Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-03-31
UNCLE TOMS CABIN"
A Reminiscence of the Great Book
George Harris" in Cincinnati-He
Tells How Mrs. Stowe Obtained
Some of Her Incidents.


Cincinnati Commercial.
"Unelc Toms Cabin" is story famil.
lar to almost every household in the
land. For years children have sorrow
ed over the treatment of the poor old
slave, wept that the good little Eva
should die, and shuddered with horror
at the heartless cruelty of Simon Legree.
1t will be of general interest, doubtless,
to state that the man to whom Mrs
Stowe is indebted for the incidents of
the famous story is in the city. He is
Mr.. Lewis George Clark, of Oberlin. and
he was the original of George Harris
who escaped from cruel task masters
and made his way North. Mr. Clark is
a mulatta, bright and intelligent, and
about sixty-six years of age. His slave
life was spent in Kentucky; sold at pub
lie auction, he made his escape. expert
encing many of the adventures detailed
in the novel. He made his way to Mas
sachusetts, and for several years lived
with Mr.. A. H. Stafford, a relative of
Mrs. Stowe, at Combridgeport. Here he
met the novelist in 1858. She talked to
him frequently of his former life of SER
vitude, and learned from him many in
teresting facts of slave life in the South.
From the information thus CLEANED. the
world-famous story of "Uncle Toms
Cabin" was written, and its immortal
characters created.
Mr.. Clark says that Mrs. Stowe did
not reproduce in her book any one char
acter entire from his story, but with the
permissible freedom of the novelist,
grouped the traits and characteristics of
several people of whom he had told her
into one person. Thus while the cruel
Simon Legree did not exist in real life,
just as he was pictured, there were sew
eral hard-hearted slave owners of whom
he told her, who did everything that Le-
gree does in the novel The men who
together formed the material for this
character were "DeviT' Adams, of Rock
Castle county, KY, Tom Kennedy, John
Gill, and VIM. and Archy Woods, of
Garrett county.
The sad adventures of Uncle Tom
were experienced by three slaves-an
aged negro named Tom, owned by ].
Banton, of Kentucky; Rev. Josiah Hen
son, now a well-knOwn c0lored preach
er, and Sam Peter, Il slave who was ac-
tually whipped to death. OF the fate of
Peter Mr.. Clark claims to have positive
knowledge and proof. For the kind
master, st. Clair, Mrs. Stowe was in
debted TO stories of MIR. Caldwell Camp
bell, James Spillman, James II. Letcher,
Joseph IetcLer, Nixon Palmer and VIM.
Beard, all native born Kentuckians, eX-
cept the latter, who was an Irishman-
"The best Irishman," said Mr.. Clark, Il
ever knew Children will be glad to
learn that one of the two little girls
whose kind hearts and angelic natures
made little Eva possible still lives. She
is now the Widow Logan. of Stanford
KY. She was Mary Ann BantOn. The
other little girl Eva, long since dead
was Annie Campbell, sister of Caldwell
Campbell.
Said Mr.. Clark: "There was TOpsy
on every plantation in the South; there
was no dearth of material for such a
character" One Topsy, of whom he
talked to Mrs. Stowe, was house ser
want in the family where he WAS owned
Her mistress was in the habit of bump
ing the girls head against the stone
door jamb for minor Offenses, and the
| bruises resulting affected her health. land
she finally died from their effects.