Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-07-06
HORACE GREELEY.
WHAT HE TOLD JAMES PARTON ABOUT
HIS EARLY LIFE.

WHAT HE TOLD JAMES PARTON ABOUT
HIS EARLY LIFE.
Ihave seldom been more interested thar
in hearing, Horace Greeley tell the story
of his coming to New York in 1881, and
gradually working his way into business
there; James Parton writes: He was liv-
ing, at the age of twenty years, with his
parents in small log cabin in new clear.
ing of Western Pennsylvania, about TWEEN
ty miles from Erie. His father, a Yam
kee by birth, had recently moved to that
region and was trying t. raise sheep there,
as he had been accustomed to do in Yer
mont. The wolves were too many for
him. It was part of the business of
Horace and his brother to watch the flock
Of sheep, and sometimes they camped out
all night, sleeping with their feet to the
fire, Indian fashion. He told me that oc-
casionally a.pack of wolves would come
SO near that h9 could see their eye-balls
glare in the darkness, and hear them pant.
Even as he lay in the loft of his father 8
cabin he could hear them bowling in the
fields. In spite Of all their care, the
wolves killed in one season a hundred of
his fathers sheep. and then he gave up
the attempt. The family were so poor
that it was matter of doubt sometimes
whether they could get food enough to live
on through the long winter; and so Hor-
ace, who had learned the printers trade in
Vermont, started out Oh foot in search of
work in village printing office. He
walked from village to village and from
town to town until at last he went to
Erie. the largest place in the vicinity.
There he was taken for runaway appren :
tice, and certainly his appearance justified
suspicion. Tall and gawky as be was in
person, with tow-colored hair and scan
ty suit of shabbiest homespun, his appear
ance excited establishment or ''ridicule
wherever he went. He had never worn a
good suit Of clothes in his life.
He had singularly fair, white COM
plexion, piping, whining voice, and these
peculiarities gave the effect Of his being
wanting in intellect 1t was not until
people conversed with him that they dis
covered his worth and intelligence. He
had been an ardent reader from his child
hood up, and had taken of late years the
most intense interest in politics and held
very positive opinions, which he defended
in conversation with great earnestness
and ability. A second application at Erie
procured him employment for few
months in the office of the Erie Gazette,
and he won his way NOT only to the re-
spect but to the affection of his compan-
ions and his employer. That employer
was Judge J. M. Sterrett, and from him l
heard many curious particulars of Horace
Greeley's residence in Erie. AS he was
only working in the Office as a substitute,
the return of the absentee deprived him of
his place, aud he was obliged to seek work
elsewhere. His employer said to him one
day:
''Now, Horace, you have good deal OF
money coming to you; don It go about the
town any longer in that outlandish rig.
Let me give you an order on the store.
Dress up little. Horace
The young man looked down at his
clothes as though he had never seen them
before, and then said. by way OF apology
You see, Mr.. Sterrett, my father is on
a new place, and want to help him all
can"
In fact, upon the settlement of his ac-
count at the end of his seven months
labor, he had drawn for his personal ex-
penses Sc only. Of the rest of his wages
he retained SIS for himself, and gave all
the rest, amounting to about s120. to his
father, who, am afraid, did not make
the best use of all of it. With the great
sum of fifteen dollars in his pocket, Horace
now resolved upon bold movement. AT
ter spending few days at home, he tied
up his spare clothes in bundle, not very
large, and took the shortest road through
! the woods that led to the Erie Canal. He
was going to New York, and he was 60
ing cheap! A walk of sixty miles or So
much of it through the primeval forest
brought him to Buffalo, where he took
passage on the Erie Canal, and after vari.
GUS detentions, he reached Albany on a
Thursday morning just in time to see the
regular steamboat of the day move out
into the stream. At 10 O'Clock on the same
morning, he embarked on board of a tow
boat, which required nearly twenty-four
hours to descend the river, and thus
afforded him ample time to enjoy the beau
ty of its shores.
On the 18th of August, 1881, about sun
rise, he set foot in the City of New York,
then containing about 200, 900 Inhabitants,
one-sixth of its present population. He
bad managed his affairs with such strict
economy that his journey of 500 miles had
cost him little more than SIS, and he had
ten left with which to begin life in the
metropolis. This sum of money and the
knowledge of the printers trade made up
bis capital; There was not person in all
New York, 80 far as he knew, who had
ever seen him before. His appearance, too,
was much against him, for although he had
really fine face, noble forehead and
the most benign expression l ever saw
upon human countenance, yet his clothes
and bearing quite spoiled him. His round
jacket made him look like tall boy who
had grown too fast for his strength; he
stopped little and walked in a loose joint
ed manner. He was very bashful and
totally destitute of the power of pushing
his way, or arguing with man who said
no to him. He had brought no letters of
recommendation, and bad no kind of evil
dence to show that he had learned his
trade. The first business was, of course,
to find a cheap clearinghouse, as he had
made up his mind to try New York as an