Arizona republican., 1901-09-25
Ex-sLAvEs BENEFAcr1oN.
He Gave s1.ooo to the Town Where He Lived.

/ Sixty-two years ago. on the pianta-
 tion of Eli Vickers. in what was then part of Irwin, now Coffee county. | Peter Vickers was born. Fortunately
 the first twenty-five years of his life were spent under the kind but positive
 discipline of a master whose fine exc
 cutive abilf.y has been shown, not only
 in the career of this ex-slave, but also
 in the band of sturdy. industrious sons
 who are among the best. most prosper
 ous and honored citizens of the county.
 The excellence of the training he had
 received was Shown when. wt.h the
 rest of his class, he was clothed with the rights and privileges of freedom.
 He had been too much a part of a we'll
 ordered system of industry, and had
 seen too clearly it's results. to be sat-
 isfied with attendance upon noisy as-
 semblages. or with wasting his time
 iii misunderstanding idleness. as too many of his race were doing. He justly
 reasoned that the chief difference in his condition was that before he had
 been the servant CT his master. now
 he was servan. of himself. and asked: Shall I serve myself less faithfully than did my master?" He decided 10 make Peter as good a slave as he had Eli vickers.
 He engaged with his master. taking an interest in the crop. This he con tinued to do until he made enough to buy a mule. when he began renting. Economy and industry soon enabled him to get sufficiently ahead to buy a home. Fortune continued to smile iipon his !abors. Each year saw the boundaries of the little farm widen out. as he bought up contiguous land, which he converted into farms and peopled with tenants. He stocked his woods with catt e and sheep. thus utilizing the abundant wiregrass that carpeted the open ''piney woods"
 His purpose was clear: Get more land to make more money to get more land" and his manner of achieving his purpose was very simple; he lived at home, making all he used there. His crops were clear. the increase of his oat.ie was c.ear. the proceeds of the leases of ,urpentine and timber privi- Ieges were clear. and all must be put into the only kind of investment he understood-land. So that now, with what h. has given to his children, he has more than twenty los of 480 acres each, and the end is not yet. for Peter Is active. hale and hearty, in the best of hurEor with himself and everybody else, and bids fair to live many years yet to preach the doctrine of "judg- meht and industry" which he 90 thor oughly believes. and his faith in dirt has never wavered So that. should it ing to be the largest landowner of his race in the state, 1t Is only a question of time when he will be.
 But this Is not all. Besides what he has In Coffee. he has land in Irwin and Ware counties. valuable real estate in the town of Waycross, Douglas and snug bank account and credit.
 While eschewing politics, Peter vick- CTS has always manifested considerable public spiritedness, readily joining ii any measure promising public good.
 When it was promised that this com- nunity subscribe s25 900 to bring the Brunswick and Birmingham railroad by Douglas. Peter promptly put down his name for q .000 of the amount. He 1as endeavored to give his children the ,dvantaee of education, sending them 70 school in the neighborhood, and when sufficiently advanced to more oretentious institutions. As they have .rov-n uD thry have settled around him.
 When asked to what he ascribed his - 'uccess. replied: "To close attention to fair and respectful treatment if others
 Could other colored men have done IS we'll as :you?"
 Yes: there Is no reason why others. white Or black. should not have done as veil or better. The secret if there is my secset. is In two words. Judgment nd industry and have no patent on ) hem"
 When reminded -tfra6 times hanged since he started and that su-- ess might be more difficult now, he insisted that the means by which suc- ess may be won are the same now as eretofore. and must always be the anne: that there are just as many op- ortunities for their exercise now as