New Orleans Republican., 1875-12-08

AC A<"aV vASO AHCeAuCnfS O~u ACcOuUt
of his Early Life.
Mr.. z. L. White, the Washington CORE
spondent of the New York Tribune, has an
interesting letter of personal "reminiscences
of the late Vice President in recent issue
of that paper, in the course of which he
says:
In Q conversation about two years ago on
the subject of labor organizations, and the
condition of the labOring classes of this
country now when compared with what it
was fifty or even thirty years ago, he gave
me brief sketch OF his boyhood and early
manhood, and although the leading facts
which he recited have before been published,
the less interesting, and transoribe it from
notes which made ct the time:
II was born, he said, "in 1912, and at the
age OF ten years was put out as an appreR-
tice to farmer. From the day Of nv
birth to the day was twenty-one years
old never had dollar in money to spend
for anything. During the whole of my ap-
premiership my master never but once gave
me penny. On that occasion he allowed
me holiday with permission to attend q
muster seven miles from home, and gave
me three cents to spend. walked to and
from the muster, and of course spent no
more than that sum.
"On the day was twenty. one years old,
l remember 1t very we'll. one Saturday, the
sixteenth OF February, in the afternoon, my
sheep. The latter sold the same after.
noon for %, but, not being able to dispose
OF the oxen that DAY. requested my mas
ter to keep them for me until Monday
morning which he did, but charged me
fifty cents for it. paid him this and took
the oxen away. sold them to Q man for
$75 and took his note for the amount. So,
when became of age, l had, for eleven
years. work Il was sent to school only four
weeks each yesrh $S4. l had saved fifty
seven cents, which had in some way OBJ
tanned, but had paid fifty Of this to my
master for keeping my oxen two nights. /
then hired myself to farmer, agreeing to
work tor " . month and board. used to
get up long before daylight, feed the stock,
get my breakfast and, just as the east was
beginning to be streaked with red, start off
for the woods with my team. ! used to
place my dinner pail ON the sunny side of
tree. and continue drawing saw logs to
the mill until after dark at night. Then l
went home, fed the stock ate my supper
and went to bed. Ny father tended the
sawmill most Of the time for many years
tor fifty cents day. s."
pack upon my back and started afo0t for
the town where now live, Natick, Massa-
chusetts, 100 miles away, and that journey
cost me just 81 25. worked there at shoe
making, averaging fifteen hours day, and
the last weeks work did at the bench was
at bottoming shoes for IS q week. Out of
this ! paid fifty oents for pegs and - for
board. SO that l had left just g so. have
bottomed ffty-four pairs of meme shoes
without sleeping, and that for . little more
than fifty cents. But even at this rate I
got some money ahead, and made up my
mind to work my way through college /
lent my money to . man in Boston, and
went to the academy at Concord, New
Hampshire. ! had been there only six
ltbresil months when the man to whom I
had intrustsd my fortune failed, and I lost
1t all was 20 reduced that, although,
owed for two or thres weeks board, was
absolutely unable 70 pay il, or even to take
. letter from the posf0fiOe without borrow
ing ncney 70 pay the postage Bat . ftiend
invited ne y fenain and board with Hin,
aad pay hin Wtso pna aba. q I stAyed
'thsodGh H. tesns ~ 4 ths vintse esrAe4
sssY e2celh = ~ hie y t9seAisg