Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-21
CID GEORGIA STORIES
Which Were Current Long AgO-R Rode
Fifty Miles to Meet Him.

A. III. stephens were or opposite parties:
Mr.. Stephens had an appointment some-
where in the forties to make a Wing
speech at Canton, Ga. Mr.. Cobb thought
ii best to meet him in the stronghold of
Democracy, as he did not desire to have
any break in Democratic votes. Mr.. Cobb
was making speeches at the time IN Hall
county, but rode, as he said, 80 miles TO
meet stephens.
They met, and Mr.. Stephens, being a
well-posted man in politics, struck the
weak points of the Democratic party right
and left. Mr.. Cobb was thrown on the
defensive from first to last, for Mr.. Steph-
ems assaulted all the time. The debate
ended, and Mr.. Cobb left.
In after years, when he and Mr.. Steph-
ems were OF the same party, he laughingly
said:
~ once rode fifty miles to meet him in
debate, and after our discussion was
perfectly willing to ride fifty miles the
other way and let him have the field TO
himself"
JUDGE WARNER AND HON. WIN. H. CRAw-
FORD.
Judge Hiram Warner. late Chief JUS
tice OF the Supreme Court of Georgia,
tells OF his first meeting with Hon. VIM.
II. Crawford at MIlledgeville. IL was be-
fore the creation OF the Supreme Court.
The Judges met to discuss and review
their opinions; ten judges were present,
and Judge Warner was the youngest of
the ten.
Judge VIM. H. Crawford had rendered
a decision wherein a large commercial
house of Augusta was interested. Whe-
Their for or against the house 1t is not now
important.
Judge Crawford presided at the conven-
ton of Judges, and delivered his opinion
and decision, and asked the opinions of
the other judges as TO the correctness OF
mis- decision, and said
~ now call upon Judge Warner for his
opinion of my decision"
Said Judge W.; ~ was embarrassed
and surprised to be thus called upon first,
being the youngest Judge. | knew the
character and reputation of Judge Craw-
ford. and the high positions he had he'd
in the Federal government. But | gave
my opinion of the case, and differed with
Judge G. as to the law. Judge Law, of
Savannah, was next called upon for his
opinion, and he Endorsed nay opinion.
Had mountain been lifted from my
shoulders, l could not have felt more re-
lief. The rest of the Judges indorsed my
opinion, except one, and he, after paying
compliments to Judge CPS great ability,
etc., said: 81 agree with the decision of
Judge c."
Said Judge c.: "Judge t., you will have
to stand alone in your decision; | reverse
my decision, for / now see that / was
wrong"
Judge Warner said from that time until
his death Judge g. held him in the great
est respect and was quite partial to him.
"DE GOSPEL LIGHT"
After the close OF the late war there
lived in Milledgeville old Uncle Bob and
Aunt Jennie, husband and wife, who had
belonged to Gov. Howell Cobb. They
were both Africans, and had been brought
over about 1906. At the time they re-
ceived their freedom they were over 20
years of age. They were both decidedly
pious. The writer passed their house
daily, as he lived on the same square.
One day, in June, 1865, he met old Uncle
Bob and said to him:
"Well, Uncle Bob, you are now free,
and can 20 back to Africa and see your
old father and mother"
"Eh, en-" said Uncle Bob, "dey done
dead and gone to HI long ago"
"Why, Uncle Bob, do you send your
old father and mother off to HI in that
kind of way"
''Eh, Ell, dey neber had the gospel light,
and dey gone to hi sure. Dey neber
hear about de blessed Jesus"
"Oh. Uncle Bob, that is an idea. You
see that you were brought over here and
sold as slave, but you got the gospel
light, while your old parents are in HI
because they never heard of God"
dat is soS said Uncle Bob.
"NOw, Uncle Bob, are you not glad that
you were caught as a little boy and
brought over here and solo as a slave, so
that you could have the gospel light and
hear about the blessed Jesusw
"Eh, eh, don't know about dat. Tub
Africa heap"
"But, Uncle Bob, would you give up the
blessed Jesus to be naked African, and
90 to hi when you die, rather than to
have been a slave such as you have beenP
"Eh, eh, / mighty glad to hear about de
blessed Jesus, and 'spects it best as it
is"
Eyes, Uncle Bob, every naked African,
such as you were when boy, ought TO be
caught, have pants put on him, hoe put
In his hands, and on Sundays told about
the blessed Jesus"
81 'spects you is about right, massa,"
said Uncle Bob.
Gov. Cobb used to say that Uncle Bob
and Jennie were a great deal freer than
he was; for they had their own time, and
he supported them besides. Ifthere were
TWO old negroes who had no use for free.
dom and did not want, and would have
preferred slavery TO freedom, those two
old Africans were the ones. How they
suffered after freedom was a pity TO be-
hold.
so GLAD-so GLAD.
Judge Thomas w. Thomas, OF Elberton,
was a most ardent secessionist. He
wanted Georgia % secede as quick as pos
sible. for he saw in the election OF Mr..
Lincoln death TO slavery. When In Mil
ledgeville In January, 1861, he used all of
mis- influence for secession. On Jan. 81
Georgia formally seeded. and Judge +.
was supremacy happy. Though a Demo
crat, he was subscriber to the Recorder,
a Wing paper.
AS the writer saw him coming 10 the
Recorder Office he said to him as he ap-
preached: "Judge, Georgia is out OF the
Union"
eyes, yes" said the Judge. s'Let God
DO praised, let God be praised. am 60
ing nome and tell my wife 10 give away
her silver spoons, for l will soon buy her
gold ones, now we are rid Of the North
and that abolition crew."
But as II gifted with prophecy, be
jokingly said 70 a negro waiter Ia NOvem.
Der, 1860, at a supper he gave In Milledge-
vile 20 some Of bis friends, as narrated by
Col. Richard NJ. Johnston, when he
thought that Georgia would not secede,
and that Lincoln would free the negroes
through the policy OF the party which
elected him:
Here, Charlie, my friend, Is a dollar,
and soon you will be my fellow-cItiZen;
L.. 30. -.