The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-09-09

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THE GREAT GEORGIAN'S SIMPLE
STORY OF HIS OWN LIFE.
Three years ago Senator Ben Hill
sent the following terse autobiography
to his friend, DIR. w. II. White, Of
Atlanta:
l was born in Jasper county, Ga,
September ii, 1928. L was the seventh
of nine children and the fifth
of six brothers. My father was a
small farmer, owning few
slaves only. All his sons, therefore,
did all the farm work and all his
daughters did all household work. My
mother cut and made the clothes we
wore, and most them were spun and
wove on the plantation. 1 worked on
the farm from the time was eight
years old, and black and white came
and went alike in all work. Father was
a man Of common education, but was
extensively read and of great influence
in the neighborhood. When was ten
years old Gin 1889 my father moved to
the county of Troup, new county,
and his lands were all in the woods,
and I helped clear them. 1 walked
the entire distance from the old to the
new home, over one hundred miles,
helping to drive the cattle. My father
would always have school-house, a
church and a temperance society near
his house. He was always trustee of
the school, class-leader and trustee in
the church, and president Of the tenn
perance society. Some of my earliest
and sweetest recollections are connected
with these institutions and my fathers
zeal in them. The black people always
attended church with the whites, aud
all of us, black and white, were en-
couraged to become members at very
early ages. The rule was for the chill
dren to work on the farm until the
crop was made, and then go to school
until it was gathered. After the crop
was gathered, go to school again until
planting time for another crop.
This was my life until l was sixteen
years old. 1 was then continued ut
school all the time, with a view to a
collegiate education. My father was
not able to send all his children to
college. Only one besides myself de-
sired a college course, and 1 alone
graduated. After 1 was pronounced
prepared to enter college, my father
decided he was not able to send me.
family consultation was held. My
mother insisted on my going. She had
always had what was called her
'patch," which was near the house,
and was cultivated by her house hands,
when not needed at housework. This
patch had always been my mothers
pin money, amounting from $50 to
500. My mother said she would con-
tribute this to my college expenses and
would make my clothes at home be-
sides. An old aunt of my mothers
x,h~ in
fathers yard, and had some means
(smalD and no children, agreed to con-
tribute as much more. My father
agreed to add the balance, and L pro-
missed that all my college expenses, of
any kind, should not exceed $500 per
annum. l promised my mother l
would take the first honor in my class.
| redeemed this promise. The prOudcst
day in my life was when L wrote to
my parents that 1 had taken the first
honor in my class and all the honors
ofsthe literary society of which / was a
member.
The cook, Mariah, came by my
mother and was near her age. She
also raised nine children, just the num-
ber my mother raised. One of the
cooks children, from birth, was as
signed to one of my mothers children.
from our cnliunOou we played TO-
gether, worked together, and would
fight for each other against all the
world. Stronger ties than these were
never formed. 1 was an alliance Of
fensivc and defensive.
! married in 1915. My wife had
seven slaves, large and small, left her
by her father, who died when she was
an infant. We thus began life with
eight slaves. When my father and
mother died, the slaves selected their
owner among the children, and had
to take two more, who would go with
no other child, and paid for them. My
wife had one other brother left an Or
phan with her. lie married several
years after we did, and deter mined
not TO keep his slaves. They were not
willing to go out of the family, and 1
bought them. l now had fourteen
slaves. ] was Il professional man,
living in town, and did not need
them. l was not willing to hire them
out. The result was, bought some
land near the town, and moved on it
with the slaves, and told them to sup
port themselves under my protection.
The slaves increased aud married wives
and husbands and raised children, and
to keep them together 1 bought them
all. l also bought several others who
had to be sold, and who selected me as