep between two first-class snorers. I am will- ing to serve as secretary of said convention, if, from experimental knowledge, any of my friends think that I am entitled to any honors, on account of the record I have made in the snoring business. To this convention all the sensitive people, as well as all the nervous wrecks, that can't stand >suoring, should be invited, and have it explained to them that snoring is a healthy exercise, and if one would be fully developed in mind, body and useful- ness he must learn to blow his own horn, and not lie awake all night listening at the noise of somebody else's horn. Let's have the convention. P. S. — A Ealeigh lawyer thinks it Avould be un- fair not to admit the legal fraternity into the pro- posed convention. He is dead sure that at least three Ealeigh lawyers, to say nothing of the very popular Clerk of the Court, would lay any preacher in the shade. Upon reflection, I am convinced that the lawyers ought to and will be admitted, as it is important that the very best snoring talent should be present. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 239 CHAPTER XXXI. Funerals that Were Unpretentious — Funeral Ser- mons — Mr. Thompson and Handy Lockett — Hoiv Boys Flank Their Mammies. Burying a man is about the last thing we can do for him, and it ought to be done in good order. When I was a boy funerals and burials were not so ex- pensive, as now. A burial was a burial, and not an occasion for a parade — exhibiting all the livery in the city and displaying floral offerings. Yes, a burial was a burial, not a parade, and it didn't cost like it does now. The horse that pulled the hearse and the horses that drew the carriages of the family of the deceased, were all there Avere in the procession. People followed the hearse on foot, and got there just the same. The pall-bear- ers walked on either side of the hearse, and my re- collection is they didn't have to wear gloves, as they have to do in these days. The only expense was the coffin, and the digging of the grave, and people were just as well buried, as they are now, when carriage hire and other expenses make funerals a burden to many a family that is not able to bear it. All the friends followed the remains to the grave, on foot. Now, only those go who can get a ride. I am not complaining, but simply telling hoAv we used to do, when funerals cost less, and the poorer families, who were not able to hire carriages and incur other expenses, could bury their dead in as good style as the rich. Dives, doubtless, had a stylish funeral, and the friends of the family (if floral offerings were then the custom), doubtless covered the grave with flowers ; while Lazarus, poor fellow, had no burial, at all. But a better thing came to pass — he was carried by the angels to Abraham's 240 \yhitaker's reminiscences, bosom. That's the main thing, after all — having an escort, after death, to the mansions above. It makes but little difference how the body is buried ; but it makes all the difference how the soul fares after death. I always felt badly when witnessing a pompous funeral over the dead body of a man, who all his life was wicked, and who died as he had lived. If the dead know what is taking place on earth, how tormenting it must be to a lost soul, to see the parade over the body, while it is suffering, as Jesus said of Dives, when in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. Speaking of funerals, reminds me of the old-time country way of paying the last tribute of respect to the departed. Preachers were not as plentiful then as now, therefore most people w^ere buried without any services. The funeral being deferred to some future day, perhaps in May, June or July, when all the relatives from afar, as well as near, could at- tend. Such an occasion was looked forward to as one of more than ordinary interest, as was always demonstrated by the great crowd that attended. Sometimes the funeral would be preached at a church; or at other times at the home of the de- ceased, and sometimes it would be conducted at the grave, seats being provided there to accommo- date the many hundreds who attended. It was ex- pected that the preacher would do his level best, in the hour's sermon — and, the half hour, which he devoted to the memory of the departed, was ex- pected to be the most thrilling period of the da}^ If the preacher did his eulogy up all right, he left no doubt, in the minds of the l3ereaved, of the safety of the soul of the departed. Without intending to provoke mirth, I may mention an incident that is said to have occurred at a funeral which Dr. Closs conducted, away back in the early days of his min- istry. Just as he arose to take his text, the Doctor INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 241 felt some one jerk his coat-tail. Turning about, he saw it was a son of the departed one, whose funeral he was conducting. The young fellow pulling the Doctor down, so he could speak to him in a whisper, said : ^^I've got a little whiskey here, and I'd like for you to take a drink. This is dad's funeral, and I want you to do your level best." Yes, an old-time funeral sermon was a thing to b(^ remembered, both for length and breadth, as well as for height and depth. I heard Sam Jones say that, if a fellow could help it, he ought not to die in a year after swapping horses, as he'd tell enough lies in that one swap to keep him busy re- ]3enting for a whole year. How about the preacher who deals in effusive eulogy, when preaching the funeral of the average man? Dr. Pritchard, I think, it was, who said in a funeral discourse, over a young man who was killed while drunk, ^'I can offer the friends of the deceased no consolation." The re- mark shocked some in the audience; but the fa- ther of the young man said the Doctor did right; that the habit some preachers had of preaching sin- ners to heaven, just to gratify parents and friends, Avas a delusion. That, if, according to those preach- ers, a sinner — a drunken sinner at that — is fit for heaven, everybody will soon come to the conclusion that all this ado about men's living upright lives, as a preparation for heaven, is simply a scare-crow. I guess he took the right view of the matter. It is very probable that the priest who preached Dives' funeral was telling about his many virtues and making the impression that he was in heaven, at the very time the poor fellow was begging for a drop of water to cool his parched tongue. William Thompson, Esq., was city undertaker in tiiose days, and he, and Handy Locke tt, a ver^^ con- sequential old negro, generally walked in front of the hearse. Handv was a very dignified, pompous 16 242 WHITAKER-S REMINISCENCES, looking negro, who threw his head back, when walk- ing, exhibiting a mammoth pair of brass-rimmed spectacles, which, among the darkies, were sup- posed to be gold; and strutted when he walked, as if his knee joints were steel springs. Lest I forget it, I had better state it here, that Handy became a 'Squire under carpet-bag and scal- awag rule, and no man who had ever filled the office of Chief Justice was as dignified, or assumed half the consequentiality that Handy assumed. I say ''consequentiality,'' because that was one of his favorite and oftenest used words, when holding court. A young lawyer was practicing in Handy's court, on one occasion, and took occasion to read some de- cision of the Supreme Court, bearing on the point at issue, remarking, '^That is the law." Handy reared back in his seat, put his feet on the table in front of him, threw his eyes up toward the ceiling, and speaking in a judicial tone of voice, said : ^^Dat may be de law in de 'Spreem Cort, but it taint de law in dis onibul Cort." Of course the case was decided according to the law in 'Squire Lockett's court. Handy was Mr. Thompson's slave, but, at the head of a funeral procession, walking by the side of his master, he acknowledged no superior. Next to Stephen Gales, the pressman of the old Raleigh Register^ Handy was the most aristocratic negro in Ealeigh. The ingenuity of boys, in flanking whippings by mothers, is Avonderful. I overheard the folloAving dialogue the other da}', betAveen a mother and a boy she was about to catch up with. The mother, in a very sharp tone of voice that sounded very much like there was a hickory up her sleeve, said to the criminal looking urchin that stood before her: ^'Didn't I tell vou not to go to that pond?'' "Yes'm." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 243 Handy Lockett.— 'Dat may be de law in de s'preem cort, but it taint de law in dis onibul cort." 244 whitaker's reminiscences, ^That if you did go I'd whip you?'' ^'Yes'm." "Come right here and take your jacket off. I'll let you know that when I tell you not to go, you are not to go." The boy's face brightened. An idea had struck him, and with triumph in his eyes, he said : "I 'clare to gracious I didn't go to the pond !" "Why, you story teller, I know you were down there, for Bob Jones and Bill Smith both told me so." "Yes'm ; I was down there, but I didn't GO down there." "How did you get there, if you didn't go? Tell me that." "I COME down there. I went in the old field to hunt blackberries, Jim Davis and me, and we got lost, and the first thing we knowed we come right doAvn to the pond. I 'clare to gracious I didn't ^go' to the pond. You can ask Bill Davis if I did." "It's well you did'nt go, for I certainly should have whipped you." Then the mother patted her good little boy on the head and praised him for his obedience. A few minutes later the boy told his companions how near his mother came to catching him, and had a big laugh over the way he riggied out of a whipping, while the mother was congratulating herself upon having such an obedient boy. I used to hear a similar story. A mother for- bade her son's going in the creek bathing, on Sun- day evening; but, he went in all the same. When he came to the supper table, Sunday night, the mother ran her fingers through his hair, saying: "You have been in the creek, John." "No'm I ain't," he said. "But I know you have, for your hair is right wet." "That's sweat," the boy replied. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 245 ^'How comes it that your shirt is turned wrong side out?'' the mother asked. "I — I — I done that getting over the fence/' the boy innocently replied. The mother knew that was a story, but she thought her little boy deserved to go free for his smartness; so she only said: "You must be careful in getting over fences, or you might tear all your clothes off." And the boy promised her he would. A great many years ago a boy of this city was shot while trespassing upon a gentleman's premi- ses — stealing fruit or watermelons. His legs were filled with bird shot. When he went home he told his mother that he and another boy were out rab- bit hunting, and the other boy seeing a rabbit, shot at it just as it was running between his legs, and the mother never knew any better. The only strange part of the story to the mother was, her son couldn't remember what boy it was that did the shooting. Boys, and girls, too, are smarter than they were when I was a boy; or the mothers are not quite so strict with them and don't always keep their w^ord as mothers did, in those days. If my mother said I must not go to a place, I understood that to mean I must not "^o" nor "come"; but, keep well away from that place. And I do not remember that my mother ever told a story about whipping her chil- dren. If she promised to whip one, he knew he'd get it in due time and in full measure. Knowing how true she was to her promises, on the whipping question, we children were very careful not to run any very great risks in going contrary to orders. If she said "go," we went; if she said "come," we came, and asked no questions as to whys and where- fores. 246 whitaker's reminiscences, I notice nowadays that some mothers may tell their children a dozen times ^^to go/' and even threaten to whip them, but the young hoi)efuls don't go. They are smart enough to know that their mothers don't mean to whip them. Many children have no respect for their mother's author- ity, for they have no confidence in them. Some mothers tell their children a hundred stories a day, saying : ^'If you do that again, I'll whip you !" — but it has no more effect on the average child, than the chirping of a cricket in the closet. The child don't believe a word of it; therefore, does so again, and keeps on doing so. Whereupon, with an air of despair, the mother declares she's got the worst children in the world, although "she's done all that a mother could do to raise them right." The truth is, she's done nothing but scold ; and scolding never made anything, (much less a child), any bet- ter. My experience as a boy, taught me, there was more virtue in the rod than in the tongue. I didn't mind a lecture now and then; but, when mother took me by the collar, and, without saying a word, marched me toward the pantry where she kept her switch, I began at once to feel that I ought to be a better boy, and when she was through with me I had fully made up my mind that I never w^ould run up against that hickory again. And so, when at times I was tempted to do forbidden things, or to leave undone things I had been told to do, that pantry and that hickory warned me to beware, and I generally heeded the admonition. No, my mother never told me a lie; if she said she'd whip me, I knew I'd get it ; and so I tried to be a very dutiful little bov. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 247 CHAPTER XXXII. llural Deliveries — Old-Time Mail Route — Bpanhing a Yankee. Rural Free Deliveries are wonderful improve- ments upon the old-time star-routes, when a fellow on horse-back, carrying a pair of saddle-bags, went a journey of a hundred miles, more or less, to sup- ply a sparsely settled country with a few letters and still fewer newspa]3ers. In my young days my father had a contract for carrying the mail from Raleigh to Johnsonville, in Cumberland ccunty, a post-office west of Fayetteville, and for a few months this writer enjoyed the privilege and (for a while) the pleasure of being a mail carrier. To give the reader an idea of the insignificance of the mail service of that day, as compared with the advantages the people now enjoy, I will write up a trip that had to be made once a week. And to begin, I must state that my father lived twelve miles south of Raleigh, and as this was the start- ing point, we usually came here on Thursday even- ing to be ready, as the, contract required, to start with the mail early Friday morning. As we had a post-office (^^Middle Creek,'') at our home, the rider would reach there for breakfast. Then he would start for Holly Springs, which place he would pass about 11 a. m., where he would give his horse a bundle of fodder, and a few ears of corn, and eat his lunch, consisting of biscuits and fried chicken, or ham. Leaving Holly Springs he would go westward, passing the Bookers, the Booths, and the Collins', he would finally fall into the Raleigh and Haywood road, and, crossing Haw River, he would deliver mail to the Haywood office. By then it was grow- 248 \yhitaker's reminiscences, ing late in the day. Leaying Haywood and cross- ing Deep River on the Haywood and Fayetteville road, he would go about six or seven miles to Mr. John McLeod's and spend the night. He w^as the grandfather of Mr. John T. Pullen, of this city, as well as of Mrs. C. H. Belvin and Mrs. Dr. L. W. Crawford. Saturdaj^ morning bright and early the rider w^ould be on his way to ^'Rollins' Store," in Moore county, a few miles east of where Jonesboro is located. There he fed and got breakfast. From Rollins' Store he went a southwest direction, tlirough the piney woods, most of the time travel- ing a mere trail of a path, (flushing every now and then large flocks of wild turkeys, and not unfre- quently jumping a deer), to Johnsonville P. O., of A^'hich Mr. John W. Cameron was postmaster. There he fed and took dinner. Mr. Cameron, I remember, was very careful in arranging his mail matter. For instance, I have frequently seen him, after folding a letter and sealing it with a wafer, take a flat-iron and smooth it. Envelopes were not much used in those . days. After dinner the rider went in a northAvest direction to Pocket P. O., in Moore county, of which Daniel Macintosh was postmaster. There he found a good supper and a nice bed to sleep on, and generally felt very much like eating and sleeping, after making such a long ride. Sunday morning, coming east, he would pass Buffalo Presbyterian church and also where Jones- boro now stands, and take breakfast at John Shep- pard's. Long Street P. O. After breakfast he would come on and cross Cape Fear River at Avent's Ferry, and coming through the Buckhorn country, leaving Holly Springs to the north and Piney Grove to the south, would reach home that (Sunday) evening. Monday morning he would come to Ra- leigh and deliver his mail bag to old Postmaster White at the post-office, which stood somewhere INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 249 uear Avliere the Tucker Building stands. What a journej was that to supply only seven offices ! And to think that a pair of saddle-bags would carry all the mail matter that Avent into all that country, seems almost incredible, when we see the many bags that go out daily on the trains, filled with papers and letters, into the same territory. How things have changed since I used to ride the mail, especially in the country I then traversed. In the first place, a railroad runs through my father's old plantation, where Middle Creek post-office was, and a railroad runs to Holly Springs, and a railroad runs to Haywood, and one runs to Jonesboro, not far from Rollins' Store and Pocket, and one runs not far from Johnsonville; all of which have been built since that time. And in the second place the old people have died and their children have taken their places, and schools and villages and even towns have sprung up; so that where the old-field log school-house stood, an academy now stands ; and instead of the little hamlet with a few unpainted dwellings, a town has sprung up, and is quite as large as Raleigh was^ when I Avas a boy. The country, by the way, will soon be all town — or at least Avill enjoy town facilities. With good tele- phone lines and an abundance of churches, the country will ere long be as much in town as it need be, so far as real enjoyments are concerned. If I were a young man, and my ambition was to live long and be happy, I certainly should try to locate in the country, as things now are; for, by the time one pays tOAvn taxes and the high prices for such things as he would like to have, (and would have, if he lived on a farm), he has paid j)retty dearly for the privilege of living on a quarter-acre lot in town. Town privileges, like spring chickens, cost more than they are worth, unless a man has a rail- road job, with a good salary. 250 WHITAKER'S REMINISCE^'CES, Speaking of Johnsonville P. O., reminds me to say that when Sherman's army was approaching Fayetteville, Kilpatrick camped near that old-time post-office the night before the army entered Fay- etteville, and although he must have been very tired, and although, it was said, he had a lady(?) in his tent. General Joe Wheeler's cavalry had the audacity and the ill-manners to make a dash into his camp in the dead of night, and run him and his lady friend out in their night clothes, thereby making a scandal, that had quite a run about the winding up of the war. Wheeler's cavalry gave Sherman's army much trouble, for like Stonewall Jackson's foot cavalry, they turned up at the most unexpected times and places and made a sensation Avherever they appeared. I was a refugee when the Yankees came to Kal- eigh; or, at least, I was en route, through the coun- try, for Charlotte, as it was supposed, when Eich- mond fell, that Charlotte would be made the tem- porary abode of President Davis and his cabinet. Col. D. K. McRae, the editor of the Daily Confed- erate ^ informed me that the press and fixtures of that paper would be carried to Charlotte, and told me, as well as the other members of the staff, to go on there and be ready to commence publication as soon as the office material could be put in shape. After hauling all my corn, wheat, oats, fodder, peas, hay, etc., to Raleigh and delivering them to the Confederate authorities for the use of the army, taking receipts which promised to pay back in kind, after the Yankees had passed by, I loaded my wag- ons and, with my family, started through the coun- try to Charlotte. On the second evening I camped about fifteen miles west of Fayetteville, near a Mrs. Monroe's, where the Yankees had recently been. A Mrs. McDougald, daughter of ^Irs. Monroe, enter- tained and amused wife and me, telling her ex- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 251 Spanking a Yankee.— "I jerked him across mj- lap and spanked him well. 252 whitaker's reminiscences, perience with the Yankees. The people of Fajette- ville had sent a cheese box full of watches and jewelry to her for safe keeping, and by some means the Yankees found it out, and they worried her no little, trying to make her tell where the box w^as hid. She told us of a Yankee, of rather small stat- ure and light weight, who was very insolent, order- ing her to get up from her seat, in very rough lan- guage. ^^It made me so mad," said she, "I caught hold of him as he stood near me, jerked him across my lap, and spanked him well, and then rolled him on the floor at my feet. He jumped up as soon as ho could and threatened to shoot me; but the other Yankees who saw me spank him, and were almost dying a laughing at him, told him if he didn't shut up and behave himself they would whip him for sure enough. No,'' said she, ^'they didn't find that box, but thousands of Yankees walked over it. One fellow thought he would make me betray myself, by coming in and saying: ^We've found it,' think- ing I'd look in the direction of where it was hid, but I didn't. I simply said: ^If you've found it, all right; but I didn't tell you where it was, did I?' He was telling a lie and I knew it." Before reaching Mrs. Monroe's that evening, I met Major Wright Huske, who had been stationed at Camp Holmes, just north of this city, and to my astonishment and consternation he informed me that General Lee had surrendered; the war was over and the Confederate Government was a thing of the past; and that I need not go another mile toward Charlotte in the expectation of meeting Colonel McEae there; that the Dally Confederate, like the Confederate States, w^as a thing of the past. I never felt so poor in all my life ; though I had thousands of dollars of Confederate money in my pocket, I was not able to buy one feed for my teams. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 253 Next morning, leaving my wagons and teams at Mrs. Monroe's, my wife and I drove down to Fay- etteville to get the straight of the matter. I was not personally acquainted with E. J. Hale, Esq., the editor of the Observer; but, as he and my father were boys together in the office of the old Raleigh Register^ in the days of Joseph Gales, about the time of the war of 1812-'13 — and as they were still friends — I felt that I would like to get his opinion as to the situation, and his advice as to my movements. He confirmed the statement of Major Huske, and advised me not to go any farther toward Charlotte, but let my teams remain where they were for a few days, and then move them down toward Fayetteville. That was on a Saturday evening. Sunday I spent in Fayetteville with Mr. Thomas Pickett, my wife's uncle, a refugee from near Wil- mington. Monday morning, to my astonishment, I saw my brother-in-law, Mr. Richard Koonce, driv- ing into town, and reporting that the Yankees in a large body, with a great many wagons, had crossed the Cape Fear at McNeill's Ferry, and seemed to be heading toward Charlotte. I had parted with Mr. Koonce near Lillington; he expecting to re- turn home as soon as the Yankees had passed Ral- eigh, while I expected to go on to Charlotte. The report he brought was stunning, because I knew that my teams and all the valuables I had, includ- ing about fifteen hundred pounds of bacon, were on the road the Yankees were said to be marching. I drove as rapidly as I could towards Mrs. Monroe's, feeling my way very carefully, however, the nearer I got to where I left my teams. When I finally reached them, I found all there — drivers as well as teams — but learned that a large body of Yankee prisoners, in the hands of Wheeler's cavalry, did pass that place on the day before, (Sunday), and the wagons were loaded with provisions, which 254 whitaker's reminiscences, Wheeler's men were distributing freely to the peo- ple; and Mrs. McDougald informed me that one of the prisoners was no other than the little fellow that she took across her lap and spanked. Now about those wagons and provisions: As the armies Avere coming toward Raleigh from Ben- tonsyille, several Yankee officers stopped one night with Mr. Henry Finch, about fifteen miles from Ealeigh. Next morning before those officers had left Mr. Finch's a thing occurred that, in the wind- up of the war, did not become very generally known. There was a fork of roads at Mr. Finch's, and as a portion of Sherman's wagon train reached that fork, an officer dressed in Yankee uniform, dashed in among the wagons and shouted: ^'Take the left- hand road and drive like h — 1; Wheeler's cavalry is just up that right-hand road and will capture the last one of you ! Drive for your lives, I tell you !" And they did drive. It was said that a dozen or more wagons with their guards were soon out of sight heading towards the Cape Fear, and a por- tion of Wheeler's cavalry fell behind them and hurried them on. Of course it is understood that the officer who gave the order to the drivers to take the left-hand road was one of Wheeler's cavalry in Yankee uniform. When the Yankees discovered the ruse it so enraged them that they burnt Mr. Finch's residence, and tried to burn Mr. Finch and his wife in it. They had barred the doors and piled hay around them and set it on fire to prevent Mr. Finch and his wife from escaping, and, but for the timely interference of the officers who staid there the night before, they would have been burned. They were the prisoners and those were the wagons which crossed the Cape Fear and gave us all such a scare. I soon moved my teams down to Fayetteville, crossed the Cape Fear, and following the two INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 255 armies, came on up to Smith's battlefield, near Averasboro, and hearing that Sherman's army was still in and around Raleigh, I re-crossed the Cape Fear, rented land from Mr. John C. Williams, and pitched a crop. I had plenty of horses and for a few days, plenty of hands; but, hearing that the A^'ar was over and they were free, they dropped out, one or two each night, until they all went. But before they went I had broken up and planted enough river land to make a hundred barrels of corn. I managed to have it plowed one time, sow- ing down peas, when the corn was hardly knee high, and that was the last of it. Corn, peas and weeds had a tight race; but, the corn and peas I raised brought me in a nice roll of greenbacks. Next fall, after disposing of my crop, I came home, bringing all the watches, jewelry and silver- ware, which the Yankees knew I had; but, as they didn't know where to find me, they failed to get. I have had right much to say about myself; but, it's all history, and the events referred to were very real in their day and time. I want to say, before closing this sketch, that no refugee in the days of the ''break-up," had a better time than I. As neighbors I had the Williams's, McNeills, Smiths, Elliots, Harrises, Parkers, Hodges and Surleses, all of whom were more than kind, and, although the Yankees had passed through that country, these good people had plenty to live upon and to divide with a refugee. And, while I had no money, I could buy anything I needed with bacon, of which I had more than a plenty, after my ne- groes left me. With a hatchet, saw and an auger, I made a first-class sofa, out of fence rails, and upholstered it with Avheat straw and one of my wife's old home-s]3un dresses, made of Confederate silk. It was both useful and ornamental, and we were proud of it. The neighbors loaned us some 256 whitaker's reminiscences, bedsteads and chairs, and having plenty of feather beds which we carried from home, our house, though not elegantly, was, we thought, very comfortably furnished. We had no spring chickens, but the squirrels came in troops, from the river low-ground up to the grove, surrounding our house, so that I could sit in my porch before breakfast and kill enough to feed us a day. It was almost like the coming of quails into the camp of Israel. We had many rare experiences Avhile refugeeing, but in the main we had a good time. Mrs. W. P. Oldham, of Wilmington, my wife's cousin, who was then a happy-hearted girl, making everything cheerful and bright about her, will, if she reads this sketch, recall many incidents connected with those days that will, doubtless, provoke old-time hearty laughter. O, how delightful to sit and think of the young life — the happy days, ere cares and troubles beclouded our sky ! CHAPTER XXXIII. Some Old-time Preachers — Circuit Riders — Chicken Eaters — Bishop Eaygood's Dinner Hen — A Boy Fished Up the Freachefs Teeth, Etc. Some person wrote to me not very long ago about Rev. Littlejohn Utley, a preacher who was well known in Wake, Chatham and Orange counties fifty or sixty years ago, and Avhose relatives were very numerous in Wake. I remember him as an old man Avith white head and jolly red face; whose height was about five feet ten inches, and whose weight was perhaps a hundred and sixty pounds. His face wore a very l)enevolent expression, and his general demeanor was that of a consistent Chris- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 257 tian minister. He was a preacher of great popu- larity, though I am not able to say whether or not he was a man of education or of more than ordinary preaching ability. He had regular appointments at Pleasant Springs, eight miles south of Kaleigh, frequently held services at private houses, and was always gladly received wherever he went, as every- body had the utmost confidence in him; regarding him as an earnest, faithful minister of Christ. He belonged to the Christian Church. There are many people living in Wake, besides a host who have drifted off into other counties and States, who are his descendants, or related to him. The first bap- tism service by immersion I ever witnessed, he per- formed in Swift Creek, not far from where Capt. Stephen Stephenson lived. I was but a boy, and I remember that other boys, as well as myself, were impressed with the service; and not many days after, sacrilegious as it may seem to the reader, we boys had a baptizing of our own, and, contrary to all precedents, the baptisms were repeated until each boy had had his turn as a baptizer. Our teacher would have poured the hickory upon us if he had heard of it; but, luckily for our hides, the matter never came to his ears. Rev. Burwell Temple, a Primitive Baptist preacher, Avas a very conspicuous character in my young days. He resided not far from Milburnie, and was the father of James Temple, Esq., who now lives in the Milburnie community. He pub- lished The Primitive baptist, and through its col- umns he was well known, not only in this, but in many other States. He was a Jacksonian Demo- crat, and believed that paying one's debts and vot- ing the Democratic ticket were virtues Avhich were almost indispensable in a Avell-developed Christian character. Like many other preachers of his day and time, he thought a brandy toddy after preach- 17 258 ing a two-hour's sermon was not at all amiss, but he had no patience with drunkenness. I do not remember very much about Rev. George Nance, also a Primitive Baptist preacher, who lived southeast of Raleigh about five miles from Garner, though I knew well some of his children. Mr. Nance was one of Wake's best citizens and a popu- lar minister whom all denominations were fond of hearing. They said he always rode a fat horse to his appointments, which proved that he was a thrifty farmer, as well as a preacher, and if, when he got up to preach, the weather was uncomforta- bly warm, he would take off his coat, unbutton his vest and collar, and proceed in a sensible way, which sliowed that he was a sensible man. Our friend, Charlie McCullers, on the corner near the Union Depot, is his grandson. By the way, he informed me the other day that my recent article on ''snor- ing" had gotten him into a difficulty — that his wife had used, or proposed to use, some very heroic methods to keep him from breathing so loud at night, and, I suppose, make him adopt the smoking snore in place of the snort, or whatever snore he snores. Rev. Anthony Francks, a Christian preacher, was another whom I used to hear when I was a boy. He lived in the vicinity of the Catawba Springs church, and was a most exemplary man, though not a great preacher. He did not have the command of words to express himself very elegantly ; but, what he said was good and generally to the point. Albert Hin- ton used to get off some jokes at Mr. Francks's ex- pense, but he could not tease him with them very much, if at all; for he knew that Albert was a pretty hard case, and the people knew how to make allowances for his fun. One of the jokes was that he, Albei't, out hunting one day, came near to where Mr. Francks was trying to prize up a log and put a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 259 block under it. lie could prize the log easy enough, but, when he slipped along on the lever to put the block under, his weight being diminished the nearer he got to the fulcrum, suddenly the lever would fly up, and down the log would go. Albert said he witnessed repeated trials, before he made his presence known, and that every time the lever flew up and the log went down, the preacher would say: ''If I did think it, bless the Lord I didn't say it!" The impression that Albert tried to make was that the preacher thought bad words. Mr. Francks was a good man, and has many descendants out on Swift Creek, who have good reasons for honoring his memory. Rev. Patrick Dowd, a Missionary Baptist preach- er, was, perhaps, the most noted, as he was a very able preacher of my boyhood days. He was an orator of high order, and drew large crowds where- ever and whenever he preached. The last time I remember hearing him was at old Pleasant Springs, when he preached the funeral of David Henry Ste- phenson, an older brother of W. R. Stephenson, Esq., of Swift Creek Township. As I now remem- ber, 31r. DoAvd was the ablest minister of his de- nomination in Wake county, if not in the State, and it was said that at the funeral referred to, he preached one of the greatest sermons of his life. Rev. James Wilson, Primitive Baptist, used to preach at Muddy Springs, in the neighborhood of the Youngs, Hobby s, Gulleys, Smiths, Stevenses, Turners and Pennys, about twelve miles southeast of Raleigh, and also at Willow Springs, about the same distance south of Raleigh. Of course Ave had :\Iethodist preachers; but they were circuit riders, staying but a year, or two years, at most. I remember Rev. Daniel Culbreth, Rev. John Rich, Rev. Alfred Xorman, Rev. Charles P. Jones, Rev. Thomas E. Campbell, Rev. E. E. Free- 260 \YHITAKER-S REMINISCENCES, man, Eev. Wm. E. Pell, Rev. Hezekiah G. Lee, Rev. James E. Jamieson, Rev. Peter Doub and Rev. Thompson Garrard, who preached to the people at the old "Red Meeting-House," (Holland's chnrch ) , in the ante-bellum days. Rev. John Rich baptized by immersion some per- sons at Simeon Utley's mill, and, going into the water in his stocking feet, snagged his foot, which wound gave him great pain at the time, and, if I mistake not, finally brought about his death. What reverence I used to have for preachers! When the circuit rider came, dismounted at the gate and, with saddle-bags on his arm, came towards the house, the spinning-wheels in the kitchen ceased their hum, the children at play spake in subdued tones, the father hurried from the work shelter, where he was helving a hoe or mending a plow, while the mother made haste to smoothe her hair, put on a clean apron and a pleased countenance to meet and welcome the preacher. Even the plow- men and the hoe hands in the field felt the thrill of the event ; and, in a few minutes the chickens began to run for their lives, the turkeys yelped and gob- bled, the ducks quacked, the guineas pot-racked, the geese hissed, and the peacocks flew upon the fence and screamed. Methodist preachers from time immemorial have been called chicken-eaters, and many are the stories that have been told at their expense about their proverbial fondness for them. I suppose all the readers of this paper have heard how, on more than one occasion, the fowls have taken to the woods. The old guardian rooster would fly upon the Avood- pile and crow out : "The preacher's here to-d-a-a-y !" — and another down in the lot would floj) his wings and ask: "How long's he gAvine to s-t-a-y?" — and one nearer the kitchen would say : "We'd better get a-w-a-a-y !" Whereupon the guineas would cry out : INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 261 ^'Make tracks! make tracks! make tracks!'' — and tbe old muscovey would ask: ^^Where you gwine?'' — aud the old rooster would answer : ^'In the woods to s-t-a-a-y!'' Yes, the coming of the circuit rider was a big e^ ent, in a country home, sixty years ago, and chick- ens had to be sacrificed upon the altar of our high esteem for the man of God, who generally came hungry and ate hearty. I expect, come to think of it, that the children started the report about the l»reachers' loving chickens so well. The children, in my boyhood days, had to wait until the grown p(^ople ate, and it not unfrequently happened that, after the preacher left the table, chicken was scarce, which fact would bring forth the remark, from one of the brats : "Dey ain't no chicken here, hardly." Thereupon the biggest boy, in a sort of spiteful way, would say : "It's a Avonder he didn't eat the feet and sop out the dish. I do believe preachers love chicken better 'n they do preaching." "You ought not to say a thing like that, my son, about the preachers," the mother w^ould say. "It's very naughty." "I want the gizzard," said the little girl. "The giz- zard's not here, daughter," answered the mother. "I want the liver," piped out the baby boy. "I believe the liver is gone, but here's a drum-stick for mamma's little boy." The mother speedily helped all the hungrj^ children, dextrously dividing the remnants and giving to each little one what she said was "the very nicest and sweetest part of the chicken." But the children talked it all over when they got out to play, and their conclusion was, "Preachers can eat more chicken than other folks" ; and, as I have already intimated, it may be that the children's observations, and especially their experi- ence in gnawing the bones the preachers left, started the report that Methodist preachers "are mighty fond of chicken." At any rate, the report is out. 262 whitaker's reminiscences, and if, when the preacher comes, a chicken can be had, the good sister will wring his neck, sure, and bake, stew or fry it for the occasion. Bishop Haygood told this chicken story, in which he figured, before he became a bishop. He stopped on one occasion at the humble home of a widoAV who liyed on the roadside, thinking that he'd rest and take dinner with her, as she had often requested him to do some time when passing. There was a fine shade tree in the yard, and, after awhile, he moved out under it, at the widow's suggestion, the widow's little son going with him. When the bishop was not talking with the little boy he would play around under the tree, and, ever and anon, go into the house to see his mother, and how the dinner was coming on. After one of those visits to the house the bishop noticed that the little boy wore a very troubled look on his face and did not seem to be quite so friendly as at first, but he concluded that a mother's scolding had produced the change of countenance and bearing. Finally the dinner was done, and the widow, with the aid of her little boy, brought a table out under the shade tree, and there the dinner was served, and sure enough there was a chicken, a nicely baked hen, with plenty of dress- ing and gravy and other good things to match. The little boy made his dinner of the dressing, gravy and other things; he would eat no chicken; but he gazed at the dish on which it was served with al- most tearful eyes. Dinner over, the table was re- moved, when the widow and her little boy took seats under the tree to hear the preacher talk. While sitting there a dozen little chickens, without any mother, came under the tree j)icking up the crumbs, and when they got near where the little boy sat, he could stand it no longer, but with tears in his voice as well as in his eyes, he said : ^'You needn't come around me crying; there's the man INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 263 that eat vonr mammy," pointing to the preacher. Then the truth flashed upon the Bishop's mind that, to give the preacher the proverbial chicken, the widow had bereaved a dozen little chicks and al- most broken her little boy's heart. There's an old story that has never been vouched for to the effect that a Methodist preacher wore out his teeth eating chickens, and, in course of time, had false teeth put in, and the new teeth, like the old ones, soon became fond of chewing chicken bones. On one occasion the said Methodist preacher was going over to take supper with a sister whose spring chickens were just right for frying. He had to cross a creek on a foot-log, and, when about mid- way, he coughed his teeth out and they fell in the creek, sinking to the bottom. The water was deep and a little muddy, so to get them out, without going in and dragging for them, was impossible. He went on, however, and reported his misfortune to the lady with whom he was to eat fried chicken, saying: "I'm afraid, sister, I won't enjoy my sup- per, as I have no teeth to chew with." A son, stand- ing by, said: '^Mister, I can get your teeth." "I wish you would," said the preacher, "for I do hate to miss your mother's nice fried chicken." The boy hurried off, but soon returned and surprised the preacher by saving: "Mister, here's your teeth!" In amazement the preacher asked: "How did you get them, my son?" "I baited a hook with a leg of the fried chicken, and as soon as the hook touched the bottom the teeth bit." I say this story has never been vouched for ; but, if true, it proves that the new teeth had learned to love chicken quite as as well as the old ones ever did. I once heard of a preacher who had a Avay of for- aging that was a little peculiar, but it generally succeeded. He worked it this way: After asking a blessing he would kinder clioke up as if about to 264 whitaker's reminiscences, cry, when lie looked across the table and saw ham and eggs, fried chicken, biscuit, muffins or waffles; and taking out his handkerchief he'd wipe his eyes and put on an air of great distress. Of course his conduct was noticed and simultaneously the host and hostess would ask: ''What's the matter. Bro- ther B.?" Feigning some well-deyeloped sighs, he would ansAyer: "I don't feel like I ought to eat a mouthful of your nice breakfast, when I know my poor wife hasn't a thing for her breakfast but a lit- tle fried fat bacon and some corn-bread." Of course the pitiful story had its effect, and husband and wife, in the same Ayords and at the same time, as- sured him that his wife should haye a good break- fast the next morning, and begged him to eat, which he did mincingly and sobbingiy at first; but, upon being again assured that his wife should be remem- bered, he finally oyercame his deep emotion and proceeded regularly to business. When leaying, a couple of fine hams, a half dozen fat pullets, a pound of butter, and a quarter sack of flour were packed into his big-booted buggy, and Brother B. Ayent on his way rejoicing. It Ayas said of him that ho generally spent his Sunday nights Ayhere his sobs and sighs Ayould pay best, and that he ncA^er failed to haye his buggy full when he droye into town. I knew the brother, and might giye his name ; but the story is just as good AAithout doing so; and besides, he is dead and is out of the foraging business. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 265 CHAPTER XXXIV. First Legislature Under an Oak — About Dogs and Other Dogs. In ^'Grandfather's Tales" Colonel Creecy tells us, on the authority of Gen. Duncan McDonald, of Edenton, that the first General Assembly of North Carolina was held under a large oak in Pasquotank county, and that one of the rules governing that body was that the members should wear shoes, dur- ing the sessions thereof, and that they should not tlirow their chicken and other bones under the tree. We can not see for the life of us why that Assem- bly required its members to put on shoes, while in session, unless it was to impress the common peo- ple with the dignity of that body; but, it is easy to understand why chicken bones were not allowed to be thrown down under the oak. It was doubt- less to keep the dogs from prowling around after those bones, and fighting over them, while the As- sembly was engaged in legislative work; and, we are bound to admit that the members of that Assem- bly were wise in their day and generation, for they knew that dogs were dogs, and that dogs by instinct, habit and common deportment were not fit to be allowed in public meetings. Hence, when the leg- islators ate their lunches, of chickens, backbones and hog jowls, they were required by law to throw the bones outside the legislative circle covered by the big oak. Supposing tha^t each member had a dog, we can imagine the scene around, when the bones were thrown out; the many fights which oc- curred among the dogs, (for dogs, like men, will fight over bones,) and the much bad feeling engen- dered when a member with shoes on kicked another member's dog. 266 ^YH1TAKER'S REMINISCENCES, Some people have a way of carrying dogs to cliureli; and yet it is very well known that dogs have not improved in manners since the days of old Jezebel. Some of the most annoying as well as some of the most ludicrous scenes, in churches, have been occasioned by doo's. In my youns: days I used to attend preaching at old Pleasant Springs, about eight miles south of Raleigh. The Chris- tian denomination worshipped there, and Key. An- thony Francks Ayas the pastor. The Sunday of which I am writing was the communion occasion, and the basket which contained the bread and wine, sat on the floor in front of the pulpit. While Mr. Francks was preaching, the children oyer on the mother's side of the church were eating biscuits, and dropping the crumbs; and about a half dozen dogs of various sizes, colors and classes, were push- ing and crawling under benches and the women's dresses, trying to get the crumbs, and the whole bis- cuits as well, that occasionally were dropped by fidgety children. I noticed one dog, specially, that seemed to be not only very active in crumb hunting, but had a ferocious air about him, and would growl at the children now and then. At length he found the basket, Avhich contained the sacramental bread, and into it his nose went; and, but for the timely interference of a member, who sat near by, he soon would have devoured it. The sermon ended, the communion followed, the white members coming first. Then came the colored people, and among them old ^^Aunt Prissy Banks," who thought sliout- ing was always in order when people took the com- munion, and slie had as much riglit as anybody; so she shouted; but, no sooner did she break out than did that dog, with a ferocious look, begin to bark. At first she did not seem to notice him; but, she soon discovered that he was barking at her, for, turn which wa}^ she might, he was in her front INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 267 Negro Shouting.— Dog barking. "Glory to God— g'way from here!" 268 whitaker's reminiscences, barking as if he had treed a coon. She quieted down long enough to leave the house; but, as soon as she touched the ground, and thinking the dog was still in the church, she began to shout again. In a moment the dog was there, and, if possible, barking more fiercely than he did in the house. For fully five minutes it was shouting and barking, and barking and shouting. Aunt Prissy would say : ^'Glory to God, go way from here !" ^^Glory to God, go Avay from here !'' But the dog wouldn't go. He continued to bark until some of the colored sisters told Aunt Prissy she'd better stop, and she did, saying by the way of a wind-up : "Thank the Lord, dey ain't got no dorgs in heaven; dey all goes to the t other place, and I wish dat dorg was dar rite now." As I am about it, I will give the reader some other instances of the bad behaviour of dogs, as well as two or three of their good behaviour; for, be it known and remembered that dogs are not all alike, any more than folks ; therefore they don't all behave well in church. Some folks behave and some do not. Just so with dogs. Rev. William I. Langdon was preaching at the Methodist church, on Federal Point, about 1850, when a bench-legged fice, the property of one of the members of that church, made himself very conspic- uous. He would run to the door and bark, then he'd run to his master, and then go 'round among the boys who would pet him, and in various and numerous ways he managed to disturb the preacher, wliile he amused the children. At last he went to the pulpit, hopped up on the bench and began to lap water out of the preacher's pitcher. The preacher took in the situation, and thinking he had a right to the pulpit, and that the dog Avas an in- truder, he kicked him out. He went out howling, and the master, and all the family, to whom the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 269 dog belonged, went out with him; and such was the disturbance outside, the preacher had to stop; and the church came nigh being broke up. The people were divided upon the matter. Some of them said the ijreacher was not to blame; that the dog had no business in the pulpit drinking out of the preach- er's pitcher; while others thought that dogs ought to be allowed to do as, and go where, they pleased, so they did not bite people. It took the church a long time to recover from that dog affair. Away back in the forties there was a church, in Chatham county, which had been so rent by dissen- sions among its members, as to be left off the cir- cuit, consequently it had no preaching. A brother Postell, I think it was, then living in Pittsboro, concluded, in the early summer, that he would go out and preach to those people and try to harmonize the discordant elements. He took brother Hanks, an old-time Sankey, with him to lead the singing; and Avent prepared to say a great many things about brotherly love and especially loving thy neighbor; taking for his text, ^^Who is my neighbor?'' Three things happened that tended to break the force of his very appropriate sermon. In the first place, just as he commenced, he happened to look out, and he saw that a yearling had found his saddle and was chewing the girth, as he had taken it off his horse and hung it on a low limb, to let his horse cool off. It was a borrowed saddle, and he had to hurry out after it. He returned and was getting fairly under way again when there was a general breaking loose of horses, caused by one horse pawing up a yellow jackets' nest, and he, breaking loose, covered with yellow jackets, and running among the other horses scattering the stingers as he went, caused nearly every horse, the preacher's with the rest, to break loose, and such running and kicking were never before witnessed in Chatham county. After a long 270 whitaker's reminiscences, wliile the horses were caught and order restored. The preacher said on resuming : ^'Brethren, I came out here to preach, and although it does look like the devil is against me, I am determined to finish up before I quit." And for awhile he w^ent on as if he would go through ^sure enough; but a great big dog came to the door, and, planting his fore feet on the top step, growled as he saw another big dog lying in front of the pulpit. That dog raised up on his fore feet and growled back. The dog outside came in and growled again. The pulpit dog got up on all his feet and growled back. It was not a moment before they literally took the church. Men, women and children went through the windows as if the house had been on fire; and not until some- body threw a bucket of water on them did they stop fighting. No, I don't blame the first North Carolina Assembly for making a law against throw- ing chicken and other bones down under their oak. Speaking of dogs, I will say what has been on my mind for a long time, and it is this: From the bottom of my heart I am sorry for a woman who has to lead, or be led about by a pug dog. When I see a woman and a pug dog hitched together, it raises the question in my mind whether the woman or the I3ug is honored b^- the association. I sincerely hope that the reader will not conclude I am opposed to dogs, or that I do not appreciate a dog that knows his place and learns to do and be what a dog ought to do and be. Thus far, in this article I haye inti- mated a dislike to only two classes of dogs, the dogs that go to church and misbehave, and the pugs that lead women around. Against the latter class I ought not to be too harsh, as, after all, the women and not tlie dogs are to blame. And I have to ad- mit, also, that all church-going dogs do not misbe- have, as the following story, which I heard a Metho- dist preacher tell, mil demonstrate. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 271 In a certain town, a preacher said, there was a dog that for several years went regularly, with the children of a Presbyterian family, to Sunday school ; would go into the church, quietly and orderly, take his place under the pew on which the home children sat, and keep perfectly quiet until the doxology was being sung, when he Avould come out and stand in the aisle to be ready to march out with the children AA'hen school closed. His good behaviour must, of course, be attributed to the fact that he was a Presbyterian dog. He not only went to the Sun- day school, but was a regular attendant on church services, and went, whether any of the family did or not, always occupying the same place, and always remaining until the doxology was sung. But a strange thing happened. On a certain occasion a Methodist bishop w^ent to that toAvn and preached in the Methodist church, and the Presbyterian family who owned the dog went to the Methodist church to hear the Bishop, and so did the dog. He followed his master into the church and hid him- self under the seat where he could hear the whole of the service, especially the bishop's sermon. As, on other occasions, he stood up during the doxology and went quietly out, and to his home after the benediction. From that day he quit going to the Presbyterian church, but became a regular attend- ant at the Methodist church. The preaclier who told this story was undecided in his mind what it was that caused the dog to leave the Presbyterian and join the Methodist church; but supposed he fell in love with the Methodist doctrine, that being the first time he had ever heard a Methodist preacli. I don't vouch for this story if a Methodist preacher did tell it, but must say, that was a very remarkable dog. Now, here is a story of a dog that was not only well-behaved, but said his prayers, which is more 272 than some people do, who think they are better than dogs; besides, he had sense enough and honesty enough to deal justly between man and man. He was a good dog and, no doubt, behaved in church. Every preacher of the North Carolina Conference used to know Kev. Moses J. Hunt, and in Warren, Granville, Franklin, Wake and Nash wherein his ministerial labors were more abundant, his name Avas a household word. He was an old-time revi- valist, and never was more in his element than vrhen holding a meeting, and no man could beat him sing- ing ^'The Old Ship of Zion." Thousands of souls were converted under his ministry, and wherever he has labored the good people love his memory. In short, Moses J. Hunt was a good man. He was also a good hunter, as Avell as fond of fishing. He had a bird dog that went with him, stayed by him, and learned of him, and in many ways manifested more than ordinary dog intelligence. On one occa- sion Brother Hunt and Brother Pernell, a Baptist preacher, went fishing together. Brother Hunt's dog following. They found a hole in the creek where the fish bit rapidly, and for some time they caught and threw the fish behind, almost as fast as they could take them from their hooks. After awhile they concluded to string their fish, when lo, on turning about, they saw not a single one. They vrere astonished, and could not imagine how all their fish had so mysteriously disappeared. Brother Hunt seeing his dog some twentj^-five yards away sitting on his haunches, asked: "Ponto, where are our fish?" Ponto cut his eyes right and left and wagged his tail, as much as to say : ^^Here they are." They went to Ponto and there lay two piles of fisli ; the Hunt catching in one pile, and the Pernell catcliing in another pile, while Ponto stood between. That's the way I heard the story coming from two preachers. I did hear that Ponto learned to imi- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 273 tate his master in saying his prayers — that, before he laid down he would put his fore-feet upon a chair, drop his head down, piously close his eyes and re- main in that position about as long as he had seen his master pray. I tell that as a hearsay, not vouch- ing for the truth of it. But, here is a dog story I clipped from a newspaper, and give it just as I clipped it: "Speaking of dogs," said Eev. Dr. J. E. Hower- ton, "I knew a Russian dentist out in Little Rock, Ark., and he had a dog that was a dog. Whenever that dentist washed to go hunting he'd say to his dog : ^Go over across the river and find some birds for me.' And that dog would go dowm to the river. If he couldn't get across on a boat he'd swim over. He would find about five covies of partridges in the morning, and when his master came over in the evening he would be at the landing waiting for him, ready to take him to the birds." Of course that Arkansas story is not equal to the Hunt story, but it helps us to ease down on the dog question. If the reader has enjoyed the story, he must thank Colonel Creecy, the writer of "Grandfa- ther's Tales" ; if he has not enjoyed it, let him write a dog story of his own. 18 274 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER XXXV. Spoiling Children — Father and Son meet at a Cir- cus — A Correction — Teaching School — Killing a Deer — Good People. It doesn't take long to spoil a child, but, it takes a long time to get the meanness out of one after it has been spoiled. Meanness is like wire-grass, it will keep on growing after you think it has been killed out. It's best not to let it become rooted in a child if it can be helped. God's plan was, and is, that fathers and mothers should control their chil- dren. When about to start a church in the world, God selected Abraham to be the father of that church, giving as a reason for it : "I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." And when He gave the law at Sinai, God said : "Hear, O Israel ; the Lord our God is one Lord : And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might: And these words, which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart : And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children. * * * That the generation to come might know them, even the children which shall be born, who should arise and declare them to their children. * * * That they might set their hope in God." How natural is God's plan, and how successfully it would work if man Avould only let God have his way — if parents would follow God's teachings and keep His commandments with regard to the train- ing of children. It must be admitted that God, who made us, knows what is best for us ; and it must be admitted also that Infinite Wisdom would not command us to INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 275 do an unnecessary thing; hence, the conclusion to which we come is, that, parents who do not train their children as God clearly teaches they should do, are unjust to those children, and are, at the same time, negligently disobedient. The reader must not conclude that I am an advo- cate of harsh treatment ; on the contrary, I do not believe in it. Training of children is a very differ- ent thing from driving them. Driving is a species of cruelty, and God never intended for parents to be cruel to their offspring. Training is setting a proper example. A man who would not have his son to swear, drink liquor, play cards, tell lies, or do any other bad thing, should not do any bad thing himself. He must not expect the boy to be better than he is. The stream can not run up liill. Children are imitative; and who is greater in the estimation of a boy than father? and how natural for the boy to think that what father does is right ! 1 have known parents who thought they had done all they were expected to do when they had com- ujanded their children to do or not to do anything; and then go right off and do the thing they forbade, or had said it was wrong to do. A child reasons well when he says to himself, the thing forbidden is not so bad after all, or father and mother would not do it ; but, if it is bad, then father and mother, who pretend like they are so good, are surely hypo- crites, or liars — one or the other, or both. A circus came to town, once upon a time, and all the children witnessed the parade. A merchant, who, by the way, was a member of the church, went Lome to dinner soon after the parade was over. His little son met him at the gate and begged to be ij] lowed to go to the circus that evening. The fa- ther pretended to be shocked to think that his boy should wish to go to such an immoral thing as a circus, and very properly vetoed the matter, saying: 276 whitaker's reminiscences, "No, my son, a circus is not a fit place for little boys to go; and, besides, you must remember your father is a member of the church. What would l>eople think and say if they were to see a church member's son in such a wicked place?" "But, Pa, Bill Smith's going, and his father is a member of the church," said the boy. "That makes no difference, my son; I don't want my little boy to go; for no good people go to such places; none but bad people go, and I don't want my son to be seen among bad people. And, besides, I don't want those wicked circus people to get any of my money." "I've got a quarter, Pa, so you won't have to spend any of your money," said the persistent boy. "If you had a dozen quarters, you should not go, for, I tell you again, the circus is a bad iDlace, and I will not let one of my children be seen there. If one were to go, and I found it out, I'd whip him." After dinner was over, that father, who had taught so well, by precept, left home to return to his store; but, as soon as he got out of sight of his boy, by turning a corner, he made haste and went to the circus himself. And the little boy, thinking his father had by that time reached his store, took his quarter, and, as fast as he could run, went to the circus, too. In he went, and up he climbed to a seat; and, as it happened, sat down right by the side of his father ; the father was so intently gazing at the women riding around the ring he didn't see his son; but the son saw him, and thinking he had better arrange matters at once, slapped his father on his knee and said: "Papa, if you won't whip me for coming here, I won't tell mother you were here." Of course, he didn't whip him; but, that boy knew, right there and then, his father was a liar and a hypocrite; and didn't he have the dead- wood on him? INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 277 By the way, it is not the reading of books that makes infidels of the children, but the inconsisten- cies of parents and church members. Children dis- cover at a very early age that precept and example do not accord, and, they not only lose confidence in, but have no respect for, their hypocritcal pa- rents. When that comes to pass a child has no moorings — he's adrift, without chart or compass. I am really afraid that infidelity is on the in- crease in the world, for which sad condition of things parents are largely responsible. I am not preaching, but, I am clearly of the opinion that more preaching along this line would do good. Since it is acknowledged th?ct consistency is a jewel, it would be the part of Avisdom for all, (parents especially), to be consistent in their everyday lives so that when the Lord comes to make up his jewels, they, as well as their children, may be numbered with the elect. ******* I received a letter the other day from Dr. George A. Graham, of Kaeford, N. C, written May 16th, which I am sure will interest the reader, as it refers to some things of which I wrote two weeks ago, throwing light on one or two incidents. I hope the Doctor will pardon me for the use I make of his letter, since it corrects a mistake I made. Here is the letter: "Dear Sir: — I have read and enjoyed your arti- cles in The Neivs and Observer for some time; but your article in yesterday's paper, ( May 15th ) , was especially interesting to me. My father. Dr. Neill Graham, was living in Bladen county in 1865. To escape the Yankees, coming from Fort Fisher and Wilmington, he sent his family to his sister's, Mrs. Christopher Monroe's, in Cumberland county, twelve miles northwest of Fayetteville, one mile from Manchester, and about the same distance 278 whitaker's reminiscences, from Monroe's bridge, on Little Kiver. We were entertained by Sherman's army, while my father, in Bladen, received a visit from those Yankees from Wilmington. I was then a boy thirteen years old, and remember distinctly being on the fence, at my uncle's negro quarters, and seeing those captured Yankees and wagons as they passed. I remember, too, how my mother and aunt enjoyed the real ^store-bought' coffee given them by ^our men' from those wagons. A day or two after those i3risoners were carried westward, (by my aunt's), Wheeler's men returned alone. We never knew what became of those prisoners. "Doctor, I think, perhaps, you are in error as to the name of the ^spanking lady,' though my surmise may be wrong. "One mile from my uncle's, C. Monroe's, lived his mother, who, at that time, was very old, feeble, and not exactly of sound mind; in fact, she was in her dotage. With her lived her daughter, Mrs. Mc- Dougald, who was of large frame, very muscular, and of rather masculine appearance. This Mrs. McDougald, I knew, had a ^scrap' with a Yankee. She had an adopted daughter and son : Miss Mary Roberson and George Roberson. * * * Old Mrs. Monroe's house was on the public road, twelve miles from Fayetteville. It was a two-story house, piazza above and below, chimney at the west end, two rooms below and two above, and two shed rooms. House had palings to front and sides. Can you recall any of these things? If not, I suppose I am wrong in thinking it was Mrs. McDougald (Mrs. Anabella McDougald) who ^spanked' that Yankee. "The house from which Kilpatrick and his lady were run, is now owned by Mr. N. S. Blue, of this place. He has a fine farm there, and it is known as the 'Battlefield Farm.' Yankees from Southern Pines frequently drive out there to see the old house and secure relics." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 279 I am glad that Dr. Graham corrected me as to the name of the lady who ^spanked' that Yankee. I remember distinctly, now, that Mrs. McDougald was the name. I met George Roberson at Man- chester some years after the occurrence, and we talked the incident over, and forgetting that he was an adopted son, I fell into the mistake that she whom he called mother was Mrs. Roberson. Yes, I remember the house, the yard, and the fences ; and, I remember also, the bent-down pine sapling and the tuft of wire-grass in front of the house, under which Mrs. McDougald buried that cheese box filled with jeAvelry, which the Yankees did not find. Thank you. Doctor, for writing. I hope others will follow your example. While my mind is down in Cumberland, I guess I had just as well speak of some of the old-time memories that come to me just now. And to begin, I will say that in 1852 I taught a school in the neighborhood of the Williams's, on lower Little River. I had never killed a deer, but, very much desired to have it to say that I had. The oppor- tunity came at length, and, sure enough, I killed one. Mr. William L. Williams, father of the late Senator Williams, of Cumberland, was my em- ployer, and had the right, therefore, to dismiss the school whenever he pleased to do it. One day as he rode by the school-house, he hailed me, and said: "Whitaker, dismiss the school, send the children home, and let's go deer hunting." Of course I did as he told me. That evening we went out beyond the ^'Thompson field," and Mr. Williams told me to hitch my horse, go over beyond a ravine, and keep a sharp lookout, as he would drive a deer to me in less than five minutes. I had just reached the place designated, when I saw a deer coming right toward me. I fired as soon as it came near enough, and at the crack of the gun it fell, turning 280 whitaker's reminiscences, a complete somersault ; then, rose and started back in the direction from which it came. The charge of the second barrel was more effective, and the deer lay on the ground, kicking. There was a negro near by dipping turpentine, who ran up with knife in hand to cut the deer's throat. About the time he thrust in the knife, I saw him commence slapping this way and that, and start to run, still slapping. By which time the dogs reached the deer, but, the next moment they went off howling and snapping, rolling over and whining. In the midst of it all Mr. Williams rode up, and, stopping at a safe dis- tance, for he took in the situation, he said without adressing anyone: "That beats anything I ever saw.'' The situation was, the deer had fallen near a yellow-jacket's nest, and, by its kicking, had stirred the yellow-jackets up and made them fight- ing mad. After awhile they got quiet and the deer was taken up, carried home and dressed. I was a hero — had killed a deer — shot him running, at that. Some of the neighbors were invited to dinner the next day, and the venison I had furnished was the special dish on the table. Of course, I expected to be complimented and congratulated on my achieve- ment. I sat opposite a young lady, whose mis- chievous glances rather disconcerted me, as her every look and smile seemed to me to say : "We've got a good joke on you." It came out when the venison was being served. It was, as Mr. Williams told it at the table, the deer came to its death by the stings of yellow-jackets; that I shot at it and scared it, making it stump its toe and fall. Of course, it teased me, because they all laughed, and I was vexed as well as teased, when I saw the ser- vants giggling. It was only a good-natured hunt- er's joke, but I was exceedingly fresh, and totally unprepared for it. I killed several deer after that without the aid of yellow jackets. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 281 Mr. Williams had a grey horse that he had used a o-reat deal in hunting. He would go at full speed wiieu in the chase, but could stop so suddenly Avhen one said "whoa," that, as Mr. Williams said, a fellow's chew of tobacco would fly out of his mouth. One day we were out hunting, and a young man was riding the grey horse. Mr. Williams and I were sitting on the roadside when we saw the grey coming at full speed, the young man leaning for- ward as if to help him run. The rider did not see us, and had well-nigh passed us, when Mr. Williams, not thinking what might be the consequence, said, "Whoa!" The horse didn't make another step — stopped dead still — but the young fellow went over like a hoop ; and, had not the sand been pretty deep, he might have received some serious bruises. As it was, he got up in a bad humor; but, didn't exactly know whether to blame Mr. Williams for saying "Whoa I" or the horse for "whoaing" too much. That young man afterwards became a distinguished teacher, and was no other than Prof. H. E. Oolton. When he was a boy, his father, old Doctor Oolton, was the pastor of Sardis Presbyterian church, and, Henry spent much of his time in that neighborhood, but rarely ever had much to do with other boys. He loved to roam the fields and woods and hunt bird eggs, of which he accumulated a vast number ; and, catch bugs, lizzards, worms, butterflies, and any and everything he could find. In short, he was a natural-born entomologist, and, never seemed hap- pier than when he had his pockets and his hat full of all sorts of creeping things. In those days there was no section of North Caro- lina that could boast of a better population than resided on lower Little River ; all well-to-do people, and, nearly all of them, related to each other. It was a delightful section, and, for a year or two, as a teacher, I enjoyed the privilege of living among them. 282 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTEE XXXYI. Conference at Goldsljoro — Drs. Gloss and Burton — Bishop Pierce — Bishop Duncan and Br. Hiden — Capt. Pleasants — ^ome Anecdotes. Where are they? Forty-six years ago the North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, met in Goldsboro for the first time ; Bishop George F. Pierce, of Georgia, presiding, and Rev. William E. Pell, secretary. At that time Goldsboro was a mere village, compared with what it is now. The Griswold Hotel occupied the same corner where the Hotel Kennon now stands; the Borden Hotel was on the corner now occupied by Miller's drug store ; and in the middle of the street opposite the Borden House was the railroad shed under which the Wilmington and Weldon trains stopped. Under that shed Bishop Pierce preached on Sun- day morning during the Conference. I remember that the great crowd under the shed had to be moved, during preaching, to let the train pass; but as the Bishop was suffering with vertigo, and was not at all himself in the beginning, the inter- ruption Avas a relief to him. The few moments of rest he gained while the train was under the shed greatly benefited him, as was clearly shown during the latter part of the sermon, which was declared to be a most eloquent one. By the way, no preacher has arisen in the South who was the superior of Bishop Pierce as a pulpit orator. He was a man of the most captivating manners, and represented that old-time class of public speakers noted for their ability to sway multitudes. He was eloquent in thought and diction, elegant in bearing and most charming in delivery. No one would grow weary INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 283 under a two-hours' sermon, for he was never dull; but, bright, pleasing, strong, and eloquent all the time. I am speaking of him forty-six years ago. I did not have the pleasure of hearing him in the latter days of his life, when the fire was burning low, and strength was failing; but heard from others that he was grand, even then. Again I ask. Where are they? All those men and women who sat under that railroad shed that Sunday morning in December, 1857? How many are there still living? I have a curiosity to know how many there are who remember that Confer- ence, heard the Bishop's sermon, and witnessed the fight that took place between Doctors Gloss and Burton. I don't mean a fisticuff, but a debate, which, as I remember, lasted about sixteen hours, each speaking eight hours. That controversy, or quarrel, as it certainly was, grew out of the Deems and Smith affair, and that out of the Christopher Duncan letter. I do not remember just now what the issue was; but, can never forget the scene pre- sented in the Conference. I was a gallery specta- tor, as we young people preferred being as far away from the scene of action as possible, and as much to ourselves as we well could; so, I could see and hear everything. The Bishop sat facing us in the gallery, as well as the congregation; Dr. Closs was in the midst of his speech. Right in front of him sat Dr. Burton, a man of small stature but a giant in intellect, a master in debate, quick and sharp in repartee, and as fearless as a lion. There he sat like an old soldier, calm and cool, under the heavy fire from Dr. Closs's battery. Not a nerve twitched, not a muscle was moved, but with eyes firmly and fearlessly fixed on the adversary, he looked the per- sonification of undaunted heroism. Closs was firing his heaviest guns, and shells were bursting all around Burton; but, he said not a word; now and 284 whitaker's reminiscences then he would make a note, and resume his earnest gaze into the eyes of his adversary. To us young people in the gallery, the scene was becoming tiresome, especially to those of us who sat near to some pretty girls, and were longing for a chance to do some talking ourselves. We couldn't help whispering a little, and a little ripple of laugh- ter would break forth now and then ; not enough to disturb the speaker or the audience; but, the keen eye of the Bishop discovered the levity, and think- ing that it might increase, he rapped gently on his desk, saying: ''Will Dr. Oloss suspend for a mo- ment?" Then, in a voice as gentle and sweet as a woman's, he requested the young i)eople in the gal- lery to be as quiet as they could for a few moments longer, as the time of adjournment was nigh at hand, when they could go to their homes, or their stopping places, and enjoy themselves. Dr. Closs, putting on the air of one greatly astonished, turned about and looked in every direction, as if amazed at the idea that any one could sit within the sound of his voice and not be absorbed in him and his speech. A pin could have been heard to fall, in that moment, for everybody was expecting to hear something witty and sharp. It came. Twisting his mouth around as if he would whisper into his own ear, looking first toward the gallery as if to say, I am talking to you; then, looking upon the audience as if saying, I want you to hear this. Then, address- ing the Bishop, he drawled out : "Really — Bishop — I thought — I — was — making — a speech — that was — interesting — to everybody." (Here he hesitated, cut his eyes around, and up into the gallery to see that all were attentive, and proceeded.) "I — ap- prehend — that — the fault — is not — in the — speaker — nor — in the — speech; — but — because" (pointing his finger at Dr. Burton) ''the subject — is — so — dry !" INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 285 The Conference applauded, the gallery Avent wild ; the Bishop smiled, but rapped for order ; but, amid it all, Dr. Burton was unmoved. I dare say that Drs. Closs and Burton, in their prime, could not have been surpassed as debaters, in any Conference. Dr. Burton was better educa- ted and was more polished ; and, withal, he had the native ability to measure arms with a giant in de- bate. Dr. Closs lacked in that early training so requisite to the making of a well-rounded charac- ter; but, what he had, he had acquired, and was conscious of his strength, and knew as well as any one how^ and when to strike; and, when he did strike, he hurt. What he lacked in polish, he more tlian made up in wit and sharp repartee. At that Conference there w-ere such well-remem- bered preachers as Doub, Deems, Moran, Craven, Carter, Keed, Nicholson, Wyche, Heflin, Pell, Burk- head, Langdon, Brent, Maj^nard, Norman, Clegg, Moore, Jones, Blake, Jordan, Gray, Floyd, Gib- bons, Wilson, Mangum, Bobbitt, Culbreth, Moses, Phillips, Andrews, Farrar, Hoyle, and others I knew, whose names do not now occur to me. The only two preachers, who were there, whose names are still on the Conference roll, are Marcus C. Thomas and Alexander D. Betts. All the others, so far as I know, have crossed the river ; and should we, who remain, go to the court-house in which the Conference was held in 1857, and call the roll of the Conference and spectators, how few would be the responses ! The house was packed that day ; but, I doubt if there are enough living to fill a dozen pews. Bishop Pierce presided over seven Conferences in this State: at Pittsboro, 1854; Goldsboro, 1857; Greensboro, 1863; Favetteville, 1866; Greensboro, 1870 ; Charlotte, 1878 ;'Durham, 1881. For twenty- seven years his name was a household w^ord in every Methodist home. 286 whitaker's reminiscences, I had the pleasure of listening to two very fine sermons, preached by Bishop Duncan, at Louis- burg, a few weeks ago. I had not heard him before in ten years, and had almost forgotten his voice; but, the first word he spoke brought to memory many things I had heard him say. It is a strange thing, yet nevertheless true, that we may almost forget one, but, no sooner do we hear his voice, than here come troops of recollections that w^ould never have been resurrected had we not heard that voice again. Bishop Duncan has a fine voice, and knows well how to command it. He articulates perfectly, so that every word he utters is distinctly heard. He has a benevolent face, and in the pulpit he is the perfect ideal of a minister of Christ, in appear- ance. I have mentioned his name for the purpose of say- ing, that he presided over a Conference in Golds- boro in 1892, and, an incident, that I shall never forget, occurred, which will always make me feel kindly toward him. When a brother minister was required to stand at the bar of the Confer- ence and to be reproved for what the committee of trial said was imprudent conduct, the Conference and spectators held their breath in expectation of some severe words from the Bishop. But how pleas- ant was the surprise when Bishop Duncan, address- ing him as a brother, said in a tone of voice so in harmony with the first verse of the sixth chapter of Galatians: "Brother, you have suffered greatly. Let this be a lesson to you to be more prudent in the future.'' It was so tenderly and so feelingly done, I could but say in my heart, "How noble! how Christly !'' Some mouthy Bishops ( if there be such ) would have kept him standing there a half hour, repeating i)latitudes to him, quoting Scriptures, and heaving deep-drawn sighs. Jesus never more plainly showed his tender, loving heart to the world INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 287 ill ail Avlien he said: "Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more." Some people are so pious they rear away back. It takes the genuine kind of religion to make a man walk uprightly. If a man lean at all, let it be to- v/ard mercy. "Remembering thyself, lest thou also be tempted," was a most timely admonition of the great Apostle to the Galatians. "For if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is noth- ing, he deceiveth himself." Nothing truer than that. Bishop Duncan (he was not then a bishop), and Kev. J. 0. Hiden, D.D., delivered temperance ad- dresses here in Raleigh in the early seventies, and both of them illustrated their speeches with fine anecdotes. I remember those anecdotes, and thought at the time they were very funny, and aptly applied. Dr. Hiden, portraying the danger of moderate drinking, told about a college mate who, in his school days, kept a bottle in his room, and, occasionally, he would drink almost to intox- ication. "I warned him, time and again," said the Doctor, "telling him each time of the danger he was in — how a habit formed would grow and finally be- come master of the man," etc. But, he scouted the idea of becoming a drunkard, and gave me to under- stand that he could and would take care of himself. After graduation, we separated. I became a Bap- tist preacher and he studied law. For years we did not meet; but I had heard that he was a sot, and hoped that I might never see him in a drunken con- dition. On one occasion I had to preach at a coun- try church in the community near where my old friend was raised, but I had no idea of seeing him; in fact, I had not thought of him for many a day. The weather was cold, but a sheet-iron stove had been made red hot, and the church was warming up, when who should open the door and stagger in but 288 whitaker's reminiscences, my old college mate. There was a yacant seat close to the hot stove, and staggering to that, he sat down, and, dropping his head doAvn on his breast, began to slip and slip nntil he fell from the seat right near the stove. In a moment he turned sick and began to vomit. That seemed to relieve and sober him, and he turned his eyes upon me as if dazed. "Ah, John,'' I said, "if you had only taken my advice when we were in college together, you would never have come to such a disgrace." He hiccoughed a time or two, and said: "S-h-u-ch preaching, (hie) ash you're doing ish nuff to make ennybody s-h-ick," and he vomited Avorse than ever, evidently thinking that it was the bad preaching and not the bad whiskey that was upsetting his stomach; W. H. Pleasants, Esq., of Louisburg, one of Franklin county's best citizens, w^as a Ealeigh boy, and like many others who have risen to spheres of usefulness and wealth, he was a poor boy; but, he had an ambition to do something and to he some- thing. He began his career as a printer, serving the first year of his printer life with Kev. Burwell Temxple, in the Frimitive Baptist office, two years in the BihUcal Recorder office, with Kev. T. T. Mere- dith, and two years in the office of the North Caro- lina Star, Eev. Thos. J. Lemay, editor. He had good training ; three preachers : one a Calvinist, one a Missionary Baptist, and one a Methodist, and, as he finally settled down in the Methodist community, it must be inferred he did so because his last in- structor, who was a Methodist, saw that he was worth catching and keeping, and I think he made no mistake. So Brother Pleasants, as many of the preachers of both the North Carolina Conferences know, is a Methodist, and keeps a Methodist preach- er's home. If I am not mistaken, it was in 1854 he began the publication of a paper in Louisburg, soon after he finished his five years of apprenticeship in INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 289 Raleigh. This was his first venture, and from that beginning he made money, acquired real and per- sonal property, became a useful and highly es- teemed citizen, raised a family of sons and daugh- ters, who give him pleasure in his old age, and he is still a boy in his feelings and jolly in his ways, though in the latter years he has been a great suf- ferer at times. For fifteen years he was the Mayor of Louisburg, and I think he told me that he had been a steward of the Methodist church thirty-five years, as well as a trustee. In politics he has been and is a Democrat, and when I go to his house in the summer time I generall}^ find him on the piazza, in his big rocking chair, reading the 'Neics and Ob- server. If he w^ere dead, I might say many good things about him which would be true; but, know- ing his modesty, his dislike of anything that savors of flattery, I desist. As a Raleigh boy of the olden time, I think of him as one of the very few who remain, and am always glad to have a talk with him of the boyhood days. Captain Pleasants is m}^ authority for the fol- lowing joke on Rev. G. F. Smith. While Brother Smith was preaching in Greenville, he missed a gentleman one Sunday, from his congregation. He met him the next day, and in answer to the ques- tion: ^'Where were you yesterday?" the gentleman remarked, ^^I went to the Presbyterian church, and, strange to sa^^, I forgot to throw out my quid of tobacco before going in." ''How did you manage?" asked Brother Smith. "I swallowed it," said the gentleman. "Didn't it make you sick?" asked Brother Smith. "Sick, indeed," replied the gentleman. "A man v.ho has heard you preach for three years without being made sick, can't be made sick by one chew of tobacco." 19 290 whitaker's reminiscences, As my hand is in, I had just as well tell one on myself, which occurred away back in the early days of my preaching. A brother was holding a pro- tracted meeting in the woods where Pleasant Grove church, Milbrook circuit, now stands. I was in- vited to go out and assist him; but, was not able to go until Saturday. On the following Monday a lady from the country, w^ho had butter for sale, met me on the street, and asked: '^Aren't that Brother Whitaker?'' ''Yes, madam,'' I answered. ''And you went out to Pleasant Grove and preached last Saturday," she remarked. "Yes, madam,'' I ansv>xred. "I heard that you were expected, and I went every day hoping to hear you ; but, Saturday I had to stay at home to do some work, and, so I missed hearing you, and I was so sorry." "Well, sister," I said, "you didn't miss much by not being there," (sorter fishing for a further com- pliment). "No, I reckon not, but I thought I'd like to hear you," she innocently said; and we separated. I concluded, as I walked along, that a fellow had better be satisfied with the fish he has in hand rather than bait his hook with it, to catch another, and lose all. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 291 CHAPTER XXXVII. .1 Quaint Character Wlio Roamed the Country — Freaching to a Cold Congregation. In these latter days I have seen magnificent trains, running at the rate of a mile a minute, and hd\e had the privilege of giving my ticket or pay- ing my money to conductors who put on the airs of major-generals; yet the magnificent trains and the uniformed, brass-buttoned conductors are not a circumstance to the old-time stage driver, that man of consequence, with reins and whip in hand, sit- ting on the box, driving at the rate of six miles an hour. I suppose that the man who writes reminis- cences of these stirring days, when, in the time to come, balloons shall have taken the places of vesti- buled trains and palatial steamers, will look down from the balloon window as his airship makes its thousand miles an hour, and sigh as he thinks of the good old times when, as a boy, he could take his time along through life at the snaiFs pace of a hun- dred miles an hour. Lest I should do injustice to the balloon business, that is to supercede other modes of travel, when serial navigation has been made a success, I will drop the subject, and come down to terra firma, and relate a few incidents which will serve to give the reader a few moments of pleasure, I trust. Talking about traveling, I am reminded of a char- acter, who, fifty years ago, was known to almost everybody between Raleigh and Fayetteville. I allude to an idiotic old man by the name of Jesse Osborn, better known as ^^Little Jess." He was all the time on the go, and cut a figure when he went, for his dress was often very much in keeping with the fancies of an idiotic taste. Sometimes he 292 whitaker's reminiscences, dressed as a man, sometimes as a woman. Some- times he was very mucli over-dressed, but, at other times quite as much under-dressed. You would see him one time dressed in full uniform, traveling under the title of captain, major or colonel; but, the next time you met him he would, perhaps, have on a woman's dress, bonnet and veil, but always barefooted. There were certain places along the road he made headquarters, and at these he would tarry a day or two; but, when the people began to tire of his company, they would get him off by sug- gesting a little work for him to do. At the mention of work, he would say : ^'I must be gwine'' ; and off he'd go. He annoyed a certain family so much they thought they would get rid of him. The gen- tleman had a married daughter living in the west, whom "Jess" had known, and of whom, when she was a young lady, he was very fond. The gentle- man said to "Jess" one day, that he would like to send a letter to that daughter, and asked "Jess" if he would take it to her and bring him an answer back. He said he would for twenty-five cents. So the letter was written and folded in a piece of cloth to keep it from wearing out by much handling, and "Jess" took it and started on his tiresome journey. He sauntered off down the road and soon was lost to sight, when the gentleman and his family congratulated themselves upon the fact that "Jess" would never trouble them again, the bargain being that he was not to come back there nor receive his pay until he had delivered tlie letter to the daughter in the west, and brought one from her. When the people heard how "Jess" had been gotten rid of, it was considered the best joke of the times, and a vote of thanks could not have been more unanimously given than were the expressions of relief heard on all sides. "Jess" had gone, and, after awhile, the people ceased to talk about him. The prevailing opinion of those INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 293 who thought or spoke of him was that he had wan- dered off and died; in fact, the report gained cur- rency that he was dead. About a year after he started off with a letter, the gentleman who sent him was sitting on his porch, one day, nodding over a newspaper, just before eating his dinner, when some one shook him rudely by the shoulder, say- ing : ''Here's a letter from your gal ; give me that quarter you owe me !" A ghost from the grave could not have frightened him any worse, for a moment, as he opened his eyes and beheld what looked like an apparition. ^'Here-s your letter," Jess repeated, ''and I want my twenty-five cents.'' Sure enough, he had a letter from the man's daughter, which had been written about six months. She told how long, after "Jess" had left her father's house, before he handed her the letter, and it was about six months. He made the round trip in a year; carried and brought a letter for twenty-five cents, and resumed business on the road between Ealeigh and Fayetteville, as if there had been no suspension. When the county of Harnett was first formed, the county-site was Summerville, and "Jess" was a regular attendant upon the courts held there, and imagined that he was a deputy sheriff; carrying a pair of saddle-bags on his arm, filled with imagi- nary writs, he stopped every man he met court week to serve a paper on him. The people humored his whims, and sometimes a man would allow "Jess" to arrest him, while he would make out like he was in great distress. On one occasion. Col. Malcolm J. McDuffie, a Fayetteville lawyer, had a very bad case in court at Summerville — a case in which the law and the evidence were against him; so, his only hope was to make an emotional, semi-religious talk, on the 294 whitaker's reminiscences, line of the golden rule, to the jury, and emphasize "doing unto others as (in similar circumstances) you would have others do unto you." He soon got the jury well in hand, and his Scotch blood running up like the mercury in a thermometer, to burning heat, he poured forth volleys of red-hot eloquence which melted the hearts of twelve jurymen, as a summer's sun would melt a snow flake. Great big tears stood in their eyes, and emotions, like the heavings of a volcano, were throbbing hard against their jacket buttons, and still McDuffie was laying on; when, all of a sudden, in an old-time camp- meeting strain, somebody said: "Glory! Glory! Glory!" The spell was broken. The jurymen, who, a mo- ment before, were suffused in tears, with everybody else in the court-room, broke out into a roar of laughter, while "Jess," who thought McDuffie was preaching, and shouting was still in order, contin- ued to say : "Glory ! Glory !" Of course Colonel McDuflfle lost his case. One more incident, and I will let "Jess" go back to his grave. In 1861 I lived on a farm south of Ealeigh, and one day the summons to dinner did not come to us at the dinner hour. I finally told the plowmen to unhitch, and we w^ent home to see about dinner. When I reached the yard, I saw "Jess" sitting on the kitchen steps, and the door was shut. My wife, who, with the cook, was in the kitchen, heard my voice, and said : "I am certainly glad you've come. That good-for-nothing fellow out there has been sitting on the steps at least two hours, and we could not go out to get wood or wa- ter." "Oh," I said in reply to my wife, "this is an old friend of mine. Captain Jesse Osborn." "I don't want to see any more of your friends,'' my wife replied, "if they are like that one." By that time the door was opened, and soon thereafter INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 295 dinner was served, and Jess, who said he was not at all hungry, in fact, had about quit eating, devoured a dinner that complimented in the highest possible manner the hostess, the provisions and the cook. ''Jess'' seemed to take a great liking to my wife dur- ing the dinner; but, she spoke to him as little as possible. Just before leaving that evening, he said to my wife : "I dreamed about you last night.'' "Dreamed about me?" asked my wife. "You did not know me last night ; and how could you dream of any one you did not know? "Yes, I did dream about you." "Well, sir, what did you dream?" "I dreamed you give me an old shirt." "You shall have one," said my wife; and he got it. I never saw^ "Jess" but once after that. I met him one day near Walnut Creek, dressed in a Con- federate uniform and wearing a cavalryman's saber. He was on his way, he said, to join the army. I do not know^ when, where or how he died; but, I did not see or hear of him after the war. Barclays- ville used to be his favorite stopping place, as Mrs. Barclay and her daughters were kind to him, show- ing more feeling for him than most people, which he had sense enough to appreciate. I could tell many incidents of him and his wanderings to and fro ; but, I will not keep him out of his grave any longer. Thinking of the old-time log-meeting-house brings up a funny incident that I will tell as a finale to this article. It happened, one cold winter day, when the only place about that meeting-house was out- doors, on the sunny side of the house. Inside was intolerably cold, for the wind not only came through the cracks between the logs, but through the floor as well. The circuit preacher had not come, and the congregation, outside, was shivering and stamp- 296 whitaker's reminiscences, ing and becoming impatient. A local preacher was there, and, if any one had even suggested it, he would have been preaching all the time they had been waiting ; but, no one had made the suggestion. At last, however, some one said : ^'We had as well go home, unless Brother Jones (meaning the local preacher), will try to give us a talk." '^Come in, then," said Brother Jones, as he promptly made his way up into the old-fashioned, barrel-like pulpit. As soon as he sat down, he began to sing, "How Firm a Foundation," and the congregation, with chattering teeth, followed him through the seven stanzas. Then he read the 119th Psalm, containing 176 verses, and gave out a hymn with six stanzas, which the now almost frozen congregation couldn't sing, but chattered. After which he prayed loudly and earnestly for about twenty minutes. Rising from his knees, he took for his text : "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might," etc., and went on to impress the idea, that whether hot or cold, comfortable or uncomfortable, religious services should not be curtailed, but should be per- formed as if though the conditions were pleasant. And, warming up to the subject, he preached for an hour and a quarter, loud enough to be heard half a mile, forgetting all about the frigidity of the con- gregation. Two hours and a half in that cold house had well-nigh frozen the crowd, but they all were bound to admit it was a great sermon. Going out, one man said: "Br-Br-Brethren, I-I-I th-think we o-o-ou-ought to p-p-put a sto-sto-stove in t-th-this ch-chur-church." "I-I'm o-op-oposed t-to t-th-that," said another; "w-we o-ou-ought t-to b-bu-build a n-ne-new ch-ch-church." And so, when they got outside, in the sunshine, they chattered and shivered until they made up money enough to build a new church sure enough. The local preac]ier said afterward, he didn't know, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 297 for certain, what spirit it was that prompted him to sing those long hymns, read that long Psalm, pray that long prayer, and preach that long sermon ; but, of one thing he was certain, that long service froze the stinginess out of that crowd and resulted in the building of a new and comfortable church. Those old log meeting-houses were not only un- comfortable in winter; but, equally so, to the wo- men at least, in the summer, for red-headed scor- pions Avould frequently make their appearance, and almost scare the lives out of some of them. In fact, the cry of fire wouldn't run a crowd of women out of a church quicker than one little fleet-footed, red- headed scorpion, prancing about under the benches. Women don't like them, and, to tell the truth, I don't blame them. I am glad that the old log meeting-house has gone with its red-headed scor- pion. Now, if we could keep the dogs out of our new churches, we'd be all right. CHAPTER XXXVIII. Some Old-Time Preaching and Preachers — ^^My Sheep KnoiD My Voice — AhF' In my young days there were a great many illit- erate preachers, some of whom (if living and preaching noAv) would hardly be acceptable in any community; though, in their day and time, they were regarded as oracles, indeed. Soon after the Missionary and the Primitive Bap- tist churches pulled apart, an association of the latter was held near Hickory, formerly known as ^'Hickory Tavern." A distinguished minister of the Missionary church was sent as a fraternal mes- senger to that association for the purpose of trying 298 whitaker's reminiscences, to infuse into the Primitives the Missionary Spirit. The Association was held near a fine spring, and a gentleman, who told me of the circumstances, gave me a very graphic picture of the spring, the sur- roundings, and the appearance of the preachers, all of whom were clad in homespun, and especially of the moderator, whom I will call Micajah Hawkins. When the Association was in session, the fra- ternal messenger, representing the Missionary church, was allowed to preach, or make a Mission- ary speech; and no one could have performed the duty better than he did. He described the Son of God as a missionary, sent from heaven to bring the glad tidings of great joy to a sin-cursed world; alluded to Christ's work, suffering, death, resurrec- tion and ascension; and, finally, with great empha- sis, he spoke of the Master's last talk with His dis- ciples ; of His going to prepare a home for us, while we, on our part, were to "go into all the w^orld and preach the gospel to evei^^ creature." In short, he made a first-class missionary talk, winding up with an exhortation to all present to obey the dear Lord's last request. While he was talking, the adherents of Micajah Hawkins, with hats on, hung their heads, and had the appearance of men who were enduring a great torture, ever and anon shaking their heads in dis- approval of what the preacher was saying. As soon as he finished, up rose the moderator of the Association, and up came the heads of his followers, and he began as follows : '^Somewhere between the lids of the Bible you'll find my text, my brethren, and ef my memory serves me right, it reads thus : 'My sheep know my voice.' My name is Micajah Hawkins, and I live a-w-a-y over the mountains, down by the side of the Nanta- hala River, and I was never down in this low coun- try before. And when I Avas about to leave home, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 299 nn' Avife said unto me: ^As you are gwine a-w-a-y down into that Ioav country where the water is full of wiggietails, and the bull frogs jump from bank to bank, you'd better take a little of the mountain dew 'long with you, Micajah, to mix with the water to kill the wiggletails and keep off the chills. And, my brethren, I've got a little of it rite here in my pocket; for my text says: My sheep know my voice, ah !" His idea was to establish himself as the true shep- herd of the sheep, and at the same time discredit the messenger and the message, that had come to them. And this is the way he did it. He said : ^^Once I had a little lamb sheep that didn't have any mother, for the dogs killed every sheep I had but that little lamb — ah. So me and my wife and Jane — that's my darter, and the only child I've got — Ave took that little lamb into the house — ah, as one of the family, as it were, and we fed it and nursed it; and it wasn't long before it begun to show its keeping, and frisk about the house just the same as our little Jane did; and it wasn't long be- fore it got to be mity mischee-ve-ous, cutting up all sorts of pranks and doing funny things, just like it was a sho-nuff little child — ah. One day, when it had got to be a great big sheep, my wife had com- pany — Brother Zachariah Wilkins and his whole family, which was ten in all— (he and his wife and eight children) ; and that day my wife put the big pot in the little one, as the saying is, and got a mity fine dinner. And as there were thirteen to eat at one time, we lengthened out the table by taking the barn door and propping it up on forks driv in the ground, for, as it was warm w^eather, we set the table out in the yard — ah ; for my text says : ^My sheep know my A^oice — ah.' "All the time my wife and Sister Wilkins were fixin' the dinner, me and Brother Wilkins were 300 talking about things in gineral, and the elect in perticler, and the nine children and the little Nan- nie sheep was a playing, a hopping, and a skipping, and a running and jumping, all around the yard — the children a laughing and a screaming and the little lamb a bleating — ah. Me and Brother Wil- kins was getting mity hungry, and we was watching the women as they went and come, hoping they'd soon call us. I seed my wife bring out the dish of cabbage and the Irish potatoes, and Sister Wilkins come rite after her with the big chicken pie and something else; and here they went backwards and forwards, bringing out and fixing, and purty soon my wife called the children, and they come a run- ning, like chickens to the coop when they are called to be fed — ah. Here they come, nine children and the lamb — ah, and me and Brother Wilkins was a' coming from the other way — ah, for my text says, my sheep know my voice — ah. And, my brethren, what do you think? That lamb, which had got to be a great big lamb, come running with the children and jumped up on the table and turned it over, and broke mity nigh ev-ry dish, and ev-ry plate, and messed up one of the best dinners that was ever cooked on the banks of the Nantahala Eiver before or since the flood — ah. ^^My wife ris right up and said: 'Micajah, that sheep's got to go right out of this yard — and it's got to stay out.' I knowed she meant it; so me and Brother Wilkins and the children driv it out, just like the angel driv Adam and Eve out'n the Garden of Eden, and by that time my wife and Sister Wil- kins had sorter righted up the table, and we all sot down, and Brother Wilkins asked the blessing, but it was a mity poor dinner to say grace over, consid- ering what it might have been — ah. "After Brother Wilkins and Sister Wilkins and their eight children had left, and there was nobody INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 301 there but little Jane, it looked mity lonesome, and we begun to miss the lamb that was always so frisky, and my wife began to be mity sorry for the little thing, and wanted it brung back ; for, she said, it wasn't the lamb's fault, nohow; but, it all hap- pened just because she had thirteen people to eat, and had put thirteen plates on the table, which, she says, will always bring bad luck — ah. So, my breth- ren, she went to the gate, and for half an hour she cried, ^Nannie, O, Nannie !' But Nannie didn't an- SAver. Then she came back to the house and sent Jane to the gate to call, as Jane was Nannie's play- mate. So she went out there and climbed on top of the gate-post and cried: ^Nannie, O Nannie!' until she got rite hoarse, but Nannie didn't answer. ^^Tlien, my beloved brethren, being the shepherd of the flock, I Avent out to the gate, and in my usual tone of voice, I cried out : ^Nannie, O Nannie !' and Nannie said ^B-a-a-h!' for my text says, My sheep know my voice — ah !" The point was made: Brother Hawkins had proved by his parable that the fraternal messenger was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and that he was the true shepherd. That was sixty years ago. The reader may think it incredible, yet, what I am about to relate is true. A preacher, to satisfy his followers that he and they were right, and all others were wrong, spent about an hour dissecting a turkey, as follows: "Yes, my brethren, you see that fine turkey gob- bler strutting around, and you think from the way he struts he's got twenty pounds of good meat on him ; but, my brethren, when you cut his head, feet and wings off, and pull out his tail, you'll begin to think that twenty-pounder will hardly turn the scales at the ten-pound notch, if he goes over nine and a half. But, my brethren, you ain't done with that turkey yet. You take your knife and rip him 302 whitaker\s reminiscences. 'I cried Nannie, O Nannie ! and Nannie said b-a-a-h !' INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 303 open and take out his innards,' which ain't fit for nothing but to be cast out, and then take out the liver and the gizzard, which are only fit for dogs to eat, and you'll find, my beloved brethren, that your twenty-pound gobbler is getting mighty light. Cook that turkey and bring him on the table, and every- body^ wants a piece of the breast, because that's the choice part of the turkey, and nobody feels like he's eat turkey if he didn't get a piece of the breast." "So it is, my beloved brethren, as it were, with the thing you call Eeligion. The wicked people of this A\orld make out like there's one great big church til at is made up of many denominations, and, that they are all good alike. That big church, like that big gobbler, looks mighty fine and struts around and gobbles ; but, my brethren, there's mighty little about that big gobbler church that's any account. The Catholics think they are the head, they snort and gobble; the Episcopalians come next, and they are the neck; the Methodists claim to be the back- bone and the wings ; the Presbyterians are the upper legs; the Missionary Baptists are the drum-sticks and the feet; and the other denominations, too te- dious to mention, are the feathers, the entrails, and tlie bones. But, my brethren, the church, the true church, the only true church, is the breast of the turkey, that God made for the elect to feed upon, and you can't be fooled, my brethren, for the Lord will not allow His saints to be deceived." It would sound strange, indeed, to an audience of this day and time to hear such preaching as that; yet sixty years ago it was nothing uncommon. Peter had to have his exclusiveness and narrow- mindedness driven out before he could adjust him- self to the great command, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." He was a hard-shell in the truest sense until that sheet was let down from heaven, having all manner of beasts 304 whitaker's reminiscences, upon it, some of which the Jew could not eat, and God said : ''Slay and eat !'' He refused at first, but when that sheet came down the third time, he under- stood its meaning, as well as the meaning of the whole circumstance, and the result was, his eyes were opened to the truth: ^That God is no re- specter of persons/' May the light continue to shine brighter and brighter, until the gospel of peace and brotherly love shall subdue every land, and bring every bigot and every narrow-minded sectarian to understand that "he that feareth God and worketh righteous- ness is accepted with him''; that such, and only such, are the real body of Christ. I hope, that as the years go by, we will go on in the getting and using of common sense, and in the better understanding of the Sermon on the Mount, until the world shall have fully learned that the gospel of Jesus is a gospel of peace and good will to men, and, that the light of that gospel may shine out all ignorance and intolerance. CHAPTEE XXXIX. t^ome Ludicrous Incidents in Churches — Turpentine and Ton Timber — Dr. Byrd^ and Old-Time Re- collections. Ludicrous things will sometimes happen in churches — mir th-provoking things — which destroy, for a time at least, all seriousness and solemnity, and turn the house of God into a scene of levity. One of these mirth-provoking things occurred when I was a boy. There was in an adjoining neighborhood a man who, after reading the account of Nebuchadnezzar's humiliation, eating grass, etc., INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 305 imagined that he was another Nebuchadnezzar, and that he had to eat grass aAvhile. So he belled him- self like a coav, and took to the old fields and the woods, and soon got as Avild as a buck. His friends tried to surround him and driA^e him in, but for quite aAvhile they were unable either to drive him or capture him. They did, however, succeed at last in penning and roi3ing him, and finally got him home and succeeded in taming him, after so long a time. Not long after he became docile, he had a call to preach, and, to those who had the patience to sit and listen, he would preach anywhere from three to four hours. I heard of his preaching ability — 1 mean his powers of endurance — and curiosity led me to go over and hear him for myself. Quite a crowd Avas there, brought out, doubtless, by the same motiAe AAhich impelled me; and, at an early hour, the preacher went in and began to rant; for, his preaching AA-as that and nothing more. He Avould shut his eyes and scream at the very top of his voice, until it looked like the blood might gush out of his mouth and nose ; then, he would drop his voice to a coarse Avhisper for a sentence or two, svhen he Avould begin to rise, and soon he would be at the top notch again. Old Nebuchadnezzar Avas his theme, and Mesof)otamia his resting place; for, Avhen he had rambled all over creation and said a thousand unheard-of things, and looked as if he would faint from sheer exhaustion, he Avould gently light on Mesopotamia, Avipe the sweat from his broAV and spit. I guess he had been preaching about tAvo hours, when, all of a sudden, in the midst of one of his most fiery flights, he suddenly came to a halt and said : "Brethren, I'm bound to eat a biskit. Won't you all sing a hime, while I eat and rest a little?" And doAAn he sat. 20 300 vvhitaker's reminiscences, It is needless to say the liime was poorly sung. One or two old sisters piped out in wheezy strains, ^'Show pity, Lord'-; but the bulk of the congrega- tion went out to get breath and finish the laugh that began in the church. It was not far from that place, Avhere, at the close of a protracted meeting held by Rev. Lewis Pipkin, an old woman presented herself for church mem- bership. The preacher heard her experience, and asked her several questions ; but, Avas still undecided in his mind as to whether her experience was ex- actly satisfactory. In his perplexity, he turned to a preacher of another denomination, and asked him what he thought of the sister's experience. ''I don't like to say," he replied, '^as I am not a member of this church.-' Finally, Eev. Pipkin said: '^Sister, I am not ex- actly clear in my mind about taking you; I'd rather you'd wait until — '' ^^O, drat your waiting" she interrupted him by saying. ^'If you don't want me to jine here, dern'd if I keer. I know where I can jiue." And out she went, to the amazement of the preachers and to the greater amusement of the congregation. I call to mind an incident that took place in the Holly Springs Bax)tist church, when I was but a youth, that caused a merriment which came well- nigh breaking up the services, one Sunday. Kev. Patrick DoAvd was preaching, and the audience was hanging upon his words with intensest interest, when, all of a sudden, a man arose, stepped out in front of the pulpit and said : ^'Preach on, Mr. Dowd. Don't mind my going out. I'm just going to the spring to get a drink of water. I'll be back in a few minutes." And making a profound bow, he turned and went out. Of course it made a sensa- tion. I don't remember the man's name, but lie was a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 307 sort of half-witted fellow whom all knew, and due allowance was made for his untimel}^ remarks. One of the most ludicrous things 1 ever witnessed happened one night in Franklin county, at Shiloh church. Rev. C. O. DuRant was lireaching a revi- val sermon, using for his text, ^^In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments; and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said. Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool mj tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." xlbout the time the preacher was making the sermon extremelj^ awful, talking of the thirsty tongue that cried for just one drop of water to cool it, a brother who limped in walking, arose from his seat, took a bucket of water that sat on a table in front of the pulpit, and with dipper in hand, went up and doAvn the aisle Avatering the congrega- tion, until he emptied the bucket, and then started out to get another bucketful; but I stopped him. The congregation saw the humor in it, and could not help smiling. It looked as if the brother thought he'd better water that crowd, lest they might be where there was no water, ver^^ soon. I don't know what other idea could have possessed him. But enough of this. Seeing that Dr. C. W. Byrd, of Atlanta, Ga., re- cently preached at Pleasant Plains, Harnett coun- ty, near the home of his mother, brings to my mind many things of the long-ago. In my boj^hood days, my father and A. F. Page, Esq. ( then a young man ) , and my elder brother, went into the turpentine and timber business in Cumberland county, near Bar- (jaysville. There was no Harnett count}^ at that time. It seems as if it Avere but yesterday when "Frank l*age," then a young man, my brother Jefferson, and a young ]Mr. Byrd (all now dead), left my father's oOS whitakee's reminiscences, house, one morning, to go down to the scene of oper- ations. And how vividly come back to me the re- collections of those turpentine and timber opera- tions. Turpentine axes, hackers, scrapers and dip- pers were all new to me; but, I soon became so familiar with them their novelty ceased; and, after using them awhile, I was heartily sorry I ever saw one. Hewing, hauling and rafting ton timber was a bigger thing to me than the turpentine business. And going doAvn the Cape Fear, from Averysboro to Wilmington, on a raft, was a very exciting experi- ence to me as a boy. Ton timber was hewn pine logs. A large pine squaring 12 inches, fifty feet long, would contain 000 square feet of timber, and a raft that was 200 feet long would have not less than a hundred such sticks, equal to sixty thousand square feet. The saw-mill men of Wilmington would buy those rafts, paying from five to ten dollars a thousand. So, a raft of ton timber Avould bring from a hundred and fifty to five hundred dollars. Carrying a raft over Smiley's Falls, just above Averysboro, was an exciting as well as a very dan- gerous affair, and none but the bravest and most skillful raftsmen Avould undertake it; yet, hun- dreds of rafts did go over those falls. The water had to be a certain height before the raftsmen would dare to cut loose, as there were many dangerous rocks over which the rafts had to go. And what made going over those falls still more hazardous, requiring the most skillful piloting, was the fact that there Avas a very narroAV place on the falls, where the water was swiftest, on either side of which were great rocks, that would have torn a raft into shivers had it struck one of them. Those who had frequently gone over the falls and through that narrow place, told me the run was at the rate of INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 309 twentY-iive miles an hour, aud all that could be done when the raft was draAvn into the swift current was to hold the oars steady and let it run. It generally took a raft three or four days to go from Averysboro to Wilmington, and it required about four men to pilot it. Of course it could go no faster than the current of the river. And when it met the incoming tide, near Wilmington, it would turn back, unless tied to the shore. Steamboats steered clear of rafts, for, while they could not do a raft any damage, a raft could and would do them a great deal. The headquarters of those turpentine and timber operations, were at Mr. Daniel Shaw's, on the Averysboro road, four miles south of Barclaysville. Mr. Shaw was a fine old Scotch gentleman, whom everybody liked, and, though far advanced in life when I kncAv him he was as jolly as a boy. One of his daughters became the wife of Mr. Byrd, who did not return to Wake, but settled near Barclaysville, where he became a substantial citizen, raising up a family of children, one of whom is the distin- guished Dr. C. W. Byrd, of Atlanta, Ga. Frank Page also found a wife while in Cumber- land, the granddaughter of Mrs. Barclay — Miss Catherine Kaboteau — a very beautiful young lady, who, though her home was in Fayetteville, spent much of the time with her grandmother. It Avas there Mr. Page found her. What a queenly old lady was Mrs. Barclay, and what a popular place was her house with travelers ! From New York to New Orleans she was known and her house praised. She served the best coffee, the most delicious fried chicken, the sweetest but- ter, the richest milk, and the best biscuits — in short, it Avas said she served the best of everything that (^ould be had in those days, anywhere on the stage line. As a boy, I knew how well I loved to go there. 310 whitaker's reminiscences, Mrs. Eaboteau was her eldest daughter. Mrs. C. C. Barbee, mother of Messrs. Ed. and Claude Barbee, of this city, was her second, and Miss Leocadia, now living with her nephew, Mr. Ed. Barbee, was the youngest daughter. I picked up, the other day, a catalogue of the Ral- eigh Female Seminary, of the session 1871-'2 — thirty-three years, or, one-third of a century ago. The Board of Trustees were : Rev. T. H. Pritchard, D.D., President; R. S. Pullen, John G. Williams, Col. J. M. Heck, Maj. A. M. Lewis, P. F. Pescud, Maj. W. W. Yass, W. G. Upchurch, L. H. Adams, Thos. H. Briggs, F. P. Hobgood, James Poteat, Rev. J. S. Purefoy, B. P. Williamson, Rev. H. Len- non. Rev. J. D. Hufham, Rev. J. B. Stewart, Capt. J. F. Marsh, Capt. R. D. Graham, W. T. Faircloth, Hon. D. S. Reid and Col. J. T. Morehead. Twenty- two in all. Of that number, two-thirds, if not more, are dead. Their names and faces, once so familiar, are almost forgotten, in the places where, but a little while ago, everybody knew them. We older people remember them, and cherish the recollections of the days when they were with us, and, by their upright lives and well-directed efforts, were mak- ing it possible for the generation following to be wiser, better and happier than they. It is a sad commentary upon the gratitude of a church or a community, to say that, the^^ do not hold in proper reverence those who planted the trees which are bearing such delicious fruit. The}^ pluck and eat, yet forget that love and sacrifice planted the trees which yield the fruit, they so much enjoy. Thirty-three years ago school facilities were mea- gre as compared to those of to-day. St. Mary's, the Raleigh Female Seminary, and the Raleigh ]Male Academy, were the schools we had. I don't think Peace Institute had been opened; if it had, it had not acquired such notoriety, as a first-class institu- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 311 lion, as it now enjoys. At any rate, what I have said is true ; school facilities thirty-three years ago, were meagre, as coini^ared with Avhat we noAV have. And Avliy are we so blessed to-day? Because those who planned and labored then, planned and labored for this generation as Avell as for the times in which they lived. Like true philanthropists, they did not exhaust all their love, in the selfish effort to bless themselves and their children; but, in imi- tation of Him whose gospel is to save to the utter- most, in all ages, they labored to bless the unborn as Avell as those who were living. The Baptist Uni- versity for Women, with all of its fine advantages, is the natural outcome of the Kaleigh Female Semi- nary. True, it did not come at once; but, it did ccune, in the fulness of time, because the seeds had been sown, in former years. As I run my eyes over the names of the student body, I am saddened at seeing so many that have been erased by the hand of death. Thirty-three years ago they were budding into girlhood and ma- turing into young womanhood, so full of happy an- ticipations, of an exfjected long life; but, one by one, they were cut down and withered as the grass, and to-day they are forgotten, except by near rela- tives. 312 WHITAKEli'S KEMIXLSCEXCES, CHAPTER XL. Dr. McKee^s Fine Horse — Br. Edwards' Preaching Before Henry Clay — ''The Iron WheeV' — Mr. William Holland — Col. John A. Fagg. Dr. William H. McKee was, when I was a boy, the most popular physician that practiced in the country south of Raleigh, and he rode a fine, high- spirited horse that was as Avell known as the Doctor. Be was as black as a croAv, and was always so well gi-oomed that he fairly glittered in the sunshine, and it was said that Bennett Rowland's wife de- clared, time and again, that a sight of that horse was just as good medicine as she wanted. The Doctor was a fine rider and his horse was a splendid traveler; and so, an hour Avas about as long as it took them to make ten or twelve miles, when the roads were good. By the time the Doctor threw his foot over, and settled himself in the saddle, his horse pitched off into a gallop, and that was his gait, nearly all the time. On a parade the Doctor's black horse ahvays at- tracted as much attention and admiration as his rider; for, he seemed to be conscious of his beauty and of his graceful movements, and the boys de- clared that he was too proud to be a horse. It seemed so, for sometimes it looked as if he Avanted to AA^alk like a man; rising on his hind feet and standing almost erect, he stepped as proudly and carried himself as gracefully as if he had been a man; a major-general at that. I think it was in a Fourth of July parade that Col. Duncan K. Mc- Rae rode the Doctor's horse, and an incident oc- curred that might have been serious. Old Black Avas in his best feathers that day, shoAviug in every moA^ement that he felt the importauce of the occa- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 313 sion, aucl was conscious of the fact that hundreds of eyes were watching him. He pranced, he snorted, he reared, and then he would loaw the ground and champ his bit. Colonel McRae didn't seem to be enjoying the horse's fun, and showed his impatience by jerking the reins a time or tAvo. The horse re- sented it by rearing up, and, I suppose, being mad, he reared too high, and over he came. How the Colonel escaped a crushing, the by-standers could not tell ; but, so it was, neither rider nor horse was hurt. In a moment the Colonel was again on his back, and the horse, as well as the Colonel, seemed to be quieted down, and less disposed to make a show. Just now it occurs to my mind that Key. Jolm E. Edwards was stationed at Eden ton Street ]M. E. Church, when Henry Clay visited Raleigh in 1844, and that Mr. Clay heard him preach. It was said, for I was not present, that Mr. Clay looked like one dazed as the words flew from the preacher's lips, red-hot with fervor, and with a rapidity that made it almost impossible for a man to catch his breath, as he hung upon an oratory that flashed and spar- kled, and painted rainbows in the heavens, and pictures of matchless beauty taken from Nature's most enrapturing scenes; that tore through the forest like a whilrwind, uprooting trees and even tearing from their beds of moss and ivy, the old rocks which for ages had slept on mountain crags; that, on the wings of love and peace, translated a soul from the sorrows and afflictons of a turbulent life to that fair home of eternal happiness and blessedness where the Son of God will say, as each enraptured soul catches a first glimpse of the Celes- tial City, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." I say Mr. Clay was dazed at the preacher's rapid- 314 avhitaker'8 reminiscences, ity of speech, and most of all at the beauty of his imagery and the eloquence of his diction; for no man had a better use of language than he. I have heard it said that Mr. Clay pronounced him to be a great preacher. But he told some one, while here, he did not enjoy the preaching of old Peter Cartwright so well, for the reason that one could smell brimstone while he was preaching. Some of our Baptist friends will remember that Bey. J. E. Graves, a distinguished Baptist preacher, wrote and published a book, in the early fifties, en- titled ''The Iron Wheel.'' It was a caricature of the Methodist Church, representing the church by a big wheel that turned all the little wheels, and made the point, as I remember, that the Methodist Church had no independence, but had to run as the big wheel turned it, etc. I didn't like that book, for it raised bad blood, and complicated things very much, in the circle in which I was then having a good time. There were, in those days, some as pretty Baptist girls in Bal- eigh as any town could boast of, and I had already formed, if not expressed the opinion, that I was Ijking some of them well enough to have serious in- tentions, and things were looking hopeful, until Graves wrote that "Iron Wheel." I had not exactly moved my membershii) to the Baptist church, but I had joined the choir, and attended all the choir practices, and prayer-meetings, and so forth. But, when the ''Iron Wheel" rolled in it produced con- sternation in the ranks, and I was very much set back. My voice, Avhich, aforetime, had blended so harmoniously and sweetly, as I thought, v^ith some other voices that I was so fond of hearing, got out of tune, and I came very near to leaving the choir. But a few weeks sufficed to roll that "Wheel" out of sight, and appearances were getting better, and the sky was clearing, considerably; and I did not INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 315 see why the whole matter might not soou be forgot- ten. And it woukl have been had not AYilliam G. Brownlow written a reply to the ''Iron Wheel," and stirred things up worse than ever. I never read either book, but I did look at the pictures, and judging the books by the pictures, I expect both of them were full of ''hot stuff," not very well calcu- lated to increase piety. How the denominations did bite and kick each other, in the olden time! I have listened to ser- mons two hours long, that, from beginning to end- ing, abused other denominations, and made them out w^orse than thieves and murderers. But a better day has dawned on the Christian world, and unless you know what church you are going to, you can't tell, while the preacher is telling the story of the Cross, whether he is a disciple of Wesley, Calvin, Knox or Roger Williams, or belongs to the church that claims Apostolic Succession. It makes but little difference where one goes to church, he will be sure to hear a gospel sermon. I am glad that it is so, for I have long since come to the conclusion that all the people of any church are not good, but there are good people in all of the churches, and that Peter got it right when he said, "Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him." William Holland, an Englishman, whose dust is sleeping in an old field ten miles south of Raleigh, was a man of wealth, and left enough money to build three churches, to-wit: Holland's, a Metho- dist church, on the Cary Circuit, about eight miles south of Raleigh ; Pleasant Springs, about the same distance southwest, and Middle Creek, about twelve miles southeast of Raleigh. I attended all these churches in my boyhood, and many are the recollec- tions that a mention of them calls up, and many 316 WHITAKEIi'S KEMIXISCEXCES, forms and faces so well remembered are brought into being again. But they have all passed over the river, and the shadoAvy forms I see, as I close my eyes and think, are but the memories of other days A\ hen they and life were very real. Mr. Holland Avas a good man, and the money he invested in the building of churches was well spent. For a hundred years the people near those churches have enjoyed the gospel because he built them Iiouses to worship in. If I could call up the hun- dreds who have lived and died since that old Eng- lishman gave his money, they would with one voice bless his memory. What a pity that Mark Hanna did not give a few hundred dollars, out of the mil- lions he could not take with him, to some benevo- lent purpose. It would have been an evergreen to his memory. Come to think of it, there is no pleasure in dying rich, for one has to leave it all; and, as Solomon said, one can't tell whether a wise man or a fool is to step in and take what he must part with in the death hour. While that is true, men love money so well they like to see it coming in until death knocks at the door. A very prominent man died in this State a few years ago, who had an eje to business to the last. He had a pile of luml3er in his yard, and knowing that he must die in a few da^^s, he sent for a neighbor to come over and take it off his hands. The neighbor did not need the lumber, so did not care to buy. But the dying man insisted : '^I am so anxious to get the money ; I'll take half the value of the lumber for it." The trade was made, and the sinking man put the money under his pil- loAv and died. A minister preached his funeral, and the only good thing he could say of the de- parted was that in his young days, when he was a miller, he could carry six bushels of wheat on his INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 317 shoulders up the steps iuto the mill; while as a Avrestler, no one, white or black, could throw him. That's about what politicians used to say of Mark Hanna. Nobody, white or black, could throw him. How the mind leaps from one scene to another. 1 never saw Mark Hanna; but, somehow, whenever I have seen his picture, another, whom I used to know, would rise up before me. Hon. W. T. Dortch was Speaker of the House, and I was Reading Clerk. To my left, but almost in front, sat Col. John A. Fagg, whose form and face, as well as gen- eral appearance, have ahvays flashed before me when looking on Mark Hanna's picture. He was the Lieutenant-Colonel of the North Carolina regi- ment that served in the Mexican War, and when I knew him as a member of the House of Commons ii-om Buncombe county, he was as pompous as if he had been old Winfield Scott, himself, but a jolly good fellow all the same. One day he rose and said in measured tones : "Mr. Speaker, I ask the privi- lege of offering a resolution.'' "Send forward the resolution," the Speaker re- plied. "The Clerk will read." I looked at the writing, but, to save my life, I could not make out a single word, and so stated to the speaker. "The Clerk says he can not read the resolution. Will the gentleman from Buncombe please come forward and read it?" With an air that well befitted a lieutenant-colo- nel, he strode down the aisle, and snatched the paper from mv hand, giving me at the same time a withering look, of which contempt and pity were about of equal proportion. He looked at it, but, did not read. He adjusted his glasses and looked again, but, did not say a word. Members all over the hall began to guy him, by saying : "Read louder ! We can't hear you over 318 whitaker's here! Put on some more specks I O, he's about Fagg-ed out I'' The House was in an uproar. The Speaker rapped, and said: "Colonel Fagg, they don't seem to hear you; please read louder." "I'm not reading at all, Mr. Speaker. This is not my resolution. Some gentleman from over be- hind me asked me to introduce it, and, without look- ing at it, I did so." The Colonel was furious, and said, as he walked back to his seat, something about getting even with the rascal ; but, if he did, I never heard of it. He was not half so consequential after that as he had been before. Especially was he very Ijolite to the Eeading Clerk. There was no writing on that paper — simply "pot hooks and hen's scratches," so the Colonel said. As a wind-up, I'll give the reader a laughable incident I heard the Rev. Thos. S. Campbell tell my father, when I was a boy, that happened in a church in which there was preaching, one night. To light the church, the peoi)le of the community had made a sort of Avooden chandelier, that had on it a half dozen or more tallow candles. Those candles had to be snuffed once or twice during a service, if not oftener, and the old sexton who attended to that business, used a step-ladder to reach the chandelier. Every now and then he Avould take his step-ladder and tip-toe to the chandelier, that hung over the aisle, cautioush^ step up, and, with snuffers in hand, he would trim the wicks; and then, as noiselessly, he would tip-toe back to his seat. The text, from which the preacher was preaching a very drowsy sermon, that hot summer evening, was : "Escape for thy life." There Avas a bench right in front of the pulpit, on which the oldest steward generally sat, that he might be able to see what Avas going on, and at the same time be in close touch with the preacher. On that occasion he had thrown his head back against the pulpit, piously closed his INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 319 eyes, and was either in profound thought or fast asleep. The old sexton saw the candles Avere burn- ing dimly, and soon he was on the step-ladder snuf- tino' them. In reaching to trim the farthest candle, lie lost his balance, and over he and the step-ladder went, in a heap, making a terrible noise. He wore Avhat was called ^^lip-britches," with no suspenders; and in the fall the string or button that kept them in position, broke, and down they dropped. The sleeping steward, startled by the fall, opened his eyes in fright, and seeing the chandelier swaying to and fro, cried out : ''It's an earthquake I It's an earthquake I It's an earthquake I'' The old sexton, seeing he was about to lose his pants, gathered them by the waistband and hurried toward the door, the preacher, forgetting what he was say- ing, in the midst of the confusion, could only think to say : ''Escape for thy life I Escape for thy life I Escape for thy life I" "^The congregation, thinking the preacher included all, made haste to follow the sexton, and escaped for their lives. The house was soon empty, and, as the sexton couldn't fasten up his pants to return, the preacher had to blow out the lights. I didn't witness that scene, but it seems just as real as if I had seen it all, though it has been all of fifty years since I heard the preacher tell the story. 320 VrHITAKEIi'S REMINISCENCES, CHAPTER XLI. Farmi)ig, and Some Other Tilings — Flowing a Male That Brayed. Some people who read the article on the falling Of the stars in 1833, and what "Old Bob" said about their heat, didn't believe a word of it, of course; I did not expect them to believe it. But, now here comes a postal card from Mr. O. R. Rand, of Smithfieid, which tells me that on the night of the star-falling, a company of farmers, who were on their way to Raleigh and were camping out, told ]iis grandfather, the Hon. Nathaniel G. Rand, that a big star (it must have been "Old Bob's'' big A) fell in the top of a pine tree and set it on fire. Now, what has the reader to say? Old Bob said they sizzed like putting hot iron into a tub of water, and the farmers saw a tree set on fire. The only solution of the matter is, some people have very vivid imaginations, when they are excited ; and that star-falling was, of course, very exciting. The good crops I see, as I go up and down: — Corn, cotton, peas, and potatoes, make me think of " 'fore de war." The corn crop could not be any better; therefore, hog and hominy is a cer- tainty, judging by the present outlook, while a big cotton crop is the expectation; and the farmers are hoping the price will be as good as the crop. Tobacco don't figure much in the east, where last year it was the most important cro^). I suggested, in the early part of the year, it would be safer to plant both tobacco and cotton, and not rely solely on one crop. Some have done this ; but most of the eastern farmers threw up tobacco entirely, and are depending upon their cotton. I hope they may get a good price for it, and may not have to regret tlieir one-crop policy. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 321 I was raised on a farm, and began to plow when I was so small my head was not very much above the handles of the old shaft plow. I was not strong enough nor heavy enough to keep the hoe in the ground, so my father would put a big rock on the beam of the plow between the shafts, and my work was simply to guide the plow. I have never seen the day that I felt bigger than I did when I hitched "Old Blaze" to the plow and went forth into the field as a plow boy. I felt like I was a man, sure enough, and just then I would not have exchanged positions with any king upon his throne. But it did not take many days to change my opinion of things. As the spring days grew longer, and the sun's rays grew stronger, and the ground became harder, and the grass grew faster, I began to think I was too little, and to wish I had not been so anx- ious about starting in the plowing business. But I was into it, and my father bragged so much on me and my good ploAving, I had to stick to it. I never see a little boy who is anxious to begin plowing that I don't feel sorry for. I know just how ambitious the little fellow feels to get a hold on the plow handles and be a "little man," and I know just how he will feel, soon after, when all that ambition has sweated out of him, and how he'll wish that plows had never been invented. "Old Blaze" and the shaft-plow passed away, and in course of time I was promoted; had a trace plow and a big mule to pull it. In addition to that uprise, my father bought me a saddle, bridle, and martingales ; and on Sunday, mounted on my mule, the kings of old, who rode mules, never felt their importance more than did I, going to church on my mule. The only draw-back in riding a mule is, he A^ill bray when he sees other animals ; and my mule was no exception. And when he brayed, he brayed for sure enough. I don't think there are manv en- 21 322 \yhitaker's reminiscences, The mule I used to plow « hen a boy. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 323 gines on the Southern Eailroad that could have niaae more noise, or outwinded him, when he brayed his ^'station bray'' at the church. It would do no good to hit him over the head with a stick ; he'd have his bray out before he quit. I drove that mule to Raleigh once, and he alarmed the city ; at least that portion of it we traversed. I came up Fayetteville street in fine style, for he was a fine looking mule and traveled like a reindeer, and was making his best time when I was passing the court-house. I saw a parcel of young men and two or three young ladies sitting on the piazza of the "Lawrence Ho- tel," which stood where the post-office is, and I was just in the act of tipping my hat to them, when all of a sudden my mule slacked up and brayed a salute that not only attracted the attention of the young people, but even brought old Captain Lawrence and Mrs. Lawrence to the door, to see what was the matter. I was plowing that mule while the Mexican War was going on; and, the way he could tear up the dogwood roots, in a new ground, was a caution to my shins. Any one who has ever plowed in a new ground will remember how the roots flew back and almost broke his shins when he didn't jump in time. I thought, as I followed that mule and jumped roots, and, every now and then, had a handle to fly up and hit me under the chin, that fighting Mexi- cans would be an easy job compared with plowing, and not a bit more dangerous. So, when I read of that dashing charge made by Captain May's dra- goons at Eesaca de la Palma, I felt just like volun- teering and going to the front. But, I was too young, and my father said I'd better stick to my plowing, and I did ; though, no boy of my age took a deeper interest than I in the movements of Tay- lor's camj)aign from Point Isabel to Buena Vista. I'd plow the mule by day and read the war news at night ; so I was running a double campaign. 324 whitaker's reminiscences, How things are changed since niy boyhood days, when "new grounds'^ were cleared every winter, and what timber we did not need to fence the new grounds was rolled into heai3s and burned. Now, we are needing that wood, and we'll need it more and more as the years go by. Unless we allow some of the old fields to grow up, our country will soon be so barren of timber that building with wood will be costly indeed. But, I suppose brick and mortar will always be plentiful ; so, we'll have houses, timber or no timber. Farming is so different and so much easier now than when I was a boy. There are no rooty new grounds now; even the old stumps have been taken up, so that a plow, in a day's run, will not hitch a root. And great big turning plows, drawn by two or four mules, can spin around a field and do the work of a half dozen of the old-time plows; and one man can do the work of a half dozen, and don't have to follow his plow, but sit up on a sulky seat, ^\ith an umbrella over him to keep off the sun or t]ie shower, and read his newspaper. We used to run seven furrows in a corn row and five in a cotton row. Now, with the improved plows and sweeps, two or three at most are enough. In a few years it may be found cheaper to use small engines instead of horses and mules for plowing; and then, going at the rate of ten miles an hour, a fellow with the steam ploAv can do all the plowing for a neighborhood. Yes, things have changed greatly in fifty years; but greater changes will take place in the next fifty, on the farm. I heard a sermon not long since on Charit}^, and the preacher laid much emphasis on that clause which tells us that Charity "is not easily provoked," and he went on to say that bad tempers were de- stroying more peace and producing more unhappi- ness in the world than anvthinoj else. He said a INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 325 great many people who think they are Christians, are not only easily provoked, but are just as provok- ing themselves, as the devil would have them be; and the worst of it is, he said, they think they are pious, when they are only pouting, and are growing in grace when they are hating their neighbors, and speaking evil of them. In short, he went on to say, in much of the religion of this materialistic age, there is no such ingredient as that Charity which ^'thinketh no evil," and "is not easily provoked"; but too much of that so-called charity which busies itself with the task of getting motes out of other people's eyes while beams are in their own eyes, big enough for saw-logs. Perhaps he went a little too far in that last re- mark; but, it is true, nevertheless, that human na- ture sees very little that is good or praiseworthy in the other person ; but, is partial to and very liberal in iDraise of self. And what, in the other person, would be outrageous, in self is all right and iDroper. It takes lots of grace to make a decent character out of our warped and twisted human nature. In our littleness, and peevishness, and upishness, we do so many ungentlemanly and unwomanly things — say so many unkind and unchristian things about others, we can but be disgusted with ourselves, if we take but a single look at our record, in the light of common sense. If the average human being will be honest enough to take a truthful inventory of his life, and proi3erly classify the acts thereof, he will be astonished to see how ugly he is, and what little account he is and has been in the world. The great Apostle well said: "If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself." How many of us are doing that very thing! Some one has facetiously said: "If men could buy themselves at what they are really worth, and sell themselves at what thev think tliev are 326 whitaker's reminiscences, worth, the world would soon be filled with million- aires.'' He is a wise man, indeed, who knows himself, and he is a strong man, indeed, who can control himself, and make himself do the clean thing at all times and under all circumstances. Peter thought he knew himself when he boast ingly said to the Master: "Though all men should be offended be- cause of thee, yet w^ill I never be offended" ; but he didn't know himself when he made that boast. When put to the test, he went back on himself, and acted so much like a coward that he actually went out in the darkness and cried about it. No, we don't know ourselves. We have not been tested at every point. We may have stood the trials we have had, but at some other point, a less temptation may cause us, like Peter, to lie and to swear. I am trying — indeed, have been trying for nearly three-fourths of a century — to thoroughly under- stand myself ; but, I am so partial and so lenient to- ward self I find it difficult to be as stern and rigid in my work as I would be if I had the other fellow in hand. I'd soon find out what he was, for I'd send the probe right through him. I'd pick the splinter out of his foot if he did holler. But, some- how, I can't be as rough, and as harsh, and as hon- est in the examination of self. When it begins to hurt, I stop. Right here I am reminded of an incident. When preaching on the Youngsville circuit some years ago, I used as a text on one occasion : "Let a man examine himself," and in the course of the sermon I remarked that a man had better be honest with himself — uncover and look into his treacherous, sin- ful heart; get out all the filth and meanness and have a thorough washing out before death comes along and finds him too vile for citizenship in heaven, and he'll have to take up his abode with the vile and unclean. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 327 The next day an old gentleman called me to one side, and informed me that, after the sermon of the day before, he had been doing his best to examine himself; but, said he, ''every time I took the tap off and tried to look into my old heart, it smelt so rotten and looked so filthy, I couldn't proceed any farther. I can dissect other folks, but I must be excused from probing my own sores.'' Most of us are ashamed to uncover the past even to ourselves. It is said that a corporal was required to tap at the tent door of Philip of Macedon each morning, and shout at the top of his voice : ''Philip, remember thou art mortal !" Well it would be for all of us, if, in everything we did, we could feel and act upon that awful fact— we are mortal, and that our mor- tality is so out of harmony with God that it can not be reconciled to Him except by faith in a Saviour whose perfections are imputed only to those who fall out with and loathe their sins. To do that we must see ourselves as we are, and not try to hide nor palliate. I think Oliver Cromwell did a very wise and praiseworthy thing, when a great painter set before him a picture of himself that did not show a very ugly wart which had grown on Cromwell's face. "I see but one defect in the painting," said Cromwell to the painter. "What is that?" asked the painter, in distress. "You have failed to paint my wart." The painter tried to reason with him, saying how much better the picture looked without the wart. "Without the wart, that's not my picture. Let my imperfections, as well as my perfections, be seen." And so the wart was added. 328 \YHITAKER'S REMIXISCE^'CES, CHAPTER XLII. Uncle Ed. Crews and his Xice Young Preacher — The Sister Who Wept Under Bro. Sanctum's Good Talk — Seymour W. Whiting. Uncle Ed. Crews, who lived not far from Dabney, on the Oxford and Henderson Railroad, and who, \^hen I was a sojourner in Oxford in 1893, was a most prominent character in Granville, respected by all, once had an experience with a confidence man, and was so completely deceived by him, that, although the fellow got his money, he couldn't think he was a rascal, he was so nice looking. Before proceeding to tell the story, I must tell the thousands of readers something about Uncle Ed. Crews. In the first place, he was a large man physically, and liked to have large things about him. He be- lieved in large ears of corn, large horses, large cows, large hogs, large tobacco, large apples, large cab- bages, large potatoes, and a large supply of some- tliing good to eat on his table, and by no means forgetting to have a large, fat pullet, when the Meth- odist preacher was around. And, as he was built on a large scale, he, very naturally, had a large voice, one that could be heard a mile Avhen giving directions about the plantation, and, it was said, that when, as he sometimes did, he would go to the pulpit and whisper something to the preacher, it could be heard all out doors. He was always in a good humor, and being a very honest man, he very naturally thought everybody else was honest, too; hence, he was not suspicious, as the reader will discover in reading the following story. He had a sister living in Fremont whom he had not seen for some time. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 329 A Fair being in Weldon, Uncle Ed. thought he'd take advantage of the reduced rates and go to see that sister, and this is what happened, as told by himself : "While I was waiting round under the shed at Weldon, for the Coast Line train, a great crowd being there at the Fair, a nice looking young man stumbled up against me, But he apologized so nicely that I Avas taken with him — he reminded me so much of our nice young preachers, just from college, that I couldn't help feeling an interest in him. Telling him where I was going, he in- formed me that he had an aunt living at Fremont, whom he had recently visited, and that his aunt had taken him to see my sister. I was really glad, then, that I had met him. As it was some time before my train, he asked me to go up and sit awhile in bis room at the hotel. Going upstairs, we hap- pened to get into the wrong room. The nice young man, with apologies, would have withdrawn, but the man in there insisted we should see a little game he was playing with a cup and some balls; said he would give either of us flO if we could tell which cuj) the ball was under. The nice young man told him, and he made him take the |10. The nice young man said he would bet |20 he could tell again; but, I tried to get him to come away. He insisted, however, he could tell — and from that he kept on playing, first gaining, then losing, until he lost all he had, and nearly all I had ; mine to be returned, however, when we got to his room. The nice young man tried to borrow still more of me, but I was tired of seeing him taken in that way, and would not let him have any more; and being a little excited, I forgot myself, and began talking out like I do at home. The rascal begged me not to talk so loud. Seeing he was afraid, I not only talked louder, but told him he had to give back all 330 my money and also what he had gotten from that nice young man; talking in the tone I use at home when I wish to say something to the boys down at the stables. The rascal went down on his knees, begging me to hush; and the nice young man in- sisted I should not so disturb myself, as he would return my money at his room, and he deserved to lose it for his folly. But I was mad. I told the rascal if he did not give back all the money quick, I ^vould go to the window and alarm the town. I tell you he hustled out the money to both of us in a hurry. As we came to the door, the people in the halls were asking what was all that noise about. That rascal told them it was the showman asking, out on the streets, "Have you seen George Practic- ing?" It made no difference what the rascal said; our money was in our pockets. The nice young man was not the same afterward. He appeared sad and depressed. I think he feared I would tell his aunt, when I reached Fremont, that he had been gambling.'' No; Uncle Ed. could not be made to believe the "nice young man'' was a partner in the attempt to get his money, but thought he was really a "nice young man." To people who are expecting to find a rascal under every silk hat, and an impostor under every clerical robe, it may seem strange that Uncle Ed. didn't suspect that nice young man. But to Uncle Ed., who walked uprightly, w^orked righteousness, and spake the truth in his heart, a man w^as what he seemed to be. Some years ago, while canvassing Wake county, the candidates were invited to a Sunday school pic- nic, some eight or ten miles from Raleigh. Of course, they were called upon for speeches, and several responded. Among them was a lawyer whose habit at that time was to keep about half INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 331 full, and in that condition he generally had watery eyes, and pulled his mouth well down at the cor- ners; and, withal, wore a very meek countenance. Expecting that he would be called out, he slipped to his buggy and took a big drink, while a brother candidate was talking. Sure enough, "Brother Sanctum'' was called next — yes, the superinten- dent, who introduced him, called him "brother'' — and "Sanctum" he surely was. "With the tears rolling down his cheeks, his lips trembling, as if overcome by deepest emotion, and voice all aquiver, he began by telling how many sacred recollections came trooping to his mind as he had witnessed the exercises of that day — thoughts of his dear old fa- ther and mother, long since dead and gone; (here he wiped his eyes) ; of his beloved Sunday school teacher, that good woman who first taught him the Lord's prayer, and to reverence the Sabbath day, also dead and gone; (wiped his eyes again) ; of the old country church, very much like that, where he first heard the gospel trumpet, when but a small boy ; ah, yes, and the sweet songs they used to sing, so much like those beautiful ones they had been singing; and a thousand other precious memories overwhelmed him to that degree, he had to stand for a moment and give vent to his feelings in sobs and deep-drawn sighs. The audience wept. How could they help it. Even the other candidates looked like they were under conviction, and the scene had more the appearance of a funeral than a Sunday school picnic. He made a fine speech. It brought forth many "Amens !" during its delivery, and tre- mendous applause at its close, and men, women, and even children gathered around the speaker to thank him for his "precious good talk." One sister said : "I want to shake Brother Sanctum's hand and tell him how I love such a dear good man as he is. Yes, I know he's a good man, for no man could talk like 332 whitaker's reminiscences, he does if he didn't have the love of God in his heart.'' When she got him by the hand, she was heard to say: ^'Brother Sanctum, I wish 1 was as good as YOU are. I Avant you to remember me in Your prayers." He promised her he would, and I guess he did; that is, if he ever said any. It is hardly probable he said any that night, as it was told of him that, with several others, he played cards the most of that night; and, a merry time they had recounting the events of the picnic. The good sister was deceived by appearances that time, and, as for that matter, so were the others. Samuel was made to understand, when he went to anoint the future King of Israel, that the Lord looketh not upon the outward man, but upon the heart. Real ugliness is sin. Real deformity is a soul out of harmony with, and out of the likeness of God. Real beauty is a Christly life — modeled after the golden rule. That is a fearful statement made by St. Paul in the eighth chapter of Romans, to-wit : ^^The carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." When we stop for a moment and consider that statement, in con- nection with our experiences, we are bound to ad- mit its truth, fearful and humiliating as it may be; for we remember, that, in our past lives, we have done thousands of things we ought not to have done, and left as many undone which we ought to have done. Referring to the natural man — ^'the carnal mind" — no wonder the Apostle used such strong language, as when he exclaimed : "O, wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death!" I said real ugliness is sin. A man may be hump- shouldered, cross-eyed, hair-lipped, and club-footed, and yet be a perfect man ; while another may be as INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 333 straight as a shingle and as sound as a doHar, phy- sically, and yet be as crooked as a horn and as rot- ten as dirt, in character. AjDpearances are won- derfully deceptiye. The biggest rascals are often mistaken for saints, while the coarsest and rough- est are supposed to be the most Ayicked. As a gen- eral rule, that is true ; but it has exceptions. I haye before me an address on the subject of tem- perance, deliyered by Seymour W. Whiting, Esq., father of the Whiting Brothers of this city, at the dedication of the Wake Forest Diyision Hall, April 2, 1853, which shows how wisely and firmly and resolutely the temperance workers, of fifty years ago, were planning a campaign that was to be car- ried on until the enemy had been, not only clriyen from the field, but yanquished. I remember Mr. Whiting as a polished gentleman and pleasant speaker, and more than that, a man of unusual abil- ity, as a thinker and writer; a man who came to conclusions after mature thought and thorough in- yestigation, and when conclusions were reached, did not fear to speak his sentiments, nor to do what an enlightened judgment dictated. It is not saying too much, and I take pleasure in writing it, that he left behind him sons who are following in the foot- steps of a father whose memory they reyere and whose goodly examples they take pride in iniitat- 334 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTEE XLIII. Moid Quick He Was Whipped — It Depends on Knowing How — Going out to Macedonia, etc. I remember hearing Mr. Owen Huggins, then a member of the Legislature from Onslow County, forty-five years ago, tell how he was deceived by appearances. Mr. Huggins was a two-hundred- pounder, and looked as if he possessed the strength of a Hercules. Something was said in his presence about fighting; of this man's and that man's strength and weight, when Mr. Huggins said, in an excited manner: ^^Gentlemen, there's nothing in size and weight, for I have both, as you see; yet I got a whipping once I've always been ashamed of, from a little, tallow-faced, weazly-looking fellow, who didn't look like he could pull a chicken's head off. He was my shoe-maker — made shoes for my negroes. One day he made me mad, and I deter- mined to thrash him, if he w^as a white man. I told him to go down into the woods, my cow pasture, take off his coat and get ready for a flogging. He went off, looking so cast-down, I felt sorry for him ; but I'd told him I was going to whip him, and to keep my word, it had to be done. I watched him until he reached the woods; and, when I saw the poor little fellow pull off his coat and hang it on a bush, my conscience chided me for becoming of- fended with such a pitiful object ; and I was almost inclined to call him back and forgive him. But, I thought to do that might be making a bad prece- dent, which, in the future, would give me trouble; so, I finally decided I had better whip him, though I wouldn't hurt him very much — just whip him enough to let him know his place. "^A'hen I reached the woods, there the poor fellow INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 335 stood with his coat off, ready to take his whipi)iiig. I cut a moderate-sized switch, as I went along, and A\'hen I got near him, I said : "I'm sorry to have to whip YOU ; but, as you have offended me, and don't seem disposed to beg my pardon, nor even apologize, it's my duty to teach you to pay proper respect to a gentleman.' By that time I was within my length of him, with my switch uplifted to cut him across the shoulders. I don't know how it was done, but before the switch descended he bowed himself like a bucking mule and came at me like a hornet ; went right between my legs and knocked my feet from under me. I fell full length ; and, by the time I hit the ground, face foremost, he lit on my head, and v/as clawing my face worse than a wild cat. In trying to rise I turned over on my back, but the rascal turned, too, and was still on top, punching, gouging, scratching, and biting, so I dared not open my eyes. I was whipped, and badly whipped ; but, the rascal didn't seem to know it, for he kept on biting and scratching, as if he intended to tear me to pieces and eat me up. I hated to cry out for help ; but, I would have given the worth of the best negro I had to have had some one come and pull him off. All of a sudden he sprang off, and, rising to his feet, stood and looked at me as if he was sorry for me. Then he stepped tow^ard me and said, just as innocently and meekly as if nothing had hap- pened : " 'Squire, git up, and I'll brush the dirt off'n you!' And he did. No, gentlemen, there's nothing in size and weight; but, there's a sight in knowing how." Mr. Huggins spake a proverb when he said that In the affairs of life there is more in knowing how than in brute force. A thousand Confederate sol- diers under Stonewall Jackson could have put to flight the great army of Xerxes, because they knew how. 336 whitaker's remixiscexces, In the maiiT departments of business, men and women are failing because they don't know how. Brute force is all right in a bull fight, when the animals are evenly matched; but the cowboy who knows how to throw a lasso can, with apparent ease, soon subdue a whole pen full of the fiercest and strongest animals, and call it a pastime. That's because he knoAvs how\ And so, in business, men depending solely on phy- sical force; or, what amounts to the same thing — on the notions and opinions of other days, before science had unlocked her store-house of inventions, and experience had demonstrated the superiority of intelligence over ignorance, are having a hard time of it; while those who spend half their time in learning how, are prospering on less than half the labor their fathers had to do to make a living. I went out to Macedonia a few Sundays ago, to preach the funeral of a lady who died several months ago. Before arriving at the church I was hailed by a gentleman at the residence of Mr. Chris- topher Woodard, and informed that his wife had died the night before, and it was Mr. Woodard's desire that, on my return, I would stop and preach her funeral, which I did. Macedonia, when I was a boy, was a very small affair, in the way of a church, a hundred yards or more from the road, completely cut off from view by a thick growth. My father, a local Methodist preacher, was the pastor of a flock that came out of the surrounding woods, and for many years he served them, receiving but little, if anytlaing, for his faithful and continued services. My father died in 1877. Since his death many changes have taken Ijlace. In the first place, all the woodland has been cleared, and many of the small farms have been pur- chased and thrown into larger farms, so that the whole country is OAvned by a few men. The old INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 337 Macedonia clnirch biiildino- was torn down and a new one built by Eev. John F. Butt, twenty-odd years ago; since which time the appointment has been served by preachers sent by the Conference. Last year, Rev. M. M. McFarland being the pastor, the church building was moved tAvo miles farther away from Ealeigh, and set up at the fork of the roads leading to Holly Springs and Haywood. I have written all this to say" that I was greatly pleased at the change which had been made in loca- tion; and especially at the improvements I could but observe, in the size of the Sunday school and of the congregation as well. I thought, as I sat in the pulpit, so pleasantly and tastefully arranged, and looked upon a congregation as well dressed and quite as inteHigent, and as appreciative of the gospel, as any other congregation to which I preach, that if the old servant who sowed the seeds away back yonder could look down from heaven and see ''Old Macedonia'' as it is to-day, how it Avould make him rejoice! Then this text came to me: "They rest from their labors, and their works do follow them." And this thought followed: ''It matters not Avhether the seed sown bring forth fruit to-day or to-morrow — this year or next year; the fruit will come, if the seed sown be good. For a thou- sand years in the sight of the Lord are but as ves- terday." I took dinner with Mr. Burwell Franklin, who lives near the church. He is an enterprising farmer, a staunch friend of education, and a faithful church member. His oldest daughters, just budding into young womanhood, have been well educated, and are themselves teachers, while his two oldest boys are at Trinity; the one in the Senior and the other 'n the Sophomore class. His well-tilled farm, 1- .„, 99 338 whitaker's reminiscences, which spreads out around him, tells better than 1 can in words that he is a good farmer. Brother Tom Franklin is the efficient and enthu- siastic superintendent of the Sunday school, and it was easy to be seen that he fits the place and the place fits him. Brother Larry Woodall still holds his own as leader in singing, and it's not saying too much to say they sing well at Macedonia. I would like to say something of all the people I know and love out there (as I was their pastor four years), but I must desist, wishing, in conclud- ing, that the blessings of heaven may abide with them. How this land of ours is blooming for a glorious harvest of material as well as moral and intellectual prosperity! The people are in better condition to farm, because they have learned so many things their fathers never knew, and the implements they use are so far superior to the old-time shop-made plows and hoes, to say nothing of the seed-sowers, mowers, harrows, rakes and other labor-saving ma- chinery. Then, there is a school-house or church in every neighborhood, and good roads are being made to facilitate travel, so rural deliveries can take the mail to almost every farmer's door. And, to cax) the climax, the telephone makes it possible for the farmers' Avives, after they have cleared off the din- ner table, to sit at their OAvn homes and discuss the fashions, descant on the affairs of the neighborhood, and get all the news from the city without being put to tiie trouble of passing the snuff-box around. Great country! And greater are its possibilities. What it will be a hundred years from now, I am afraid to predict. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 339 CHAPTER XLIV. Old Rip Van Winkle — How Long He Slept ^ and How they Woke Him — Wake County ScJiools. They tell us that an old gentleman, known in history as Rip Van Winkle, made himself famous by taking a nap. I guess I know some of the Winkle family. They are church people — not pil- lars by any means, but first-class sleepers. History does not inform us what caused old Rip to take that long nap, but it is safe to conclude it was for the lack of something to keep him awake; not being able to read the news. Another thing upon which history is silent, is: did he snore? My experience is, that, when one snores he will sooner or later, rise to the dignity of a snort ; and that, a first-class snort will wake any live man. I think, therefore, that inasmuch as his slumbers were greatly pro- longed, the old gentleman lay perfectly quiet, and would have made just such a room-mate as would suit some people, I know in these days, who pre- tend like they can't sleep in a room where one is exercising the God-given right of making melody in the midst of his slumbers. But, be that as it may, his sleep caused him to get badly behind with the news; for, when at last he a.woke, and came to consciousness, there had been such marvelous changes, he neither knew the people, nor understood the questions they were discussing ; and, they were traveling at such a rate it made him dizzy to look at them. In his youth before he fell asleep, people were not in a hurry ; nobody caring when he got there, so he got there. Time was plentiful, so were bread and meat ; and what need was there for hurrying, under such circumstances? 340 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, North Carolina, in some things, has been com- pared to Rip Van Winkle. One of the things over which she has been accused of nodding, is Educa- tion, and, inasmuch as many of her sister States have outstripped her in the matter of schools, we are forced to admit that "Winkleism" had some- thing to do in shaping her educational policy, in the years gone by. The first permanent settlement in North Carolina was in 1660, forty years after the settlement of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. Two hundred and forty-four years have passed, therefore, since that time ; and yet the State, because of its lethargy, has a large per cent of uneducated citizens. Historians tell us the reason why so little attention was given to education in the early days of the State was, be- cause, it required just about all the people's time to provide for the wants of the body and protect themselves against the savages Avith which they were surrounded. Of course they had some schools; but, they were few and very far apart, affording opportunity to only such as could pay the tuition to send their children. The first official allusion to the need of educa- tional facilities was made by Gov. Johnston, in 1736, seventy-six years after the people began to settle the State. Doubtless the people talked the matter over among themselves, but I have seen no account in histor^^ that the matter had been al- luded to by any Governor prior to Gov. Johnston. In 1750, fourteen years later, the first printing press Avas set up in the State. To us, li^ang in an age of newspapers, Avho read the morning and the evening dailies, and get the news from all parts of the Avorld — some of it ten or twelve hours before it happens; and are regaled daily Avith accounts INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 341 of murders, shipwrecks, railroad smasli-ups, war neAvs, politics, marriages, deaths, divorces, lynch- ings, and such like; to say nothing of the "Society columns,'' on Sunday morning, which enlighten us as to the sayings and doings of the dear Avomen in their whist, euchre and reception parties — (the very ones they read mostly on the Sabbath) — I say, to us, enjoying such rare and numerous advantages, it seems strange how our forefathers as well as our foremothers got along without newspapers. No Avonder, having nothing to read, the State, like Van Winkle, Avent to sleep. In 1762, one hundred and tAvo years after the first settlements, an act was passed by the Legislature proAiding for the building of a school house in the town of Ncav Bern. That was intended for the benefit of the rich men's children; nevertheless, it was a move in the right direction; and AAdiile l3ut few children, comparatively, could attend the New Bern school, it indirectly benefited the AAdiole State. As evidence of that we are told that, in the Hali- fax CouA^entiou, held in 1775, it was solemnly ordained: "That a school or schools shall be established by the Legislature for the convenient instruction of youth, with such salaries to the mast- ers, paid by the public, as may enable them to in- struct at low prices; and all useful learning shall be encouraged in one or more universities." The schools "for the convenient instruction of 3'outh" seem to have been OA^erlooked, by the Legis- lature; but in 1789, fourteen years after the adop- tion of the ordinance, "the University" AA^as estab- lished. Not until 1825, fifty years after the adop- tion of said ordinance, did the Legislature address itself to the task of establishing those "schools for the convenient instruction of youth." In that year, 1825, an act was passed to create a fund for the establishment of common schools. 342 whitaker's reminiscences, Nine years before, that is, in 1816, Hon. Archi- bald D. Murphy, of Orange, made an effort to get the Legislature to carry out the will of the people as ex]3ressed in the Convention of 1775; but some- how or somehow else the matter went over until finally acted upon by the Legislature of 1825, when Hon. Bartlett Yancey, of Caswell, drew up, and introduced into the Legislature, a bill for the estab- lishment of common schools. To him, therefore, is due the distinction of setting in motion the machinery that finally wrought out the great educational system of this day and time. But, that ^^school convenient for the education of youth," promised to the people fifty years before at Halifax, was not then a realization; for, we find the matter was discussed in the Legislature of 1836, and that an act was passed creating a Board of Literature. In that year, the school fund, which had been ac- cumulating for several years — I may say, decades — amounted to |250,000. '^ The next year '^(1837) that fund was increased to a million and a half dollars by having added to it |1,433,750, which the State received from the general government, under the deposit act of 1836. In 1836, an act was passed by the Legislature pro- viding for laying off the State into school districts, and for submitting the question of "Schools" or "No Schools," to the people of the several counties. The election was held in 1836, nearly all the counties voting for schools ; and, so, in 1840, the machinery was put in proper condition, and, in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and forty- one, the common schools were opened. In 1840, the year before the common schools were opened, there were two colleges in the State, with about one hundred and seventy-five students; one hundred and forty academies with about five thous- and students; six hundred and thirty-two primary INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 343 or "old-field" schools, with about fifteen thousand pupils, making a total of twenty thousand chil- dren at school, in a State whose white population, at that time, was 484,870; the entire population, white and colored being 753,419. Wake County has to-day nearly half as many children at school as the whole State had in 1840. If we will incarnate the idea, which the history of our State furnishes from the first settlements to the opening of its common schools in 1841, I think it would be well to name that incarnation Rip Van Winkle, as our State seems to have been asleep more than half the time, from 1660 to 1841, upon the subject of education. For the sake of curiosity let us see how much of the time Old Rip has slept as well as how hard he has been to wake up. Gov. Johnston gave him a nudge in the ribs in 1736, when he had been asleep 76 years, which nudge had the effect of making him yawn and partly open his eyes; but he didn't move hand nor foot, nor speak a word for 26 additional years, when in 1762, he roused up enough to say "let us build a school house in New Bern" ; and dropped off into a nap of 13 years, which seemed to do the old gentle- man much good; for, in 1775, at the Halifax Con- vention, which framed a Constitution for the State, he actually sat up and spoke out in meeting, saying : "a school or schools shall be established by the Legislature, for the convenient instruction of youth, and one or more universities for the encouragement of all learning." But that effort so exhausted him, he dropped off into another nap w^hich lasted 14 years, at the end of which (in the year 1789), he roused up long enough to build one university, but, couldn't keep awake long enough to start the common schools. After so fatiguing an exercise the old fellow took 344 whitaker's reminiscences, a thirty-three years' nap, and so dead asleep was he, in 181G, that he could not be aroused to complete consciousness, although Hon. Archibald D. Murphy, in the Legislature of that year, did his utmost to wake him up. Eight years later, 1825, (his thirty-three years' nap haying grown to forty-one years), Hon. Bart- lett Yancey of Caswell, got the old fellow by the beard and gave him such a shaking, he waked up sufficiently to drawl out: ^^Those schools for the convenient education of youth must be started." From that time, 1825, until 1841, when the com- mon schools were opened, the old fellow had no chance to take another nap, though it must be con- fessed he did not swing to his work like a Avide- awake man should do. Whenever he became a little drowsy, an apparition, in the shape of Bart- lett Yancey, would appear before him, with hand extended as if reaching for his beard; and sleep Avould vanish. In fact, he has not slept a wink since ; and it's the opinion of the best informed, that he will never be able to nap it any more, on account of the noise the world is making. He was a little drowsy, at times, until Gov. Ay cock's educational policy struck him under the burr of the ear; since then he has had such a roaring in his head he can't even nod. Eip Van Winkle is now wide awake ! The reader must not suppose North Carolina had no educated men and women, before the com- mon scliools were started. The early settlers were, many of them, well educated, and, as a very natural consequence, they educated their children. They even had classical schools, scattered here and there, and while the poorer classes could not be educated, the sons and daughters of the wealthier people were moderately well taught in those branches which fitted them for the age in Avhich they lived. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 345 The old-time log cabins, the puncheon floors, the broad chimneys, the rude benches, the creaking doors, the play grounds, the spring just down the hill, the gourd that hung on a stake ; the rude boys, the rollicking girls, the Webster spelling book, the Pike arithmetic, the Columbian Orator, the Xew York reader, the long writing desk, the copy books, the goose-quill pens, the master with rule in hand punishing the boy who stuck a pin in Bill, or stepped on Jack's sore toe a purpose, or threw a paper wad and stuck it on Jane's cheek; these and a thousand things which memory calls up will give the boys and girls of to-day some idea of what the old-time school was, when their ancestors were cut- ting down the forest, building houses, laying off roads and driving back the Indians. And while the children of this age may, in the pride of their superior advantages, turn up their noses in dis- gust at the idea of going to school in log huts, they are bound to admit that their ancestors, with their meager advantages, were heroes, patriots and states- men, whose lives and examples are worthy of imita- tion. Wake County has cause to be proud of an ancestry which wrought out and bequeathed to this genera- tion, conditions which make it so easy for children to acquire an education. When we look at the colleges, high schools, academies and well organized and skillfully managed public schools, even in Wake County, and contrast them with the schools of the olden time, to Avhich our fathers and grandfathers went in quest of knowledge, we are forced to ex- claim : Surely this is a favored generation ! Here in Raleigh we have more big schools than the whole State had a hundred years ago, to-wit: The A. and M. College, St. Mary's, Peace Institute, the Baptist University, Raleigh Male Academy, Deaf and Dumb Institute, the Methodist Orphan- 346 whitaker's reminiscences, age, King's Business College; while scattered over the citv there are graded and other schools, filled to OYer-flowing with scholars whose advantages for acquiring an education are superior to any the boys and girls of a century ago ever dreamed of. Sixteen miles north of the city. Wake Forest looms up like a mountain, whose peaks are seen at a gi'eat distance, and so great has it grown that all North Carolina feels the influence flowing from it. West of the city, onh^ eight miles distant, Cary High School is more than equal to what Wake Forest was fifty years ago; while at Apex, Holly Springs, Morrisville, Wakefield, and in fact, in every school district, the children — all the child- ren — are brought in touch with the best teachers and the best methods our county and State can furnish, or experience devise. In my young days a sixty days' school was the average. By the time a teacher became acquainted with his scholars the money gave out and, of course, the school came to a sudden halt. Teachers received about |15 per month, and a month in those good old times con- sisted of thirty days, and the days extended from an hour after sunrise to an hour before sunset — so, an average school day was eight hours, and two hun- dred and forty hours made a month's work, for which the teacher received fifteen dollars — equal to six cents and a quarter an hour, or fifty cents a day. To earn that fifty cents he had to say the A B C's over at least a hundred times a day, hear a dozen or more a-b ab's, as mam^ b-a ba's; nearly as many b-a ba, k-e-r ker bakers, set all the copies, make all the goose-quill pens, work all the sums, hear the big boys and girls parse, whip a boy every half an hour, and keep an eye, meantime, on the fellow on the dunce block; besides having to give an ac- count almost daily, to some irate father who came INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 347 to see about his boy, who got a whipping the day before. A fellow earned his fifty cents by the time he went through that program, and felt very thank- ful when the hour came to close school in the even- ing. HoAv different the work and pay now from what they were then! Now the uniformity of books divides a school into grades, thereby reducing the number of recitations, while the pencil, pad and blackboard do away with many little vexations the old-time teacher had to contend with. And instead of fifty cents a day, the teacher is the happy re- cipient of about two dollars, if he gets forty dol- lars per month, for his month is twenty days instead of thirty, as when I began to teach! Yes, Old Kip Van Winkle is Avide awake now, and since the women — the good looking w^omen — have captured the school houses, he doubtless wishes he had not slept away his best days and lost all his chances. I congratulate Wake County upon her good schools with their capable and efficient teachers, upon her faithful, zealous and competent Superin- tendent of Public Instruction, and upon the fact that her capital city is the leading educational cen- ter in the State, if not in the South. And I congratulate myself, most of all, that I have lived to see the day when the man of money is but a nabob, while the educated men and women are the princes and the princesses of the land. 348 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER XLV. Mother of Dr. Byrd Writes a Letter — A Felloio Who Got Up His Oivn Quarrel — Hushand Who Could l^ot Provoke His Wife — Mischief in a Misii nderstan din g — Capt. Woodall. Some time ago, speaking of the mother of Rev. C. W. Brvd, D. D., of Atlanta, I was not sure whether she was the daughter or the granddaughter of Mr. Daniel Shaw, and so stated. I have received two letters which state that Mrs. Byrd was the daughter. One of these letters was from Mrs. Byrd, herself; and, as I think the readers will take pleas- ure in reading a letter written by a lady of her great age, I will insert it here. Writing from Buie's Creek, N. C, she says: "Dear Brother: — I have been amused and en- tertained with your reminiscences in the Neios and Observer, and several times thought I would write you. * * * I wish to say that Jesse Osborn, that eccentric character you spoke of some time ago, carried that letter to Alabama. He carried it to my cousin, Norman Urquhart. Dr. Byrd, of At- lanta, is my son. * * * i am Daniel Shaw's youngest daughter, and married A. J. Byrd in 1843 ; your father married us, and you were at the mar- riage, a boy just entering your teens. I never saw much of you, but knew your brother, Jefferson, and his good wife, well. They lived with my parents the first year of their marriage. * * * I also knew your brother Rom, as well as your mother and sisters. It seems to me I knew your father from my earliest recollections. I loved and rev- erenced him — thought he was the greatest preacher in the world. I remember with pleasure how he used to look, sitting in that old-fashioned pulpit INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 349 at Barclay's chapel singing, "O glorious hope of perfect love,-' his face radiant with joy. I thought it was the sweetest music I ever heard, and indeed it was, and will be the sweetest this side of heaven. I was then an innocent child ; my whole being, like virgin wax, ready to receive impressions. And I did receive them'^from ''dear Uncle Tom" (as we young people called him), and they have done me good all my life. You spoke of Frank Page. He was another good man. I knew his wife from infancy. A beautiful good woman. Frank Page stayed at my father's two or three years and made it pleasant to my parents whose children were all gone. Brother Ben was a bov in his teens, an operator, at Charles- ton, in the telegraph office. He received and pre- pared for the press, the first President's Message that ever went over the wires, (that of President Polk). Frank Page's children don't know anything of me ; though some of the oldest children were at my house when they were small. They don't know there is an old woman living in the back woods, who always remembers them in her prayers, and is glad when she hears they prosper and do good. I don't know any of the Whitakers but you. I keep up with you because you are a preacher and a son of our d^ar old Uncle Tom. If ever you come through this country, call on me for the sake of the loved ones who are gone. My husband was a great lover of your father, as well as myself. I don't know whether you can read my writing, I am so old, nearing seventy-nine. "Mrs. M. C. Byrd." O, what a troop of scenes the above letter brings to memory! Sixty-one years ago the hand that wrote it was given in marriage to a young man 350 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, reared in Wake County. I was then a boy just en- tering my teens. Frank Page, a young man, as well as my brother, was just starting out in life. Ben Shaw was a boy in the telegraph office — James K. Polk was the President of the United States. John C. Calhoun, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Thomas H. Benton, Silas Wright, James Buc- hanan, Martin Van Buren, William L. Yancy, were prominent figures in politics; and no one, then liv- ing, had the remotest idea that, in twenty years from that date, our country would be deluged in the blood of a fratricidal war. How few there are alive to-day who remember sixty years ago ! I have heard it said, that it takes two to make a bargain, two to make a quarrel, and two to make a fight; and, as a general rule, it is true. There are exceptions, however, to all general rules, and to one or two of these I will turn the attention of the reader, as I relate an incident or two of "ye olden times." When a young man, with a horse and buggy at my command, I used to go around the country with the candidates, from precinct to precinct, to see the people and hear the candidates. In those days the old women, who made ginger cakes, went out to the speaking, carrying chests full of horse cakes and five-cent gungers which were indeed, the de- light of the small boy ; while barrels of cider ( sweet of course?), and loads of watermelons were almost as plentiful as were the voters who came out to hear politics discussed by the would-be statesmen. I was at Rolesville on one occasion when, as I suspect, the cider had grown a little too strong to be called sweet, for a very large number of the sovereigns became unduly excited and patriotic. There was one fellow who made noise enough for a half dozen men, and, unused as I was to quarreling and fighting, I thought, as I looked at that fellow. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTEtS. 351 rolliug up his sleeves and popping his fists, and heard his threats and oaths, that a real knock-down and drag-out performance was not only imminent, but would soon begin. He was in a terrible rage, and I felt sure that his antagonist, whoever he might be, was in danger of being speedily demol- ished, and 1 began to wonder why some one did not interfere to prevent the bloody scene which I was apprehending. I looked about for that anta- gonist, but to my surprise I neither saw nor heard of him. On the contrary, no one seemed to be pajdng any attention to the fellow who was raging and cursing. In a loud tone of voice and with an oath at the beginning and ending of almost every sentence, the excited, would-be pugilist exclaimed : ''I just dare him to toe that mark! I'm a man of my own 'cability,' and I can whip him before he can bat his eyes. I'll let the scoundrel know he ain't to go round here talking about me, if his daddy does own a nigger or two. Where's the rascal? Who said I was af eared? Who said I couldn't whij) him? I'll mash any man's mouth and knock his teeth down his throat who pretends to take his part. My name's Bill Snipes, and I'm a man of my 'own indignity,' and I'll never leave this here precinct till I've made hash out'n that in- fernal scoundrel, and I'm the man to do it." And so, for at least half an hour, he raged and foamed at the mouth, and defied his antagonist to toe the mark and get his teeth knocked down his throat. But, nobody toed the mark ; in fact the peoi)le, pay- ing no attention to his ravings, drifted otf to an- other part of the grove to eat watermelons. See- ing he was left alone he cooled off, and soon forgot, as he scooped out a melon with his dirt-begrimed hand, the awful passion through which he had raged, as well as the imaginary foe against whom he hurled his anathemas. Ever since that July 352 whitaker's reminiscences, evening, at Rolesville, I have been fully satisfied that it does not take tA\ o to make a quarrel, Avhen sweet cider becomes a little hard. I have an incident which will establish the fact that, while two may make a quarrel, the^^ don't do it ever^^ time, not even if they are husband and wife. In most cases, I admit, a selfish unfeeling husband and an irritable wife will succeed, under ordinary provocation, to get up a quarrel; but, I kncAV a husband who never could succeed in raising a roAv. He belonged to that class of beings who always take the opposite side; and who, because the^^ can't always have their way, spend their lives in pouting. Such people are always miserable and would like to make all around them as miser- able as they are. That man had a happj^-hearted wife, who not only would not quarrel, but rarely ever fretted or complained, let the provocation be what it might. It made no difference how much he growled and complained, she was as calm and as sunny as a May morning. He fretted sometimes because she wouldn't fret and secretly wished, deep down in his heart, that something would happen to ruffle her temper, or, at least, make her complain. One day, she had just finished her Aveek's washing and hung the clothes on the line when her husband returned from the mill. Leaving his horse un- hitched Avhile carrying the meal into the house, the horse ran off, knocking doAvn the stakes Avhich held up the clothes' line and scattering the newly washed Avet garments in all directions on the ground. The husband looked out and saw the mis- chief done, and chuckled to himself, belicA^ng, or, at least hoping, that his Avife Avould get mad and say something that Avould offset some of his frequent growl ings and complainings. He held his breath to hear her first remark ; and this it Avas : "Praise the Lord I" INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 353 "Praise the Lord for what?" asked the husband, as he came out, and saw what had happened. "Your clothes are all down in the dirt/' "Yes, but, bless the Lord, the horse aint hurt and lUY line aint broke. I can soon rinse the clothes, and YOU can put up the line, and in an hour we'll hardl}^ remember that anything happened. The Lord is surely good to us, praise his holy name." No; two people don't always get up a quarrel. Such a spirit as that wife possessed would soon stop all the quarrels and make it impossible to pro- voke a fight. I witnessed an incident, not long ago, that amused me no little, at the moment; and from it, I drew a moral. The incident was simply the mis- understanding of a single sentence uttered by one person in conversation with another; and the mis- understanding grew out of the fact that the first words of the sentence were not heard, without A^ hich the remark meant, or could have been made to mean, the opposite of what the person speaking intended. Instead of satisfjdng himself that he understood the remark, he replied, with some heat, to what he thought the speaker had said. In a moment however, an explanation removed the difficulty, and the person spoken to, wlio had show^n more temper than was becoming, made due apology and the incident closed. The moral I drew Avas, it is not wisest nor by any means best for one to be too sensitive. They used to tell a story on Capt. Woodall, when I Avas a boy, which might or might not have been true; but, whether true or untrue it was a right good joke, and at the same time serves to strengthen my remark above. They told it upon the Captain, that when he was a courting character, he had a sweetheart, the 23 354 whitaker's reminiscences, daughter of a ladj who, in those days, made gentle- men's clothing, and to do the pressing she had a tailor's goose. The Captain went -in one day rather unexpectedly and things were hurriedly set to rights in the room for his reception. But there on the table was the goose. Soon after the Cap- tain and his girl were seated, and before they had had time to begin a conversation, the mother stepped to the door and called out to a servant : ^^Jane, come in here and take this goose out. Come quick !" ^'My God, madam," said the Captain, jumping up and moving towards the door, 'I can leave with- out being taken out by Jane.' " His girl was equal to the occasion and, amid her laughter, said: Captain, we thought you were a gander, Jane's got the goose and gone. So sit doAvn." The matter explained itself, and so will almost everything else straighten out, when understood. Hence, it's a good rule, as old Trigger Smith used to say, "not to kick before you are spurred." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 355 OHAPTRE XLYI. Meditating on the Bright Days Before the War — Yanl'ee Cruelties. When I have nothing else to do I shut my eyes and think. It is astonishing how much thinking one can do in an hour, and hoAV far the mind can travel, and how many people can be brought into review in that short time. I have heard it said that a drowning man thinks his whole life over Avhile he is drowning. I don't vouch for that, for I never had a conversation with any one who was drowned; but, I did hear a fellow say, who fell off a house, that he thought of more things Avhile he was falling twenty feet than he had thought of in CAventy years. Yes, the mind is a w^onderful traveler; beats electricity, at its very best; and it needs no wires nor air waves; but, with a bound leaps from earth to slvA^ ; or, in a twinkling, sweeps around the earth and takes a view of land and sea, and shakes hands with all nations, and is at home again, in the twink- ling of an e^^e; and then, without stopping to rest, it swings off into the old beaten track of the past and travels back to childhood, noting, as it goes, the changes that have occurred, in feeling, thought and purpose between that childhood period and the present, or flashes into the future a ray of light that may enable us to walk without stumbling, when with trembling limbs, we are getting nearer to the end of the journey. I can not remember all that is behind me, ( I had rather not remember some things ) ; but, I remember enough to make me both miserable and happy ; mis- erable because so much of sweetness turned to bit- terness, and happy because so much of bitterness 356 whitaker's reminiscences, became sweetness. Our lives are very much checkered, and it is Avell for us they are. If we had pleasure all the time, we'd soon forget that we are dying mortals, and have souls to save; and if w^e had sorrow and sadness all the time, we would be- come discouraged with life and wish to die. Paul was allowed, in a trance, to behold the beauties and glories of the third heaven; "•'and heard unspeakable words Avhich it is not lawful for a man to utter'' — an experience Avhich was so en- rapturing that, but for an affliction which befell him he would have been unfit for the work of life among mortals. Speaking of it he says: ''Lest I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." He says he besought the Lord thrice that that thorn, whatever it was, might depart from him ; but, instead of removing the thorn, God said unto him, ''My grace is sufficient for thee,'' adding this ex- planation, "My strength is made perfect in weak- ness." By which we understand that God can do a more perfect work through a man who is humble than one who is "exalted," as Paul says, "above measure." We laugh sometimes, in thinking over the past; and then again we can not keep back the tears. One moment we are in the midst of mirth, the sun shining so brightly; then, here comes a cloud and the sun is obscured, the lightnings flash, the thun- ders roar, the winds howl and a storm of sorrow sweeps down upon us. But soon the sun is shin- ing again, and all is serene and happy. How bright were the days of the home life, when father, mother and six children constituted a family. It did not seem that anything could mar our happiness. Our little world had never been visited INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 357 bj the angel of death, nor had any great misfortune been felt; but there came a great sorroAV, right in the midst of our happiest period. A brother just entering upon the practice of medicine, was taken from us, and one link of that hitherto happy circle Avas gone. The sun came out again and life went on, but there was an aching void. The civil war thrcAv its long shadow across our sky; but there were gleams of sun shine often seen tlirough the rifts of the overhanging clouds. The defeat of our armies, the surrender and the recon- struction period made life almost unbearable for a Avhile. In the midst of it all, the greatest sorrow came when the loving mother was taken from us. And, not a great while after, father closed his eyes in death, and then, after a few years, the eldest brother followed mother and father to the spirit land. But, in the midst of such sore be- reavements, pleasures brightened up the pathway of life, and we have found it true, that God's grace is sufficient, even in the hours of the sorest afflic- tions. The most trying period of the war was Sherman's march through the country, robbing, burning and killing. He said, "war is hell,'' and, of course, to make his remarks true, he resorted to everything that would afflict an already improverished people, or that would humiliate and goad them to despera- tion. It will take a century to efface the memories of those dark days, along the track of his march; and, if history does him justice, the name of Sher- man will rank with that of Nero, in all time to come— a synonym for cruelty. I do not suppose Sherman ever burnt a house, stole a watch, insulted a lady, robbed a hen roost or took the last mouth- ful of meat from a poor woman and her hungry children; but, he sent out his men to do all those things, and they did them, and a thousand other 358 things equally as bad. In other words, Sherman made war on women and children, by raking the country, as if Avith a fine tooth comb, reducing to a state of beggary the people over whom he ran. Every neighborhood had its stories of cruelty to re- late after the army had passed, and these stories of cruelty came mostly from the women. Mrs. McNeil told me that she had just bought a buggy that she might be able to attend church. Sherman's soldiers came, and finding she had some nice hams, they determined to take them; and, to carry them off, they took her new buggy, threw in the hams, with some sacks of corn, and started off. The old lady protested and pleaded with them not to take her buggy. But, they simj)ly laughed in her face, and told her she ought to be thankful they had not burned her " d old house,'' and drove away. In another neighborhood a soldier filled his can- teen with molasses, and then, taking a quid of tobacco out of his mouth, put it into the jug, out of which he poured the molasses. The woman of the house asked him why he did such a naughty thing. "Oh," said he, "the next man who comes along and fills his canteen, will find that tobacco in the jug, and he'll think you put it in there to poison him, and he'll be sure to burn your house." And going out he walked by a pig pen, shot down the old woman's only hog and went on his way, a hero indeed. Kev. Henry Hayes, lived out just south of Ealeigh, and when the Yankees were camped around the city they went in quest of plunder to his house, as they did to all others. They took all his chickens, save one rooster and were chasing that, when Mr. Hayes went out and begged Sher- man's chicken stealer not to take that rooster, at. he was an old man and had been used all his life, to hearing roosters crow for day. By that time INCIDENTS xVNI) ANF.CDOTES. 359 Yankee Bummer. 360 \yhitaker's reminiscences, the rooster had been caught, and the thief, who held him, told Mr. Hayes he would leave him the rooster if he, Mr. Hayes, would give him a dinner. The rooster was put in the coop, while the Yankee was eating, but as soon as the Yankee arose from the table he took the rooster from the coop and wrung his head off; and then, with a feather-bed on his back and a half dozen or more chickens in a bag taken from Mr. Hayes, he walked off saying : ^There's your old rooster; if you'll stick his head on right, he'll do all the crowing you will want to hear, in the morning." Another hero ! Some of Sherman's heroes took an old man from his home, down the hill, saying they were going to hang him, if he did not furnish them with some- thing to drink. Soon they came back by the house and seeing the aged wife, they sang out: ^^Old A^'oman, you'll find the old man hanging by a grape ^'ine down the hill there." But, turning her eyes down the hill she saAV the husband coming. An- other batch of soldiers coming down the hill, the other way, doubtless saved the old man's neck. My mother said she guessed that at least five hundred of Sherman's thieves ransacked her bureau drawers in a single day; and at least half that number cursed her; and not a few threatened to shoot her. A book as big as Webster's Unabridged Dictionary would not be large enough to contain the accounts of rascality, robbery and ruin, of which Sherman's men were guilty, from the time they left Atlanta until they reached Raleigh. The only commendable thing I heard of their doing was the hanging of a man hj the heels. He posed as a Union man during the war, and when Sherman's army was approaching his house he went ont and met the bummers, and told them how glad he was to see them ; that he was one of them at heart and had been praying for them to come. In short, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 361 lif: welcomed them to his house, and told them to make themselves at home. They took him at his word, and soon cleaned out the smoke house, the pantry, the poultry yard, and turned their atten- tion to the sideboards and bureaus; and finally took the rings from his wife's fingers and the bobs from her ears. At length he began to remonstrate ; but, they said to him : ^'You are one of us, and you know 3^ou told us to make ourselves at home.'' Finally, when about to leave they took him out and hung him by the heels, and left him so hanging, with a placard pinned on his back saying : ^^A man who will not stand for his own side is not fit to be hung by the neck." When I heard of that affair I was almost inclined to forgive some other things Sherman's men did. CHAPTER XLVII. School Facilities and Advantages of the Present Days — The Old Time School and Teacher — Some of My Boys — The Falling Stars — Gander Fulling. What a wonderful work, for the future, is being done by those good men and women who are con- ducting our public schools. Posterity only w^ill b(j able to fully appreciate the untiring labors they are performing. We see, as the work is going on something of what is being accomplished by them ; but, when, in future years, the historian turns his eyes back upon this period, and contrasts it with the educational condition of fifty years ago, he will be better able to judge of their Avork than we are now, for the reason that results will then have been accomplished, and their fruits will have multiplied. 362 I had the pleasure of attending a meeting of the teachers of Wake County a few days ago, at the A. and M. College, and greatly enjoyed hearing the talks and listening to the reports. Rev. W. G. Clements, the able and most efficient county Super- intendent of Public Instruction, presided over the meeting, and it was apparent that he was ac- quainted with every nook and corner of the county, had a photograph in his mind of every school-house, was acquainted with every teacher and school com- mitteeman, and knew just what was needed at each and every place; in short, that he was as well acquainted with his work, in all of its details, as a farmer could be of the affairs on his farm. At that meeting I had the pleasure of hearing a most sensible and practical talk by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Prof. J. Y. Joyner. He seemed to know the State as well as Mr. Clements knew the county, and was quite as well informed as to the needs of his larger field as ]Mr. Clements was of the needs of his smaller field. I never had the pleasure of hearing Prof. Joyner be- fore; but he impressed me as being a most capable, earnest, zealous and untiring public officer, so much so that I think I shall vote for him for another term. Yes, those men and women, upon whose faces I looked that day, have in charge the dearest, the most sacred interests of the fathers and mothers of this land, and they have opportunities for doing gcod that angels well might covet. The subject under consideration, at the meeting referred to, was the improvement of school build- ings and grounds. That means progress, in many ways; and bespeaks for the teachers culture in taste as well as advancement in literary endeavors. Wonderful strides are being made now in every INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 36^ department of school work, for which every pat- riotic and phihinthropic heart will rejoice. What a contrast between the well disciplined scliool of this day and one I attended Avhen a boy. My teacher was a% ery accomplished scholar ; indeed, he was an ex-lawyer — had seen better days — but had fallen on account of his love of strong drink. As the boys used to say of him, "sometimes drunk and seldom sober,'' was literally true. Many a morning the children were in the school room an hour or two before the teacher would make his appearance. We kncAV what that meant — he Avas on a spree. We were not afraid of him; on the contrary, we expected a good time that day. When he did come he was full of fun and frolic, and instead of calling us into school, he would join in our sports or propose and lead in some. In those days Ave boys Avere very martial in feel- ing, and, in imitation of the militia musters, we Avould drill at every playtime. We had wooden guns and paper cocked hats, a la Napoleon, and real soldiers Ave thought Ave were. Our old teacher Avhen about half drunk, imagined he was a first-class drill master, and for hours he Avould stagger around and ring out his commands to us boys, AAith as much earnestness and interest as if he had been a drill master at West Point, or in regular service. It was fun to the boys, espe- cially when, as it not unfrequently happened, he'd stumble and fall at full length. Such exercises would usually sober him, and then Ave'd all go ''to books." He was a fine teacher — in fact, he was a well educated man, and before liquor had ruined his prospects and made shipwreck of his ambitions, lie was, it was said, a good lawyer. Speaking of drinking and its terrible effects, I am reminded of some very noble-hearted young men of the past, who fell early in life, on account of drink. 364: ^YHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, I have three in mind at this moment, who were about the same age, with whom I was well ac- quainted. They were all educated and belonged to some of the best families of the county and city ; in fact, to families of wealth. Two of them were lawj'ers, one of whom was said to have been the most brilliant young man of that day. Two of them served in the Legislature for a term or more; and, as I remember now, there were not, in the county, any young men who were more popular or had brighter i)rospects than they. One of them died in his ojSice, all alone, another died, as I heard, on the highway; the other, the most brilliant of the three, lingered until brought to absolute want, and dropped out of life as a falling leaf, almost without notice. They were all good young men, before liquor had beguiled and ruined them, and as such I love their memory. I met two of my boys the other day — I mean two boys who used to go to school to me when I taught my first school in 1848, fifty-six years ago.Yes, I knew them; but how weatherbeaten ! And how white their heads! It seems so strange to me that people will grow old and wrinkled, and become sloop-shouldered. And just to think that some of those old people were my pupils. It's enough to raise the suspicion in the minds of the readers that I am growing old too. But, to offset that suspicion I will compare heads with any thirty-year- old, and will prove by my black hair, (which is neither artificial nor dyed), that I am only forty- five, and the rise. I was glad to meet the old boys, for, in addition to the pleasure of a handshake with them, their eyes and their voices brought up recollections, as well as other eyes and voices, tliat are very sacred to me. How old are those boys? One said he was seventy-six; the other is seventy-four. ]May they INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 365 live to be as old as Moses; and, climbing up on Nebo's summit, view the promised land, ere the death angel calls for them. There are not many of the old boys and girls now living, and in a very few years the last one will be gone, and the hand that writes this letter will have penned its last sen- tence. While we are living, may we so order our courses as that we shall meet at the Beautiful Gate, and receive the plaudit, ''well done!" * * * I was not awake that night when the stars were falling, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three; but Uncle John's ''Old Bob'' told me while the hair stood straight up on my head, that he "seed ev'ry blessed wun uv dem stars before dey hit de ground. He Avas 'possum hunting, and his dog had just treed, and he'd shined the 'possum's eyes, and was getting ready to cut the tree down when, as he said, the stars began to rain down. "Did any of them hit you Uncle Bob?" I asked. "No honey, not exactly, but dey wus as thick as litenen bugs all roun' me, en I had to fite 'em like fitin' skeeters; and, bless your sole honey, es good as I luv 'possum, I left dar, and if ever you seed an old nigger run he didn't hole a lite to me. I tore fru de woods jes like de debbil was arter me, and didn't stop to ketch my breff t'wil I got to Mars Tom's waggin shelter, and by dat time de ground was kivered wid stars, and day was sizzin on de veth jes like hot iun in a tub o' water." Uncle Bob," I asked, "were those stars hot, do vou reckon?" "I don't recken nothin bout it. Why, chile-, dey was so hot dey skorch'd de groun en made it smoke dis de same as a tar kill." 366 whitaker's reminiscences, "How long did tliej atsij on the ground, Uncle Bob?" I asked. "T'wel dey kooFd ofe. But Lawd honey, I cudn't tell you de time o' nite, I was dat skeer'd." "Couldn't you tell by looking at the seven stars, what time it was, Uncle Bob?'' "Why de seben stars was de very fuss wuns dat fell; en dar kem de dipper, and de north star, en de big A, en Job's cofln; en, bless yer sole honey, de even, en de mawnin stars bofe fell at de same time, en rite on top o' dem dar cum de ellen-j^ard. Ef I hadn't got to Mars Tom's waggin shelter time I did, I'd a bin burnt up fer sho nuff. No honey, I didn't stay to git dat 'possum, you hear me." Yes, I was asleep and did not see that wonderful meteoric display, but I heard many others talk about it, and all of them said it was a most brilliant as well as a most alarming phenomenon. I never saw a "gander pulling," but I missed seeing one only a day. I arrived at Mr. McLeod's one Friday evening, when I was carrying the mail, in my boyhood, and not seeing "Sandy," his son, (who by the way, was no other than Mr. Alexander McLeod, of Lumberton, N. C), I asked his sister, then a young lady, but afterward Mrs. Pullen, where he was. I understood her to say that he had gone to a candy pulling. In a short while he came home, and at the supper I asked him about the candy pul- ling he had attended that day. He and all the family laughed at my question and I was no little embarrassed for a moment, as I knew I must have made a blunder in some way. It was soon explained to me that it was a "gander pulling," and not a candy pulling, as I understood it to have been. I said no more, for I did not wish to expose my ignorance by enquiring what a gander pulling was. Next morning, hoAvever, I found out. Just before T reached Rollins' Store, I passed the place where INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 367 the pulling occurred the day before. I noticed a slender sapling that had been trimmed up to the top and bent down so that one on horse-back could almost reach it. Mr. Rollins explained to me at the breakfast that was Avhere the gander pulling took place the day before. I will describe the pulling as he described it to me. To the limber sappling, bent down, an old gander is tied by his feet, so he can use his wings to flutter around. A prize is offered to the rider who, going under that pole at full speed, can jerk that gander's head off. A man on each side, with whip in hand gives the horse a lick just about the time the rider is reaching for the gander's neck. So, in the first place it's uncertain about getting the neck ; and in the next place the neck's so tough, and the pole is so limber, and the horse is going at such speed, a fellow don't have much time to wring. It takes hours; sometimes, Mr. Rollins told me, it tiikes half a day, to get the head. That's a gander pulling as it used to be in Moore County. If the ganders of those times were as tough as one I had baked for dinner, some years ago, I am not surprised it took the pullers half a day to get his head. Mine was cooked, off and on, for a week. My cook did not believe Noah had that gander in the ark; she rather thought he was one of Methu- salairs that survived the flood by roosting high and swimming around. The cook might have been mis- taken. 368 whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER XLVIII. Kind Heavenly Father — Wyoming Sot el — Tongue That Waggles — The Young Temperance Orator and His Mule-Back Ride. What a kind Heavenly Father is ours ! He feeds and clothes us, gives us health, strength and op- portunity, and showers along our pathway blessings innumerable ; but what ungrateful wretches we are ! EA^en we who profess to love Him show ingratitude. We eat, we drink, Ave kill time ; we disregard the in- junction : "Gro teach, as you have been taught ; for- getting that we are stewards of the Master, who will require of us, at His coming, how we spent life; whether Ave put our candle on a candle stick or hid it under a bushel ; whether Ave lived to save souls, or lived to gratify our lusts. Yes, I'd like to do away with that ground hog, the potato bugs and other bugs, and so arrange the advent of Easter as to be able to have early vege- tables. Such long winters, with wood and provi- sions high, leave a fellow's pocket book so empty it's hard to run through the spring months. We used to be able to have ham and eggs, in the early spring ; but eggs at two cents a piece are too high for the average toAvn people; so, we'll be obliged to fall back on herrings for breakfast, a little soup for din- ner, and Avhat's left over for supper, until vegetables come. But, so Ave keep fat and good looking, Avhat difference does it make, AA^h ether we have a bowl of soup or a turkey for dinner, a herring or fried chicken for breakfast, and no supper at all? By the way, we Americans eat too much, any- how — I mean, when Ave can get it. It Avouldn't do for some of us to eat dinner every day at the "Wyom- ing House," at Selma, Avhere they feed so high. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 369 I can get along pretty well at home, where rations are so short, there's no danger of foundering; but, I think I'd run a heavy risk if I had to eat regularly at the Wyoming. I took dinner there the other day, and but for the fact that I sat near tAyo yery loyely young ladies, whose presence somewhat restrained me, I might haye made myself sick. As it was, I, with twenty or thirty others, partook bounti- fully of a yery fine dinner. After dinner, the gentlemen haying congregated in the office, some one asked, "Haye you seen the Eock with a Tongue, which Mr. Mitchener has here on exhibition?" A dozen gentlemen answered, "No; where is it?" Mr. Mitchener, in his obliging way, said : 'Fol- low me gentlemen, and I'll show it to you," and out went a dozen gentlemen to see the curiosity. A rock standing under the edge of the piazza was seen, looking like a pillar. Mr. Mitchener, in real showman style, began : "I claim, gentlemen, to haye the only rock in the Ayorld with a tongue. It is a natural formation. This rock was dug up on the bank of the Neuse riA^er while getting stone to lay the foundation of a large building." While he AA'-as saying this the dozen gentlemen stood in a semi-circle with their eyes steadfastly fixed on "the only rock in the world with a tongue;" and the little boy, whom the school master set in a corner to catch a mouse with a pair of tongues as it should come out of its hole, could not haye watched that hole closer than those twelye men watched that "only rock in the world with a tongue." They were men who had seen enough of the world to know that it is full of sells; therefore, they were looking sbarply and listening attentiA^ely. Mr. E. W. Ayers and Mr. W. M. Chauncy, of Washington, as well as Mr. William Hall, Mayor of Aurora, placed 24 370 whitaker\s reminiscences, a hand each on the tongue, while Mr. J. B. White- hurst, of Washington, edged his way to the front, and got down close to the stone, to make sure that no trick was played. The others stooping around with their hands upon their knees, gazing as in- tently were Mr. W. Thompson, of Aurora; Mr. W. E. Swindell, Maj. E. T. Stewart, Messrs, J. F. Buckman ; J. Tayloe, County Treasurer ; B. A. Moss, planing mill man ; F. C. Kugler, saw-mill man, and W. C. Eodman, County Attorney, all of Washing- ton, N. C. The tableau was unique. The interest was intense, while Mr. Mitchener continued : ^'The tongue itself weighs twenty-eight pounds: the other part, in which the tongue fits perfectly, is estimated to weigh 150 pounds. As you see, it's a natural formation. And right here, gentlemen, I will call your attention to the most remarkable thing about it, accidentally discovered by one of the family. But, first, I would say, it is not on re- cord, in history, that this part of the world has ever had a famine ; but, gentlemen, I will show you that it has; or as the lawyers say, will give you good circumstantial evidence to that effect. And, gentle- men, you'll be surprised at the wonderful infiuence, what I am about to show you, has on one's mind. Now, whether you believe me or not, every time that tongue hears the dinner bell ring, day or night, it moves or waggles. It's movement is not only per- ceptible to the eye (here a gentlemen put on a second pair of spectacles), but is equally per- ceptible to the touch. Just place your fingers lightly on the tongue, gentlemen, (fingers went down as in a game of ^'William Trimble Toe"), and watch it while I ring the dinner bell." Everything was as silent as death. And there was a picture that would do credit to Puck or Judge, as that dozen gentlemen were waiting for the bell to ring. It rang; but the tongue didn't "waggle." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 371 "I didn't see it move/' said the gentleman, with the two pairs of spectacles. "I'll ring again," said Mr. Mitchener, which he did vigorously. "It hasn't moved yet," said several voices in concert. "That's because it hasn't HEARD the bell ring yet," said Mr. Mitchener. "SOLD !" they shouted, jerking their fingers from the stone as if it had been red hot iron. And what a roar of laughter followed ! Mr. Mitchener said he had fished in the waters of Florida, in the mountain streams of New York and in the ponds and streams of his own native county, but, on the 26th of February, 1905, he caught the biggest string of suckers of his life, from the waters of Eastern Carolina. And all because, as I say, they had eat so much of Mr. Mitchener's good dinner, and were feeling so good they didn't have the heart to suspect the man who had fed them so well. I should add that Mr. J. K. Reas, of Edenton, Vv as a by-stander and a looker-on, and greatly en- joyed the performance as he had on a former occa- sion, been initiated into the mysteries of the order of the "Rock With a Tongue that Waggles," and is, I imagine, a very staunch friend of "Wyom- ing Lodge," and especially of the Master of the Lodge. When Mr. Mitchener is showing this rock to ladies he speaks of it as a female and emphasizes the re- mark : "The old lady must have died hard." One of the group will be sure to ask: "How do you know, Mr. Mitchener, it was a woman?" "By the size of the tongue," he replies. A lady writing to me, complimenting my sketches, quotes the line: 372 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, "A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the best of men,'^ and adds : ^^And by the women, too." Soon after the war the temperance cause was re- Ylved in Ealeigh by the organization of a Council of the Friends of Temperance, and quite a number of temperance speakers was developed. These went out into the country, and to towns as well, and as a result of such visits, the cause of temperance soon began to spread over the State. They didn't claim to be orators, but they made plain, iDractical temper- ance talks, which the people apiDreciated, as was eAidenced by the fact that a Council was organized at almost every place visited. We had, however, a young man here, who was not only full of energy and temperance enthusiasm, but had quite a sufficiency of self-esteem, as well, and because of that fact he developed very rapidly ; and, before his friends had any idea that he could make a temperance speech, he had one written out, anecdotes and all, and was ready to take the stump. No one knew it, but he had sent out some appointments, the first of which was up the Sea- board Air Line, in the direction of Moncure, and all unknown to his Ealeigh friends, he took the train one evening and started out on his first temper- ance tour. I don't know whether or not the world would ever have heard of that first trip if Capt. Woodson, the city editor of the "Daily News,'' had not got on track of it and scooped it in. At any rate, the first intimation I had of the matter I got from the "News," and I assure the news-gatherers of today that Woodson made a rich thing of it ; for, beginning with the young orator's starting from Raleigh, he gave in detail, and highly colored, all the incidents of the trip. He described the young man's appearance — his thoughtful expression of countenance, as he walked to and fro on the plat- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 373 form, at the depot, while waiting for the train to start ; a book, containing his speech, under his arm, and he, in the meantime, saying over his speech to himself. Every now and then he'd slap his hands, Avhen, in his speech, he would come to a place where he thought applause should come in. When, at last, the train moved off, he opened his book and read aloud, as if delivering his speech to a great crowd, stamping his feet whenever he came to the cross mark which meant applause, and stamping and slapping his hands, too, when he came to a mark which meant "great applause." When he had gone through the speech, he closed his book, buttoned his coat, and putting on the dignified expression of Judge Pearson, he sat bolt upright, casting his eyes, as if in profound thought, on the floor of the car in front of him. The train stopped, but so intently was he gazing and so deeply was he meditating, he failed to notice that he had arrived at the station of his destination. The cap- tain, after he had pulled the bell-cord, put his head inside and said : "Look-a-here, Mister; if you are going to get off at this station you'd better hustle, for the train is moving." He sprang to the door, and instead of using the steps and steadying himself down, he jumped out and turned a somer-sault into a ditch. When he got up and looked about he was surprised to see no committee of reception and no carriage in sight as he expected, for the place at which he was to speak was a mile or two distant from the road. But, just then he saw a fellow coming full tilt on a bare-back mule, at a rate that indicated haste. He rode right up to where the orator stood, and without as much as saying "good evening," he blurted out: "Is you the fellow that's to speak at tlie school house to-night?" "I am Mr. S., the temperance speaker, who is 374 whitaker's reminiscences advertised to deliver an address at the xlcademy this evening/' he replied in a very dignified manner. ^^All right, Mr. S., I've come for you. Get up on that stump and bounce up behind me; and be quick about it for this durned mule won't stand still a minute. And mind you don't let your heels hit her in the flanks ; if you do I'll be drat if she don't spill us both." The picture which Woodson drew of that mule- back ride, the temperance orator hugging the fellow with one arm, holding his book in the other hand, while his legs stood out at almost right-angles, was ludicrous indeed. "Where am I to get supper?" asked the temper- ance orator, as the mule went loping along in jack- rabbit style. "No time for supper now. Our folks, all round here, done eat supper an hour ago. We are gwine right straight to the school-house; meeting begins at early candle light, and it's that right now." Soon they reached the school house and the orator found himself on the ground once more, much tc» his relief. A dozen people stood off at a distance and eyed him, as he was pulling down his pants, brushing off the hairs and otherwise adjusting his toilet. "Mister," said one of the men standing near the door; "it's time you were beginning your meeting; night's are mighty short, and we farmers can't set up like you town folks, as hain't got nothing to do." "But the house is not lighted up," replied the orator. " 'Twill be in a minute ; I brought a candle along for the purpose," said the man, and with that he struck a match, lighted the candle and stuck it on a table. Of course the orator couldn't read his speech by such a light and that so low, and he thought he'd not try to do it. But, when he got up, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 375 he found that his tumble into the ditch, the shock he received when he ascertained no committee with a carriage had met him, and the humiliation of riding behind a man on a bare-back mule, had so upset him, he couldn't think of a word of his speech, and he had nothing else he could draw upon. So he finally hit upon the idea of holding the candle in one hand and his book in the other. And in that way he started out, and went on well enough till he had to turn a leaf. He managed to turn two or three, by putting the book on the table, and was getting yery near to where "great applause'' was to come in, when, in his excitement, he gaye the candle a sudden lurch which overturned about a teaspoonful of hot tallow on his hand, and down fell the candle and the light went out ; but the "great applause" came in all right. In his agitation the orator trod upon the candle and mashed it as flat as a pancake, so it was of no more use; and, there being no other means of lighting up, the meeting adjourned, and the mule man took the orator home with him to spend the night. The nights were hot, and, as the orator wished to return to Raleigh the next morning, the mule man told him he'd better go to bed. He did, but how could a man sleep under such circumstances? He could not, but rolled, tumbled, groaned and grunted nearly the whole night. Just before day, completely exhausted, he did fall asleep ; but before he had had time for even a cat-nap, the mule man banged at his door, as if the house had been on fire, saying : "Mister, if you want to bit the train this morning you'd better hustle. The mule's ready right now!" As day was breaking our orator stei)ped up on a stump, grabbed his escort around the body and turned his back upon the scenes and incidents of his first temperance rally. By late breakfast time he was in Raleigh, and, being as hungry as a wolf, he 376 whitaker's reminiscences, Avent to the Yarborougli House to get his breakfast. Dr. Bkicknall, getting an inkling of the matter, sent for Woodson, and that's the way the whole thing got into print. CHAPTER XLIX. Reasons for DrmJdng — 8ome Other Things as Bad as Drinking — Displaying Gallantry — Col. Yar- horough the Good Samaritan. When it's cold they drink to warm up ; when it's hot, they drink to cool off; when they are gloomy, they drink to kill the blues, and keep on drinking lest the blues return. They drink at Christmas and on the fourth of July because they feel pious on the one and patriotic on the other; and they have to drink along between times that they may keep their piety and patriotism at fever heat. I heard an old soak giving his reasons for drink- ing the other day. He said he drank when he was well and felt all right because it tasted so good; he drank w^hen he felt badly because it tasted better than at any other time, and he was bound to drink at odd times to guard against the ^'perhapses !" ^^What are the "perhapses?" I asked. ^'Snake and spider bites, chills and the like,'' he said. "Has a snake or spider ever bitten you?" I asked. "No; but. Doctor, I'm the ^fraidest' of them things of anybody you ever saw. I'm that 'fraid of spiders I always take a big drink the last thing be- fore going to bed. No, I've never been bitten, as yet^ but I'm expecting every night one of them hairy looking spiders will swing right down from the coiling and bite me on my jugular vein, and you know, yourself, I'd be a dead man in ten minutes, if INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 377 lit did. And, as I've liearn say an ounce of preven- tion is worth a pound of cure, I take the preven- tion.'' ^^How about keeping off chills?" ^'O, I'll tell you how that is, doctor. As long as I've got any of the dispensary at home I'm all right. But as soon as I drain the last drop from the bottle, I begin to feel the malaria working on me, and I just know I'll have a chill sure if I don't go right off to town and get a bottle or two. I hitch up and start, and I get chillier and chillier, and colder and colder, and feel worse and worse — jiist like a fellow feels when the grippe's coming on — and by the time I get to town, (I'll tell you the truth, doctor), I've mighty nigh got a ager." ''Your's is a bad case," I replied. ^'I'm afraid you are about done for, and old Alcohol will carry you to the devil before long." '^Don't talk that way, doctor. I hate to hear you say anything like that; for I'm bound to go to heaven. I know I drink too much right often, but I never get so drunk but what I love my Jesus all the same." There are thousands, if we may judge of the mat- ter, by those whom we know, who are drinking con- stantly^, for no better reasons ; church members, too, who are keeping their blood hot all the time, spend- ing more money for whiskey than for the gosioel, who are hoping to reach heaven, drunk or sober. But, after all, drinking liquor is not the only sin to which too many of our race are addicted. I know some peoi)le who never taste liquor ; who pride themselves upon the fact that they are total ab- stainers, and have a great deal to say about drinking and drunkeness, who are just as bad sinners, in some other way. Take, for instance, the man who starts out to make a fortune by short cuts, sharp practices and shrewd tradings. The very first thing he does is 378 whitaker's reminiscences, to erase from his Bible the golden rule, and insert in its stead, ''do unto others as you Avould not have others do unto you ;'' which means : get, if it can be done fairly and honestly ; if not, get anyhow. And the poor are those who are to suffer by their cupidity. I have known men who stood all right in the church, prayed long prayers, and abused drunkards, who, in the language of Christ, were hypocrites, because they devoured widows' houses and oppressed the poor. I knew a church member who loaned a tenant a hundred dollars, taking his note for the amount, in the beginning of the year, to bear interest at six per cent for the whole year; but he let the tenant have only ninety dollars; and that, too, in monthly installments. So the tenant paid that Christian ( ? ) landlord sixteen dollars interest on a hundred dollars, and only had ninety. The reader may ask why did that tenant allow himself to be thus swindled? Because he couldn't help himself. Why did the landlord swindle him? Because he had him in his power and he cared not for him nor his family, so he got what they made. That landlord stood high in the church, invited the preachers to his house; had prayers, too, when the preachers were there, and talked lustily of church affairs. So the preachers were bound to think well of him ; and he was made a steward. The poor tenant couldn't say anything, because he was dependent; and people who are dependent must keep their mouths shut. That's one side of the question. While there are hardhearted landlords, there are, also, some very unreliable tenants, (church mem- bers, too ) , who have to be watched, even after they give mortgages, or they will make way with the crop and leave both the landlord and the merchant, who furnished the supplies, in the lurch. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 379 A few years ago a case of this kind was brought to my attention. It was as follows : A tenant had worked a barn of tobacco, and had it ready for market. The landlord intended that the first load of tobacco, sold by that tenant, should pay off the guano bill, for which he was responsible. The tenant, the night before starting to market, told the landlord he was going to carry it to the town where the guano debt was due ; and asked the land- lord to be there and see the sale. The tenant left home before day, and the landlord thought, of course, he had gone where he said he was going. So, after breakfast he drove there, in time for the sales. But his man was not there. He had gone to another market, where he sold his tobacco and pocketed the money, spending the greater part of it for such things as he desired. Did the landlord lose his money? No; but he lost confidence in one whom he had trusted and believed to be an upright, straightforward man. Getting money is what men are thinking mostly about, and I guess there is more sin committed along this line than any other. Notwithstanding Paul told Timothy that the love of money is the root of all evil, the most of people keep on loving it, and they love it so well, they'll do almost any way to get it. Some will work themselves almost to death for it; some will take short cuts to catch up with it; some will oppress the poor; some will lie for it; some will pick pockets for it; and, in every other conceivable way a great many— I may say almost all — are striving after that evil root. I never believed that other people cared very much about listening to one's complaints ; so I don't usuallv complain ; if I can help it. But, I happened to an accident the other day that has caused me no 380 whitaker's reminiscences, little annoyance, because I have been unable to locomote with that celerity which is expected of one of niY usual sprightliness ; and pain, because I can not be content to lie abed or put my leg in a sling. It happened at Louisburg the other day. I had stepped from the cars and was assisting some ladies down the steps, displaying a gallantry inherited from my ancestors, (for as far back as the memory of man runneth, they were noted for waiting on the ladies) , little thinking that my gallant services were to be rewarded with a downfall. But, alas, so it befell me. While I was looking at the ladies whom I was assisting, a half dozen dressing cases and valises had been set down, right behind me, so near to my feet, that when I turned about to shake hands with my friends who were ai)proaching, (and not seeing the dressing cases), I took a fall six feet long and one hundred and eighty pounds heavy, over all the valises; and my left knee coming in contact with the sharp corner of a dressing case, or a granite pebble, I don't know which, I received a very pain- ful hurt, from which I have not entirely recovered, at this writing. I've had a stiff leg; yes, while in Louisburg, where, among my old friends, I was so desirous of showing off to the very best advantage, I had to hop — couldn't help it. I hated to admit that I fell down. So, to some who asked me why I walked with a stiff leg, I told them what I heard a man say of his stiff leg, when I was a boy. He said it represented his aristocratic blood. ^'Yes," said he, ^'my father was a plebian with big hands and feet; as active as a cat and as unpolished as a wild bear; but my mother had blue blood in her veins, and put on aristocratic airs and was as stiff as if she had been made of wood and gowned in Imckram; so, I got my stiff leg from my mother — it's an aristocratic leg." Col. W. H. Yarborough, one of my best friends — INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 381 and I've got some mighty good ones, in Lonisburg, as Avell as elsewhere — saAV me hox)ping around there, and like the good Samaritan, he had compassion upon me ; stopping me in front of his store and giv- ing me five dollars for my book. I protested, say- ing : ^^Colonel, the book is not published yet ; and when it is published, the price will be only a dollar and a half.'' '^Xever mind about that ; I want the book, and I'm willing to pay you five dollars for it." I thought that would cure my knee — I did feel better for a while — but, after the excitement wore off, and I got home, it began to hurt again. I have been hopping about until a few days ago, when it occurred to me that I would set out my strawberry plants. So, hopping to the tool house, I got my fork-spade and long-tooth rake and went to work. My wife soon came out and said : "You look like spading that ground with that stiff kneel" "Don't you see," said I, "I can stand on the stiff leg and make the other do the spading?" And I did. I set out all my new plants, worked over the old bed and raked it off, just in time for the good rain that came that night and all next day. I had a presentiment it was going to rain soon. Old people can tell Avhen it's going to rain, by their corns and rheumatics; but I'm not old enough for that. I think it's going to rain, sometimes, but it dcn't; and I think, sometimes, it won't rain, but it dees. The only sign to me, that has any certainty is, to see the rain falling. There was wisdom in that old negro's answ^er, who replied to the question of a circuit rider, who reined his horse up to the fence and asked : "Uncle, what do you think of the weather?" The old negro leaned upon his hoe handle, sur- veyed the clouds attentively for a moment, looked Rl the preacher, surveyed the clouds again and 382 whitaker's reminiscences said : "Boss, its my 'pinyun it'll rain harder, fair off, or keep on drizzling jes like it is.'' "Do you think it's going to rain?" one gentleman asked another in my presence, one day. "I can't tell you unless I was at home," he answered. "How's that?" the gentleman inquired. "If I was at home, and should say, 4t's going to rain,' and my wife should say: ^No it ain't,' I'd know it would rain, for she always guesses wrong." "Some people depend a great deal on the moon for rain, but I put a sight more dependence in an old fashion thunder cloud," an old farmer face- tiously remarked in my hearing once; and I guess he Avas right. Speaking of the moon reminds me that some people are very much governed by it in planting seeds. You must plant such things as grow in the ground in the "dark moon," and those that grow on the top of the ground in the "light moon." Iheard a very heated discussion on the subject, one day, speaking of Irish potatoes. One man said he planted in the "light moon" and he made good potatoes ; an- other said he planted in the "dark moon," and he made good potatoes, and so they had it. There was a gentleman present Avhose potato crops had been comparatively failures for several years, who, after listening to the controversy about the relative excellencies of the "light" and the "dark" moons, arose, and said, as he was about leaving : "Thank you, gentlemen, for your information. I see where I've been making a mistake. Instead of planting my potatoes in the "light moon" or the "dark moon," I've been planting them in the ground." I never could understand how the moon had anything to do with the growth of things; neither has it been satisfactorily explained to me how it is that tides are effected by the moon, nor why it INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 383 is that cats' e^^es are effected by the tides. But, there are so many things I don't know, and so many unexpected things come to pass, I've about made up my mind to believe anything I hear. So, when a man tells me a marvelous story, I simply say: ^'My! My! is that so?" The circus was to have been here on the fourth, but did not show because of the inclemency of the weather. Yes, it was a very rainy morning casting a damper over all circus enthusiasts. The public schools had given holiday for the children to witness the street parade and see the animals. The negroes came in early by the wagon load, and stood on the streets for two or three hours; but the circus didn't come. So, the well-soaked sons and daughters of Africa got a wetting mthout seeing the circus. It came in, however, the next day, and showed twice. It is very well known, in circus circles, that Ealeigh and Wake county have money to burn; but rather than it should be, the circusses are sure to come and get it. People will go to the circus. A few years ago a young fellow came to the circus bringing a dollar, which he spent seeing the first exhibition and one or two side shows. He went to Mills H. Brown, Esq., then a merchant where Mr. Duglii keeps, and mortgaged his shoes for fifty cents, to go in a second time; and, later in the evening, he swapped hats with a negro, for fifty cents boot, to go in again at night. I do not know what the tax on a circus is; but I'm sure it's not enough to pay the State for the loss it sustains. A few hundred dollars' tax will not reimburse us for the thousands that the circuses take away from us. But what does a fellow care for money when the band iDlays? They've been coming ever since I was a boy and they are about the same now as then. 384 whitaker's reminiscences, Many years ago there liyecl a yery prominent man, out on Swift Creek, who had a big mouth, and luade a noise with it whereyer he went. In a circus here, once, that big mouth made so much noise as to disturb the clown and the whole audience. At length, when the clown could stand that big mouth no longer he said to the ring master: "I want to ask you a question.'' "All right," said the ring master ; "go ahead with your question.'' "Well then," said the clown, "^yhat do you hire me for?" "To play the fool," answered the ring master. "You are a fool to hire me to play fool, when there's a fool oyer there that's playing the fool for nothing." The crowd roared, but the man of the big mouth quieted down so effectually he could barely raise a grin during the remainder of the show. Another circus incident I used to hear was this : A clown began to hold his nose and seemed to be troubled with some bad odor, and so completely was he oyerpowered by what he pretended he was smelling, that he seemed to forget his business. The master cracked his whip at him, to rouse him up, asking at the same time: "What's the matter with you, sir?" "I smell something I" the clown answered. "Well, sir; what is it you smell?" the master asked. "A Baptist preacher." And sure enough there was one close by, and the crowd roared with laughter, at his expense. I wouldn't be surprised, if the clowns of these days haye good smellers, if Methodists and Baptists, as well as some of all denominations, were found in the circuses; for, it is a yery well established fact that, church members haye quit denying them- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 385 selves of anTtliing, but do as they please and ask the Lord, much less the preachers, no favors, so long as they are in good health, and cotton sells a 1. ten cents a pound. * * * I wrote the foregoing part of this letter several days ago; since Avhich time a great many things have happened. The circus has been and gone; some of our neighbors have died ; the frost has nip- ped my tomato vines ; the elections have taken ]3lace, and the results are known. Of course everybody is not satisfied; but a great many are who would have been dissatisfied if the results had been other- wise. Those who got in feel happy, those left out are right sure it would have been better had they been elected. I expect the sun will continue to rise in the east and set in the west ; that the moon will change as usual ; the stars continue to twinkle up on high ; and water continue to run down hill, as if no elec- tion had taken place. North Carolina will have another good governor. Wake county will be well represented in the Legis- lature, and the new board of county commissioners will open new books and endeavor to make their administration of county affairs acceptable to the people whose servants they are. So far as the presidential election is concerned, the South was not in it, at all. It is rumored that the people up North of us held an election for Presi- dent and that a man by the name of Eoosevelt got in by a small majority, beating a man by the name of Parker. Since the days of Jefferson Davis, we Southern people have had no President, and we don't specially need one, as we've got sense enough, honesty enough and patriotism enough to take care of ourselves without a boss. Now, as I see it, the North is still carrying on the war 25 386 WHITAKER-S REMI^ISCE^'CES, against us; but the South, basking in the sunlight of prosperity, is serene, and keeps on picking out cotton. CHAPTER L. Gov. W. W. Holden — Dedication of Edenton Street M. E. Church— Some of Those Who Took Part in the Ceremonies — Preacher Who Had to Pay His Bill — What is Man? I have been thinking for some time that I would be unjust to one of the most distinguished citizens of ;North Carolina, did I fail, in these reminiscen- ces, to give a chapter to Governor William W. Holden, who, for many years, was not only in the world's eye, but took a prominent and a most conspicuous part in the affairs of his State, as the editor of the Raleigh Standard, before the war; and, after the war, as Grovernor, during the days of reconstruction; in which positions and periods he did not fail to make the impression that he was a man of more than ordinary ability and force of character. He made some mistakes and thereby drew down upon his head the wrath of a people who in other days had followed his lead ; and for a time, the great majority of the Avhite people of North Carolina cordially hated him, because, as they thought, he was their enemy. But we, who knew him best — his neighbors, here in the city, who had known him for more than a quarter of a cen- tury — could not believe otherwise than that the mistakes he made were the outgroAvth of circum- stances, and not of intent aforethought. While we condemned his reconstruction j)olicy, especially the suspension of habeas corpus, and the extreme measures to which he resorted — arresting and im- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 387 Ex-Gov. W. W. HOLDEX. For a quarter of a Century Editor of The Raleigh Standard. 388 whitaker's reminiscences, prisoning men because they criticized and de- nounced those extreme measures — we could not be- lieve that, at heart, he was the enemy of a people for whom he had spent so many years in hard labor, trying, with pen and tongue, to advance their in- terest. Circumstances have much to do with the lives of men, be they ever so careful, or ever so upright. I was an admirer of Mr. Holden in my boyhood days. I used to go to the Standard office to spend many of my leisure hours for the reason that, though boy, as I was, Mr. Holden would take time to talk with me, and seemed to be pleased at my visits; always discussing such topics as, he thought, vrould interest and instruct a school boy. Some- times he would say, as I w^ould be leaving : "Here's a book j)erhaps you'd like to read," and, sure en- ough, I'd find it to be a book that not only pleased but instructed. When I grew to young manhood and became the editor of a Democratic paper, Mr. Holden and I drifted apart. But, as I see it now, I do not blame him so much for any hostility he manifested to- ward me. True, he said some uncomplimentary things of me, and I said some harsh things of him ; yet really, he was not mad with me, neither was I mad with him. He saw, as he thought, that there were men in the Democratic party whom he had helped to make, politically, who were using me and my paper to break down his great influence, as the editor of the party organ. I was ignorant of any reason that should have prompted such a desire or action on the part of those who seemed to be the friends of my paper; but, he knew more than I did. So, when I changed the "Live Giraffe" from a humorous publication to the "Democratic Press," he foresaw, or thought he did, that there was danger ahead; and, knowing the strength of the men be- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 389 hind me, he knew that it behooved him, not only to aim a shot at me, but to shell the woods also, which he did. It was in 1859, that the rupture be- tween us occurred; and for eight years we did not speak. He regarded me as a factor of that in- fluence which broke his hold upon the Democratic party; and felt no doubt, that I had done him a great wrong. But, he knew that I was not respon- sible for the break between him and those old party friends who forsook him; therefore, I don't think that, (in fact he told me so in the last years of his life), he ever considered me an enemy; nor did he blame me, under the circumstances, for changing the name of my paper and entering politics. I had been his friend, and had thought and said, that, his party had not dealt justly by him ; and I now think that he had reason, on his side, for feeling that his party — (for he had made the party what it was in the State) — had dealt unfairly with him. I do not know what the result would have been, but, I have often thought that, if, instead of Judge Ellis, Governor Holden had received the nomina- tion at Charlotte, in 1857, very much trouble in many ways, would have been avoided. Mr. Holden had his aspirations, and they were v/ell grounded, for he had the ability to fill the positions to which he aspired ; and, if any man ever had a right to promotion, on account of party ser- vices well performed, he certainly did. But, as already intimated, some misunderstanding between him and certain imrty leaders, prior to 1857, (I have never known what it was), made a sore that became a cancer which could not be healed. Hence, although the Standard continued to march under tbe Democratic banner, there was discord in the ranks. When the convention met to take into considera- tion Xorth Carolina's duty, after Mr. Lincoln's call 390 whitaker's reminiscences, for seventy-five thousand volunteers to quell the rebellion, Mr. Holden, being a member of that con- vention, voted in favor of secession; and, at the time, there was, seemingly, a forgetfulness of the rancors of the past. But, the Standard had lost the State printing, and the State Journal being regarded as the mouthpiece of Governor Ellis, and the real organ of the Democratic party, Mr. Holden became a dissenter, or rather, a critic; and while he was not a Union man, much less an enemy to the Confederacy, his criticisms of the party mana- gers and of things generally, pertaining to the conduct of the war, were frequently and often harshly commented upon; so that, finally, his posi- tion toward the State authorities, as well as to- ward the Confederacy, was construed to be hostility. That construction led to the raid upon the Stand- ard office by Benning's (Georgia) Brigade, and the plundering and destruction of the State Journal office by Mark Williams and others, who were Governor Holden's friends, as a retaliation. Hav- ing commenced to drift away from its old-time moorings, the Standard, once the most pronounced of all the State's Rights papers, and a teacher of the doctrine of peaceable secession, for cause, gradually went on changing until when the war closed, it had lost most of its old-time friends ; and Mr. Holden, in the meantime, had become so hostile to those old-time party leaders, that, when he found himself in a position to be revenged, he, unwisely, availed himself of it. This Avas the mistake of his life, and led to the most disastrous consequences both to the people and to himself. If, in that hour of the State's sorest trial, he could have risen above the thoughts and feelings of revenge, and used the advantages, then afforded him, to heal old wounds and reunite the discordant elements of that old party, of which, in days before, he had INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 391 been the trusted leader, what a Moses he might have been, and how much of trouble would have been averted. But, he made a mistake, a terrible mistake, and he realized it very keenly afterwards, and, I am sure, he sorely regretted it. Hence, I remember him as a great and good man whom cir- cumstances led, step by step, toward a condition v;herein he, being tempted, forgot the Pauline in- junction: ^'Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Ah ! how man}^ there are who do the same thing? The last years of Governor Holden's life were spent in quietude, in the bosom of his family, and, while the world outside may have been still remem- bering and still condemning his mistake; we, who saw him daily, recognized the fact that, after having passed through the storm, he was nearing the shore on a calm sea. He eschewed politics, but was not inactive. He was a great friend of the poor and interested himself in their behalf, both in a temporal and spiritual way, and they found him a friend indeed. No one thought that Aunt Abby House, Avho not only hated but openly abused and cursed him, would ever be at peace with "Bill Holden,'' as she derisively called him. But, strange as it may sound in the ears of those who do not know the power of the gospel of Christ, Aunt Abby learned to love him; and, when she died she carried with her to heaven the recollection of the many prayers he had prayed beside her sick bed, as well as of the material comforts his thoughtfulness and kindheartedness had brought to her desolate little home, in the eastern suburbs of Ealeigh. Governor Holden wrote a great deal in his last years, mostly on religious and historic themes; and, because of his great knowledge of men and events, his articles were of much interest and value. 392 whitaker's reminiscences, When I began this article it was my i3urpose to give a historic sketch of ^Olethodism in Raleigh/' written bv him, on the occasion of the dedication of the present Edenton Street church, in 1887; but I find I will not have the space to give that letter this week. I may do so later on. But I will give the Dedicatory Hymn, sang on that occasion, which ^^'as written by Gorernor Holden expressly for that service. Rev. A. W. Mangum announced the hymn : "Hol3^, loving, righteous Father, Thou didst plant this living vine; * Prune each branch in love and mercy. Bless it, make it wholly thine. ^'Faitli its root and hope its branches, Nurtured long with anxious care — Now the touch of heaven produces Fruit abundant, sweet and fair. "Now the corn upon the mountain. Shakes like Lebanon on high; Now the life-bestowing fountain Streams upon us from the sky. ^'Lord, we thank thee for thy i)resence. Lord, we bless thee for thy love; Make us all that thou woukVst have us, All thy children fully prove. "Guard this house from sinful error. Hearts and hands and tongues employ; Dwell Avithiu it. Lord, forever. Fill it Avith thy songs of joy. "Wlien the harvest scene is over — When thou comest on thy throne; O, receive us to thy glory, Own and crown us as thine own." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 393 It has only been nineteen years since Eden ton Street Methodist chnrch — the present bnilding, was dedicated— therefore, many of onr people re- member the occasion, the singing of the above hymn, the sermon of Bishop Duncan, the dedica- tory services and many other incidents. But, to refresh the memory of such, and at the same time to give the voung people a bit of history, I give a few extracts from the Raleigh Christian Advocate of May 25, 1887. It says: "Last Sabbath was a grand day for Methodism in Raleigh. The magnificent new Edenton Street Church was dedicated in the presence and to the great joy of a vast multitude of people. The followino- former pastors were present : Rev. John E. Edwards, D.D. ; Rev. T. S. Campbell, Rev. A, W. Mangum, D.D. ; Rev. E. A. Yates, D.D, ; Rev. Robert O. Burton, D.D.; Rev. W. S. Black, D.D. ; and Rev. F. L. Reid. In addition to these the following ministers of our conference were present : Rev. X. H. D. Wilson, D.D., Presiding Elder of the Raleioli District; Revs. J. S. Nelson, J. H. Page, D. Culbreth, J. D. Arnold, A. McCullen, B. B. Cul- breth, F. M. Shamburger, M. C. Thomas, B. C. Allred, Philip Greening, J. B. Martin, A. R. Raven, E. Rowland, R. B. John, J. H. Cordon and J. E. Thomi^son. "The dedicatory sermon was preached by Bishop ^Y. W. Duncan, b.D., of South Carolina. In the formal dedication of the church, the building was presented for the trustees, by Judge Walter Clark, and dedicated by Bishop Duncan. Rev. E. A. Yates, D.D., announced the Doxology. Benedic- tion by Rev. T. S. Campbell. "At four o'clock in the afternoon a Sunday school mass meeting was held, at which short addresses were made by Bishop Duncan, Dr. Yates and Dr. 394 whitaker's reminiscences, Mangum, interspersed with music by the Sabbath school. ''The mass meeting was a decided success. Bishop Duncan knows how to talk to children, j'oung people and parents, and his address was most appropriate." Of the Bishop's sermon the Advocate said: ''The Bishop's sermon was grand. He met fully the very high expectations of our people. It was a full and fine exposition of Methodist doctrine. It vindicated Methodism against the misrepresenta- tions of some so-called evangelists and sanctifica- tionists, and drew graphically the difference be- tween what Methodism really is and what false teachers represent it to be. It was just the sermon to suit the times. Bishop Duncan also preached at Person Street Church at five-thirty in the after- noon ; a very impressive and practical sermon. "The services of the day were concluded with a sermon at night by the Kev. John E. Edwards, D.D., of the Virginia Conference; a former pastor of Edenton Street Church. It was a wonderful ser- mon in maly respects, and the large crowd was per- fectly delighted." Kev. N. H. D. Wilson was the Presiding Elder and Kev. W. C. Norman was the pastor of the Edenton Street Church. But, they with many others who were there, both preachers and people, have gone to that bourne whence no traveler re- turns. Not less than a dozen of the preachers who 19 years ago were here, and witnessed the dedica- tion services, are gone. Soon the others will go, and soon all of us will go. Are we getting ready? * * * Talking about getting ready to die, raises the question, how long will it take us to get ready the A\'ay Ave are preparing? It is no trouble at all to slip into the church ; and it's not much of a cross to INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 395 us men to go to church on Sunday, if the weather is fair • and it's still less a cross to the dear women, provided their hats are in the style and their dresses are up-to-date, both in material and make up; but, a very serious question confronts us all : ^^What ffood does our church going do us, while we are thinking so little of religion and are doing next tc nothing to extend the Kedeemer's Kingdom? I can't help thinking of a story told by Dr. Cuy- ler A Toung lady forgetful of her solemn coven- ant with Christ, and, disregarding the fact that the church, of which she was a member, forbade dancing, card playing and other worldly amuse- ments, and who had spent many months m a round of frivolities, was asked one Sabbath morning by one of her gav companions to accompany him to a certain place."^ She declined on the ground that it was the communion Sabbath in her church. "Are you a communicant?" was the cutting reT)lv The arrow went to her heart. She felt that she had denied the Lord and put Him to an open shame. And, then, to be thus rebuked by one who made no profession of religion. Dr Munhall says: "Some Christians are like PTOund hogs— thev only come out of their holes in the warm weather of revivals." If we could onlv close up the holes and keep them out, what a blessing it would be; but, ground hog like, when thev see their shadows— the frightful shadows made by their Christian deformities— they hasten back to their hiding places. . ^ i i. It is always a terrible condemnation of a churcn member, that no one should suspect him of being one. It is equally as great a condemnation when one professes to be a Christian, to have the world say of him, "he may be a professor, but from the wav he acts he is not a possessor." 396 ^YHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, In the old time days when preachers used to be v.elcome guests at all the inns, a certain i)reacher rode up to a country tavern and asked for lodging, announcing, at the same time that he was a minister of the gospel. The landlord was but too glad to entertain him, because of his holy calling. He soon was shown the best room, and the landlord attended to all his wants, gave him the best supper he could i)roYide, lighted him to his room at bed- time and saw him safely and comfortably in bed; in the morning he carried in fresh water and clean towels, and personalh^ attended him to the break- fast table. Soon the preacher was about leaving with his thanks, but to his astonishment the landlord con- fronted him with a bill. "Why, how is this?" asked the preacher. "I thought it was not customary to charge ministers for lodging and refreshments.'' "How do I know that you are a preacher?" re- turned the landlord. "You ate your supper and breakfast without savins: orace, vou went to bed without saying your prayers, and, since you came, ;^'ou have not said a word about religion, nor given us any sign that you had any. You came like a sinner, you've acted like a sinner, and you must l^ay like a sinner." Yes, I like a hustler, a hustler who hustles all the time ; but I maintain that the hustling mostly need- ed just now, is that kind that will bring the world back to the belief that religion is something more than a theory — something better than meat and drink, card playing and dancing, serving the world six days and God only one. I'm not going to wind up this letter with a ser- mon, but, I do want to ask a question — an old ques- tion — one asked long ago, but never answered, to- wit: "What is man?"' INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 397 I'll let the reader wrestle with that question while I go on to tell an anecdote that Avill, I hope, bring out an idea. A minister was once traveling in a mining country and coming to a mine he saw a bald-headed Irish- man, with no hat to shield his pate from the rays of a scorching sun, turning a windless w^hich hauled up ore out of the shaft. The sun was pouring his hottest rays down on his unprotected head. ^'Don't you know that the sun will injure your brain if you expose it in that manner?'' said the minister. The Irishman wiped the sweat from his forehead and looking at the preacher said : ^'Do you think I'd be doing this, all the day, if I had any brains?" and he went on turning the crank. I'll let my worldly minded Christian readers, as well as the bald-headed, hatless sinners, who spend most of their time turning Satan's crank, and toiling in Satan's interest, while the hot rays of God's wrath are almost ready to scorch them, make the application, as they work out the answ^er to the question: *^What is man?" whitaker's reminiscences, CHAPTER LI. General Joseph Lane's Visit to Raleigh — Samuel WhitakeVj Esq., and Jim Miller. In 1860, as I have already written, General Joseph Lane, Democratic nominee for Vice-President on the ticket with Hon. John C. Breckenridge for President, paid a visit to Raleigh, and was quite a lion among his many kindred and party friends. Correspondents of the big Northern dailies followed him, and took notes of all that was said and done by him and about him, and to him, while he so- journed with us. The big occasion was a banquet at Mr. Henry Mordecai's, just north of the city, of which a vast crowd of kinsfolk, friends and Demo- crats partook. General Lane was a relative of the Mordecais ; I mean of Messrs. Henry and Jacob Mordecai; and it was their pleasure to give their distinguished kinsman and political friend the big- gest, old-fashioned banquet that could be gotten up, and they did it. "Jake" Mordecai, as he was familiarly called, was an old batchelor, living at that time about four miles north of Raleigh, and had little else to do but to enjoy himself, and so the banqueting of Greneral Lane was exactly in his line, and he said he and Henry were going to open the big blade and cut big slices ; and they did. As I never expected to write up the matter, I took no notes, and can not, therefore, give the reader any particulars, nor say more than that it was a very swell affair, yet, as informal as a country dinner. General Lane was, of course, the toast of the occa- sion, and being among his kindred he acted and no doubt felt, very much like a member of the family, long time gone from home, but at last returned to find everybody glad to see him. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 399 He distiiiguislied himself iu the march from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico in 1848, and received a wound which lamed one arm so that he had but little use of it. He was a man of most popular man- ners, and could not have been better liked here had he been to the manor born. Col. Edward Cantwell, a lawyer of distinction, living in this city at the time of which I am writing, served in the Mexican war, and knowing General Lane in the army and hearing often of his gallantry on the battle field, in one or more engagements, was well prepared to make one of the best speeches, at the Mordecai dinner. ''Jake" Mordecai made the speech, however, af the day. I won't undertake to report it, for that would be impossible. No man could report him. He was all animation ; his words flew like sky-rockets, and went in so many directions it was impossible to keep up with them, or to guess which way they were going the next time. On that occasion he felt unusually patriotic and he spread himself, and the applause he received, kept him going until men's sides fairly ached from laughing. I heard him make a speech in the Legislature on one occasion that served to keep the House in good humor for the remainder of the session. I had no special acquaintance with him, though knew him well by sight, seeing him almost daily on the streets ; but knew him better, perhaps, by hearing others speaking of him and the humorous, and often very Avitty remarks he made in their presence. Samuel Whitaker, Esq., who in these days would be called the Hon. Samuel Whitaker, served in the Legislature, with the exception of three years, from 1822 to 1810, being elected nine times to the House of Commons and five times to the Senate. He was the writer's uncle, and the grandfather of Hon. F. A. Whitaker, one of the members of the House of 400 ^YHITAKE^v^S REMINISCENCES, Eepresentatives from Wake County in the last Legislature. ''Uncle Sam/' as he was familiarly called by the people, as well as by his nephe^ys, was a man of small stature, but robust as a politician and a busi- ness man. He was all the time moying. It was said of him that when he shayed he walked his long piazza and gaye orders to this one and to that one, without breaking a lick of the razor. And when he would mount his horse and start to Kaleigh, though the horse trotted, he would go in a gallop by springing up and down in the stirrups. The conse- quence w^as his pants would be aboye his knees by the time he came galloping into the city on his trot- ting horse. He was so in the habit of riding horse back that he always kept on his spurs. When he came to the city he would keep them on, and eyen during a day's sitting of the Legislature he would not take them off. It was in 1830, so the story was told me, that Uncle Sam, then a Representatiye, had a free negro liying on his plantation Ayho Ayas a great admirer of him, and would do anything Uncle Sam would ask of him. He had yoted for him eyery time he had been a candidate, and it Ayas his delight to come to the city ^^just to look at Sam sitting in the big house," as the Capitol was called. One day Uncle Sam's horse broke loose from the rack and went home, and during the eyening a heayy rain fell which filled Kocky Branch, just south of the city, so as to be, for awhile, impassible to pedestrians. But Uncle Sam and the free negro (his name was Jim Miller), were determined to cross, if possible. Jim said he didn't mind wading, himself, but he would not hear to "Sam's" wading, because he was a Legislator and had on his fine clothes. At length he said : ''Sam, if you'll get on my back I'll carry you oyer." Jim was a umn of big frame and heayy I^'CIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 401 Aveight, and Uncle Sam felt very sure that he could make the trip; for, although the stream was wide it Avas not more than two or three feet deep, at any place. So up Uncle Sam mounted, and into the stream went Jim. As they reached the deepest place Avliere the current was swift, Uncle Sam, for- getting he was riding Jim Miller, instead of his horse, and being a little excited on account of the SAviftness of the current, popped his spurs into him. Jim stopped while he said: ''Sam, stop that; if you spur me again I'll pitch you OA^er my head into the water." Uncle Sam promised to keep his feet still and so Jim went forward, but presently, step- ping into a hole Avhere the water Avas unexpectedly deep, because of a AA^ashout, Uncle Sam forgot him- self and spurred Jim again; and, true to his AA^ord, Jim gaAe him a AA^hirl OA^er his head and into the water he aa ent, receiAdng a ducking that wet him all over. It was said that that ducking broke Uncle Sam from wearing his spurs, except when riding. After that he Avould take them off Avhen dismounting and buckle them to his saddle. In 1842, James B. Shepard was the nominee for Senator from Wake, and Uncle Sam ran against him as an independent candidate, while Nat. Warren ran as the Whig candidate. Shepard Avas efected, and Uncle Sam's political career closed. During the campaign, Avhen the candidates spoke at Bank's, Shepard made some remarks that reflected upon Uncle Sam, and I remember seeing Barnes Whita- ker, his son, rush up and strike Shepard Avith a stick, and Shepard threAV a book at him. There was quite an excitement in the croAvd, for a fcAV moments, but it soon subsided and peace reigned. I might say a great many things about ''Uncle Sam'' that Avould interest the old people, 26 402 whitaker's reminiscences, perhaps, but as the majority of my readers don't even know me, I guess they will excuse me from writing further of my Uncle Sam, of whom they never heard. I was looking over a book of pamphlets the other day and was greatly interested, for, as I turned over the pages and read the fly leaves, I found that I Avas in old time company. First, my eyes lighted upon the '^Wake County Working Men's Address," adopted at a meeting held in the court-house Octo- ber 10, 1859. The address was prepared by a committee consisting of Quentin Busbee, B. F. Benton, H. Gorman, D. A. Wicker, F. I. Wilson, J. N. Bunting, W. B. Reid, T. R. Fentress, W. J. Lougee and H. Raby. That address was a plea for and an argument in favor of ad valorem taxation, a measure which was adopted by the Whig Conven- tion and repudiated by the Democratic Convention in 1860. I alluded to this address in a former let- ter. I turn over a few pages and there I find the speech of Governor Ellis before the Democratic Convention in this city, in 1860, when accepting the nomination for the second term, which the convention had just made. He realized all that he said in that speech of acceptance: "I accept, gentlemen, your nomination, and with it the re- sponsibilities and burdens it imposes, and I shall undertake the duties of this position with a deep and solemn conviction that they were never more vitally responsible than in the present juncture of jDublic affairs.'' The burdens were too great for his physical man- hood, and he sank under their weight; but, before death came to release him, he had done much to re- deem the promise he had made, and Avould liave more than fulfilled every obligation and performed every duty had he been permitted to live cnit his INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 403 term. Governor Ellis was every inch a gentleman and a true man. A little further on I find Hon. John Kerr, an old line Whig, writing to E. J. Hale & Son, of the Fay- ette\ille Observer, giving his reasons why he can not afford to affiliate with the Know Nothings. He says: ^'I am aware that the Whig party is dis- banded,'' etc. * * * ^'But secret political, oath bound associations are always dangerous to liberty, and can never be justified in a free country." Judge Kerr was right. Know Nothingism had a short life. Henry A. Wise killed it in Virginia when he and Flournoy ran for Governor in 1855. A few pages further along I find Ed. Graham Haywood, one of the brightest young men Ealeigh e\er raised, making a speech in the House of Com- mons of North Carolina on his own eligibility to a seat in that body. The Committee on Privileges and Elections reported to the House "that E. G. Haywood, a sitting member, was at the time of his election (''and is now,'' the report said) clerk and master of the court of Equity for Wake County," and recommended the adoption of a resolution de- claring his seat vacant. Mr. Haywood ably de- fended his position in a speech, w^hich took him two days to deliver ; but the resolution was adopted and his seat declared vacant. A few pages further on I see Frank I. Wilson, associate editor of the Raleigh "Standard," mak- ing a literary address before Horner's School in Oxford, N. C, on "The Supremacy of the Present Age," and he is giving the boys a fine address. Wish I could give it to the readers — but it is too long at this stage of my article. Then, here is the Hon. D. M. Barringer, of Raleigh, making an address before the Mecklenburg Agricultural Society, and he is saying: "I am glad to be with you here to-day," and in the thirty- 404 two pages that followed he told his "large and in- telligent audience why he was glad." And next my eyes fall upon an address delivered before The State Educational Association of North Carolina, at Warrenton, June 1st, 1857, by William W. Holden, Esq., and published by request of the association. This address contains more informa- tion, I venture to say, than any other man could have crowded into a thirty-page speech. A little further on I hear my old friend Moses A. Bledsoe, Esq., thundering in the Senate of 1859, on the subject of ad valorem. If he were dead I would compliment his speech, but being yet alive and being, like myself, a modest man, I am afraid he might construe the good things I could truth- fully say of his fine argument into flattery, so I guess I had better not say more. I see right ahead of me. Col. E. G. Haywood, chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of North Carolina, holding in his hand an address, to the people of the State, which it is supposed will not only answer every argument which Mr. Bled- soe set forth in his Senatorial speech, but knock old ad valorem himself, into a cocked hat. Here is a sermon preached at Chapel Hill, June 4th, 1858, by Rev. B. M. Palmer, D.D., of Columbia, S. C. Next I find a discourse prepared to be de- livered at Wake Forest in 1852, by R. W. Cushman, of Washington City. Then comes an address by Edward Cant well, at Holly Springs, Wake County, to the students of the Holly Springs Academy, June 1859. How real these faded pamphlets make the old times seem! I knew all the men who signed the Working ^Men's Address ; I knew Governor Ellis, Mr. Rayner, Judge Kerr, Col. Haywood, Frank I. Wilson, Mr. Bar- ringer, Governor Holden, Mr. Bledsoe, (still in INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 405 the flesh ) , and Edward Cant well. With one excep- tion all are gone, and that exception, as well as the writer, will soon follow. How still the once busy, bustling, noisy past ! The grave at last lulls the restless world into silence. CHAPTER LII. Three Bishops Who Attended the Centennial of Methodism in Raleigh, in 1876 — Bishop Mar- vin's Great Bermon on the Seed Corn— -Judge Foiole's Great Speech that made Men Cry and Shout — The Old Sister tvho said the Lord Would Never Hear the Last of her Praising. I have been thinking for some time that I would like for all the ^^Marvins" to write to me. ^'Mar- vin" was a name unknown to mothers until Bishop Marvin, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, Avent through this Southland preaching and sing- ing and praying, nearly thirty years ago. He was one of the most magnetic preachers, as well as one of the most Godly men of the last half cen- tury, which accounts for the fact that so many mothers named their boys for him. Bishops Mc- Tyeire and Doggett were his contemporaries in the episcopacy, and they were really great men — in some respects, perhaps, greater than Marvin — but somehow or other, the mothers did not call their boys McTyeire or Doggett. The "Marvins" are as numerous as the John Wesleys used to be, and quite as well known, in some sections, as the George Washingtons ever were. There was quite a crop of Bascoms forty or fifty years ago, and not a few Earlys, but no bishop, nor statesman, has had such a following as Bishop Marvin. Grover Cleve- land had quite a run for a while, but it was short 406 whitaker's reminiscences, lived. The ^Olarvins" however, are still holding their own, in Methodist circles, and are likely to grow with the growth of Methodism. Is it not strange how much greater one man's influence is than another's? Two men may be equally gifted, have almost the same talents; yet one will attract while the other seems to have no magnetism. Of the three bishops who attended the centen- nial of Methodism, here in Ealeigh in 1876, Bishop Marvin was the one who made a lasting impression on the minds and hearts of the people. McTyeire was a lawyer like preacher, who made an argument that could but convince the most skeptical. Doggett was rhetorical, classical, and brilliant, and, to a cultured audience, he was charm- ing. But Marvin was full of soul. He knew how to find the door to the inner man, and when it was found he walked right in and claimed kin with the soul, in the name of Jesus. I heard him preach the dedication sermon of the old Person street, now Central church, a sermon of two hours length; and, from the first to the last sentence, men and women hung upon his words, as if they had never heard a gospel sermon before. Judge Fowle, who stood outside and heard him through the window, said he could have stood two hours longer without becoming wearied. His text was "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." He described the condition of the world after the fall of man, and likened it to a land in which early frost had destroyed the seed corn, but, after diligent search a grain was found, from which one grain came bread enough to feed the millions. Sin had blasted the world, destroying all spirit- ual life. Christ was the corn of wheat that was to INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 407 fall into the ground and die, to restore that si)iritual life. It were vain for me to undertake to give the reader even an outline of his sermon, from memory; but I remember enough to know and be able to say, it was the finest, the most uplifting, presentation of the plan of salvation to which I had ever listened. Old Father Henry Porter, one of the saints of that day, who has since been translated, came out of the church, after the sermon, almost shouting and saying : "Thank God for the seed corn I Thank God for the seed corn!" Yes, I'd like to hear from all the "Marvins," for I must conclude, inasmuch as they are named for so great and good a man, they must be first-class folks and good Methodists withal. A good Metho- dist, however, may not always mean a first-class saint, from the Saviour's standpoint, no more than a good Baptist or a good Pharisee; but, it must be true that men who admire and try to imitate the life and character of John Wesley, are trying to do better, and be better than the ordinary herd of mankind. I said that Bishop Marvin preached two hours. A long time for an audience to sit and listen. Kev. Peter Doub generally preached from an hour and a half to two hours, and I don't remember that any of his hearers complained. The old time people depended more on the pulpit for gospel instruc- tion than they do now. The preacher of this day is only a spoke in the wheel. He used to be the whole wheel, hub and all. His message used to be heard gladly and cherished as if heaven sent. In these days of books, periodicals, magazines, Sunday newspapers, Ep worth Leagues, Christian Endeavors, Sunday Schools, Missionary Societies, and dozens of charitable and fraternal associations, the people have, or think they have, very little need 408 of preachers ; and not more than half of them go to church regularly; many never go at all. Their papers suit them better than the preachers; because they can read them without shaving and putting on Sunday clothes; and if they nod it makes no difference, even should they snore. Scores of men are depending for salvation upon fraternal associations, which teach, as all of them do, good morals. I know men belonging to the Masons, (and Masonry I suppose, stands at the head of all the fraternal institutions), who are expecting to be saved because they belong to a lodge. I dare not say they will not be; but, Jesus made it very clear to Xicodemus, that a man must be born again. And Paul in the tenth chapter of Romans says: ^'Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How shall they call on him — in whom they have not believed? and and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" These other agencies may do good, but the preacher ever has been, and must ever be regarded as the special messenger, the ambassador for Christ, and nothing else I am free to say is com- parable to a good gospel sermon delivered by one (man or woman) who is filled with the Holy Ghost. The objection made to Methodism, when I Avas a boy was, that it Avas too emotional — made men and women cry and shout and do very improper things, shocking to the refined and sedate. I have never yet believed that it is possible for a man to suffer pain, however stoical he may be, without showing in some way, that he was suffering. Nor can a man l)e amused, niucli less thrilled with mer- riment, Avithout betraying his feelings. Joy, grief, happiness and sorrow will find ways to express themseh'es, on the face, in the eye, through the INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 409 tongue or in some other way. He is a dead man, indeed, who is devoid of emotion. And, I can not but conclude, that a great many Christians, who never exhibit any feeling are reall}^ dead. If you tell of a storm, they are horrified; if you relate an account of a terrible railroad Avreck, or of the burning of a ship at sea, the}^ are horrified at that ; if you tell hoAv a child was rescued from a burning building by some daring hero, who, amid the shouts of a multitude, risks his own life that he may lay that child unscorched into its mother's arms, these dead Christians will shout over that while tears of sympathy and real delight will stream from their eyes. What's the matter! The emotional chord has been touched, and they can no more keep from shouting and crying than the harp can help send- ing forth its waves of melody when the skilled hand has swept its strings. I saw a strange sight at a political meeting twenty odd years ago. Judge Fowle was making a speech in Winston. The court-house was crowded with men — men of iron nerves and strong wills — unexcitable men, who only moved when their reas- ons had been convinced by cold, dry, hard argu- ment. For a while not more than half the people in the room appeared to be much interested; now and then there would be some stamping of feet and clapping of hands; but, there were no outbursts of applause. At length the Judge began to speak of the sufferings of the white people of the eastern counties; telling of the humiliation of some poor whites in Jones County, who had been hired out to negroes; and appealing to the brave, honest, pat- riotic sons of the west to come down and break the yoke of tyranny, and to strike down the infamous tyrants, who would degTade and humiliate the Anglo-Saxon race. Every man in the house was listening then, and every face showed that chords 410 whitaker's reminiscences, had been touched Avhich sent thrills to hearts un- used to emotion for I noticed that some were crying. The Judge told a story of the Crimean war, in which he pictured an English mother (an officer's wife, with a child in her arms), standing on the crest of the fortress looking for the coming of En- glish ships. The mortalities of a long-siege had reduced the strength of the garrison, while both ammunition and provisions were running alarm- ingly short. Day after day, week after week pas- sed, and no English ships hove in view. It was but a matter of time when the garrison must either surrender or perish. Every day that mother crept, Avith her child in her arms, to the parapet, and with face seaward and eyes heavenward, she would pray as only a woman knows how to pray, that help might come before starvation or massacre should be the fate of the garrison. The men had well nigh lost hope of ever seeing any help coming, but that woman had faith, and in that faith she prayed. At last one evening as the mother's eyes were uplifted toward heaven in prayer her child just beginning to prattle said : "Look mama, pretty birds !" She opened her eyes, and, low down on the horizon, there came a fleet of English ships. She screamed to the men below: "They are coming! They are com- ing !" A great shout went up, the drums beat, the cannons let forth their thunder, and the enemy, as well as all the garrison, knew that an English fleet was coming to the rescue. "Fellow countrymen, let me tell you,'' said the Judge, "while his eyes seemed to be swimming in tears, and his voice was almost choked with emo- tion, "the mothers with their babes in their arms, down in our eastern counties, are sitting in their desolation and humiliation and wondering if help Avill ever come to them; and daily and hourly they turn their faces westward and their eyes heaven- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 411 ward, and as did that English mother, they pray that help may come from the West. What shall I tell them when I go down there? Shall I tell them that you men of the West care nothing for their degradation and their humiliation; or shall I tell them their sorrows will soon cease, for the patriotic men of the West have sworn to come to their relief on the day of election?'' I have never seen, in all my life, such a sight, as I witnessed during the next few moments. Men cried like children; while hundreds of voices shouted: ^'Tell them we are coming! We are coming! We are coming! Yes, we are coming!" I have often thought of that scene, and wondered why, when the story is told of the heathen women in their degradation and almost beastly humilia- tion, with their little ones around them, waiting for the coming of the bread of life, the Christian people do not become as excited as those men of Forsyth did when they heard the story of the Cri- mean garrison and the Jones County pauper affair. I have learned this much by observation, that people who are easily moved by political speakers, when prejudices are appealed to, who shout and hurrah when victory perches on the banners of their par- ties, are very quiet and undemonstrative when at- tacks are made upon the world's great enemy; and equally so when victory perches upon the banner of the cross. From all of which it is to be inferred that it is considered to be undignified for mortals to be emotional in the matter of religion. I can't help admiring the spirit of that good old sister who, while shouting and praising the Lord for his great mercies to her and her neighbors, said : ^'I do thank the Lord for what he has done for me and mine, and for the world in general, and I'm going to praise him just as long as I live; and when I get to heaven I'm going to begin praising him 412 whitaker's reminiscences, again, and I don't expect he will ever hear the last of it-' I notice that the Psalmist alternated between prayer and praise. In one psalm he prayed like a sinner ; in another he praised like a saint ; and that's the reason why it was said of him that he "was a man after God's own heart." Prayer and praise is a healthy Christian exercise, and should go together. Some people pray all and praise none; some praise all and pray none. It stands to reason that both of those classes are in the wrong. If a man keeps on cramming shells into his gun, and don't shoot any, his gun will be worth nothing to him, and quite as foolish would be the man who would be all the time snapping his gun when there was no load in it. The sensible way is to load and shoot; and just so, the sensible thing, about religion, is to pray until you fill up; then praise the Lord until you need loading up again. Yes, pray and praise, if you would be a man, or a woman, after God's own heart. God has no use for the man who bottles up his religion and don't want folks to know he's got any ; and he has quite as little use for that man who is always brag- ging on his religion, when he's got none. David was right; he prayed and praised, thus keeping up the equilibrium. If I were preaching a sermon, I'd enlarge on these thoughts; but, as it is, I'll close up by again requesting the "Marvins" to let me hear from them. If all the boys who bear the name of "Marvin" will meet in convention and re- solve to be as good and as great as Enoch Marvin was, what a power for good they may become in their dav and time. Whv not? INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 413 CHAPTER LIII. Dangers of the Money Poiver — The Fight Ahead — Our Last Battle and the Davie Street Fight. What wonderful changes have been wrought in the hist forty years! Prior to the Civil War, we thought a State was sovereign, and the general government was simply a confederation of sovereign States, for certain ]3urposes. But State sover- eignty is a thing of the past, and centralization walks right over State's rights, and even snaps its fingers in the face of courts and laws. Our form of government is gradually, yet surely, as I see it, changing from its old-time simplicity of a "govern- ment by the people for the people," to a government for the monopolists by the money power, the people being ignored. Modesty, which in the early days of our government, commended itself to our great- est, wisest and best men, has lost caste, in aristo- cratic circles, and, in its stead, we see arrogance, corruption and a total disregard of that old-time idea, ''the office should seek the man and not the man the office.'' By aristocratic circles, I mean those people who think that money is the only thing that entitles a man to any consideration, or can give him any standing. The big corporations have grown to be proud, insolent, domineering and over- bearing to that extent that men and parties are expected to bow at their behests and vote accord- ing to their dictation. It is only a matter of time when the larger will swallow or absorb the smaller corporations, and all power will, as a matter of course, be exercised by the few greater corpora- tions ; then they will write the -partj platforms, and give direction to legislation, which will strengthen 414 whitaker's REMI^:ISCE^'C•ESJ their grip on the power already acquired, and em- bolden them to make new im^asions u]3on the rights of the masses, who are honest and unsuspecting. I'm not in politics, but I can't help seeing what's going on. I remember the time when State sover- eignty was the boast of our people; when we com- pared our sovereignty to that "old vine and fig tree" under which one could not be molested or made afraid; when the general government paid due re- gard and courteous respect to each member of the family, not daring to enter any State without knock- ing at the door ; and, even then, ai3ologizing for in- terrupting the quiet of the family. But, now the general government doesn't even ring a door bell, but kicks the door open, walks right in and takes possession, and does as it pleases, with what we thought was our own. Are we going to submit to it? Of course! It is a sad spectacle to us older people, seeing the changes that are taking j)lace, and realizing, as we can not help doing, that the money power is gradually, yet surely, crucifying independent manhood, and rear- ing up a race of fawning, cringing, dependent be- ings, to believe that might is right, and that a bone thrown to them by the hand of wealth is better than a whole ham secured by independent, honest toil, under one's own vine and fig tree. We can not help thanking Heaven for the great mass of horny- handed sons of toil, living out in the country, who are still loving the traditions of their ancestors. The money power with all of its cruelties, has not yet made them despair, but feeling that God is just and true, and that honest labor will be rewarded, they are following in the footsteps of their fathers, trying to live plainly and simply, yet honestly ; and trying, at the same time, to preserve and to con- serve that sacred legacy of freedom which was their inheritance. The countr^^ is eminently conserva- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 415 tive, and very strongly attaclied to the old-time days. If freedom, in our land, should ever die, its final struggle, its last gasp, will be in the honest, simple, unpretentious country homes. A great battle is just ahead, in fact, we are in it now. It is to be a fight to the finish, contending for the old-time ways of our fathers, when truth and patriotism and honesty were cardinal virtues, and men were honored and exalted for doing right, and not because they were gamblers and tricksters in iDolitics. As I am on the subject of fighting, I might as well say we had quite a number of battles fought, in North Carolina, during the Civil War; one of the last ones, that at Bentonsville, was fought in John- ston County, and a right smart skirmish also took place about Morrisville; accounts of which the world has heard more or less. But the Davie street skirmish, which occured here in Raleigh, has not been so well written up, and is, therefore, not so well remembered. All wars have their causes, and the Davie street fight was not an exception. The cause in that case was the purchasing of carpets for the Capitol dur- ing the days of carpet-baggers. The old-time car- pets on the floors in the Capitol were too dingy and worn for scallawags and carpet-baggers, (to say no- thing of the negroes, who served in the Legislature, or held offices in the Capitol), to set their dainty feet upon ; so the Legislature adopted a joint resolu- tion authorizing the purchase of new carpets, and tlie Secretary of State, was selected, and author- ized by said resolution to make the purchase. Josiah Turner, Esq., was at that time publishing the "Sentinel," and was keeping watch, as a good sentinel should do, upon the enemy. When the carpeting was bought, it was said that the pur- chaser got enough to carpet his own house, as well 416 whitaker's reminiscences, Hon. JOSIAH turner. A fearless Defender of the Rights of the people, during thejCays of Reconstruction. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 417 as the Capitol, and that the State had to foot the bill. Joe Turner heard of it, and didn't lose any time in letting the world hear of it. The Secretary paid no attention, for a day or tAVO, to what the Sentinel had to say until another thing occurred. Mrs. Secretary lost her poundcake, and she sus- picioned, so the story was told, that a negTo boy, hired as butler, or something else, had devoured it. Being a friend of negroes, as all Yankees are sup- posed to be, Mrs. Secretary prevailed upon her hus- band, who was a doctor, to give the boy some ipecac to make him throw up the cake, to keep him from getting sick; but, in reality, that she might know whether or not he ate the cake. The ipecac worked all right and the missing cake made its appearance. Turner heard of that, and the next morning the Sentinel contained this query: ^'If six grains of ipecac will make a negro boy throw up a pound- cake, he stole from his mistress, how many grains of the same ipecac would it take to make a man throw up a carpet, on his floor, the State had to pay for?'^ My old friend, Sam Merrill, who, by the way, is (or was a few years ago), in the city, was at that time the manager of the gas works, and an unrecon- structed rebel. He attended strictly to his busi- ness, but kept both eyes open, as well as both ears, and didn't let anything pass unnoticed. He w^as an ardent friend of Joe Turner, but a cordial hater of carpet-baggers and scalawags. He knew that Turner had gone to Smithfield to make a speech one day, and he also heard from good authority, that the Secretary's crowd consisting of twelve men, among them were Bosher, Pike, Dixon, Miller, and others, were intending to meet Turner at the depot, on his return from Smithfield, and beat him. As soon as Mr. Merrill heard of it he determined wliat 27 418 whitaker's reminiscences, he would do. And what he did, I will let him tell. He said : "When I was informed of their purpose, I went to my ofi6.ce and got two pistols and went down the FayetteYille road to the crossing, where the train slacked up, in those days, jumped on the car and gave Joe the two pistols, and told him to follow me at the depot. When we got there I took him to the other end of the car ; but Bosher saw him and said there he goes ; and the crowd, the Secretary in the lead, ran after us; Pike, H olden, Bosher, Dixon, Miller and six others — twelve in all. The Secretary said: 'Turner, are you the author of that article in the paper this morning, about the negro and the poundcake?' Joe said: 'Come to my office and 111 give you all the information and satisfaction you want.' The Secretary said: 'ITl have it right here!' Joe backed up against a pump, and pulled out the two pistols I gave him, holding one in each hand, and said: 'The first rascal that comes toward me I'll put a hole in him.' That put a stop to their forward movement. I was in the middle of the road, near Joe, with a monkey wrench in my hand, and was giving them my opinion, of twelve men making an attack on one old man, in language I never heard used in a Sunday School. There they stood, twelve of them, look- ing at Joe's two pistols and at my monkey wrench, and listening to m^^ remarks, while they spoke not a word. Just then here came Mayor Harrison, run- ning across the embankment, and saying as he ran: 'I arrest you all; Turner, Merrill, Holden, Pike, Bosher, Miller, Dixon, and all the rest of 3^ou. Be at my office at 5 o'clock.' We all went and there Turner said that the affair was simply a con- spirac}' of twelve men to beat him to death, 'and if it had not been for a man with a monkey wrench they would have killed me.' Dixon said some- thing, and Joe said, 'That's a lie.' That started INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 419 the whole crowd into a rage, and they rushed to- ward Joe ; but he pulled out his pistols, and cleared the room as fast as they could get out. That was the last of it. So the public never did find out how many grains of ipecac it would take to make the Doctor throw up that carpet." The foregoing is Mr. Sam Merrill's account of an affair which made as big a stir here at the time as if a fight had really occurred. Turner, doubtless, would have been badly treated, perhaps killed, if Merrill had not warned and armed him, and then stood by him Avith his monkey wrench. As th(i matter turned out, nobody was hurt. Whether there was any truth in the report that the State paid for more carpet than was used at the Capitol, I do not know. Those were wonderful times, and carpet-baggism was in clover, and remained in clover, and stayed as long as the clover lasted. The carpet-baggers left the State for the same reason that vultures leave a dead horse ; there were no pickings. I am indebted to Mrs. Lottie Boner, of Durham, for a copy of '^Boner's Lyrics," a book of 122 pages, neatly printed on good paper and well bound in cloth, containing the poetic writings of the late John Henry Boner, Esq., whom I knew for many years, and whose ability as a writer of verse all who have read his Lyrics must acknowledge. The book contains a portrait of the author, and also a picture of his old home — his birth-place — in Salem, N. C. It is dedicated to the memory of Theophilus Hunter Hill, a gentleman who lived and died in this city, and who gained for himself, while living, the proud honor of being classed among North Carolina's best writers of verse. Before closing what I have to say concerning Boner's Lyrics, I want to add, in the language of the introduction to the book, writ- ten by Henry Jerome Stockard, Esq. : "Here," (in 420 whitaker's reminiscences, this book), '^are things that will live * * * Some ol the pieces have already taken their places in our best anthologies, and, more significant than this, in the hearts of the people.'' In a very complimentary manner, Mr. E. E. Hil- liard, of the Scotland Neck "Commonwealth," re- fers to a recent sketch which he says revived some old memories of his past life. That is what I am trjdng to do — revive old memories — and, if possible, incline the young people to a proper appreciation of that past, which laid the foundations upon which this generation is building and prospering. I am in favor of progress. I like to see improve- ments in everything. I would not, for any considera- tion, go back to some of the old-time customs, habits and methods, in living; nor, if a farmer, would I use the old-time plows that did well enough in my boyhood days, when, instead of, as now, sweeping out a middle with a single furrow, we had to run six furrows. Nor would I go back to the old log meeting house, our fathers and mothers worshipped in; nor to the old log school house. Nor do I wish to return to the old-time way of traveling, nor to the old-time way of cooking, before stoves and ranges came into use. No, I do not wish to turn the wheel of pro- gress backward; but old memories are very sacred to us all the same, even though we had fewer com- forts and put on less style. An old-time log meet- ing house, with open cracks and no window, save the one back of the pulpit, that let in the cold air on the preacher's neck, while preaching, would hardly be considered fit for a tobacco barn now; yet, very many precious memories linger with us, connected with that old place of worship. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 421 CHAPTER LIV. (jIov. David S. Eeid's Reception — Young Man who got Sick on Sp'ilt Oysters — Whiskey and Water Questions — Boneset and Blue Mass. When Governor David S. Reid was an aspirant to a seat in the United States Senate, and the Legislature, which was to elect a Senator, was in session, he gave a grand reception at the old Man- sion, which stood Avhere the Centennial Graded School is, to which the Legislature, and, as I re- member the size of the crowd, almost everybody else in the city were invited. The crowd was im- mense, the refreshments were abundant, and the cheer was royal. ^^Little Davy'' was in his glory, for he dearly loved to shake the people's hands, and, as he was pretty sure of his election and would go from the g-ubernatorial chair to a seat in the Senate, he was, of course, in fine spirits. If there was an individual there, that night, with whom he did not shake hands two or three times, it was because he couldn't find him. The governor was about five feet and a half high, and, the boys said, the long-tails of his dress coat, when he leaned back, came very near reaching to the floor. It will be remembered that he was the first Democratic Governor ever elected by the peo- ple in North Carolina; and he was the author of the doctrine of Free Suffrage, which had much to do in changing the politics of the State. The young reader does not know, perhaps, that prior to that time, while every man above twenty-one years of age could vote for all other ofiacers, only those, who were free-holders, could vote for a Senator. Free Suffrage was, therefore, a very popular move- ment, as it gave thousands of good men, and even 422 whitaker's reminiscences, wealthy men, who hitherto had been debarred, the right to vote for Senators as well as for members of the House of Commons. The Whig party opposed Free Suffrage outright, as being a dangerous moyement; and quite a num- ber of Democrats gaye it a yery lukewarm support ; they did not fight it, howeyer, as they wished to wrest the State from Whig control. But, I am wandering away from the Goyernor's Keception, which I am free to confess was the big- gest social function that a boy, raised in the country, had eyer seen; and, I will add, the most democratic. The Goyernor with his wife did not back up against a wall with uncles, aunts and cousins about them, and haye the crowd march around and shake their hands. That was not his style. He pulled off his gioyes, spit in his hands, figuratiyely speaking, and launched out among the soyereigns, reaching for them, right and left. Eefreshments, as already stated, were abundant, and, unlike the hand-around affairs of the present day and time, one large room was filled with tables, which, as fast as they were cleared off, were re- plenished, with barbecue, turkey and oysters, and all the et ceteras, one could call for. I am afraid, lest my statement might be doubted, to tell how many pigs, turkeys and oysters, report said, were consumed there that night, to say nothing of the loaf bread, cakes and crackers. In another room which, by the way, was always croAyded, there were all kinds of liquors, and, from what the boys told me, the punch bowl held about a barrel of the most insidious stuff that could be concocted. It looked and tasted as if it had been as innocent as molasses and water; but, it played the mischief with some of the boys; and, from the noise some of the girls made, I had a suspicion they had receiyed a punch or two, if not several. On INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 423 niY way up Favetteyille street, tliat niglit, as I was crossing Davie, I heard the groans of a man, who seemed to be in great distress, at the intersection of Davie and Salisbury streets. I hastened to the point, and found an acquaintance of mine, down on his all-fours, heaving and vomiting, and, between times, saying: ^^O Lordy, I'm so sick I" It was quite awhile before he could speak to me, but, when he did, he mumbled out: ^'Tlrem nasty oysters; I do believe they were spoilt. O, I'm so sick." ^^Do you reckon the oysters made you sick?" I asked. The only answer I got to the question was : "O Lordy, I'm so sick I" I suppose it was an hour before he would try to move. And when he did, I found that he was too weak to walk alone. I got him to his room, at last, but he was too sick to sleep and did not want to be left alone ; so I spent a most miserable time from then, until day, hearing him groan and bewail the probability and almost certainty that he had a virulent attack of bilious fever. But the truth was he was drunk — drunk through and through, and stayed drunk several days. I re- ported his illness to some of his friends, and some of his lady friends sent such delicacies to his room as they supposed a sick man would relish. But, until he got all that punch and champagne out, he didn't feel like eating anything. He wasvery much afraid his sweetheart would get wind of the true nature of his sickness ; but I don't think she did. I heard there were quite a number who had spells of sickness, of like character, after that night, and the cause, as I learned from one party, was they mixed their punch and champagne too freely. An old liquor seller who used to sell lager beer, mostly, said to me one day : "I don't let the boys get drunk in my saloon. I tell them I sell lager 424 whitaker's reminiscences, beer and there's no danger in that ; but, if they go to mixing their liquor they must always drink their beer first and drink the whiskey on top of the beer to hold it down. If they drink Avhiskey first and put the beer on top of that, it will be sure to make them drunk, because there's nothing to hold the beer down." I expect that's about the way the boys did at the Governor's recepti'on; drank punch first, then the champagne, and, as there was nothing to hold it down, it made them drunk. * * * A friend told me the other day there were only two questions to be discussed in the present muni- cipal campaign — ^' Water and Whiskey." The city already has control of the whiskey l)usiness, and hopes to keep it ; now it w^ants to control the water. I am in favor of that. I think it's nothing more than our duty, when we sell a man whiskey, to be able to give him some water to cool him off, when he gets too hot. As between a dispensary and bar-rooms, I am a dispensary man; but, I very much fear that we shall popularize the whiskey business, and we'll come to think, after awhile, just so we raise revenue and build up fine schools we need not be concerned about the evils of drunkenness. I want it understood that I am not a candidate for mayor, trial justice, alderman, clerk, nor tax- collector; therefore, I need not give my views fur- ther than to say I prefer the dispensary to open bars; but, whenever there is a probability of get- ting prohibition straight out, I'll rejoice to see the dispensar}^ closed. Those avIio are candidates should tell us how they stand on the questions Avhich are being agitated. We all like to know what's in a bag — whether pig or pup — before in- vesting money in a purchase of the bag. When a I^X^IDEXTIS AND ANECDOTES. 425 man saj^s lie's for good government, he may niean a great deal or nothing. What he may consider good government I might not so consider. I'd rather know what I'm voting for; and I take it for granted that, men, who propose to do the fair thing, will not hesitate to tell how they stand, and, for what they stand. If one does not know how and for what he stands ; or, if he knows and don't like to say, I'd rather not vote for him. It sometimes happens that non-committals make good representa- tives, but, as a general rule, a non-committal is, to say the least of it, a very unsatisfactory candidate, as his non-committalism raises the suspicion that he has no opinions, but will be controlled by cir- cumstances, should he be elected. I'd rather, I re- peat, know what's in the bag, before buying. And I feel better Avhen I know what the man I vote for will do, if elected. I repeat, inasmuch as the city sells liquor it ought to sell the water, also. I heard a fellow say once that, after he had been on a big drunk, a day or two, he was that hot inside, he felt as if he would like to have a spring branch turned through him for about a day, to cool him off. If the city owned the water works and had a place fixed up for the ^^cooling off" business, and a kind of hose made to run a stream of Walnut Creek water through a fellow, for an hour or two, it would be a paying business ; for, instead of a fellow's be- ing obliged to spend a whole day ^^cooling off," in the ordinary way, during which time the dispensary is losing his custom, he could right up in an hour or so and be ready for another pint bottle. Every friend of the dispensary, who is desirous of increas- ing the sale of liquor, ought, by all means, favor the city's owning the water works. It would in- deed be a consolation to us to be able to say : "We heat 'em when they are cold, we cool 'em when they are hot." Wouldn't that be the proper thing to do? 426 Instead of making a poor devil drunk and locking liim up in a dark hole, for a night to suffer for water, and then trotting him out, next morning, to be tried and fined for what the city encouraged him to do, the patriotic fellow, who drinks to help raise revenue, ought, rather, to be kindly treated — cooled off, washed out and rubbed down, and then treated to one of Schwartz's best beef steaks, accompanied with buck-wheat cakes, maple syrup and a cup of coffee, as a reward for his heroic and patriotic en- deavors to increase the school fund and help work the county roads. Yes, let's buy the water works and establish a ^'cooling-off" department, next door to the dispensary and publish our humane purpose to the world by the following signs, placed respec- tively over the front doors of the city's two institu- tions : Over the dispensary — ^^Here we fire 'em up !" Over the water works — '^Here we cool 'em off." If we charge the same for cooling as we do for heating a fellow, it's plain to be seen that the whiskey and water combine would shave a fellow 'gwine and coming. If my numerous friends had solicited me to run for mayor or alderman, (but, they forgot to do so), I certainly should have agi- tated that ^^cooling-off" business; but, as it is, I can only suggest it. * * * Before the war we didn't have any saloons, with screens to hide a fellow when he was practicing at the bar; but, we had ^'grog-shops," and Hargett street, between Fayetteville and Wilmington streets was known as ''Grog Alley," Avhile that section of Wilmington street from Hargett to Mar- ket was known by the odoriferous title of "Cologne.'' John Kane and W. K. Pepper, the former on the corner occupied by the Citizen's National Bank, and the latter on the corner occupied by Royal & INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 427 Bonlen-s furniture store, kept eating establishments in connection with the sale of liquor. On the cor- ner occupied by Johnson's drug store, Harry Keim kept a beer saloon. He was a Dutchman and a very clever fellow, and had a host of friends, because- of his kindheartedness, which, a great many im- pecunious beer guzzlers, took advantage of, greatly to his financial hurt. He would get on a spree once or twice a month ; on which occasions he'd lock his door and parade the streets, telling all he met, he was keeping his birthday. So it got to be a saying when he was seen on the street, "Old Harry is keep- ing another birthday." John Kane's establishment, on Fayetteville street, was largely patronized by the country gentle- men — the well-to-do farmers who came to town to attend court, or to see Mr. Holden, the editor of the Democratic paper, or Mr. Gales, the editor of the Whig paper, to get the political news. It was no uncommon thing to see a gToup of them, going across the street to John Kane's, and the passers-by could see them stirring their grog and hear their good-natured, friendly conversation, while they sipped their mint juleps, or drank their grog. John Kane was a kind-hearted Irishman ; but, he'd hit a felloAV certain if he undertook to cut up in his house. It was told of him, that he kicked a drunken, noisy fellow, out of his house one day — kicked him across the side- walk, and out near to the middle of the street, and when, finally, he let up on him, he said, in the mildest tone of voice : ''Mr. G. , I don't want to hurt your feelings, but if you ever come into my house drunk again, I'll insult you." The by-standers were of the opinion, that, if the kick- ing Mr. G got, didn't insult him, Old John wonld fail, should he ever undertake to carry out his threat. As he had no heir in this country, I 428 WHITAKER'S REMIXISCE^X^ES, think his property escheated to the UniversitT, when he died. I am reminded of an incident which, report said, occurred at John Kane's. A young fellow who had been devoted to a certain yery pretty girl, and, hay- ing been refused by her a half a dozen times, made up his mind to leaye the city and the State, and bury himself in the wilds of Texas, where he hoped to be able to forget the past, dropped in at John Kane's to take a ijarting drink with his old friends, before he left. Haying filled their glasses, the boys called on him for a parting toast. Clearing his throat and holding up his glass, he said : " Hail Columbia, happy land ! Here's good-bye to Mary Ann; Glasses up and liquor down, Good-bye boys, I leave the town." As much as I hate to spoil a romance, I haye to tell the reader the young fellow didn't leaye town ; but, being persuaded by friends to remain awhile longer and make one more trial, he yielded, and, sure enough, the girl said "yes." * * * I don't know what made me think of the war times ; but, like a ghost, old memories will suddenly make their appearance, and they look just as na- tural as in life; I guess 'twas the quinine bottle, that sits on the mantlepiece, (for we are all taking medicine now, and quinine has to come in about eyery other time). That ounce bottle of quinine could not haye been bought, during the war, for less than the price of a horse; consequently, we poor folks couldn't afford to take it. What did we take for chills? Why, "boneset," an ordinary looking weed that grows in the "low-ground," in the midst of malaria, which fact accounts for its INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 429 merits as an antidote for chills, I suppose, on the same principle of fighting the devil with fire. You never took a dose of boneset? I advise you not to, unless the doctor tells you that's the last chance; even then I'd hesitate awhile. No, I don't say it's the worst thing in the world ; but, I do say it's the worst thing I ever took. A combination of asafoetida, spirits of turpentine, quinine, castor oil, ipecac, salts and Jerusalem oak, wouldn't begin to approximate a dose of boneset; but it does the work. It's like setting fire to a brush heap ; it will be sure to run everything out. I don't blame chills for leaving when boneset pours in. It gives me the shivers, just to think of boneset; then, when I remember how it used to heat me up, I ara almost sure to commence sweating. We couldn't always get calomel during the war, but we could get a right plentiful supply of blue- mass; and, so, it became a very popular medicine. I knew a family which had such faith in it, that it was considered a misfortune, next kin to a calamity, not to have a box of it in the house. Especially did the old lady, of the house, think so. Before going to bed, at night, she generally ascertained the condition of each member of the family, and if there was any bad feeling, at all, by any one, the blue-mass was prescribed. The old man didn't have as much confidence in it, as the other members of the family, but he always took his pill when his wife told him to do it. The blue-mass was about out, on one occasion, and the good wife gave her husband very positive orders to buy a box of ^^blue- masting pills" the very first time he should go to town. But he forgot it. A few days thereafter, one of the children had a head-ache and, the ever anxious wife, who believed in the doctrine, that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, called for the blue-mass; but, lo, the box was 430 whitaker's reminiscences, empty. About that time the old man came in and the old lady met him with the question : "Where's the blue-masting pills I told you to get when you went to town?" "Thar now! Blamed if I didn't forget 'em, as clear as a whistle !" the old man said apologetically. "Forget 'em I That's just like you. Always for- getting. Xow, here's a pretty come off — a sick child and no blue-masting pills. Now we'll have to have a Doctor and that will cost five dollars, and the poor child may die before the doctor gets here, and there'll be a cof&n to buy, and all hands will be out of the fields a whole day to attend the fun- eral, as busy as the times are, and I'll have to buy a black dress and go into mourning for a whole year, and all because you forgot to do what I told you. NoAv how do you feel?" "I don't think blue-mass would save a child if he was going to die and " "Weren't you taken with a bad head-ache, just like William Henry, the other day; and didn't you get well in about an hour?" "O, yes, that's so; you did give me a i)ill and I got well right straight." Eunning his fingers into his vest pocket and taking out something, he said : "Here's the pill I took. Instead of taking it I put it into my pocket." Nevertheless, his wife made him put out to town after some blue-mass, and he told the funny story to all he met, going and coming. That Avas during the war, when women dressed in home-spun, the men wore wood bottom shoes, sorghum was our SAveetening, and Confederate money was as good as gold, to the fellow who didn't have any gold. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 431 CHAPTER LV. Some Old-time Neiospaper Presses — Church Trial Fifty Yecn^s Ago — Singing Geography — Prof, Johnson and Old Father Monroe. What mammoth newpapers we have now-a-days; and how like lightning do they fly from the presses ; and what tremendous circulations they have; and how well are they filled with news; and what a vast influence they exert! As compared with the papers, presses and circulations of a century ago, they are as mountains to mole hills or as oceans to mill ponds. And, yet, these great concerns are built on foun- dations that were laid in other years, by other minds and hearts and hands. I make the point, therefore, that the big concerns of to-day are but the outcome of thought and labor bestowed on the printing business in the years gone by. If the argument is correct, it proves that growth is the laAV of the scientific as well as of the natural world; and that, just as great discoveries and as startling inventions are ahead of us, as have been made in the past; and also that the triumphs of science, in the future, will depend upon the achieve- ments of to-day. If that be true, who can form any idea of the magnitude of the printing business a hundred years hence? Xinety years ago my father was a printer boy in the Register office. That paper was worked on a Rammage press, and the ink was applied to the type by balls made of deer skin filled with wool. Those balls had handles and looked like gourds. The boy who inked the form had a ball in each hand, and, while the pressman was taking off one 432 whitaker's reminiscences, sheet and putting on another, he would be patting the form with his deer skin balls. The Eammage press was so constructed that two pulls were re- quired to the side, and a paper a minute was about the average speed of the press. When I went into the newspaper business, fifty years ago, the old Washington press was the best one that Raleigh could boast of ; and it was simply an improvement on the Franklin press, as the Franklin had been on the Eammage. The Standard office was supplied with an ^^Adams Power Press" some time in the early fif- ties, which I think was the first power press that ever came to Raleigh. The Weekly Post, published by William D. Cooke, the principal of the Deaf and Dumb and Blind Institution, was also worked on an Adams Power Press, which press I bought in 1858, and sold to John Spelman in 1860 ; and which, by the way, was the press broken by the mob that demolished Spelman's office in 1863, but was mended up and served the purpose of printing the ^'Daily Confederate'^ until the close of the war in 1865. The Spirit of the Age also had a power press, run with a caloric engine, as far back as the early fifties ; and later on the Register office secured one. So that the Washington press which, in 1850, was the best in use, had almost been forgotten in 1860; or, at any rate, had been set aside. So, too, the power presses which pushed the Washington press to the rear, have themselves been laid aside, and, in their stead are to be seen the fine machines which print thousands of sheets by the hour — as many as the old-time power presses did in a day — while another machine takes the papers, as they leave the press, and folds them ready for mailing. Bv the way, I hold in my hand a copy of the "Spirit of the Age," dated August 15, 1851, over INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 433 fifty-two years ago. It contains many things of interest I wonld like to reproduce for the old-time sake; but, your readers might not enjoy them as I do, so I Ayill giye but an item or two : And first, I notice an account of a temperance meeting at Holly Springs, August 9th, at which addresses were made by Key. Johnson Oliye and A. R. McDonald, after which twenty-four persons were initiated into the Sons of Temperance. A good day's work. A writer from Tarboro congratulates the good people upon the fact that intemperance is gradu- ally becoming less, and predicts that in a few years total abstinence will be the preyailing sentiment in the State. He notes the fact that an election had recently taken place, and not a drop of liquor was on the ground. An old man remarked that he had neyer seen an election, where there was no liquor, before. I see a letter from Alexander County, telling of a church trial at Little Riyer church, when Reyst John W. Jones, J. J. Watts and James F. Steel, three ministers, were tried for haying joined the Sons of Temperance. Deacon Elisha Robbinett, brought the attention of the church to the matter as follows : ^'Mr. Moderator, I wants to know ef enny of the members of the Little Riyer church has jined the Sons of Temperance? I haye hearn as how three brothers has jined, and b'leeyin' as I do, it ain't accordin' to Christian doctrine fer men to jine these traditions of men, I moye to turn 'em all three out." The yote was taken, seyenty yoting to turn them out; and twenty-nine yoting to retain them in the church. So the Little Riyer church turned out three preachers because they fayored temperance. Then, one of the seyenty who yoted to turn out the preachers, made a motion to turn 28 434 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, out the twenty-nine who voted against turning out the preachers. The motion was put, and out went the twenty-nine. Three preachers and twenty-nine members turned out, at one church trial, was a pretty good day's work; but, it must be admitted that it was a high-handed piece of business, the majority turning out the minority; and a novel way the liquor element, in that church, had of mak- ing the church solid for whiskey. That was fifty- two years ago. ^^The Sun do Move," has not been half so clearly demonstrated, as the fact that "public sentiment do move!'' When I remember the feeling against the temperance movement, fifty years ago, when there was a brandy still near almost every farmer's spring, and the decanter stood boldly wpon al- most every gentleman's side-board; and the morning dram was almost as common as the break- fast in many homes, and even the preachers took a little for their stomach's sake ; and the idea, among the common people, was that alcohol was one of God's good creatures, and not to drink it at all was a reflection upon the Creator ;^I say, when I think of all these things, and then turn my mind to the fact that the sale of liquor in North Carolina is confined to the towns and cities, and being in many places sold only at dispensaries, I am amazed at the strides that public sentiment has made. When I was a boy we had a geography singing school at the old Eed Meeting House, now Holland's church. Starting in a sort of chant, Avhich sounded very much like a sure enough song, our teacher would name all the divisions of the earth, includ- ing islands ; the oceans, seas, gulfs, lakes, bays and archipelagoes, the rivers, mountains, volcanoes, countries, capitals, largest cities, and so forth, un- til he had gone all over the world a dozen times in a day. Scholars had no books, but sang after him as he led the song. A large map hung on the wall. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 435 and with a reed he would point out the places as he would call their names. The noise was equal to a pack of hounds in full cry after a fox. A fellow could not help learning, going over the same thing every day for two or three Aveeks. He would soon get so that he could not only name all the countries, capitals, oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, etc., but could locate them on the map as readily as he could call out their names. I am sure I learned more geography in that singing school than I ever did before or since. And then I went to a grammar school, taught orally, which did more to acquaint me Avith old Lindley Murray's Rules, Notes and Exceptions, than I could have gained in years. As in the study of geography, we used no books but repeated after the teacher until we had learned to say what he said; after which we began to ^'parse,'' and were thus taught the meaning and use of the rules, notes and exceptions. Then we began to use our gram- mars, and to read for ourselves what we had already learned by oral teaching. Thinking over the mat- ter, I am inclined to the opinion that our children would learn faster and more thoroughly, what they do learn, if fewer studies were taken up at a time. I see children going to school with from a half dozen to a dozen books, and I wonder if the little boy or girl is getting as much benefit from many, as he or she could from fewer books, well studied and explained. But, as I have been out of the school teaching business for over fifty years, and great changes have taken place and greater improvements have been made along all lines, especially in schools and in teaching, I guess I had better not meddle with the school business. I will say this much, however, the adA^antages to get an education are a hundred fold better than they were sixty vears ago, and, of J:36 WHITAKER'S REMIXISCE^X^ES, course, the outcome of our schools ought to be a hundred fold better than when the advantages were so few and so poor. I met Prof. N. D. Johnson the other day, who, while he does not exactly belong to the ^^old ish,'' is nevertheless an old-time friend of the post-bellum days. Twenty-five years ago I made a temperance speech at Spring Hill church, in Kichmond County, Avhere I became acquainted with the Johnsons. The Professor promised to give me some facts con- nected with the early history of that church, the organization of the old Spring Hill temperance society, etc., to weave into some future sketch. The venerable Rev. John Monroe, was the pastor of that church when I was there and seemed to be a father in Israel, indeed. In fact, from what I could see and hear of him, the members of his church, as well as the people generally, seemed to regard him as prophet, priest and king. Just be- fore leaving the church that day, the old patriarch came to me in a very quiet way and said he'd like to have a word with me ; so saying, he led the way un- til we had walked beyond a turn in the road ; then stopping and speaking just above a whisper, he said : "My brother, I know you are bound to have money to pay 3'our traveling expenses and I want to give you a mite,'' handing me a dollar. "Don't say anything about it; I only wish that I had more to give you." I thought, as I looked into his hon- est face, as he was handing to me his only dollar, with the wish that he had more to give for the sake of the cause of temperance, surely it can't be long- before a generation taught, as old John Monroe has taught, will come forth in giant strength to com- bat with and to overcome the black monster of in- temperance. And is not that generation here to- day? Professor Johnson will do his county good service if, in the notes he makes of the early strug- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 437 gies tlirouiih which the people, about Spring Hill, fought their way to higher and better conditions, socially and religiously, he will give a page to the life and labors of Rev. John Monroe, and the other moral and religious stalwarts who, with home-made axes, blazed the way for their children and grand- children to find an easy entrance into the land flow- ing Avith milk and honey. A hundred years ago, how dark as compared with now! My father Avas a boy and was beginning to learn of men and things. They told him the story of the Revolution and of Washington's greatness, calling him the father of his country; he heard and read of Napoleon Bona- parte ; and he may have heard of the bloody scenes of the French revolution ; and, as his mind unfolded it took in the bits of history that were little bet- ter than myths; but my father, when a boy, heard no talk of railroads, or telegraphs, or telephones, or electric lights; nor had he ever seen an envelope, nor a match; and could not have believed, if you had told him, that the time would come when upon our streets carriages, called cars, would run on tracks, faster than a horse could run, nothing a pulling, nothing a pushing. And if you had told him that the time would come when a song sung in London would be bottled up and brought across the ocean, unbottled and sung a thousand times, (as the phonograph is able to reproduce sound and to speak words), he would have said, ^^impos- sible!'' We are a smart people in this era of the world's history; but we must not suppose we acquired all the wisdom and brought to pass all the great events of this great age, of and within ourselves. Back of us were heroes who fought battles and overcame obstacles that would appall the bravest and the strongest of our day. It needed John Monroes to do the work of a hundred vears ago. The Queen of 438 whitaker's Sheba, when she had seen the glory of Solomon's greatness, and was forced to exclaim, because lan- guage could not describe it, '^the half has not been told I'' forgot to tell of the hardships, of Israel in Egypt and in the wilderness, which paved the way to and made possible that glory. Let us not for- get the pit from which we were dug. The John Monroes, of the old-time, building log meeting houses, were laying the foundations for the beautiful churches in which this generation is worshipping to-day. No, my father had no idea, when he was a boy, that his son would be able to step from the pave- ment at his own door, upon a street car, that would take him to a train; and without muddying his feet, hardly touching the ground, he could go from Ealeigh to San Francisco, to Mexico, to Bos- ton, to Canada, and to almost any hamlet in North Carolina, traveling at a speed of fifty miles an hour. Nevertheless his labors, and the labors of those who lived before him, contributed to the making of these things possible. Others wrought and Ave enjoy. Let us labor that others coming after us may enjoy. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 489 CHAPTER LVI. Homely People — ^ome Ugly People are Good LooJc- ing — Bill Jinls and Jim Jones. I like a thing that's lasting, if I may except such things as bad colds, headaches, tooth aches, boils, carbuncles and people who are always fussy and complaining. The less I have to do with such, the happier I am. I have heard it said : *' Beauty is but skin deep, Ugly's to the bone; Beauty's very hard to keep; Ugly holds its own;" and I guess it must be true, for I daily meet old friends who tell me I don't change a bit — look just like I did forty years ago — which is pretty strong evidence that ^'it's to the bone." I had freckles when a boy, and used to wash my face in butter- milk to take them off ; but it soon got so I couldn't make the milk pass my mouth ; so, I let them spread until they ran into each other and became a solid freckle; and thus it has stood for over half a cen- tury. Speaking of ugly people, our little city had a goodly number of them, in times past, whose names I would like to mention, but I forbear, lest I might overlook some and fail to mention others, who were quite as ugly ; and, in so doing offend some of their living kin. A little story will give the reader an idea of the number of ugly men we once had, and make him understand also hoAv evenly matched they were, as to looks. A man from the country was coming to Raleigh on a certain occasion to see a gentleman whom he did not know; but, his neighbors told him there 440 WHITAKER'8 REMIXISCE>'CE>S, Avoiild be no difficult}^ in finding and recognizing liim. ^^The ugliest man tou meet on the street," they said, ^^vill be the man tou wish to see." Soon after he arrived he met one whom he thought would fill the bill, and he began to skirm- ish around him; but, before he ventured to speak to him, here came another who, he thought, was just a little grain uglier than the first one; so, he began to ^^sidle" up to him, and Avas just in the act of introducing himself and proceeding to business, when, looking across the street, he saAv another approaching, a little harder favored, than either of the other two. He felt very sure then, he'd found his man, and so, he ventured to call him, ^^Mr. B." The gentleman looked at him in amaze- ment and said: ^^Do you intend to insult me?" The poor country fellow didn't know how to an- swer, except to say: ^'I'm a stranger here and came to see Mr. B., and I didn't knoAv but you were he, as some one told me he's about your size." Just then another gentleman hove in sight, and the coun- tryman knew he had made a mistake, and thouo'ht the right man was approaching; but he'd been so badly scared by the last one he let number four go by without speaking to him; in fact, a fifth one appeared just then, whose ugly was so well set and deep-rooted he just knew neither of the four was Mr. B., and, not knowing how many more there were to come, nor how long his anxiety would be prolonged, he decided to go home and bring a man with him who knew Mr. B., rather than run the risk of insulting anybody else. Yes, Ave used to have some very substantial cases of ugly in our city, but our people had the good sense to rate men and Avomen by their deeds and not b}" their looks, fully believing in the adage that, "pretty is, that pretty does." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 441 I never tlioiiglit au ugly person ought to be blamed for his ugliness. A man is not responsible for being hair-lipped, club-footed or cross-eyed ; for being bow-legged, bandj-shanked, or knock-kneed; for being black-eyed, blue-eyed, green-eyed, or cat- eyed; for having black hair, brown hair, red hair, white hair, or no hair; for spluttering, stuttering, or hemming and hawing when he tries to talk ; nor for having a Roman or Grecian, pug or hog, flat or sharp, crooked or straight nose. I have seen some very good looking people who were very ugly; and I have seen some very ugly people who were good looking ; and I don't hesitate to say, I like the latter class the better. And this leads me to remark that a pretty girl very much de- tracts from her prettiness when she descends to slang and poses as a fast girl ; while, on the other hand, a homely girl groAvs in beauty and loveliness every day, if she be modest and sensible in her de- meanor and conversation. Some people have two sets of manners — one for the home — the other for company or when they go a visiting ; some, on the other hand, have no man- ners at all, at home nor abroad — while others, still, are well-behaved all the time, and everywhere, and don't have to go to the trouble of "putting on," as it's perfectly natural with them to be polite, court- eous and genteel. Refinement is inbred, and it doesn't know how to be otherwise than genteel, and ladylike. Hotel keepers soon size up a man. Their cri- terion is table manners. A well-bred man is very apt to eat such things as he likes, if they can be had; if they are not to be had, he makes his meal, as best he can, on what is set before him, pays his bill and leaves. Another fellow, who would have you believe that he is exceedingh^ tony, and used to high living, is much harder to please. He finds 4:4:2 AYHITAKER'S REMINISCEN'CES, fault with every thing; and, if the landlord shows himself, while he is at the table, he'll be very apt to ask him why he has not this or that, for gentle- men to eat? I have often noticed the difference in the behavior of people, and always observed that gentlemen and ladies are easier satisfied at hotels and with travel- ing arrangements than are those people who, having made a little money, are trying to put on the swell, but don't know how. Office sometimes makes a blockhead of a fellow; in fact, it ruins not a few, who before their election, were supposed to be very clever. They seem to forget they are servants and, that the little authority with which they are in- vested, for a long time, belongs to the people whom they are serving. A sap-head of that species, for decency's sake, should be taken down. And it's only a matter of time when he will be dropped out ; and, when it will be too late for him, to be bene- fitted by it, he will doubtless repent of his swell- headedness and wish he had utilized more common sense, in the time of his promotion. Going back to old times, I am reminded of an experience of a circuit rider which I think is worth a place in these sketches because of the moral that may be drawn from it. At one of his churches there were two men, both members, who hated each other like snakes and abused each other most un- mercifully when not together. When together and the preacher was present, they seemed to be all right and brothered each other as if they had never had an unkind thought. One of them we will call ''Bill Jinks" and the other 'Mini Jones." They were not exactly pillars in the church, but they Avere emphatically "sleepers," for neither ever kept awake to hear an hour's sermon. When Bill was asleep Jim saw^ it and would be sure to make an uncharitable remark about it, saying how disgrace- ful it was for a man, pretending to be a Christian, INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 44S to go to sleep while the minister was preaching; and when Jim was asleep Bill had his turn in ex- pressing his opinion about him. One night the preacher stopped with Bill, and after supper the condition of the church was dis- cussed. Bill said: ^^I'll tell you, brother, just how it is here. The people like you all right, and thev think you are a great preacher, (that's my opinion too) ; but our church will never be able to prosper while Jim Jones is a member of it ; he's a dead weight and will sink anything he's tied to." "What's the difficulty brother? the preacher asked. "Why, he ain't honest. (Kemember, brother, this is graveyard talk, and it ain't to go any further.)" "Not honest you say, brother." "No, he ain't honest. He won't pay his debts. He owes everybody in the neighborhood and you couldn't collect a dollar out of him by law." "Has he no property?" the preacher asked. "His wife has. That's the trick the rascal is plavino-. He oets property and puts it in his wife's name and the^re it is. No, brother, I'm sorry to have it to say, but duty compels me to tell you that Jim Jones is an Achan in the camp, and there'll never be any prosperity in the camp until we get him out." The preacher sighed heavily at the information, prudentlv remarking, he hoped the Good Spirit would incline brother Jones to lead a better life. On the next round the preacher stopped with brother Jones, and after supper they sat out on the porch to talk over church matters. Brother Jones said : "I'll tell vou, brother, just how it is here. The people like you all right, and they think you are a great preacher, (that's my opinion, too;) but our church can never prosper so long as that fellow 444 whitaker'8 reminiscences, Bill Jinks, tou staved with, the other night, stays in it. He's a dead Aveight that will sinkanTthing he-s tied to.'' "What's the difficulty?" the preacher asked. "Why, he ain't honest. ( But remember, brother, tliis is graveyard talk that ain't to go any further. ) Xo, he ain't honest. He won't pay "his debts. He's got plenty of money and two or three tracts of land ; but the rescal has put everything in his wife's name and not a dollar could you collect out of him by law. ( Xow, you are not to say a word about what I tell you.) He's a mean man — a regular Achan in the camp and we'll never do anything here until the camp is cleaned out." The preacher sighed and said he hoped the Good Spirit would incline brother Jinks to lead a better life. The next day he preached from the text: ''I thought on my ways," and, not giving names, or locating the church, he told the whole story. With the exception of two men who hung their heads and looked steadily on the floor, the congregation greatly enjoyed the picture he drew of tAvo men, guilty of the same sin, telling on each other. He never heard any more from brother Jinks or brother Jones. On the contrary they became rather chummy after that. They are both dead now, and, it is to be hoi3ed they have gone where they understand and love each other better. I hardly ever go anywhere without finding a "Bill Jinks" and a "Jim Jones" — men who see and talk at)out other jDcople's faults, but don't seem to real- ize how sinful they are. And, as I sit and listen at "Bill" talking about "Jim," I wonder what Jim Avill tell about Bill when I see him. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 445 CHAPTER LVII. Xeics and Ohscrvei^s Tenth Anniversarij — TJie Paper and its Editor — Capt. E. C. Woodson — ^tronacWs Joke — ^Yoodson on Jim 'Joining the Temperance Society. I wish to speak of The News and Observer, whose tenth anniversary^, under its present management, is celebrated in this issue, August 14, 1904. It is useless to say that it is a great paper and wields a vast influence; its readers — its friends as well as its foes, — know that. Nor need it be said that its circulation and influence, like nature's growth, goes steadily on. While The News and Observer has aspired to the highest position as a i)ublic journal, it has kept its ear close to the ground that it might catch the faintest cry of the oppressed.. It has, therefore, kept very close to the laboring classes, and they know and appreciate it ; and it has been foremost in advocacy of all that will improve the condition of every class, politically, financially and morally. It may have made mistakes, but, it has not often strayed from the line of upright journalism. I therefore, congratulate its present management, on the record made in the decade, just passed, and invoke upon it divine guidance, to the end that the next decade may be an imiDrovement, along all lines, upon the successful work of the vears gone by. Its editor, Josephus Daniels, Esq., was born in Washington, N. C, May 18, 1862. When he was a boy, he edited an amateur paper called " The Cornucopia," and corresponded for other papers, published by amateur editors. Be- fore he was eighteen, he became local editor of the 446 ^yHITAKER's reminiscences, Wilson Advance, and a jesiv later become sole edi- tor. At one time, when twenty-one years of age, lie was part owner and editor of a weekly paper at Wilson, Kinston and Rocky Mount, spending a portion of each week in each town. In October, 1885, he came to Raleigh as editor of the State Chronicle, a weekly, which he afterwards converted into a daily. In August, 1894, he organ- ized a company, which purchased The Raleigh News and Observer, The State Chronicle and The North Carolinian. These papers were consolidated, and, within ten years, the circulation of the Daily News and Observer has grown from about 2,000 to 10,000 subscribers. As ^^The News and Observer'^ owes its name to two papers, ^'The Daily News'^ and ^^The Daily Observer,'' I wish to speak of an editor who, at one time, was one of the most noted characters in Raleigh, and one of the best known editors in the State. I refer to Capt. E. C. Woodson, the local editor of "The Daily News," than whom a more poi3ular news gatherer has never tramped over this city. Captain Woodson was raised in Virginia, I think, but came here from Warren ton, when "The News'' was started, by Stone and Uzzell, as its city editor, which position he ably filled until death released him from so hard a task. Before that time there had not been, on any paper, a city editor, for the reason that we did not have enough news afloat to give a man employment. Woodson, therefore, was a pioneer in the news-gathering business, and, of course, he had to work up a column as best he could. But he was equal to the task, and when there was no news he had the happy faculty of running up against something, if it was falling over a wheel- barrow in the dark, which, by the way, he did one dark night, the report of which, the next morning. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 447 HON. JOSEPHUS DANIELS. The Able and Accomplished Editor of the News and observer. 448 ^yHITAKER^S REMI^:I8CE^X'ES, was quite as thrilling as if it had been a railroad smashiip or a CTclone. When the ^^News" was started and Ca^Dt. E. C. Woodson was announced as ''city editor," our city could not help smiling at the idea ; for, reconstruc- tion had been accomplished, the Yankees had gone, and everything had gotten so quiet it was thought that news had played out. But it did not take long to show our people how much we had been mis- sing, before Ave had a live city editor. Of course the Sentinel, in the time of Mr. Pell, as well as in the time of Mr. Turner, had its local column, but the Daily News which, in a manner, succeeded the Sentinel, made a long stride to the front in the mat- ter of news gathering, in, around and about the city. At the time of Avhich I am writing the office of the News was on the third floor of the building now occupied by Mr. Woollcott. On the second floor were some law offices, one of which was oc- cupied by Hon. B. F. Moore. The lower floor was used by Mr. George T. Stronach, as a wholesale grocery. Woodson and Stronach were great friends, so much so that they were much of the time together ; and frequently George Avould go up into the office, after his store had been closed for the night, and spend an hour or two with Woodson, who generally sat up, taking the dispatches and preparing copy until the paper went to press, at any time between mid-night and three o'clock in the morning. One night Woodson was kept later than usual in the office, and being very tired and sleepy, he fell upon a lounge in the editorial room and went to sleep, not waking until next morning, at a late liour, when George had had his breakfast and gone to his store. INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 449 Not seeing Woodson about, George concluded he would go up and see if he was in the office. Sure enough he found him asleep on the lounge. There was a billy goat that lived in George's back lot; and, to have a little fun, George ran down, shoul- dered the goat and carried him up the two flights of stairs, and with a strong twine string tied him to one of Woodson's feet, and then concealed him- self in the room to await the issue. Soon the goat jerked against the string, when Woodson in a sort of dreamy way said : "O, let me alone. I'm sleepy." But, the goat pulled again and a little harder, when Woodson said in a tone of impatience: ^'Let me alone, I tell you; I don't care for any breakfast; I'm sleepy." About then the billy-goat gave his foot a hard jerk that caused Woodson to open his eyes when there stood before him what might have been the , well he didn't know what the thing was; so, his first im- pulse was to get away from it. The office door was right at the head of the stairway leading to the second floor, and then right on down to the street. When he jumped to run, he found that something had him by the foot, and looking back he saw that that thing with horns and hoofs was right at him. He plunged down stairs at such a rate that he jerked the billy-goat pell-mell down against him. when, they became so entangled, they rolled down the second flight of steps and came near rolling over the Hon. B. F. Moore, who was just then going up to his office. George afterwards said that when Woodson and the goat stood on the side-walk, eye- ing each other, it was plain to be seen that a mutual hatred had taken possession of them which could never be overcome; while the remarks Mr. Moore made about people who are always playing pranks on other folks, made him feel like he ought to apolo- 29 450 whitaker's reminiscences, gize to all of them : Woodson, Moore, and the billy- goat. I do not vouch for the truth of the story; but, as George Stronach was so full of pranks, I guess there was something like it happened. Very few editors whom I have known could sur- pass Capt. Woodson, in making a local column at- tractive, while as a canvasser he had few if any equals. He was a man whom everybody liked. The Friends of Temperance were doing business in Ealeigh about the time of which I am writing, and the Captain joined them and for a while he attended the meetings of the Council, and, of course, was very popular with the members. He said he joined in order to get another man — a friend of his, whom I will call ^Jim" — to join with him. One rainy day when everything was dull on the streets, and still duller in doors, wife and I were seated in the editorial sanctum — (a room adjoin- ing our residence) — reading and writing, having no idea that any one would venture out in such weather, when all of a sudden heavy footsteps were heard on the piazza, as if stamping off mud, and then came a rap on the door that made us shudder, for we could think of nothing else that would brave such weather but a ^'dun" ; and newspaper men, of those days, at least, will remember, that a ^^dun" was the most unwelcome visitor that an editor had to receive. But we opened the door to find, instead of a collector. Captain Woodson and his friend "Jim," both of whom began to say, as they entered the office; each one trying, seemingly, to get ahead of the other: "^Irs. Whitaker, I brought Jim down here " "Mrs. Whitaker, I brought Captain Woodson doAvn here : — to get you to take his name," Captain Woodson said: — "to get you to take his name," Jim said: — "to the Council of Friends of Temper- INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 451 ance at the very next meeting/' they both said at the same moment. "I brought ^Jim' to you be- cause he's beginning to love his drams too well," said Woodson — "I brought Woodson to you because he's beginning to love his drams too well," Jim said in the same earnest tone of voice ; — "and I will join if Jim will," said Woodson — "and I will join if Woodson will," said Jim. It was very evident that both of them were em- barrassed, and that their coming, as they did, was the result of a conversation, down town, in which one had bantered the other to join the temperance society; in fact they stated as much before they left. Both signed an application for membership, and both were duly initiated into the mysteries of the Order of the Friends of Temperance at the next regular meeting ; after which both made rous- ing temperance speeches, in which they pledged themselves to do all in their power to advance the cause of total abstinence. Woodson went off, the next week, to attend Nash court in the interest of the "News," and was not, therefore, at the next regular meeting of the Coun- cil ; but Jim was there quite as zealous as ever, but seemed to be disappointed in not meeting Woodson. At the next meeting, however, both were there, and both made speeches. Jim was inclined to be a little facetious in his remarks, quizzing Woodson as to where he went, and how he behaved himself down in Nash County, where, it was known that apple brandy was as plentiful as it "was good." "I would be glad," said Jim, "if Brother Woodson would tell us how he got along at the Nash court, and especially whether or not he smelt, saw or tasted any old Nash brandy while he was down there." Brother Woodson arose and said : "My Brother Jim is in a joky mood, and, I suppose he expects 452 whitaker's reminiscences, me to be as jolly in my manner, giving account of my recent visit to Nashville ; but I fear my talk will be a little disappointing, on account of its so- berness. I will answer positively two of the broth- er's inquiries, and say I neither saw nor tasted any apple brandy while I was gone ; but, as to smelling, I have to plead guilty." A laugh followed, but Brother Woodson looked very solemn. "One even- ing,'' continued Brother Woodson, "after I had done a heavy day's work, canvassing for my paper, (a dozen or more men having told me "I'll see you later," ) , I saw a man motioning to me in a sort of beckoning manner. My heart leaped into my throat, for I felt sure he was one of the "I'll see you later" fellows, and I imagined that I was right close up to another five dollar bill. I was terribly excited and he must have seen it ; for as I approached him he held up his hand in a sort of warning way as if to quiet me down, and said in a kind of stage whisper : "Follow me !" Then I thought I'd struck a bonanza; that my friend whom I was following had, somehow or other, gotten all the "I'll see you later" fellows together, and, in a second, my ex- pected five dollars had grown to be twenty-five dol- lars — all crisp greenbacks. On my friend went, around the corner, through an alley and into the back door of a bed-room. I never was so excited in all my life. I had already, in my mind, added twenty-five dollars to my collections, and was feel- ing good over the welcome plaudits that awaited me at the office at home, when I counted out one hun- dred dollars. The back door was opened, and my friend fell upon his knees beside the bed. Then he ducked his head and went under. "Gold," thought I. He's gone under there after his old stocking leg that contains the yellow boys, and I was txwing to imagine how I would feel with five-dollar gold coins in my pocket. I heard a sort of grating noise on INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 453 the floor and the thought flashed u^Don me, he's got a box of specie under there! He began to back. My heart almost stood still. Half of him could be seen, and the grating of the heavy box could be heard every time he backed. The suspense was aw- ful. I don't think I could have stood it a minute longer. At last he twisted his head from under the bed and gave me a wink that contained a volume of meaning as big as Webster's Dictionary, yet still keeping his hands out of sight. I thought I'd faint; but, at last out came a three-gallon jug with a corn- cob stopper, sticking up two or three inches. He grabbed that corn cob, gave it a twist and pulled it out, saying as he did so : ^^There's something good ; and you look like you need something, if a fellow ever did. Just put your nose to the mouth of that jug." I was too weak to stand, but sat down in the door- way as he pushed the jug to me. I got a whiff of it, and, according to my recollection, it was all right. The man reached for a tumbler on the table, and tilting the jug a little, the stuff began to run, saying, "goodie, goodie, goodie !" I knew the crisis of my life had come. I shut my eyes and wouldn't look at it. Pretending as if I heard somebody call I said: "Sir, I'm coming!" and broke and ran. I didn't see that man any more. No, I neither saw nor tasted ; but, if the vows of this society had not been on me, I guess I would have tested the quality of the contents of that jug." Jim listened to Woodson's story, hanging his head when he said : "If the vows of this society had not been upon me," which fact many noticed. A few days thereafter Woodson and Jim were talking over the matter, when Woodson affirmed that he had not drank a drop of anything that had intoxicating liquor in it, but confessed that he had been greatly tempted at times. Jim said he was getting along all right — didn't drink and didn't 454 whitaker's reminiscences, Avant to drink. In fact he had completely weaned ofe. "I wish I felt as strong and confident/' said Woodson. "You can, if you'll do as I did," replied Jim. "How did you do?" asked Woodson. "Why, as soon as I joined the society I bought me a case of Plantation Bitters, and commenced taking them. A bottle of them a day satisfies me ; in fact, I like the bitters about as well as I did whiskey." I don't think Jim ever attended another meeting of the Council. The Plantation Bitters soon throwed him, and he was expelled. Yes, Captain Woodson was the pioneer "city editor," and while the 'Neics could not boast of its many columns of items, it certainly could boast of the fact that it jpublished all the news that could be collected or manufactured. CHAPTEK LVIII. Fhilip S. White and Temperance — Comments on Various Things — The Gobbler that Sat on Cymlins. Philip S. White, a Northern gentleman, who can- vassed this State in the fifties in the interest of the temperance cause, was noted at that time as being the most eloquent as well as the strongest temper- ance speaker our people had ever heard, and did a work that perhaps no other could have done. I did not have the pleasure of seeing and hearing him, as I happened to be teaching school in a portion of the State he did not visit. I always regretted it, for those who sat under the spell of his vigorous ora- tory and witnessed the ease with which he could INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 455 sway a multitude, often reminded me of the loss I had sustained. I heard, of course, of his many an- ecdotes, and of the fine arguments which they were made to illustrate, and did not wonder that his fame was so great as a speaker. On one occasion he was advertised to speak in an eastern county where the people were very much opposed to temperance, and Mr. Gorman, the editor of the Spirit of the Age, who was to go with Mr. White to that appointment, had been notified not to come; in fact, had been warned that if he did go, and carry that ^^fellow White'' with him, there would be trouble, and a sight of it, for the people of that community were determined that their liberties should not be tam- pered with, and so forth. The day arrived, and the speakers, not at all in- timidated by the threats that had been made, were there on good time. A great crowd had already assembled, and, it being cold weather, they had built log fires, and with guns and canes in their hands, the very much excited crowd had formed a line of battle and stood ready to charge on the first approach of the enemy. In addition to other ar- rangements that had been made, a barrel of cider stood on its head, on an improvised platform, and around the barrel, as the hoops ran, was written in large letters, with pokeberry juice: ^^Blood will be spilt here to-day." Mr. Gorman was a small man in stature, but as fearless as if he had been a giant, while Mr. White had size as well as fearlessness ; so, the two rode up, unhitched their team, and very deliberately Avalked to the nearest fire, saying as they approached: "Good morning, gentlemen; it was so kind of you to have these good fires for the accommodation of the people.'' A fellow who spoke from underneath a broad- brimmed hat, and in language neither elegant nor 456 WHITAKER'S REMINISCENCES, in conformity with Sunday school teaching, said with emphasis: "These fires weren't made for no such fellows as you be, you; and that ain't all : you fellows ain't a-gwine to do no speak- ing on this ground to-day." After warming themselves thoroughly, Mr. White, in a tone of voice loud enough to be heard at all the log fires, said : "Gentlemen, I am to speak in that church this morning, and it's about time to begin. All of you come right in!" And he and Mr. Gorman started in the direction of the church. As they did so, one man said loud enough to be heard hj all, "I'll be drot if I don't believe them men would fight" ; and, one after another, they fol- lowed the speakers until all that hostile crowd, that had come there to shed blood, was seated in the church, and listening to the eloquence of the great speaker. It was not long before men began to applaud ; and, before the speaker had spent half an hour, the neighbors, who came over to see how the fight had gone, filled the house, and enthusiasm was running mountain high. The result was, a Division of the Sons of Temperance was organized there, and to-day no section of North Carolina has a better temperance sentiment than that. I stop here to make the remark that our counci'v never had better work done in it for the temperance cause than that which was done by the Sons of Tem- perance, Friends of Temperance, and Good Temp- lars. A great many people did not regard temper- ance societies of sufficient importance to claim their support; but, time has demonstrated the fact that the seeds sown by those societies were not lost; on the contrar}', wherever they were sown may be found to-day a good temi3erance sentiment in that community. The time has gone by when Christians can afford to be identified in any way with a traffic that has nothing good in it, but is wholly bad, not INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 457 only for the individual, but for church and State as well. In the days of our grandfathers, when this country was comparatively new, the making of brandy was considered to be a part of a man's crop, and the drinking of it a matter of course, because, it was made to drink. The sideboard and decanter ranked high up in the estimation of all classes of people, and even the minister of the gospel i^atron- ized them, smacked his liiDs and praised the skill of the host, who knew so well how to mix the peach and honey. The result of it was, our fathers were raised up moderate drinkers ; and so, the generation of the nineteenth century had to fight against and overcome a habit and a thirst for drink which had been transmitted from grandfather to grandson. During the latter half of the century just closed, a vigorous fight was made to win the iDeople to the doctrine of total abstinence, and for that purpose temperance societies were organized and the young people, who had not yet formed the habit of moder- ate drinking, were specially sought after and en- couraged to join these societies, because, while it was and is almost impossible to reform a drunkard or even a moderate drinker, it was, and is, an easy matter, comparatively, to prevent the young, by throwing around them the restraints of a pledge and the associations of a lodge, from becoming drunkards. In other words, it is easier to form than to reform. ******* Not a few people professed religion after that star falling; but, I am not able to tell the reader how many of them held out after the scare wore off. Get a fellow in a tight place and he'll promise lib- erally ; but he don't always keep his promises, when the danger, or supposed danger, is passed. Many a fellow, with a bad case of typhoid fever, has made very solemn promises he didn't remember, 458 much less keep, after he got well. Star-falling, earthquake, or typhoid fever religion is not, gener- ally speaking, of the lasting kind. But, I guess its better to scare some people, or they may never get any religion of any kind. And the most unrea- sonable man in the world must admit that a fellow had better go to heaven scared, than not to get there at all. * * -Sfr * * * * I heard a man the other day talking in a very con- sequential way of "broad-minded'' and "narrow- minded'' people; and I had the curiosity to listen, as I was anxious to find out what he meant. I learned this : that a broad-minded man is one who does not accept the Bible as the Word of God, and the narrow-minded man is one who does. He went on to say that he had rather his son should have no education than for him to be edu- cated at a sectarian school. He harped upon "lib- erality," and I learned that what he called liberal- icy was nothing more nor less than infidelity. The Greeks were a very wise people, and very lib- eral in their religious views. They had a plurality of gods, and, I suppose, each person worshipped the god he liked best. When Paul went to Athens he found that "all the Athenians and strangers which were there, spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or hear something new." And when he stood in the midst of Mars Hill he said: "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, "To the TJnknoion God.'' Paul's meaning was, I perceive you are very re- ligious; you worship all the gods of which you have any knowledge, and lest there may be some other god not included in your calendar, you have an inscription "to the unknown god." INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES. 159 There is danger of our becoming like the idola- trous heathens, who ''spend their time in nothing else but either to tell or hear something new." We don't like the idea of being tied down to old-time doctrines, taught at Sinai and in the Sermon on the Mount ; but we love to tell and hear something new all the time. We have itching ears and they must have something that borders on the unheard of and marvelous. Advanced thinkers who have well studied human nature, and thoroughly understand that the carnal mind is enmity against God, are undermining the world's faith in the Bible, as a true revelation of God, and of His Son, Jesus Christ; and are substi- tuting therefor the same kind of wisdom the Greeks had, when, in their liberality, they believed in all the gods that were made by men, and only had a vague idea of the unknown or true God. I am afraid that the so-called broad-gauged education which some fathers are choosing for their sons, will turn out to be their ruin. Scientists and advanced thinkers, it is suspected, depend more on their own learning than they do on the illumination of tlie Holy Ghost, whose office it is, in answer to prayer, to take of the things of Christ and show them unto us. Whenever I hear a man talking of liberality and broad-guageism,! take it for granted he is drift- ing into Polytheism, and will, ere he knows it, lose faith in God, and find himself in the condition of the ancient Egyptians, who worshipped everything but God. ******* Bv the way, speaking of the Egyptian^, I guess I had as well tell the children, who may read this article, why they worshipped animals. There is a tradition among them that, at some far-distant period in the past, men rebelled against the gods, and drove them out of heaven. They tell 460 whitaker's reminiscences, us that the gods, when driven f^o^ heaven, fled into Egypt and concealed 'tlremsel^ under the form of different animals. Hence, every animalM^^ T^or- shipped from the great ox to the little mouse, and from the crocodile, down to the snake, the frog a.nd the tadpole. Thev made a god of the ox because he helped to till the ground, of the dog because he defended the home; of the sheep because he supplied them with wool for clothing; of the crocodile because he pre- vented the Arabs from making incursions; of the ichneumon because it destroyed the crocodile. The ichneumon was a little animal that would eat the crocodile's eggs; and when the crocodile would lie down to sleep on the banks of the river Nile, with mouth open, this little animal would jump out of the mud, and leaping down the crocodile's throat, and forcing its way down into his entrails, would gnaw away until he reached the stomach of that great amphibious creature, and thus put him to death. My children readers may think it very strange that the Egyptians worshipped the crocodile and then worshipped the little animal that ate out the very vitals of the crocodile. And it was strange. But we must remember the Egyptians were heathens, and perhaps did not know any better. How much better are we, dear chil- dren, when we pretend to worship God and yet, at the same time, worship the things of this world which destroy all that is Grod-like in us. I fear that God sees in many of us just as gross idol- ators as the Egyptians were; and what makes us worse sinners than they were, we know better. I observe that we have a few young women who worship dogs; and I am sorry to say that some of them don't keep their dogs in good trim. I don't mind ridinjr on the street cars with a do