The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-07-05
A Journalist Farmer.

WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE folio W.
ing account OF Whitelaw Iteid's career
ns Louisiana cotton planter appeared in
the Washington Sunday Herald:
! do not know why the writers who
undertake to give accurate accounts oi
the various episodes in tho life and
career Of the Hon. j. Whitelaw Reid
always omit most interesting part, viz
his life as q Southern planter. Not
many people seem to know that Mr..
Reid was once cotton planter, and
managed large estates successfully too.
am able to supply the hiatus in hi5
history. In 1866 Whitelaw Reid and
Maj. Gen. J. ]. Heron, of Iowa, entered
into partnership fog The T;:rposG oi
growing cotton in the parish Of Concor.
din, in the State Of Louisiana. They
leased three great plantations almost
opposite Natchez, Miss, belonging to G.
B. Shields, of that city. The country
was full Of Northern men who came
South to show Southern planters how to
grow cotton with free labor. Just above
Reid and Heron Frank p. Blair had sn
immense estate, The Wynn Forest Plan.
tation, which in 1861 had produced 1900
bales Of cotton and Al, 90 barrels of corn,
and on the other (Mississippi) side of the
river Gen. Andrews, of Massachusetts,
now Professor of French at West Point,
had an equally large estate. Just above
Frank Blair the great house Of Hoyt,
Sprague & Co., of New York, had five
enormous places belonging to the Nor.
gan estate. The plantations held by
Reid and Heron had each about 1900
acres of fine arabic land. The Freed
mans Bureau at Natchez supplied them
with an abundance of labor. On the
first day of July, 1866, their crop was in
splendid condition, and looked as though
it were good for 1000 bales, to say
nothing Of the immense fields Of corn.
almost 1000 acres more. They could
have readily sold their cotton crop as it
then stood for $3.50, GOO. On July 10 there
was not 90 acres of cotton standing.
Tho dreaded cotton wo.m had come
and devoured the young crop almost in q
night.
The next year these gentlemen deter.
mined to try again, but the entire country
was overaowed, and the Mississippi
River at Natchez was 70 miles wide.
The water was so long in falling that O
very small crop was made, and the third
year found nearly everybody ruined, and
the firm of Reid & Heron ceased to
exist.
In 1866, in coming down the river on
the noted steamer, Robert E. Lee, from
his plantation in Washington county,
Mississippi, General Hampton very much
astonished Mr. Reid by avowing himself
to be in favor of negro suffrage.
Gen. Hampton said that while he might
doubt either, the wisdom or the expedi.
ency Of tho lay which made them
citizens, yet it was the law, and If no.
groes were citizens they were certainly
voters, as the right of suffrage was the
first right Of citizen. I rlmember
hearing of q funny Circumstance which
occurred on this trip. Gen. Hampton
had with him an old and favorite body
servant, who had been in the Hampton
family for great many years. A gen.
tlenaan on board had not seen old David
think that was his name-aince 1861
aud said to him: '"Well, David, how do
you like this new condition of things
this voting for instance Z" "Well, sab, !"
says David, II don't much like dis gen'l
turning loose o. all sorts Of niggers to
be free, 'cept dat igs all right, sah."
"Wby, you id old rascal, }" said Gen.
Hampton, who happened 10 overhear the
conversation, "do you mean to ssy you
think it's all right for me to be disfran.
chised las he was them aud yon to be
voting9" 'Marse Wade," said David.
"when did you buy meP" ~ don't
.rememberjust when, but why ?" "Well,
sab, !" answered David, "When you fnst
bought me we only had one vote atween
sus, didn't ,we2" Hasn't We got dat same
vote still 3'''. !. ..s:f .5- 81. IS ,5< '