The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-10-25
UNCLE HARRY DEAD.
ONE OF THE OLD TIME ME-
GROES GONE.

A Good and a Grand Old Man, an
Honor to His Race and to Human
Nature, IL Gathered to His Faith
ers, Ready for the Sickle.
We publish the following with apainful
kind of satisfaction. We feel the truth of
the portrayal of the character of the
good old negro. We have known, re-
spected and loved some like him. All
have done so. who had the experience Of
plantation life. All of us remember some
good old daddy or uncle who told us
African folk lore like Uncle Remus, en-
tered in all our sports and pleasures,
awed us sometimes by their rebukes,
astonishing us by their wisdom, but won
and held our hearts by their warm, un
selfish affection. They have nearly all
passed away; they will haveno successors.
We sadly cast our wreath on the grave
of good old Uncle Harry. We take the
following from the Elizabeth City Ecomo-
mist st,-[CrnEN.]
AvocA, N. c.. October 10, 1889.
On Sunday morning, September 20,
1889, at $50, Uncle Harry Hogg Cape
hart departed this life. He had attained
a great age, having lived to belong to,
live with, and caress the 7th generation
of our family. He was of pure African
blood his father, uncle Guinea George
and his wife being imported Africans, be-
coming on arrival the property of my
G. G. G. father. He was man of great
physical and mental power. The late
Dr. Armstead often said, chad old Harry
been educated, he would have been a I.
S. S." His memory as to all incidents
that came under his observation was
more retentive than any one ever knew,
and particularly retentive of every thing
of practical value. He could give you
the age of every person that had been
born in his vicinity in the past seventy
five years, describe accurately all the
guests at important weddings, knew by
name those considered the most dis
tinguished upon such occasions, how
Mars. Elisha Rhodes danced in his drab
knee-pants and top boots at his old
masters wedding, the impression Mr..
Gavin Hogg made on him. etc, and every
other great man he ever saw.
He related with great accuracy and i'll
the most entertaining manner the history
of our great Albemarle Sound fishing in
terest, beginning with how he dove once
after summer time to clear the great
cypress stumps from the bottom and es-
| tablished the first seine fishery; how he
with Others telled the huge expresses,
hoisted and pitted the immense stocks
and then sawed out the long, heavy
cypress planks to build the first batteau
how he dug up the gnarled white oak,
and with powder and wedge split out the
crooked knees for the timbers how he
pulled the stroke-oar in these same
boats for many years how he stood in
the cold water of March while the tog-
gler held the boats in heavy winds for
years, until his master, the late Cullen
| Capehart, had made for him and all his
associates the first rubber pants and
boots ever used in the business, which
were made by Goodyear about 1888.
How often have | listened at him as he
related the history OF his old masters
early fishing operations, of the great
haus Of those days, and how fears of
failure often taxed the energy and
economy of all, and how, many did fail
in those years. With what pride he
would speak of "Old Boston," (as he
would sometimes call his old master
when he meant to compare him to the
great winner in all distances) as always
coming out ahead at the end of the
season.
How well do remember his stories OF
his old masters first cotton crop, which
they ginned and baled, he being the
baler; how they tlatted the bales to Ply.
mouth and sold them to the elder Cor
don, father of the well known Norfolk
cotton merchant, James Gordon.
He remembered the introduction O
every important piece of machinery ever
introduced and by whom, and lived tc
seeimprovement after Improvement made
many ofwhich he denied to be improve
ments. As boy, night after night, (
entertained me around our fires, whet
possum and coon hunting, telling StOric!
of his work i'll the gold mines of Burli,
county, n. c., how they danced on th'
oggle board-the power that ran tht
cradles-to wash the earth containing
the golden ore, then the mode of collect
ing and panning it out. and putting it il
goose quills, and how they had for them
selves all they wanted, under certain
circumstances. My grandfather ant
father worked the Potts mines i'll Burk
in 1921 to 1923.
1t was my great pleasure after return
ing after breakfast from one of on
nightly hunts to go out and help him t.
pick cotton all day to make up for los
time.
have his portrait taken with my lii
{. tie boy, the 9th generation he had bee
with, my nieCe's infant daughter bein
the 9TH, which now occupies prom
S nent position in my paror, resting on
; handsome brass easel which Mrs. Cap,
| hart bought for it this summer.
| saw your article some time since RI
lating to negro migration and | agre
altogether with YOU Give me the oil
S negro friends with whom | went coo
+ hunting when a boy, and their childre
and childrens children in preference
any other laborers.
The Photos, taken at my fishery tn
spring show Old Harry's Grandson III
v tieing the toggles, as Old Harry unite
:. them in 1923 for my grandfather. Hop
\ ing have not overtaXed you, l am yo
s. admiring friend,
?, w. K. CAPEHART.
:. fold uncle Harry, Judging from Ii
photo, (which we have seen) and fro
the seven generations that he had lookC
IS upon, must have been near 100 yea
,fl old-ED. ECONOMIST.