The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1903-03-07

oseph Henry humpkin, our ehiof iua
tces began q correspondent with Hem
.ry Clay about his scheme Of gradual
emancipation Ny father and many
others ~eooperated with the plan, but
the malignant threats Of the aboli-
tionists smothered it in ifs birth. The
other day had a social call from some
northern gentlemen and as the subject
Of the war Incidentally came UP o solid
veteran happened to mention some
thing about Fremont and said he knew
him very well Tor he was the first imam.
he ever voted Cor and that he served
under him during the war. "Well,' said
i "do you know where he was born2'
No, he did nob-up north somewhere.
NO" said !, sbe was Georgian-boru
in Savannah educated in Charleston.
Bis father was a Frenchman, his moth
en- q Virginia lady. The boy was q fine
scholar, but unruly and disobedieut.
Became a tutor in mathematics, was
appointed lieutenant of engineers and
with Nicolas Nicolet made a ~topograph-
zeal survey Of Cherokee, Georgia, in.
1888, the first that ever was made.
My northern friend was amazed.
No, we don't know very much until we
get too old to make our knowledge
useful. Fremont was a very remark
able man. AS an explorer he never
had an equal on this continent, not.
even Lewis and Clark, nor Kearney,
comprised half the territory nor en-
dured half the perils that he did.
WhenfhiS men died or deserted him he
got more. When his Indian guides
refused to go farther he went on with
out them. He was called the Path
finder because he found new paths.
He was too restless to wait for orders,
but, like Andrew Jackson, Just went
ahead. He assembled the highest peak
of the Rocky mountains. 1t is named
Fremont's peak and is 1880 feet high.
He %quarreled with Phil Kearney and
KeRrney had him arrested and sent to
Washington, where he was tried and
found guilty, but President Polk par
doned him. Soon after this numerous
friends began to groom him as can
didate for president. He accepted on
the abolition platform and was beat
en-. When our civil war came on he
was made a brigadier general and put
in charge of the Missouri territory.
One of his first acts was to abolish
slavery in that state. This made Gen.
Grant mad and everybody else who
lived there and owned slaves, so he was
reported to Mr.. lincoln, who annulled
his proclamation and ordered him to
Washington. He was offered other
commands, but refused them and re-
tired from active service. After the
war he concluded to build a railroad
from Texarkana to Ell Paso and got
the state of Texas to give him a liberal
grant of land along the entire route of
500 miles. He went to Paris with this
grant and agreed to come back and
issue bonds on it and get the United
States government to indorse the
bonds. He got the money and built
the road, but failed to get the United
States government to indOrse the
bonds. The French bondhoIders never.
found this out until their money was
all spent. Then they had him arrest
ed and bound over to court to be tried
for the fraud. When the court came
on he did not appear, but forfeited his
bond. How it was finally settled the
record does not tell. He was a won
derful man and never got tired of the
excitement that nourished him, and
his wife stuck all the closer to him
during his trials. She was a wonder
full woman and was beloved and adj
mired by all who knew her. Chauncey
Depew said he knew of one school
where 81 girls were named for her.
On the whole 1 am obliged to admire
Fremont's character, and he was a
Georgian.-BiI Arp, in Atlanta Con-
stitution.