The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-10
SOME RECOLLECTIONS OF
AUNT ABBEY HOUSE.
How She Got Half Dollar Out of Gen. Ransom and
What She Thought of Him---F1er Stormy
Life Closed in Peace


whose memory goes back thirty-fve
years, she needs no introduction; but,
there are so many. especially among your
numerous female readers. who can not
heard of Aunt Abby take it for grant
ed that few incidents connected Will
her very extraordinary life-her sayings
and doings-will be interesting to them,
as 1 am sure they will be to those who
knew her in the flesh
Aunt Abby House was native OF
Franklin county, born the latter part OF
the eighteenth century, according to her
statement, being as she once told me "a
right smart gal, enduring OF the time
OF the war of 1872; big enough to have
sweetheart" That sweetheart, she said
went to the war, and the news came TO
her that he was sick at Norolh, -,
and, she said. she walked every step OF
the way from Franklin county to Norfolk
to see him. arriving there the day after
he was buried. 20 yes,' said she, Il
was right smart gal enduring of that
war; but, / can't tell you exactly how
old l am now" The conversation IA
which she gave me this information oc-
CURED in 1877.
/ have heard that in her early days,
and indeed, through most of her life, she
was a turbulent woman; fond OF con-
tentions and law suits, and that she was
able to stand her ground in the court
house, on the court house grounds, or any
where else. and that no man could beat
her swearing, when things did not go to
suit her. Indeed, she had not stopped
the swearing habit when I first knew
her, when she was quite old.
l knew but little of her before the
war; but during the war she began
career that brought her before the public:
and until she died in 1881. there were
few women in North Carolina better
known.
The first time l remember seeing her
after the war. was at Franklinton, at a
District Conference. Some one was
preaching and in the midst of his dis
course he bore down pretty hard on GER
tain sins, especially that worSt CT all
sins, taking the name of God in vain,
showing how worse than foolish the habit
some people had of cursing at everything;
even some women, so far forgot their sex
as to use bad language.
About that time Aunt Abby" with a
.ane III each hand, bounced Up and went
toward the door, about half bent, making
as much nose with her two feet and her
two canes as a horse could have done.
She halted just outside the door until
the services closed, and, as the coagrga-
ton passed her, she was giving the
preacher fits, and fully demonstrating the
fact that curSing was no new thing to
her. That was in 1857 or 'e3. From that
10
be on speaking terms with her, as l
frequently saw her on the train. She
never bought ticket, and the conductor
rarely ever got any fare from her. If
she had quarter she'd give the con-
ductor that, and if he hesitated as if
that were not enough, she would threaten
to hit him with her stick, and he would
move on. On one occasion I heard her
ask Gen. Ransom for half dollar. at the
depot, just before the train left. The
General in a sort of teasing way Gaid:
Aunt Abby, I don't think 1 have half
dollar" She stepped back and looking
him full in the face she said: Matt
Ransom, you know that's lie; and I'm
going to tell your wife about It the first
time / see her." The General ran his
fingers into his vest pocket and pulled out
the nearest can come tc 1t Aunt Abby.
Will that do for your" She held it in
her hand second, dropping her head as
il in deep thought, and said. mo, that
won't do. I'll get it changed" NO"
said the General, you may need the other
half sometime. Keep it, She replied,
Matt Ransom. I always did say it. you
are a gentleman, every ltch OF you," and
hp loS of hn
into the car. The General may not re-
member the incid mt as l do, as at that
time he was commencing his career as
United States Senator. and had more on
his mind than an ordinary mortal.
Aunt Abbey's wal record will soon be
forgotten, as the brave men who wore
the grey are falling out of ranks, every
day, and there will be, very loon, none
left to tell of how faithfully she minis
tered, in her rough way to the sick and
wounded men on the Virginia hills. I
heard it said of her that she was pres
ent at several battles. and that she was
as cool and as self-possessed as any vet
eran, and that, on one occasion, while
the fight was going on she was seen, in
a very exposed place, holding horse.
Some one said: ''OId woman you'd better
get out of here before one of those shells
tears you all to pieces Il amt gwine
a step. I told Col.--Id hold his horse
till he came back out of the fight and I'll
do it, shells or no Shells" While that
may not have been literally true, it
would not be saying too much of her, that
she would have done just such i daring
thing If occasion had offered
Everybody heard during the war how
anxious Aunt Abby was about her nephew
who was in the army, and how she inn
portuned Gov. Vance to help her get that
nephew out. She was a constant visitor
at the Governors office. ana he treated
her so nicely, that she became life-long
admirer of him. Gov. Vance at her earn
est solicitation did secure a furlough for
her nephew, upon the condition that she
would be sure to send him back to the
army when the Through expired. But
she did not do it. One snowy day she
walked into the Governors office, stamped
the snow off her shoes and sat down by
the fire seeming to be in deep study
All at once she turned to Gov. Vance
and said: "zeb, that boy can't go back
to the army, he's got the consumption