The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-07-11

a girl Of 10 or IL years old, who sometimes sleeps
in her house, she has no companion but the various
animals, TO whose wants and character she gives
shrewd and constant attention. dog, some cats,
poultry of different kinds, cows, pigs, and sheep.
4 II is amusing to see the old lady calling up her
favorites, to offer salt, or food from her hand over
the fence.
There are number Of pits, or shafts, sunk by
miners in the neghborhood; and a sow, in the fam
lily way, had the misfortune to fall into one while
there was snow on the ground. Aunt Suzy hunted
her up, and found all the family dead, except one
pig, which she carried home in her arms. II was
warmed, fed, and nursed; and, crying much during
the night, was finally taken into her bed "But Of
all unmanagea6e, intractable, inconvenent PETS l
ever had in the bed said she, "a pig is the worst"
Her father, James Alexander, and his brothers,
with number Of friends, men and women--one
hundred souls in all--came horseback from Penn
sylvania, to settle in this barony; for there had
been grant from the British Grown to one McGre-
gor, who appointed an agent to sell out the land
Her father settled near the barony line; and many
Of the same established themselves in the
nelghborhood. They allsalled themselves "Penn-
sylvanians born" The men bore rifles, and the
women their spinning-wheels, she says.
The tribe of Catawbas, who originally pos
pottery are still found abundantly distributed
upon every knoll near their hunting grounds,
were always friendly to the whites. But
large parties Of the Creeks and Cherokees, re-
turning from excursions against the northern In
dams, were rude and dangerous; and, upon an
alarm, the women and children were hurried to
small fort, about four miles northward from the pres
ent town of Charlotte, the site of the Sugar Tor
Suhar) creek Presbyterian meeting house--now
large building, with commensurate graveyard; but
the rst erection was log meeting and school house,
near spring and branch Of creek, upon COM
manding rocky knoll, near the main road, which
was formerly an Indian path, used for intercourse
between the northern and southern tribes Upon
occasions OF alarm, the women carried out into the
field the rifles and equipments of their fathers hus-
bands, and brothers; and, while they armed them
selves, the women embarrassed and mounted the
horses, with their children, and were escorted to
the fort.
Two tell Indians, almost high us the rafters of
her mothers cabin, entered the house, when Aunt
Suzy was child, to ask provision for their dogs.
They had guns, and were on hunting expedition.
She says she covered in the bed with younger
sister, and was heartily frightened at their appear
ance-whlch, at the same time, was very imposing.
Upon another occasion, Indians entered the house
where she was, and rudely demanded food. ''They
took the pots of butter with their dirty hands from
the milk house; and eat it in that manner without
accompaniment''-much to the disgust of my MARIA
tor who said ''the women and childer were mighty
tmmersome OF them in the absence of the mem" and
that "the Indians were much more rude sullen, and
insolent, than when the men folks were at home |"
/ Aunt Suzy says there are three things she has
strong objections TO:
"She don't like the negroes-she can't bear the
lndians--and she will not take physic!'
AT all the meetings of the ,People-public mus
cises were constantly resorted to, in the ancient
times The country, Astounding with game, was
traversed by hunters in companies on horseback at
every leisure interval. "Indeed," said Aunt Suzy,
lin those days we lived hard, worked hard and en-
joyed our lives!
when we used to reap in the wheatfelds-
my mother was great reaper-we used to find the
whole ground scraved with young partridges; and
you might as well attempt to catch any bug as to
catch young PARTRIDGE But they have almost
all gone! I would hate to see the wild turkeys
come home-they had to be cleaned and taken care
Of We used to jirk and dry the feshy parts"
"There was wonderful heap of deer too. A
hunter would kill forty deer in a season, and take
the skins and hams to Charlestown. They used
a great deal Of leather in those days--for leggins
and hunting shrts-'
Before the revolution there was college in Char
otte, with an excellent library, in which James
Alexander had a share, and brought home
books of history and travels, which his daughter
eagerly read and which she still delights in. 1
often send her books and papers, She returned
me Dana's Twelve Months before the Mast" with
one or two Of the leaves scorched and laugh
ngly told me, as excusee, that she was so intent
upon it--ho'ding candle in bed--that "she did not
observe her cap was fire, till the leaf of the book
was in aamesn When the British entered Char
lotte, they occupied the college as a hospital, and
the library was burnt--for which Aunt Suzy has
not forgiven them to this day.
She told me- ;hot ''once when she was speaking
very hardly of the cruetes Of the Indians, an old
man looked at her steadily, and said ,that if she
had been an Indian, and treated as they were, she
would have acted in the same way!" "She was
| very angry to be compared with the Indians; but
she confessed that she had often thought of that
saying; and she could not deny that there was
some truth In it.''
/ When she is sick from some infrmity of stomach,
great Indifference with regard to her use Of medi-
4 cines; for she says, she 'has never abused her
stomach, by making an apothecary's shop Of it,"
A dish of green tea, bottle Of soup, stale bis
cult, with some Clipped beef, morsel of ham, or
gingerbread-alt come within her notion Of cura-
tive remedies; and such supplies make me appear to
be "upon her sidep in her general contempt fol
drugs. She cards and spins almost daily, and prides
herself upon her homemade blankets and pettcoats
She ia very small eater-likes plain food and
stale bread-for, sin her younger days." she says,
'they never baked but once week." She mlks her
own cows, and takes cup Of coffee with pleasure,
and any reshing food "whioh comes upon her by
chance, like
/ She will mount horse at midnight to 60 to
sick neighbour and had sgue this season, N
her 65th year, by walking early in the morning
through the wet grass to attend ying-in woman
"not quite halfa mile of" who had no horse to send
to herl
Upon one occasion, when she was indisposed, !
recommended the use of rice boiled in milk, as a
diet well adapted to her age and complaint. At the
same time, mentioned an anecdote had heard-that
4 when General Jackson was in Philadelphia, he sat
down with large company to sumptuous dinner
provided for him, and occasioned some surprise and
delay by Unexpectedly asking for boiled rice and
milk
From this observation derived the following &C
count of
i THE FvGITIvEs PROM THE wAxHAws.
4 "Ande Jackson!, cried the old lady; ooh! mind
i Ande jackson well; and have no doubt he would
mind me, tool
"He and his mother, Aunt Betty, we called her
her Elizabeth her sister and brother-in-
law, Gohn McKamy,) and black girl, named
Charlotte with several horses, fed before the British,
from the Waxhaws and came to reside at my ia.
theirs house. They told they just in to stay
under our roof; and we just told them to stay.
"My husband was in arms; and we all fore-gath-
cred at my fathers for convenience. Ande Jackson