St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-12
RECOLLECTIOHs OF DIXIE.
ENTERTAINING STORIES or EARLi
LIFE nv THE SOUTH.

ENTERTAINING STORIES or EARLY
LIFE M THE SOUTH.
''NIGGER In EVERY CORNER.n
How a Black Coat Aided in Giving
southron the Title of Col
oneI-A Slave Wedding Thirty
five Years Ago-Queer Quirk
in the Ceremony-Funer of
Negro Preacher.
Many years ago social and domestic
interests connected my life with the
South to considerable extent, and 1
passed good deal of time in Kentucky
with an uncle mine. The life in the
country among the slaves was nothing
new to me, as l had been raised in
Maryland. from earliest youth up to the
age OF sixteen. The place consisted Of
some 500 acres of hill and bot
tom land. 1.-THE White house,"
as it was called by the negroes,
was an old-fashion ed frame house, with
broad hall through the middle. and
rooms on both sides, which for comfort
and convenience has never been ex-
celled by the architecture of more
modern times. The household consisted
of the colonel, as he was always called,
his wife and two daughters, with a
retinue of servants, which can only be
described by the native expression Of
"a Niger in every corner" On the
whole, it was about the most perfect
household for ease, quiet and comfort
that could be found in any country.
Such sweet butter and cream, such fried
chickens, such corn bread and bacon
WE'RE NOT TO BE FOUND
outside of Kentucky. Why l come to
be there is of no Importance, except to
account for the authorship of these
simple recollections of the past. There
were on the place about twenty
five slaves, big and little, young
and old; they were a fair average
of the slaves of the far South, having,
been brought from Louisiana, when the
colonel gave up planting sugar at
health, and settled in Kentucky. He
was conscientious, good man, and
would no more have thought of selling
slave than he would of selling
one of his own children. He
had about one hundred and
fifty when he left Louisiana, and had to
provide for them. So he purchased a
large tract of land in Missouri, and To-
Gated them all on it, except the Ken
lucky contingent. 1t was a delightfully."-
equipped plantation, and everybody,
white and black, was happy, well-fed
and cOntented.
One day [ said, "Uncle. where did
you get the title of colonel?" "Well,"
he said. 81 either inherited it from my
uncle, who was once United States In
dian agent for the Cherokees. or it was
bestowed upon Inc because l wear a
black coat, while all the other people wear
KENTUCKY JEANS.
Either would entitle me to the rank.
This uncle to whom he referred as hav-
ing cast the title upon him by descent,
while acting as United States agent for
the Cherokees, was asked by superior
officer in an official communication
"How far the Tombigbee ran up?" and
replied THAT as long as he had lived in
the country the Tombigbee had always
run down." Tradition has it that his
wit cost him his Office.
There was country store kept in the
neighboring village by an old man, who
was fair type of the community, which
was rendezvous for II the people who
shopped, loafed or waited for the steam
boat. One day the colonel fell under
discussion, and the proprietor
said: 1.-The colonel is good
man, fine nelghbor, no bet
ter anywhere; bat (tapping his
forehead with his finger he is little
fetched. Don't you think he tried the
other day to make me believe that the
world was round. and KEEP on turning.
Now, what would become of the steam
boats when they got underneath? Yes,
the colonel is fust rate, but he is a little
teched."
Once while in this store. waiting for
the steamboat, remarked to the peo-
pie present, numbering fifteen or
twenty, "Why don't You have
A DAILY MAIL;
the Louisville packet carries it by here
every day, and you only get one once a
week by horse conveyance?" No
one seemed TO know or care. so /
said. Il am on my way to Washington.
and will try and fix it for you. VINO
is your representative in congress? Not
a man present could tell me, although
only few weeks before they had all
voted solidly for him, viva voce at that.
When L got to the capital l found
he was the celebrated Green Claw
Smith, whom l had known yery
well as governor of the territory
of Montana. He said: damn 1t. what
do they want with daily mail? They
don't get one letter in lifetime" (He
became preacher afterwards), but [
pleaded special reasons on my own ac-
count, and he promised; but it has not
yet been accomplished, and the old
horse arrives still once week.
remember slave wedding that took
place there some thirty-fye years ago.
The contracting parties were Nannette.
a very black negress of about nineteen
who belonged to my uncle, and a
sprightly young darby from a neigh
boring place known as Myrick's Jim.
The approaching nuptials
CREATED GREAT EXCITEMENT.
and interest for several weeks before
the event transpired, both in the quar-