Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-05
A ROMANTIC MEETING
Between Cousin of James G. Blaine and
an Ancient Colored woman-,Ths Latter

Between Cousin of James G. Blaine and
an Ancient Colored woman-Ths LattoI
Is la Years Old and Nursed Blaine'i
Mother. 1850
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATCH.1
COLUMBUS, May IA remarkable incident
occurred at the Union station in this city
yesterday. 1t was q meeting between Mrs
Mary Gillespie-Ewin wife of Judge P. b.
Ewing, Of Lancaster, O., and an aged colored
woman, who did not claim the modest dis
tinction of having trotted George Washing
ton on her knee when he was child, but
she was slave on his lower plantation in
her early days, and claimed the distinction
of having rocked the cradle in which slept
daughter Gillespie," as she expressed it,
who was none other than the wife OF
Ephraim Blaine and mother of America' 3
great statesman, Hon: James g. Blaine, Sec
retary of State. and amt of Mrs. Judge
Ewing, the lady with whom the colOred
woman was talking.
and brought about under very peculiar cir
cumstances, poverty on the part of the aged
colored woman being the prime cause, and
Mrs. Ew1ng's charitable disposition being
fact that one of Ohio's illustrious women
was deeply interested in this aged colored
woman, and those about could not exactly
understand why. But here she had met q
though they had never heard of each other
before. Mrs. Ewing was interested, because
she mad met someone who was familiar with
the family history of the Gillespies back
through three generations. This remark
able colored woman is ia years old, and her
name is Martha Sniff. She said:
II am none Of your striped niggers, but am
full-blooded Guinea niger. At the age of
was captured with other natives Of my
country, among them being my parents and
brothers and sisters, and brought to Vir-
block and bid Off at 500 to General Washing
ton, and was placed on his lower plantation.
With the Gillespie Family.
'T was on the auction block twice after
that, and the last time 1 was purchased by
Neal Gillespie, of Brownsville, Washington
county, Pa (greatgrandfather of James G..
Blaine and Mrs. Judge Ewing). Master Gill
lespie had son named Neal, whom Inursed
to manhood, and when he married went to
live with them. They had a son named
John and a daughter named Maria. After
we were set free married and we settled in
the wild West, Logan county,O. Iwasnever
sick a moment in my life. In fact, Guinea
niggers never get sick, but am getting toll
erably old now, and am growing somewhat
feeble as L approach old age.
"This being the case me and my old man
have concluded to return to Washington
county, Pa, whence we came, thinking
as how we could get along better there than
as here, and we are now on our way there. L
remember very well the wars with the Brit
wars If only had time, but as it will soon be
train time won't go into details"
As the aged and tottering woman pro-
gressed with her story Mrs. Ewing became
more and more interested, and, after she
had finished her narrative, piled her with
questions, asking her about many family in
cidents she had heard of, and the old woman
invariably answered her correctly in detail,
6 N
OF the transaction.
The Old Woman's Fine Memory.
After fully satisfying herself the old lady
was not an impostor, Mrs. Ewing told her
that John Gillespie was her father and Maria
was her aunt. The old lady gazed fntently
in her face for a few moments and then said:
ayes, that's so, see it now; you have the
same smile on your face Maria had; that Is
the Gillespie SMILE"
Der through all these years the smile which
adorned the countenance of Maria Gillespie.
When she discovered she was talking to q
member of the Gillespie family, she was
to take great pleasure in relating all her ex-
periences with the Gillespies, and she
thought they were the kindest people in the
world. She was glad to again meet Giles
pie, but the meeting was not enjoyed more
by her than by Mrs. Ewing
After the old woman had told her romantic
story, Mrs. Ewing purchased bananas for
drink with her lunch which she had along.
Then bidding her an affectionate goodby,
Mrs. Ewing went on her way. While in con-
versation with Mrs. Ewing about this mat
ter, it developed that James G.. Blaine was
christened plain James Blaine, and when he
was IA years of age he wrote it James Giles
pie Blaine. Mrs. Judge Ewing Is one of the
man colony, which has made Lancaster and
its surroundings famous the world over.