Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-11-14

him in money. Tn them days a prentice
served seven years, and Andy worked out
his time. The day he was free he came to
US and says: Boys, | know it is the
custom to treat when yor get out of your
time, but haven't got the money and
you'll have to excuse me- You see he
gave all his money to his old mother, and
we all knowed it. 1 said to one of the boys
that day. says |, Andy will be great
man one of these days. but they just
laughed at me. Andy worked about a
month In our shop as a journeyman,
and then went to Abbeville and worked
five or six months. The boss wrote for
him and he came back and worked steady
It'll spring. He used to talk great deal
about the West, and one day he said to
me, Tom Lomsden, I'm going to quit
Raleigh and go to Tennessee / said,
all right, Andy, do what you think best,
but you are bound to be great man so he
day He laughed, but the next day he
called for a settlement from the boss, and
that night he left Raleigh. / can see him
now. He was gawky sort of boy, and
his clothers Lever did fit him. He had on
little cap, aud bundle of shirts and
socks thrown over his shoulder. 1t was
bright moonlight night, and 1 walked out
of town with him matter Of two miles.
He was talking all the time about the
great things he intended to do out West,
| and when we shook hands and he babe
me good bye, the tears just rolled down
his cheeks. Cheer up, Andy says /,
thinking to put little heart in him;
Raleigh is no place for you; you'll sue
cetd out there and some day L expect to
see you president, for you are bound to be
| FFbio 40
he answered sort of joking like; We'll, if
| ever get to be president [ won't forget
my old friend Tom Lomsden. Mister |
never forgot those words, and what
came after proved to me that
ANDY WAS MAN OF HIS WORD.
As said before, Andy couldn't read or
write, but heard from him that summer
He had good job, and saved up enough
money to send for his old nanny. After
she went away from Raleigh lost track of
him, but always said he was bound to be
great man and knew L would hear of
him some day. Well worked on and
my boys got big enough to help me. was
never great man to save money, however
and when the rainy day came, [ wasn't
prepared. 1 he war came on, and
although was too old to go myself, L told
the boys to 60 in my place, and do all they
could to help whip the Yankees. You
know we all thought Kentucky, tennessee
and maryland would join US, and [ felt
certain we would get our independence
You recollect how Andy loomed up in
them days L heard about it, and say
to everybody that's our Andy for 1
knew he was bound to be a great man
some day. People laughed at me, but
felt sure it was him and when | heard
about that speech at 4 nashville, and how
he defed them l knew it was Andy. Well,
Andy thought one way and thought
another. He thought he was right and [
b knew L was. We did all we could, and
three of the boys gave up their lives for
the South. Bill and John at Gettysburg,
and Jimmie down in Georgia fighting
Sherman. Tom, here,' with a nod
toward the broad-shouldered man, twas
our baby. and hated to see him go. He
was working at Fayetteville and one day
| got letter from him, in which he said
that he had listed in the old 18th In
, fantry, and would leave the next day for
the front. got one other letter from
him, and then the news came that he had
been killed at Charlottesville. Ills old
mother took on powerful about it. She
, | Always "ao IL hSdhAJ VA WO'IdIlj
AID she Just pinned away like mourning
Tor Tom. She didn't live more'n three
months, and when she died just give
plumb up. They started company of
home guards out Of old men to do guard
duty at Salisbury prison, and [ joined
'em. We had a tolerable easy time, but
got wet one night, took sick with the
bilious fever and liked to have died.
When finally got well, the rheumatism
took hold of my old bones, and here were
months at time when | couldn't touch
my foot to the ground. W hat little
money had went And when the sur
render took place I had about 500 left, in
Confederate bill and a S. gold piece.
One of my sisters lived in Catawba county,
ard / wrote and asked her if she would
let me c)me and spend the few days had
to live at her home. Her husband wrote
back that was welcome to such as they
had, and L spent my SIS gold piece, to get
to 'em. They were monsterous poor, and
had large family of children. Although
they were mighty kind to me, | could
see that l was burden to 'em, and
made up my mind to go to the infirmary.
The rheumatism cripp ed me up so bad
. that [ couldn't work on the bench, and 1
tell you, stranger things looked mighty
! udEk IOr CulIu1eSS WlieIcSS OlU man. One
day was studying what to do, picked
up paper, and the first line on the page
caused an idea to flash into my head. it
was something about the president and |
says, 'l'l go to Andy; he will perhaps
do something for his old friend:' L
thought at first I'd write, and then I
concluded to go in person. I had no
money to pay railroad fare, but my
brother in-law fixed up little bundle of
clothes, and [ started out afoot. 1t was
long march, mister, bnt l kept moving
on and people all along the road was
very kind to me- | think 1 was ten
weeks making the trip. A tailor who used
to work with me in Raleigh lived in
Alexandra, and staid all night with
him. The next morning got up bright
} and early, brushed up my clothes and
walked across the Long Bridge. L strolled
around the city until mighty nigh noon,
and then enquired for the White House
and boy directed me to it. When | got
there saw so many fine gentlemen and
ladies going in and out that L was almost
disheartened, and turned back two or
three times. You see, mister, L thought
that if Andy had such fine visitors as
them / wouldn't stand much of a show of
seeing him. But judged him wrong
sir; judged him wrong. followed the
people into the house, and a fellow all
covered with gold lace showed me into a
room where / was to sit until Andy was
| roo DIV tO rooaiva ViSt0rS I waited q ha If