Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-12-19
NARsE GEORGES GHOST.
. r,.ri.imns Tale of "ole varginny."

Christmas Tale of "Ole yarginny."
~, 81 LAWYER. myself, and | hail from
u,s.scbusetts. -born and raised at Great
9srripcton. But the business ] had there
5dnt nav very well, so came down here
~ Frv INV mex; and happening to light on d
,'rativ rood thing | stayed. | married my
alifs here and when we had saved "A little
money bought my place, up on Garnet
.1narp Petersburg We were doing well,
,5d now that the old folks up in Great Bar
rirgtop are dead and gone, and | am get
inc along in years and have got used to
,be sbiftIess ways of the southern people,
Internationally as my nelghbors have learn
nj h appreciate me and don't call me a
Yankee any moer consider myself settled
f5r Efa Our firm. Tackman & Pennywise,
do rood deal of business for Virginia
p.antprs. and without any disparaa ment
h ann northern friends, and especially to
o5oJ-ptving northern clients, ! will say
that altogether the most fauitless gentle
man ever met met in the person of Col.
Naguder tobacco planter.
Last wear | went down to his place on a
little business for the firm. We left Pc
tersburg in the gray of the morning and 1t
wa, late i'm the afternoon when we steamed
into the little station of High Bridge on
the Appomattox, at the junction of Brush
creek and Sandy river. As | swung my
,sf down from the car, a venerable darky
approached me, hat in hand.
aGwiue ter de colonel 5. sab p he in
ouired, ducldng his white head, and
reaching for my bag.
Colonel -whO!' said /. Yankee fashion,
holding on to my bag.
"CoI. Magruder sab, of cose, " he re-
Piled in an injured tone as it to imply
that C0l Magruder was the only colonel
worth mentioning. Then knew was in
the right box. and let him do with me
whatever he listed He piloted me over d
,tonypath around to the lee of the station,
pnt me and my bag into a rather shabby
vehicle and, mounting to the front seat,
took the relns. The horses were fine, fat
and well kept everything on the Magruder
place u.s. rs ! afterward noticed) and they
took u, over the road at a steadily good
pace.
On the way the driver introduced him
,e.f as Uncle Reuben He was born and
raised on the Magruder farm, and was IA
sHe specimen Of Virginia darkey of the
better class The Virginia blacks are
superior TO their kind further South, In
slavery days. if a master found a slave UNI
manageable and perhaps vicious and hav-
mig bad influence among his people, he
would generally ship him off to the cotton
plantations Of the Gulf states; and that
system Of wedding out the bad and gener-
ally treating the good negro kindly and
We.ll generally mentioned as proof of the
,apnrouty of Virginia blacks as well as
the reason for it. Uncle Reuben would be
greatly offended if you took him for an
Alabama darkey, for instance, and as many
others J have seen are as proud of the
native state and their masters family as
even the masters themselves.
.n-e Reuben and his wife Columbia
aad received their freedom from the old
squire in compliance with the dying re-
'Hes. of the famous beauty, Isabel Ma
graer the old squire first wife. That
vas some Is or 20 years before the war
6eahan and Lummy Lummy was short
.'r 9umbial tried their new condition
few months, working for wages
among the farmers of the country. But
'HE uu found their wages insufficient to
them with the comforts to which
.aat mad been accustomed, and there We're
PRESENTS and no perquisites When
A.t.H Jes dun TUX a chicken from
s Employer S hen-yard, said fowl was
Htged 10 his account, and its full
value deducted from his pay. That
10 40 Magruder ever objected to
appetite For poultry.
H and Lummy took counsel to-
decided to give themselves back
nl master So they came up the
N.aone Christmas morning, weary.
and trayel-staiued, but mighty
ai with themselves and all the
n- slaves quickly made room for
'A'r morning mess in the quarters,
was the joy expressed over the
. The wanderers. And then the
tor them, and with few hon
aa sight Of their black faces
* memories of his sweet young
Elug under the mold at Holly
explained that he would employ
#i1re only they would receive
addition 20 their right In the
riers and regular ratiOns at the
gnty Nuginian Thought it no
take these faithful blacks by the
give them Merry Christmas
come home: and two prouder,
.arkies We're not to be found this
Sine Ridge They stayed on the
90 the war and guarded and
aa cid mansion through those
YEARS. and though nearly the
arrg was de~olated by fire and
.y pIunder the Magruder place
mparatively little. The stables
ad and the most Of the stock
l2ln the herds driven before
army. but the house escaped.
i- earned dering the drive from
Vow the old squire has been
years and his son, my client,
place The old squire sleeps
vault. built for him by his
.e She was one Of the Pollards
county, and brought her for
,ae family just in time to save
fala She was stout. fair per.