The Dawson journal., 1885-05-14
UNCLE RENNs.
Larry Gamut Gives Shsss Sketch u
= Joel Chandler Harris Before He
Became Famousss

Banner Watchman. s.,--~rs.s.s,.. $. !.
| Joe Harris, who has since be.
tcome famous in the world0flettexg )
l by his Uncle vRemus," was an as~
i ilsistsnt to Col. Thompson on the = =
News. Well DO we remember
Harris first advent into the come :.
posing room, Mr.. Estill came mp
one afternoon, followed by s
/ gawky, red-haired, freckled- faced a
youth, whose every glance and
| movement betokened the country s5ss
man. After their departure we
turned to Divine and asked him n
what Kind of animal was that the & {
boss had captured. s
"That fnd,' replied the fore- sS
man, ''is our new editor, but judg- IL 80
ing from his looks I don't think
he'll ever rise above Office scaven-
GER They say, however, he is .
right sharp and witty young fell
low, and has made quitea reputa-
zion editing some little weekly up -,
the eouhtry.s eas i a-ssua !. tfsa
F Bat that nightawhen COPY came
in, the estimate of the assistant :,
sditGr went up several hundred
per cent. Every line he penned
had good point, his copy. was
neatly prepared and written in :
good hand, which went long ways -
to'e1evate an editor in a printers -
estimation, 4F 80 -. 49,.
Again. Harris proved to be one 4. =
Of the few men that success and
public praise did, not spoil, He -
wassa modest, retiring young man,
'.plain as an old shoe" but when
once i'draWn out" was brim-ful OF "a
life and fun He had at frstcharge. 4.c
ofthe Georgia news column,which -
became the most. important sfeat-
ure ofthe paper. He fred the .S
hotshet. right and left, and pos
esessed the happy faculty Of writ
ing q caustic and telling squib
without leaving any sting behind.
We never knew HIM to wound asg
mans feelings, but at the sama
time could make the most poig- a3A
nant. home-thrusts. We rensm- sszs
Der an article that immensely tick saa
led the late Senator Hill and made .saas
him alife long friend to Harris.1s e3f
sItwas while Che eminent gentls= nazg
man was candidate for Congress ]
inthe'9th District against Bell -
and had published card stating s.d
that he would stand against the g2sO
nemineeof the Gainesville com-ya
vention. Harris noticed the card sy.s
as follows hassaos5 eos Sc vnass es
"A Dooly county granger writes sat
JUS that he notices Ben Hill is
standing in the 9th Districts, and 81
wants to know what kind of peda.
gree has he.' e.g
When the yellow fever broke
out in Savannah Harris was among
the first to leave and took refuge
in Atlanta. He was married there, {
had but little money and was out .
of job. He was dejectedly
walking down the street one MORN
ing not knowing how he could
longer meet his board bill, when
some friend called Harris into q
storesand introduced him TO SEM
ator Hill. That gentleman at once
took out his pocket-book, in which sw
he had the. little clipping above 100
referred TO AM asked Harris il hei;v
was, the author ofsthe same. Upon
an sacknowledgement, Mr.. Hill 81
remrkedl az pbaF ee,,a ., .es~ s,x
, "The satisfaction that Idemand
is that you move. Your family at
once to the Klmball House, stay
as long as you want, and tell the
proprietor to send the. board bill
to me for settlement"
Mr.. Hill was so pressing in his
command, that Harris thankfully
accepted.
AT one time Mr. Harris acquired
the'habit of drinking to excess. but
it did not seem to Blunt his intel
lectsih the slightest degree. He
fora long time madesit his pracsfsa
tice to drink quart of whiakey.d
every Sunday, that he carriedya
homewith himon Saturday. BuAgs
one night several years ago he'd
made'up his mind to stop squarses
off, and asking his wife for piece'd
of wax, he in her presence sealed
up and stalnpedsthe half-emptied0
bottle, anCf set it back on the nan=sf