The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-05

tree firm. I knew the members OF that
firm we'll and my dealings with them
were pleasantand profitable allaround.
NV son Buck was with me, he was then
a little bit of fellow. just big enough
to put a bride on a horse. In those
perilous times, when the stragglers
from Sherman's and Johnson's army
were proving around the country, and
there were many negroes, wandering
about in the happiness Of having been
set free, we slept out at night and trav-
eled along the country without a weap-
on of any kind. I sometimes shudder
/ to think about the risks we ran. If
/ any robber had attacked us, we had no
weapon bigger than pocket knife
with which to defend ourselves. Since
then / have given ten years to travel,
selling tobacco in thirty-two States,
and never in all those years have I felt
the need of pistol. This shows me
that if men viii do right, they are in
no danger, and have no need of carry
ing concealed weapons. Old man Billie
Cole, an old-fashioned, honest Orange
county farmer, had no use for men who
went around carrying concealed weap-
ons. One time he hired white man to
help him hoe corn. "What sort of
hand is hep" some one asked Mr.. Cole
His reply was: "He is no count. He
hoed corn with me all day yesterday
with pees-tor in his pocket"
On my first trip to Wilson and that
section, after selling my tobacco at
good prices / bought load of lard and
bacon and hauled it up the country. I
knew that the Federal soldiers were
in Raleigh, and wasn't certain wheth-
er it was wise to go into the city or not.
But / left Buck in charge Of the lard
and wagon and went to see Lynn
Adams, who at that time had a store
in Raleigh. Speaking to him in a low
tone of voice, i told him that I had a
big load of lard and bacon He said
'come here. and we went aside, made
trade for the whole load, and he paid
me the whole amount in silver. / have
never had so much silver at one time
before or since.
Just after the war, the people even
of good means knew very little about
commercial transactions. This was IL
Illustrated by an incident that occurred
while l was manufacturing tobacco in
the country. A farmer in Person
county sent over big lot to sell. I
made trade for it, and gave Mr.. x,
who brought it, check on the Raleigh
National Bank in payment. He has
told me since that he didn't know any
thing about checks, or whether he
ought to take it or not, but as he didn't
know where he could sell the tobacco
if didn't take it, he concluded to say
but to put it in his pocket and
carry it to the farmer to whom the to-
bacco belonged. When he got back to
Person county the farmer said: did
you sell the tobacco?" Hereplied thathe
had sold it to Mr.. Duke, and told him
the price per pound paid for it. where
is the money!" then was asked. The
piece of paper, check signed by me
on the Raleigh National Bank was pro-
1uced and the farmer said This
piece Of paper is worth nothing at ALL"
Some weeks later the man from whom
had bought the tobacco, had occasion
to 60 ~ Fayetteville, and decided to go
by Raleigh to see if chat piece of paper
was worth" anything. He told me
about it afterwards, saying that he
vent into q bank in Raleigh with
great uneasiness, and presented the
Continued on sixteenth page)