St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-11-21
Uncle Sam Nimmy of the National
Pike.

Another survivor of the old "pike" is
Samuel Nimmy-a patriarchal African,
who "played tambOurine" for General
jackson, and drove on the road for
many years. He is an odd mixture of
shrewdness, intelligence and egOtism.
His recollections are vivid and detailed
in point of names and dates, although
he is Sc years old, and he describes his
experiences in a grandiose manner that
is occasionally made delicious by sole
cisms, or sudden lapses into negro col
loquialisms. He lives in a comfortable
cottage at HageIstOwn the walls Of
his parlOr are hung with certificates of
membership in various societies, and
with various patriotic chrOmOs; the
center table is loaded with books, prin-
cipally on negro emancipation and the
events of the civil war. He continues
a narrative in formal phrases and meas
ured sentences for Il long time without
hesitating, and then perhaps a name
slips him, and he murmurs: "Billy,
Billy, Billy; Tom, Tom, Tom Jack,
until the elusive cOgnOmen is caught.
West of Cumberland the road was Dor
dered by an extraordinary growth of
pines, the branches of which were so
intermeshed that they admitted very
little daylight, and from its prevailing
darkness the grove was called the
'Shades of Death" Uncle Sam Nimmy
and others declared that on the most
effulgent day not ray ever penetrated
it, and that it was absolutely black,
which is piece of picturesque exagger-
alton. 1t was very dark, however, &C
cOrding to the statements of mole exact
observers, including B. F. Reinhart, the
well-knOwn painter, and it afforded
favorable opportunity for highwaymen.
Il had very keen team, sir,n says
Uncle Sam, ga very keen team indeed
and nobody knows more about horse
than do. l drove that team, sir, nine
months without the least sickness to the
horses, and L ttatter myself we had some
rough service" The flattery that I'm
Gle Sam applies to himself is immense.
"Well, sir, one night | was driving
through the Shades of Death with few
passengers it was darker than usual
it was Cimmerian-Clmme sir:
and one said to me, Don't you hear the
sound of horses walking q l listened,
and listened and listened. did hear
the sound of walking, and seemed to
see, although it was so dark, several
figures in the wood. Some one then
opened the pistol case and examined
the weapons; the flint had been remov-
ed from each pistol, and about that
time, sir, my hair began to get curly.
The passengers didn't like the way af-
fairs we've looking; and thought if big
men were scared, there was no reason
why a little one shouldn't be scared.
too" Uncle Sam is very diminutive ;
and after acknowledging his trepida-
ton, he repeated in a manner of great
candOr: 81 admit it, sir, l was scared /:
and l just assure you, gentlemen, that
made every horse tell until we came to
a tavern. But l wasn't naturally timid ;
was puzzled as to how the fiints came
out of those pistols, and we could never
unravel the mystery. I've had varied
life, sir, and always took an interest in
general travel, to see if any one was
bigger than l was. l started a company
OF volunteers in the war, and then start
ed lodge, and bought up ali the blue
cambria there was in town for sashes
We had a parade, and Hagerstown's
never seen the like since she became a
tavern. Next started the Sons of Free