The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1881-07-30
UNCLE TOMS CABIN.
George Harris Returns to his Old Ken
tucky Home.

George Harris Returns to his Old Ken
tucky Homo.
Two miles distant from Lowell, Ken
lucky, over among group of hills
through which used to wind the cclc
brated Crab Orchard pike of half cen
tury ago, stands fine old red brick
mansion facing south and commanding
4 view Of miles upon miles Of wavelike
hills and valleys. Fifty years ago il
was the plantation Of Gen Thomas
Kennedy, Virginian, who fought at
Kings Mountain with Marion, and
came TO Kentucky about 1890 to wrest
the garden Of the central portion Of the
State from the Indians. The old red
brick house and the ground all about it
has recently become famous rs being
the original scene in Mrs. Stowe S novel
of "Uncle Toms Cabin" General
Kennedy owned 1000 acres ofland, $50
slaves, and was enormously wealthy for
those days. He was man Of wonder
full character and determination, Black
Douglass in the Gerard hills. He was
a tall, athletic and hale man, with the
erect carriage Of an Indian and the mien
Of commander. He was in the main
a man of fair impulse and royal eener-
osity when calm but when angercd
he was insatiably cruel to his slaves.
General Kennedy died in 1896, and left
the bulk Of his property to his son
Thomas, then about twenty years Of age.
In three years the young man had run
through more than great fortune, and
was dead at the very outset Of his
career. Among the slaves left in his
estate vas an Intelligent, high-strung
octoroon boy, named Lewis Clarke,
who had been granted comparative free
dom, in being allowed to travel about
with an open pass, trading, weaving and
occupying himself as he pleased, paying
his master a certain sum every month.
When the estate came TO be settled, it
was discovered that some of the slaves
must be sold, and an execution was is
sued against Lewis among the Others.
The rumor got out-and at that day the
rumor was a dreadful one among slaves
that they were to be "sold down
South.
On the first night Of the September
court, in IS4I, Lewis Clarke mounted
his poney and struck for liberty. He
was as white as the fairest Caucasian in
Gerard, with a Scottish shrewdness in
herited from his father, 4 white man,
and longing for liberty which had OBJ
tanned for him the reputation, so deprc-
ciatory Of slave values, Of being 4 "spoilt
Niger" He rode away and over the
hills to Ohio and to Canada. Then he
went to Cambridge, Mass, lived for
seven years with a. II. Stafford, 4
brother-in-law Of Mrs. Harriet Beecher
Stowe. Mrs. Stowe visited her rela-
tions every Summer, and took deep
interest in Lewis Clarke, his experience
and his narrative Of incidents, pathetic,
humorous and terrible, of slave life, and
the horrors which the system made pos
sible, and which were, in localities, fire.
quent from brutal and irresponsible
masters. She took full notes Of all he
told her and afterward put them to the
use which made :he entire Republic
tremble when "Uncle Toms Cabin
made its appearance in 1858. Mean
while, however, Lewis Clarke had die
tated the story of his own harsh expert
ence to ]. T.. Lovejoy, Of Cambridge,
Mass, and it was published in book
form in IS45, with the title: "Narra'
tive Of the Suherings Of Lewis Clarke
during a Captivity Of more than Twenty
five Years among the Algerines Of Ken
lucky, one Of the so-called Christian
States Of North America" Many copies
were sold, but it created so much ex'
, citement that several thousand copies
were suppressed and the plates destroy
ed. There are few copies Of this in ex
istence and have been permitted to
read probably the only copy in Ken
lucky. Il details certainly yer,
wretched and cruel story ofill treatmen
during his childhood, before he became
| the slave Of the Kennedys.
From Lewis Clarke's own lips gath
cred the story Of how Mrs. Stowe came
to write "Uncle Toms Cabin" DIR
Bailey, who published the PhiIankt'VfiS
in Cincinnati, had been persuaded t.
move to Washington City about 1880
1850, where he established an emancipa
zionist organ, called the National Era
When the fugitive slave law was passet
il produced such an impression upon tn
country, and was so strongly sustained
by the press and even the pulpit, tha
the emancipationists were paralyzed 70
some time. The National Era lost cir
culation steadily, and was on the poin
OF extinction, when DIR. Bailey went 4
New York to consult some leading cman
cipationisis rs to what course he shoul'
pursue. He thought il he could &C
some woman Of literary reputation an,
ability 10 write a series of articles for hi
paper every week on the subject Of sla
very and its violation Of the finest sen
timents, that il would revive public in
Il 4 II