Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-05-09

MINT JULEP'S STORY.
THE REVERSE OF FORTUNE WHICH BE-
FELL A SOUTHERN PLANTER.
The Strange Story Told Under Philadel-
phia Street Lamp by a Pepper
pot Vender.

| pearlng suddenly ana as swiftly passing
away, caught the eyes of Press reporter,
whose duties had called him late one Satur.
day night to the extreme northern end of
Eighth street. While the pedestrian was
wondering whether the light he observed
was the CLEAN of dark lantern or the
| glowing charcoals in the furnace of one of
the innumerable hot sausage venders who
infest the streets of the city, peculiar
cry, the like of which he had never heard
before, pierced the inky blackness above
and smote upon his ear like the wierd cry
| of some forlorn night bird. The cry was
"Pep-pre.e.e pot" Pep-pre.e.e-e
potl"
The first syllable of the unintelligible
word or phrase was uttered in tone that
might have proceeded from the mouth of
some stalwart horn blower. The elevation
of tone necessary to emit the second sylla-
BILE of the cry was tremendous. However,
to the mysterious voice octave seemed to
be but mere playthings, and with vocal
stride it appeared to span with ease the
whole gamut from the lowest to the highest
/ note. After holding that marvellous "pre.
e-e.e" in piping tremulo for what seemed
an interminable length of time, the voice
suddenly descended upon the last syllable,
cutting it off with sound ike the crack.
| ing OF whip,
THE PEPPER-PoT vENDER.
Approaching the spot whence the glare
and the cry proceeded, the reporter found
himself in the presence OF one of Phila-
delphia's peculiar institutions. A long
cylindrical can, beneath which was a glow.
ing charcoal fire, and from the edges Of
whose lid rolled clouds of savory steam
this was all that at first could be observed.
But presently in the darkness behind the
can appeared the outlines of buxom col.
ored woman, black as ebony, and with a
countenance expressive of a kindly feeling.
"What have you got there, aunty p
asked the reporter, indicating with gest-
ure the can suspended from her stalwart
shoulders.
Pep-pree-e.e- - screamed the
! African, without the least abatement Of
tone or intensity of sound.
| "Hab some, sab 2 she continued in an
ordinary tone of voice. "Its berry good. I"
The scribe ascented, and the woman pro-
ceeded to ladle out bowlful OF the black.
looking mixture.
"You can't get no peppery- pot like dis
in all PhiladelphY," continued the black
vender of the blacker soup as she gave her
ladle last shake against the edge OF the
bowl s'Dis ere am made 'cordin to my
own receep which / larned befo' de wah,
way down in Alsbam'. Some folks say dat
all you has TO do is to cut up some tripe
and peppers and vegetables and throw 'em
| in a pot with little water to boil, but /
knows better'n dat, an wudnt tell my
rescripshuu for no amount of money.
! sAyoRY DISH.
By this time the intrepid adventurer had
half emptied the bowl OF pepper pot, find
| ing it to be really savory and enjoyable,
using battered pewter spoon IN the oper-
alton of transferring the mixture from the
dish to the mouth. Returning the bowl to
its gsrrulous owner, inquiry was made {;
How did you learn the receipt down in
Alabama? thought they didn't know
how to make pepper pot in the South:
"Oh. yes dey do, )" returned the colored
woman, "dey knows more down dere In
mint dan you folks do in week. Why,
when l was slave down at old Massa
Gibson's plantation, used to know mo-
about cooking an sweeping an nussing dan
de whole ruck of cullud trash dat libbed
up Moth. Dem was de good ole days, an
l nebber 'spect to be SO happy no mo- in
all my life. To think dat l shud live to
see de little gal dat use to nuss a-wan-
d'ring about on desc busy streets, wid'ou
'nough nuney to buy loaf OF bread for
herself an my ole massa, why it makes me
wish I'd nebber been born" There were
tears in the eyes OF the kind-hearted old
woman as she finished her exclamation,
and, suppressing what sounded very much
! like a sob, she relapsed into silence. Her
customer, however, encouraged her to con-
tinue the conversation, and obtained quite
an interesting account Of the reverses OF
fortune which befell Southern gentleman
and his daughter, and the curious meeting
| of the latter with their former slave IN the
streets of this city.
MINT JULEP'S STORY.
| The old colored woman's name is Julia
| Gibson. Mint Julep, as the boys call
me, said she in relating the story. She
was formerly slave on the large planta-
I ton of Maurice Gibson, near Mobile, Ala
| The latter was a typical Southerner, and
during the war he was extremely open and
violent in his denunciation of Northern
| men and methods. The strain and nerv-
GUS excitement consequent upon the ru-
mors of threatened invasions by Federal
troops proved too much for the gentle ma.
ture of Mr.. Gibson's wife, and she died,
leaving their child, Alice, then but years
old, to the motherly care Of the slave
Julia, who had been the little ones nurse
since its birth. Before she died, Mrs.
Gibson placed around the child's
neck a little gold locket, which af.
terward enabled her old nurse to
| identify her. Towards the close OF
/ the war, Mr.. Gibsons plantation and effects
were confiscated, and he himself was re-
moved with other Southern prisoners to
| the North, his child Alice being permitted
to accompany him. The latter, however,
was separated from her faithful nurse
Julia, leaving her almost heart. broken,
and for years they never knew what had
become of each other. Finally, however,
| Julia and her husband drifted northward,
in company with so many others of their
| race, and eventually settled in this city,
renting little house on the upper end OF
| Mervine street, where they now reside.
The couple have managed, by thrift and
economy, to store away considerable sum
of money, and are now in very comfortable
circumstances. Julia began the sale of
"pepper pot in winter and "hot corn
in summer several years ago, and has made
her business quite successful.
FINDING HER YOUNG MISTRESS.
about three years ago, continued the
old nurse, after having related the above
facts, Il was walkin' down Broad street
late one cold winter night, an comm near
a lamp.post 1 seed young winin dressed
berry thin, a-leanin' and shiverin' agin the
cold iron. / just tho't her was one Of them
wimmin what you see on de strsats at
night, but somethin' in her face made me
go up an speak to her. She told me she
was nigh about famished, an her father