The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-16
THEY MET IN AFRICA.
The lieutenant Recognized the Barbara
an, Who Never Came Back.

The lieutenant Recognized the Barbara
an, Who Never Came Back.
Here Is q good Missouri story, which
possesses not only the merit Of being alb
solutely true, but the additional one of
never having appeared in print. It's au-
thenticity is youched for by one of the
most accurately informed and widely
known public men in the state
An elder brother of Frank P. Sebree Of
Kansas City is Captain Uriel Sebree, a
distinguished officer of the United States
navy. The Sebree boys are the sons of the
late Judge John Scbree, who in his day
was one Of tho prominent citizens of old
Howard county-'tho mother of Missouri
statesmen" Back in the early seventies
Captain Sebree, then lieutenant, was
coasting with his vessel along western
Africa and cast anchor one day at small
village for tho purpose Of taking on sup
ply of fresh water and vegetables He soon
observed among the natives who were en-.
gagged in bringing the supplies On board d
negro who spoke the English language
very plainly, although he wore the garb
and had the appearance of native. Lieu.
tenant Scbree walked up to him on the
deck and said: II notice you speak the
English language. Where did you learn
it?"
I'm tho United States, sir. I was born
in that country"
Born in the United States-what
state?"
Missouri, SIR"
Sebree had become thoroughly inter-
ested.
What county i'll Missouri did you come
from?'' he asked.
eFrom Howard county, sir was born
there, near town called Fayette," vast
the reply.
'Whcn did you leave there?"
''In 1860, SIR"
Light began to dawn upon the lieuten.
ant He looked at the negro closely, and,
although many years had passed, he recog-
nized in the apparently wild barbarian of
Africa, tho breechclouted savage, boy
he had known in his childhood In 1860
an atrocious murder had been perpetrated
In Howard county, Il murder such as was
sometimes, though not often, committed
In tho south before the war-a negro killed
his master in cold blood. Search was at
once begun for the assassin and every ef-
fort made to apprehend him, but he escaped
to Canada, and, the war beginning short
ly thereafter, all trace of him became lost.
1t all came back to Sebree like revela-
ton. Here, then, was the murderer after
all the long years. He was fully recog-
nized by the lieutenant, who decided, how.
ever, not to allude to the crime but again
began his questions.
$50 you lived Dear Fayette. Did you
Know Judge Sebree who lived there?'
1t was now the Negroes turn to be sur.
prised. "Fo' God, man, who Is you, any
howp"
Il am tho little boy that you used to
play with, Uriel Sebree. Don't you re-
member me, Sam?''
They sat down on the deck of the Ship
the polished and gentlemanly officer of the
United States navy and the wild and al
most naked savage, and talked over the
days Of their boyhood in faraway Mis-
souri,. No allusion was made by either to
the tragedy that had caused ono to leave
his native land and become barbarian.
Old friends were spoken Of, and the negro |
made many inquiries about those no had |
known In his young days. At last as the
sun went down they parted, tho negro 60
ing ashore to his hut. He told Lieutenant
sebree that he would return tho next day
and bring with him some presents that
he would like to have taken to some Of his
old friends in Howard county, but he
didn't come back, AND that was the last
seen of him. He evidently had become
suspicious and feared being kidnapped
and carried back TO America to be tried
for his crime. Jefferson Tribune