The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-01-28
A CONNECTING LINK.
Old Alfred, Gen. JacksOn's Body Servant
Legends OF the Hermitage.
Nashville American

farm and has always lived there. He IL
very proud OF the work that is being done
by the Ladies' Hermitage association.
"De house now" says he, sis painted
'zactly like de gineral left it,"
One party of visitors Sunday were stand
ing on the front porch awaiting their turn
to be sin wn through the house and
amused themselves by talking to two
little boys, one white, the other colored,
about seven and ten years old respect
lively.
"What is your name?" was asked of the
latter.
Andrew
els your name Andrew Jackson"
ayes, sir"
"Are you named after the general?"
eyes, sir"
whats your name, little man? ?" to the
white boy.
"My name is Andrew, sir"
"Were you named after the general p
''No, sir" put in his sable companion,
che was named after me-"
Uncle Alfred app AIRED at this juncture
and said that the cOlored boy had the
honor of being temporary resident OF
the Hermitage.
ale don't b'long here do He's named
Andrew, but he was not named after de
general, and we calls him Aleck.''
After the visitors had paid % cents each
into the Ladies' Hermitage association
contribution box, and had a so remem-
bered the polite old octOgengrian African,
they got on good terms with their guide
and enticed him into general converse
ton. One of the visitors applied the
pump in a desultory way with the follow
ing results:
Gsu-LD,. IA Co. Taot,.ov, .o4tIo -, a.
farm?"
"In 1894. He had three or four slaves
den and lived in dat little cabin you see
down in de pasture De odder cabin by
il was de niger quarters, an dar is whar
| was horned. in 1903. De Gineral was de
best man in de country wild his slaves,
but he wus stric5 wild dem. When he
died he had one hundred an ten niggers
an owned 1000 acres of land, an lived in
dis fine house. You see dat little house
away over yonder? Well, dat is whar de
Ginerals race-track was. whsr he trained
his race-horses."
"Did General Jackson have all these
cedar rails and these cedar plank fences
nader"
"Yes sir. Dem rails is as good as new,
but some of dem is older den l is.
"Did he have the plank sawed by
band?"
ayes, sir, ebbery one OBJ 'em. De brick
in de house was made right here, an de
lumber was sawed wild de whipsaw. He
had two niger men who did muffin but
saw lumber wild de whipsaws in de pits
back ob de house, an dey used to saw
from 800 to 400 feet er day"
The language of the old negro and the
evidences on every hand of the immense
Of uc,.tr fhocsa fra-n co..
did in their monotonous labor that lasted
from year to year, impressed strangely
upon the visitors the difference between
those times and now, when one little
country saw-mill Will cut from 5000 TO
10000 feet OF lumber in day, and when
one of the mOnstrous lnr.ber mills on
Puget sOund-that at Port Gamble-has
daily output of from 100000 TO 100000
feet.
The Hermitage mansion is situated a
few hundred Yards from the road, the
long, narrow yard extending down to the
highway. About hallway the yard there
is gentle rise, a beautiful situation for a
house.
"Why did not Gen. Jackson build on
the top of the hill instead of behind it?"
was asked of Uncle Alfred.
"Well, You see, he was man dat always
WIS LuluCu ny Qt MAciltS Vi Llo WIG. nc
gineral wanted 10 build on de hill, but
Mrs. Jackson wanted TO build where de
house is, so the spring would be mo- con-
venient"
The spring is about three hundred yards
from the house, but there is a well right
at the door. This. Uncle Alfred explained,
had been dug dug many years after the
house was built.
"Dey was a water witch cum along, an
he 'sperimented aroun' an tole de gineral
he could get water in thirty-seven feet.
De gineral said al right, an he went to
work an sho' NUT he got it right dar-de
best water you eber seed"
"After Mrs. Jackson died de gineral
used ter sleep wild her picture hangin' dar
jest as you see it, in front OBJ de bed; and
he used ter say: L see my love ebbery
night de las thing befo' 60 to sleep and
de iust thing in de mornin' when /
wakes.
did Gen. Jackson have much COM
pany?"
''De house was full all de time OBJ late
years wild people comm ter see him. He
received all de visitors himself-de rich
an de po' jest de same"
Are you democrat, Uncle Alfred?"
81 don't take any part in politics, but
rs fur Gen. Jackson, fus, last and all de
time"
But another party of visitors had ar
rived aud the interview was brought to an
abrupt termination. Old Alfred limped
away to relate again the legends of the
Hermitage, and his new-made friends re-
tired from the ground consecrated by Old
Hickory, the grandest democrat of them
all.
20 Head For Business.
Puck.
Hands-up Ike-"Hand out your vally-