The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-24

etc. He was an especial favorite OF
Gov. Swain, who, like himself, had
been a Buncombe county boy, and VINO
when Vance left college, nOtwithstand-
ing his known frugality, volunteered
to lend his young mountain compa-
triot a sum sufficient to enable him
to make start at the bar, and never
asked it's return, though the borrower
of it was careful to pay it in full as
soon as his circumstances would per-
nit.
DIR. Mitchelrs fondness for the young
man, who by a semi-profane joke about
broken mill dam which they visited
while the class was on an expedition
for the practical study of geology,
near the village, attracted his atten-
ton, followed him through his course
and was warmly returned by vance.
A few years thereafter, young Vance,
then practising lawyer in the noun
tains, was one of those who sought
long and anXicusly for the body of his
dead friend which lay for days at the
bottom of pool at the foot OF a pre-
cipice on the side of the Black, ana
wrote for the Asheville Spectator
very vivid account of the search and
the finding of the body and it's burial
in July, 1857.
The speaker said be learned some
thing of Nance's youthful days while
he was private secretary, which was
given to him in response to questions,
because Gov. Vance was not OF those
self-made men who talked much oil
himself and the obstacles which he
had overcome. AS a boy he was full
of mischief and it was probably owing
to the inherent chivalry of his nature,
that when he was left the son of
widowed mother ait twelve years old,
his affection for his mother kept him
from going far astray. An incident
of his boyhood was told to show his
fondness for harmless practical joke.
His mothers house was on the road
side a few miles from Asheville, and
there travellers sometimes stopped to
procure food for themselves ana their
beasts One day two th&sty wagoners
stopped with their white-tOpped wa
CONS in front of Mrs. Na~ce's and see
ing Zeb., asked him in a whisper
whether he could not replenish for
them an empty bottle. He replied to
their question that his mother had
liquor but she was opposed to people
drinking it except for sickness. They
begged him to procure some for them
and he. with apparent hesitation,
promised to comply if they would agree
not to use the bottle until they had
passed a high rock in the turn of the
road. He took the bottle, hid it I'M
der his jacket, went into the house,
and reappearing with it well filled and
corl<ed, stealthily slipped it into the
hands of one of them and reminded
him of his promise. The wagoners
started off and little Zeb. rapidly made
his way through the woods in the rear
of the house and across the hill near
the rock on the road and watched the
proceedings. As soon as the wagoners
got beyond the rock one of them took
out the bottle and said, with a smack
of his lips, Now we will have pull.
| Hastily pulling the cork and putting
the bottle to his lips he took several
swallows, then he lowered the bottle
with an oath and a wry face and said:
| "Confound the boy, this is pot-liquor."
One of young Vance's accomplish
ments as told his friends by
| himself, was the use of the fiddle,
| and ON the occasion of a visit
| from an old uncle he asked him, with
| pride, if he knew he could play the
| fiddle, and proceeded to give him, in
his best style, his best tune, the IA
vorite Of himself and his girl; then
| turning to his uncle, said what do
you think of that, Uncle Josh?" The
old gentleman replied: THAT is pref
ty good, Zeb., but / knew a fellow that
played the fiddle we'll that could not do
anything else we'll" The speaker
heard no more of this accomplishment
until 1t was used with great effect in
Vance's tlrst campaign for Congress.
when at the top of a hill where he and
Mr.. Avery We're to address their fellow
| citizens, Mr.. Avery, after waiting be-
| yOnd the hour for his audience to an
pear, was surprised by it's appearing
| with shouts, and dancing Of the crowd
around his opponent, who led the way
on foot up the slope of the hill. ffddIino
as he went. Mr.. Avery recognized that
he had dangerous antagonist in one
who could so use music, made by him
self, in the aid of his campaign.
| The speaker said that it seemed that
young Vance, after he left college. IN
| derstoOd himself and his gifts better
than even his nearest relatives. In
1853, upon the elevation of Gen. Cling
man to the United States Senate to
| MI a vacancy, his seat as member
| of the lower House in Congress was
| vacated. The mountain district had
| been made Democratic under
| his leadership and he attempted
| to cast his mantle on the
shoulders of w. w. Aver, man of
considerable talent and great promise
and who was some twelve or fifteen
years the senior of young Vance. He
became a candidate for the vacant
seat IN the House of Representatives,
and Col David Coleman, also a very
popular Democrat of most attractive
manners, entered the lists against
him. Before the campaign was hardly
commenced young Vance leaped
into the arena and showed such prom
Use of an active campaign that the
friends of the Democratic candidate
induced Col. Coleman to abandon the
contest in favor of his party friend,
MIR. Avery. While the campaign was
in progress, the speaker travelling in
the mountains had occasion to stop at