The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-02-19
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A sCALAWAG.

L was born in Greene county, going
on About tort y-odd years ago, having
Bin the younffest of Ia children, all Of
which was raised except which dde
of the meesles and things. When [ was
smart chap my Parents moved to
Shitfiet's Holler, we'll known in Albe-
marie county for sum remarkable MUIR
ders, in which so fur as l know and
Belcav none of our FoaX was mixed up.
L was as good q suthern man before
the war as thar was in our county, and
always voted the Democratic ticket as
| noad the Wings was not Sound about
the niggers, and my political greed was
founded on the Jefersonian Republican
printed by Mr., Alexander ON Main st.. :,
in charlottesville near about whar thar
now is very fine Juelry store, and op-
posite the Flannagin Bank. l jined of
artlllary company about the first man,
and fit until | lost all taiste for that ar
juousNlfe-say nigh on about II months.
| was wun OF the teamsturs, and had
very ruff time amovng from Manassas
TO Williamsburg, and particularly bak.
About this time | got detaie and held
a affice in the Coniederit stables in Rich
mond under Mr.. Davis during the bal
ance ofthe Waw, l was in all the Bat
ties around Richmond, working like
dog physiking and cleaning nv horses,
and when we phinally got Gineral Nc
Clellan in them swormps, visited some
of the hardest fitting splaces along with
my boss-and picked up good many
things.
A bout February, 1865, became Phul-
ly satisfied in my own Conscience that
smelt rat. SO wun tolerable clear
oasI 4 sta al
adu - and struck cut for the lower
Jeems, when 1 met a Yankee transpote.
Civ them all the pints, and told them
was a Union man out of Castle Thun-
der, whar | had suffered for my princi-
pies nigh on two and having liv-
ed very thin--it was pretty rough in
Richmond in them days, particularly
the Artkkle of whiskey, my emashated
condition give very gud kind NV color
to my story, and so they took me in. |
noad gud deal about the phix in Rich
mond, and so they took me to Ginral
Butler whar give me some very good
ale and five or six drinks, and axed me
questions. [ noad things was up, and
told him putty much the truth, tho bein
5rung pat Shiffilett's, mout have lde
in some things from the fose of habit,
and without any particular intenshun
NV telling NV lie to my new friends.
Well, you know the final eend, and
about that time ] was putty sicdy in
Washington, whar all the novilty had
woan off NV me, except with Mr.. Gree
ley, who always gave me ten cents and
axed me for kruelties to the Federal
prisoners, which NV course. gived him,
some from real life, others hearn, and
others to keep up the interest.
| cum back to Virginia in 1866, and
jined .he scalawags, and in 1867 begun
to attend the nigger meetings and tell
'em Nv thar wrongs, and what we was
gwIne to do fol- shem. become right
good hand at nigger speaking, and went
in strong for manhood suffrage, whar
was posted in the Tribune. Phoaxs
phoo1ishly taxi me with being NV re-
kreunt to my own people, but seed
very plain it war no time to be cent?
mental, a fuling about what was right,
fur noad we was in revolution, and
nobody was aowine to help him who
wuddent help himself. go sot my mind
to help myself to sumthing, and II eve
ry dog has his day and the niggers was
agwine to have theirs, seed whar the
path NV glory was open TO John Stubbs.
And this is how got to the kunven-
ton whar waded IN. We was oblig-
ed to stand Ivy. the niggers, for the white
foaX cut us and we WIS dispised until
thar wus nuthen left but to tite it out
on that line. 1t wur nesecerry to be
more particular in Virginia than in the
other States. because the white people
was heavy in the majority, and so we
shet down OH 'em with the artillkle No.
three excluding the most malignant
rebbels from the ballot, wharby we
killed about phifteen thousand NV the
best kind NV votes. We cum at 'em
then with fixin' NV the Legislature, and
give the niggers clean majority of 2l
thar. And then we phixt the counties
so as to git the moast of them, and we
Allowed about two hundred officers to a
county, SO as to have enuff for All. But
the wurst thing they minded was when
we give 'em the Test Odth--that was
like a SenJer shot, and | noad the dog
was certinly Hit by the way he howled
when we phixt it, 1t was o little rufl.
but it was the only way we had TO kqm
at 'em.
| am now clerk Of county, worth,
| suppose, by fair dealings 81 800 year.
hav no Reeson to complain NV For
tune, for she has been kind friend to
me. may have done some things
Eetin say my peck of dirt-some thing
whar under more orspicious environs
ment mout have not liked, but never