The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-14

Lexington, KY, Jan. S--lne cdDle
brought the news the other day that
residents of Dunedid, a city in far off
New Zealand, had raised a fund of
$3.50 to be given to George Lears Clark,
the George Harris" of Mrs. Stoves
Uncle Toms Cabin" The collector of
this fund wrote to the mavor of this
city, where Clark now lives, that it
was understood in New Zealand that
the old negro man was ola the verge
of starvation
Clark will soon he 50 years old, and
as he is very feeble he cannot live
much longer. He is not starving, bur
if the $3.50 is handed over to him it Will
be more than welcome. The -Old man
has been in his dotage for SOME years
but his slumbering intellect is stirred
to the quick by any nsntion of Mrs.
Stowe, or the book at made him
such a conspicuous member of his
race.
Clark is nearly white IN color and he
is more than vain of the fact. His
hair is cold white and so IL his beard.
The last time he was hot&&raphed ne
wore mUtton-chop wills 2erssInd a mus
tache. but most of the timdkle wears a
full Notwithstanding Is Syond the
power of his trembling fingers and he
has no money for BARRIERS.
Part of the time he lives in the
Protestant infirmary, but when he is
well enough he makes his home with
colored woman named Bowyer, on
Race street, in the thick of the negro
quarter of Lexington. This house is
nothing more than a two-roOm shanty
with a shallow loft. reached by some
thing that is a cross between a stair
case and a steDladder, and very
rickety. Clark sleeps in the loft. be
cause the numerous members of the
Bowyer family more than fill the
downstairs rooms, and besides the old
man likes to go to sleep hours before
the others think of sevking slumber.
He owns a house nearby, which he
rents out to a negro family, and the
few dollars a month that it brings in
pays his board. Part of the time this
house is not rented, or the tenants de-
fault, hut the old man has several
living in various parts of the
country, who make good the deficiency.
Like the rest of the world, he has the
commercial instinct. and for years he
has been trying to sell his house, and
with the money thus raised bring out
an autobiography.
WANTS TO SET THINGS RIGHT.
He is not completely satisfied with
Mrs. Stoves book, for, like the south
ern people, he says she Put many
things hind end foremost" His liter
airy ambitions have almost subsidized,
for no one will buy the little house,
as it is located in the most unfavor-
able part of Lexington where default
ing tenants are the rule
1t is generally said that Clark is the
of Mrs. Stoves George Har-
ris.'' and from the old mans story
this seems TO be true. Other features
Of the book he disclaims all response
bility for. About the use of blood
hounds for tracking slaves, he says:
The old Kentucky gentlemen kept
packs of hounds, but they were used
only for hunting foxes. Bloodhounds
may have been used along the border
line. but | never heard of them any
where else"
The old man has a kindly thought
for the old-time slave owners. as he
says: "A great many of them were
kind to their negroes and made them
have better time than they have ever
had since the war. but there were some
masters who were cruel, and it was
these who caused all the trouble
Clark was born in 1911 in Madison
KY. on the old Campbell
When he was six years
old Mrs. Campbell gave him TO her
married daughter, and the next ten
years of his life were happy ones. Then
the husband of his mistress failed in
business, and all the negroes on the
estate were sold at public auction, at
Stamford court house. Lincoln county.
MRS. STOVES CHIEF CHARACTER
His new master was Thomas Canada.
who. according to Clark, was very
mean. One of his slaves. Sam Peat.
was the, original of Mrs. Stoves
Uncle Tom Peat committed some
Offense and was beaten so severely that
he died. Clark was one of the pail
bearers at Sans funeral. and greatly
regretted the death of his friend.
Soon after the old man Canada died.
and all the slaves passed into the DOS
session of his son, Tom Canada. OF