The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-01

L nave OFTEN thought tnaI ITOHl MIS-.
Stoves description of the Lesree ulanta-
ton in Uncle Toms Cabin there should
be no difficulty in finding its location in
the Red River country. She states that
she received the account from her brother.
who had been at the plantation and il;ld
made the acquaintance of Lesree. Some
time ago l read in the Texas 4 Pacing
Quarterly" that the log cabin IN Which
Uncle Tom lived and die,i was taken
North several years ago to be exhibited
in Northern cities. The cabin WAS taken
from the Chopin plantation, Chopin Sta
ton, on the Texas 4 Pacific Railway. 81
miles west of Alexandria, La. 1t was
identified and vouched for as the genuine
Uncle Toms cabin by afiidavits of the
most prominent residents in that section
of Louisiana.
wrote to the proprietor, Mr.. L.
Chopin. and requested him to give me fur
Their information about the LeSree plan
tation. He answered my letter very cOur-
teously, and gave me the desired partlcu-
lars, and also sent me sketch of the
premises, showing the buildings and sur
roundings.
1t is just 80 years since Mrs. Stoves
book was first published, and it met
with phenomenal success. Thou
sands of copies were sold weekly, both at
home and abroad. 1t has been more
widely read than any other book, EXCEPT
ing the Bible; it has been translated into
% different languages, and hundreds of
actors are engaged in performing Uncle
Toms Cabin on the stage with the nu-
merous troupes that are travelling over
the country.
'sIMoN LEGREE'' in JUNGLE TOMS CABIN
According to Mrs. Stoves narrative,
Simon Legrce made a trip to New Orleans
to purchase more slaves. Among his pur-
l. ,nAlry ri
by steamer he started on his return trip
home THE boat moved on up the red,
muddy, turbid current, through the alb
rupt, tortuoHs windings of the Red River.
At last the boat stopped at a small town,
and Legree, with his slaves. diselnba ked.
TRAILING YEARLY behind 4 rude wagon,
and over a ruder road, Tom and his as
sociates faced onward. In the wagon was
seated Simon Legree and the two women,
still fettered together, were slowed away
with some baggage in the back part Of it.
1t was a Wild forsaken road, now wind
ing through dreary pine barrens, where
the wind whispered mournfuly, and now
over log causeways through long cypress
swamps, the doleful trees rising out of the
Shiny. spongy ground, hung with long
Spanish moss. Simon rode on; apparently
well pleased, occasionally pulling away at
q flask of spirits which he kept in his
pocket"
81 say, YOU he said, as he turned
back and caught glance at the dispirited
faces behind him, strike up a song, boys,
GOMEZ The men looked at each other,
and the command was repeated with q
smart crack of the whip. which the driver
carried in his hand. Tom began Meth
odist hymn:
"'Jerusalem, my happy home,
Name ever dear to me;
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joys when shall
".Shut up, you black euss,' reared Lee
gree; did you think | wanted any Of yer
Internal old Methodism? l say, tune up,
now, something real rowdy; quick! One
of the other men struck up one Of those
unmeaning songs, common among slaves
Soon after they came in sight of the man
sion. What was once a smooth-shaven
lawn before the house, dotted here and
there with ornamental shrubs, was now
covered with frowsy, tangled grass, with
horse-posts set up here and there in it,
where the turf was stamped away. The
wagon rolled up a weedy gravel walk IN
der noble avenue of China trees, whose
graceful forms neglect could not daunt
or alter. The house had been large and
handsome. 1t was built in a mannel
common to the South; a wide veranda of
two stories running around the house, the
lower tier being supported by brick pill
lars"
THE ORIGINAL "sIMoN LEGREE."
The claim that the Chopin estate Of 600
acres is the original Legrer plantation is
based on the following facts:
Among the residents of that section Of
Louisiana it has always been the belief
that the former owner OF the plantation,
Robert McAlpin, was the original OF Lee
gree. McAlpin was a bachelor, diss-
pated, drJnkard, and abusive to his
slaves. Legree is described in the book
as "a man broad, short, and Of gigantic
strength. with a round, bullet head, large,
light-gray eyes, and stiff wiry, sun-burned
hair"
This description tallies with McAlpin,
and there was slave on the estate named
Uncle Tom, who was the counterpart of
Mrs. Stoves patient slave. The house
answered the description in every particu-
lar as given in the book-"The row of
China trees leading up to the house"
''Tbe wide veranda of two stories, the
lower tier being supported by brick pill
lars" even to the small window against
the side of the garrett" North Of the
mansion is the old Clubhouse, where Tom
lay groaning and bleeding in an old for
saken ROOM
A short distance south Of the mansion
is the dense swamp through WHICH Cdssy
and Emeline fled when they pretended to
make their escape, and near by is the
bayou through which they waded on their
way to their hiding place up in the attic
of the mansion, where they remained con-
cealed until they made their escape. "On
dry, sandy KNOLL" which was used as q
burying ground for the slaves, is a grave
covered with pieces Of brick, which is
pointed out as the grave of Uncle Tom
and bat few steps away is the grave OF
McAlpin, the only white person buried
there.
REENLIsTING FOR THREE YEARS MORE
On Gen. Banks's Red River campaign
the 4Sth Ohio passed through the Legree
plantation on March 80, 1864; but t.
make the narrative that | wish to relate
more ineligible, let us go back, as the
novelists say, to Berwick City, so miles
west Of New Orleans, Feb. 30, 1864. A
that time the Government held out specia
inducements for every regiment that hat
served for more than two years, IL the,
would re-enlist for three years more. the.
would get furIough home for 80 days
and be entitled to the name Of "Veterai
Volunteers"
The regiment looked upon the offer yer.
fayorably, provided they could get the fur
Tough Immediately, for the reason If the.
had to wait a few months, they woult
not need furlough. as their three years
term would expire. Thereupon Col. Lind