Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-02-18

characteristic letter from our old frien,
Moses u. CnEyEy, giving some persona
"reminiscences Of Col. Jonathan Z. Miller
which will be full Of interest to at least
such Of our readers as resided in THU
vicinity a generation ago;
col J. r. MILLER.
His name has only 10 be spoken to awaken
hosts Of memories 10 thousands Of his yet liz.
ing friends. lie is anything but :" an almost
forgotten hero. He taught school in our dis.
trict iu 1920, and aitorwarl in the village. lie
" boarded round ~ rose early, and would often,
in the short days, heat up the bean porridge,
eat his breakfast and start for the school house
before the family were up. lie kept jolly
school Employed unique modes Of punish.
ment. One boy he would lead about by the
car, exclaiminR " Never mind the beef steak
so long as you get lick ut the gravy" lie
would wet boys head 10 cool bis brain, etc
The people Of Barnard spend their happiest
winter evening hours comparing ideas on Col
Millcr-tcllng over whats man he was 10 keep
school, to impart instruction, 10 thresh the big
| boys, to wrcsilc, 10 run, 10 weld the broad
sword, and to onivcn the whole town with his
eXhilerating talk and bearing.
1t was here that Charles g. Eastman went to
school to the now not quite, " by two chalks,
]
end VI his life had much pleasure IN relating
anecdotes of the teacher in his school. Jerry
Marston still gives it as his reason for leaving
Montpelier. that the only original characters
there, Col. Miller. Judge Ware and Dr. Lamb,
were dead At the time Of that Chicago FIRE
was near hy, ard went in 20 see that great
sight On Friday Of that week ! met q Mrs
Keith (thcro were several Barre and M0ntpo
lier keith- IN ChicagO,) aud enquired OF her
D. Al arf.
than on Byron's. There j. no considerable
town in the west whercer you roam" that
does not furnish nm interesting group that can
dilate upon the gallant Chieitain. with glib
tongues and sparkling eyes. Within three
years, cOnyersed with Mrs. Granger, of Osh.
kosh, Wis, who brought him up in Randolph
Vermont. She was ninety years Old, but
had not almost forgotten him, neither had she
forgotten bis brother lleman. The Millers are
easily remembered.
The Coulonel wrote a book upon the Grecian
war, quite volume have met il in several
places- the last time in the Rev. I4oveand'
library in the college at Canton, n. Y. But
bis book, bis sword Of Byron, his successes in |
battles, will not alone preserve his name but
rather. all that be did any where and every
where all his life time for he was a singularly
marked character under all circumstances.
One night in 1898 in the Church x Shcr- |
ulhu NAf Iuutlt hllfT lut uithhUE up Oh cND- |
viyial season, in the Union House Hall, =" |
over a New York Wing victory, | heard him
say that he was in thirteen engagements in six
weeks and fed on nothing but snails and sor-
rel and that in one instance he slew thirteen
Turks with his sabre, as they came over n wall
In early abolition times, when the Wing and
Democratic parties both sneered at abOlitionists,
Col. Miller would sit in the open window to
be hit by rotten eggs, while the Jealous orator
was harangung. In those times | once heard
him in a debate affirm that, not the tariff,
but s'dUery was the great political question OF
our nation. and would continue to be till abol-
ished. ~ He will be awhile longer remembered
as an abolitionist. Such was his popularity
that he supplied the Methodist pulpit one Sab.
bath he preached q regular sermon like min
lister heard him, bat did not suppose he
was member Of any church; perhaps he
was In 1915, saw him standing on side
walk in New York city in earnest conversation
with somebody. | knew him in the distance
by his stocking legs and carriers and said to
friend, " twill pay you TO 90 and soc that man 5
face 20 round him and catch his eye once.
lie did 40 and never forgot it. l hope not to
heuragiin, and that my grandchildren never will
hear, that jonathan peckham Miller is an al
most forgotten hero, and should tradition fail.
know the archives OF the Vermont Historical
Society will keep alive his untarnishcd fame.
Respectfully submitted,
Moses 4. CHENEY.
Barnard, February IL, 1874,