The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1874-07-22
JULY.
From the Raleigh Crescent
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A COT.
TON BALE.
IN TWO CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER 7.

CHAPTER I.
Twas raised in Wake County,
North Carolina, by farmer Of
moderate means. At an early age
I learned from a conversation be-
tween the farmer and a neighbor
that land the land on which I was
raised were mortgaged to a Balti-
more firm, who had furnished fer
tilizers for the soil, and also to a
Raleigh merchant who had sold sup
plies Of Western bacon and corn
for the support of the field hands,
and Northern hay and oats for the
mules. The farmer complained
that necessity had forced him to
pay a very high rate ofinterest for
the use ofthe capital invested in
the above mentioned fertilizers and
farm supplies, and that he had in
addition to pay heavy fee for
drawing and recording the mort
gage securing the commission mer-
chants.
I noticed that the mules on the
farm were poorly fed, and that as
they passed the lot gate they ea-
gerly nipped few punches of lux
uriant clover which had sprung up
from seeds dropped out Of the
Northern oats. The farmer said,
as the mules passed on Il would
SOW an acre in clover, but need al
my best land for cotton"
Ihave nothing very remarkable
to tellyou concerning my youthful
days. I observed that the hands
employedin the field were poorly
clad. Most of them wore coarse,
cheap Northern made clothes, shoes
and hats, and from their rude
talk I found that they had very
little education. The wives and
children of these farm laborers
frequently came to the field, and I
saw that the women wore Northern
calico dresses and that the chill
dren we're growing up in ignorance.
After being picked and packed
I was taken to Raleigh. The COM
mission merchant said to the far
mer "Cotton is fat to-day, but VIC
expect it will 60 up soon.'' The
farmer sighed and remarked:
"Well." I guess I went into a
large new brick store, and accident
ly heard the merchant say to the
clerk. ''Insure this bale of cotton
and charge Mr.. A. with insurance
and storage" I remained shut up
for some time, when the farmer
came in one day and the merchant
said to him: :'Cotton is no better,
but I am compelled to have some
money. l will ship your bale to
Baltimore and do the best | can
with it,
A dray soon came up, and as I
was hoisted into it, the merchant
said: "IIaye this bale insured and
directed to ". & H., BALTIMORE
They will pay the freight and in
surance."
I was hurried over the railroads
to Norfolk and thence by steamer
to Baltimore. I was then stored
for some time, when I was sold to
an agent of Rhode Island manu-
facturer. As I passed out I heard
the merchant calculating how much
was due him as storage and COM
mission on my sale. My purchaser
was also busy in getting out his in
surancc on me and arranging to
pay freight on me to Rhode Island.
Nothing occurred on the route
to my destination worthy of re-
mark. When I arrived at the fac
tory, / found several thousand
friends raised in North Carolina.
I noticed the women and children
seemed cheerful, but none Of them
wore Southern made shoes or South
ern made clothes, or ate Southern
bacon. The dray horses were we'll
kept, but did not eat Southern hay
or oats. The owner of the factory,
they said, was very rich, and had
made his fortune manufacturing cot
ton cloth for the New York market.
I was hurried through the fac
tory and cane out a bolt of nice,
smooth cloth. I was hurried into
a bale of cloth for a New York
wholesale house, and as [ went out
overheard a conversation Of the
owner of the mill. He said he was
realizing handsome profits from his
factory, and besides he was giving
employment to hundred families,
and was one of the largest tax