The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-11-28
BILL. ARP'S LETTER.
AN OLD FRIEND IN ROME MAKES
HIM RETROSPECTIVE.
He Writes Interestingly of Aaron
Burr, Hamilton's Slayer.

Burr, Hamilton's Slayer.
| I see that my old friend, Sam Car
nochan, of Rome, has recently cele-
brated his eighty sixth birthday. He
is still hale and hearty aud loves to
talk to his friends about the good old
times. He is harness maker by
trade, and perches on his stool and
talks while he works ard feels the feel
ing of an honest, Industrious man.
Apprenticed to the trade when he was
fourteen years old, he has continuous
| ly pursued his calling for seventy
years, and in all that time I do not
suppose that he ever defrauded any
man. have never heard him COM
plain of his lot or of hard times. I
never heard him abuse anybody more
than to say. "He should not have done
that. 1t is wrong. What o pity !;
what pity" And yet he is man of
opinions and convictions and does not
hesitate to express them.
How came old Father Carnochan to
be so industrious and work so hard
and live so long and enjoy life and
have good health? He says he reckons
it just happened SO, but my opinion
is that his early habits had much to do
with IT. For seven years he was
"bound out" as we used to call il.
Bound to saddler and harness maker
in New York city to learn the trade.
That used to be common at the north,
and l have known some cases of the
south in the long ago. but not many.
My father had an orphan boy hound to
him for seven years, and the covenant
was board and clothing and two
months schooling every year and 5000
in money at the end of his time. He
was smart, handsome and willing, and
made q good merchant and married
well.
Mr.. Carnochan says he had to work
diligently, and by the time his term
was out, the habit of work was fixed
upon him and kept him out of mis-
chief. There is the secret. But few
of our boys have formed habit of
work. If they do any at all, they look
upon IL as hardship.
The old man says that Aaron Burr
traded at their shop, and he remembers
him well. handsome, courtly old gen.
tleman dressed in tiptop fashion and
with manners like Lord Chesterfield.
Years before he had been forced to
leave the country and lived in exile,
but he came back when the storm blew
over a2d he was such great LAWYER
that he soon got lots of practice and
made lots OF money. He drove fine
horses and was high-born eristocrat
and never lost minutes sleep about
killing Hamilton.
was Eliminating about that, for
there is no story like it in American
biography. The young people ought
to read it. His fathers name was
Aaron Burr, and he was very learned
and pious preacher and teacher. He
was founder and first president of
Princeton college, and is buried there,
and six other presidents are buried
near him. He married Esther, the
only daughter of Jonathan Edwards,
the great preacher aud profound
thinker. A man whose sermons made
The people tremble and cry out and
beg for mercy. The young Aaron had
a sister named Esther, and these two
were left orphans at on early age.
They had good estate and the best
guardians, and received good edu-
cation. Aaron was sent to Prince
ton, where he graduated with dis,
tinction. It was expected that he,
too, would be a preacher, but he sud.
denly astounded his friends by de-
Douncing Christianity as humbug,
and declared his admiration for Lord
Chesterfield, whom, he said, was the
finest gentleman in the world. Then
he studied law and soon became the
top of the profession. When the rev.
dictionary war was impending he was
given high position and became an
intimate of General Washington's
family; but he did not like Washing
toms steady habits and religious prin-
ciples and left him. At the close of
the war be married wealthy widow
Mrs. Provost, an accomplished and
pious Christian woman. She became
the mother of Theodosia, celebrated
in her day for her beauty and her
graces of mind and heart, and univers-
ally lamented for her sad and mysteri-
Gus fate. Her only child, son, died
when he was thirteen years old, and
she herself was lost at sea but few
weeks after, and no one ever heard of
the vessel after it sailed from Charles
ton. There are many stories about it
it having been seized by pirates and
Theodosia, with other passengers, be-
ing made to walk the fatal plank that
dronpad them into tba Geo