The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-07
DURHAM STORY
How Two ofits Great Industries
Were Built IN.

Were Built Tn.
The early success of smoking tobacco
made in Durham was due hrst
of all to it's excellence, and second to
the great army of soldiers who became
self-appointed drummers for it in
every quarter Of the Republic. When
the Grand Army of the Republic met
i'm Washington, an old Confederate
soldier who was living in that city,
went out to the camp with some
friends to exchange greetings with
his old-time enemies. He and his
friends stopped at store on Pennsyl-
vania Avenue, and supplied themselves
with enough Durham tobacco to last
during the day, and filled their pipes
and began to smoke after leaving the
car. AS they approached the camp,
they saw a grizzly old veteran, the
stem of whose pipe was visible from
his pocket coming toward them, at
tracted, apparently, by the aroma of
the tobacco they were smoking. He
stopped as he came up to them,
pulled out his pipe, and requested the
loan of a pipe of tobacco. The North
Carolina eN-Confederate hastily
brought forth a bag of the reliable
Durham and babe the old soldier to
help himself. He did so with evident
Joy, and said; Il see you use Black
wells Durham Smoking tobacco.
have never used any other when
could get 1t since | was at Durham i'm
1865"
Were you with Sherman's army
when johnson surrendered to him at
Durham?" asked the old eN-Confeder-
ate. "Nhy | was one Of the boys you
captured"
Then the two old soldiers, each with
a pipe of peace smoked and talked of
the war and all that had followed, and
there was no thought of blue or gray
between them. The Federal soldier
loved to dwell on the stay around Dur
ham, and said he had long wanted to
go back to see the city that had grown
up on the old field where the soldiers
camped. i've had hand in building
up Durham said the old fellow as
he took awhiff Of the fragrantG enuine
Bull brand, "and Id like to go back
and see it. When johnson surrendered
/ was that glad at the thought of go
ing home that | didn't get but half
pound of the genuine" to take with
me. / used it sparingIy on the road,
and kept most of it to give to my
neighbors. Well, / lived in the
country, and got home one Saturday
afternoon. Next day had lots of com
pany. All my friends for miles
around who had not gone to the war
focked in TO see me, and hear me tell
how we whipped the Rebs. The wealth
er was pleasant and we all sat in the
yard IL good old country style, Before
beginning to spin my yarn land made
myself out as great a hero almost as
old Grant, ! passed around the Dur
ham smoking tobacco, and let the
try ii. Whether it was my
or the fragrant tobacco, Tor
both) ] didn't know, but it was clean
dark before we broke up. All / know
is that the next day neighbor after
neighbor would send over and ask for
jest one more pipe-fulf Of my
Durham Bull tobacco. l let them
have IL till it was all gone.
Then / went to the store at
the crossroads to get some more. The
man there didn't have any Durham,
but said he had some jest as good
and l bought it and carried it home to
smoke on Sunday afternoon. / tried
that Jest as good as Durham, and
it hadn't taste of the genuine and
threw it away in disgust, and sat down
on Sunday, and me church member,
too, and wrote to the postmaster at
Durham to send me as much as dol
lar would pay for. was so anxious
10 get that tobacco that after three
DAYS / began to send to town every
evening. / am ashamed TO confess it,
but the two weeks had to wait for it
seemed longer than any month while
was in the army away from my fam
Nv. At last 1T came, and my wife said
that / was so infatuated with Durham
tobacco that she was afraid had lost
nv LOYALTY to the Union. / told her
that / thought Durham tobacco had
done more to cement the North and
South than any other agency. While
the big men were arranging the
terms of surrender we boys had
smoked the pipe Of peace with the
tobacco right by the fields where 1T
VAS raised and under the shadow OF
the little wooden building where 1T
was first manufactured.
when the neighbors found had a
new supply, they came over for jest
another pipe full but ! told them no.
I had to wait too long to get this, and
I can't share it, If You want it. you
can write down to Durham and get 1T
for yourself The result of it was that
we ali went down in a body to the keep
err of the crossroads store and told him
that we never would again smoke any
tobacco, except the Durham Bull, and
advised him to lay in a big supply. lie
insisted that he had some made in New
York or some other big city jest as
good, but we told him we wanted the
Durham because it was manufac-
tured right along side of the tobacco
fields, and the people down South