The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-12-27

Of ,gaint chara 9.
s TIL u = = where's even =
~ most unexpected places, al e s
matter Of course, many of them hna
their way into Official positions. Ny ~
tendon hasoften been brought to the
eolored messenger Of the attorney gen.
erals Office, and the other day I qnes..
toned him about his history. He has
held The present: position for many
years, and :Isdoubtaikthere isa single:
member of congresses OF. g. United States
Judge in this section Of the country who
does net know Coleman. - + witpg This
history in his own words; ,S,s s,sE..
!. Said he: Il was born in FOrkhlll
county. Va, on the old plantation of;the
Lee family, i don't know exactly how
old I am, but I. think will be sixty :
three some: time lin next March, I'm
Il84S Mr.. Lee, my master, sent me 10
Richmond to be sold, as he had to raise
some money, and I; was carried away.
from my wife; =, handcuffed. and
pus. in freight car. That night i
lodged In the JAIL, and the next
morning + was led out to the block.
Years before had been kicked in the
head by q horse; VIII. CHI let the ugly
looking scar which you see on my, fore
head. That night in Jail I rubbed the
scar with my hands until it looked very
sore, and on auction. day, when the
traders came around, they asked me 1t l
ever felt any effects of the wound. J
told them that if I had good master !
guessed that could get along wei
enough. but that Twas subject to attacks
Of fits. ], was appraised at a, high figure
but the FITS story cut it down consider
ably The day when was led out to-
the auction block there were; OVER 500
other slaves sold. A Frenchman named
Brant bought me at a. private sale for
$500; and / was his valet a.. the old Ex-
change hotel in Richmond, now the Bull.
ard5house. for seven. years., and at the
end of that time [ had some $780,. with
which bought freedom for myself and
wife. l used TO make a greatt IDEAL of
money at,the Exchange, and remem-
Der that some weeks T laid by as much
as 300 in a single week, but this of
course did not happen often. :,
Mr.. Brant, when he found that | was
q married man, told me that he had q
lot OF. "yaller" girls on his plantation,
and that l could easily find another
wife, but. he liked me so we'll that he
bought my wife. In 1881 bought my
wife's sister, and paid $3.50. for her, as
she was sickly. She hadn't been, with
us long before she died, at an expense
If $50. I had three sisters somewhere
in Louisiana or Mississippi, and after
the war was oyef sent letters to the va
rious churches in that section to be read
lsfrom the pulpits, with the hope that /
could get sume in formation as to wheth-
err they were dead or alive. One of my
letters was read in a little town in Miss
lssippi, when a colored woman jumped
up and said that che was one of the SIS
tiers. brought her. here, and she is
with me now. My remaining two Sis
tors died during the war, or some time
previous. I YVES appointed messenger
by Attorney General Speed, who was in
President Lincoln's cabinet, and have
! served at this door ever since, including
the terms of office of NIessrs. Speed,
S ansberry, Evarts Hoar. Alderman,
Williams, .Pierpont, Taft. Devens, Nc
Veagh and the present incumbent, Mr.
Brewster"