Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-08-08
Nasby's Autobiography.

will not say where. hev reasons
for conceelin my birth place. / don't
want to set any town in that State
up in bizEis. That town hez gone
loonatie and gives Ablishen majori-
ties fritefnl to contemplate, and I
don't want to benefit it by givin it a
nashnel reputashen. 1 don't want
to double the price NV its property
to be the means of erectin dozen
or sich matter NV first class hotels
to accommodate the crowds ez wood
make pilgrimages thither to visit my
birth place. The present owner NV
the house into which first opened
my eyes into world NV sin is q Alb
lishnist Nv the dsrkestdye, and hev
no desire to enrich him. Never, by
a word NV mine, shell he cut that
house up into walkin sticks and buz-
zum pins.
My boyhood wuz spent in the pur-
SCOT NV knollege and muskrats,
mostly the latter. wuz early a
promisin child. My parence wuz
both Dimocrats Nv the strictest kind,
my mother in partikeler. She hatid
eny one that wuznt DimocratIc, with
a hatred that 1 never saw exalted
When say that she woodent borrer
tea and sugar and sich Nv Wing ma
bers, the length and breadth and
depth Nv her Dimocracy will be un-
! derstood.
Nv my childhood, 1 know but lit
tie. My father wuz leadin man In
the humble speer in wich he moved,
holdin at different times, the various
offices in the town up to constable,
the successive steps bein road su-
pervisor and pound master. He
wuz elected constable and mite prob
ably hev gone higher, but for an ac-
cident that occurred to him the first
month. He collected a judgment
for S18, and the money wuz paid to
him. The good man wuz a talented
collector, but wuz singlarly careless
in payin over wat he collected.
He wuz like all men NV genius,
unbalanced. His ability wuz all on
one side. The grovelin plaintiff,
who didn't admire such erratic flites,
raised ruckshen about the paltry
sum, and my father
Folded his tent like the Arab,
And as silently stole away"
From that time out the old gen
tleman migrated-in fact, he lived
mostly on the road. He adopted
movin ez perfeshen, and very
profitable one he made Nv it. When
his hoss died, the nabors, rather
than not hey him move, would chip
in and raise him anuther. Appre-
shiatin the compliment they pade
him he alluz went 1 menshun these
pekooliartles Nv my ancestor becoz
"The lives of all great men remind u.s.
We may make our lives sublime,
And departin leave behind u.s.
Eff our talent runs in that direcshun,
ez many debts ez he did, though it
does require espeshel genius.
This he'd its infooence upon my
yoothful mind. / saw not only
CRATE deal NV the country, but much
Nv mankind, and 1 acquired that
adaptability to circumstances which
hez ever distinguished me. Even to
this day, eff 1 cant git gin / kin take
whisky, without murmur and with
out repinin.
Ny politicks hez ever bin Demo
cratic, and 1 may say without ego
tism, hey bin yooseful member
NV that party. 1 voted for Jackson
eighteen times, and for every sue
ceedln Dimocratic candidate ez
many times ez possible. For Mick
Lellan 1 only got in four votes. /
didn't approve of the nomashen and
wuz not overly Jealous. Hed> he
bin elicted, wat wood it hev avail
ed me? He he'd enuff dismist army
officers follerin him, to hev filled ev-
cry offs in his gift and he'd at that
time become to old to foller pollytix
for the amoozement it afforded, or
for the benefit NV any cause.
+ + 4
The offices l hev held hev not been
many. 1 he'd signers to petshun
for a post office in Jackson's time,
but killed my chances by presentin
it in person. The old hero looked at
me and remarked that it wuz' mt worth
while THROWN away post offices on
sich-that when he wanted EN- he
Good buy EN- at dollar q Dozen
Bookanan was goin to appoint me,
but somehow my antecedents got to
his ears, and he wuz afered of his
respecktability, and Inever succeeded
till johnson returned to his first love
and embraced US.
he'd bin drafted into the Federal
army at the beginning Nv the war,
and he'd deserted to the Confederacy.
Procoorin a certifkit to that effeek,
1 applied for pardon and place.
He didn't like to give me the offs,
but he wanted party, and coodent
be very partickelar. succeeded
l bore with me 10 Kentucky a COM
mission ez Post Master, and l am
living in the full enjoyment Nv that
posishun, and may say l am happy
The sosiety is conjenial: Ther IS
four groceries, onto wieh can gaze
from the winder of my oils, and jest
beyond, enlivenin what wood % cher Cher
wise be a dull landscape, is a dlstll-
lerv from wich the smoke OF the
torment assendeth forever. L hey
associates who reverence me, and
fr;ends who love me. There is
nothing monotonous here. 1 hey
knowed as many as eight ftes per
day, though three or foor is consid-
cred enough to break the tedium.--
And in these deliteful pursoots, leav-
in behind me the ambishuns Nv wat
mite be called public life with my
daily bread sekoored, with my other
sustenance ashoored, with friend
alluz to share my bottle, or to speak
with a creater degree of akkoeracy,