The Washington herald., 1906-11-04
EX-SLAVE had % CHILDREN
Had Three Wives During His Long
Life Of 107 Years.
CenteDariap Negro Hale and Hearty
in spite of His Aee-Came North
by the Underground Route.

Detroit, Nov. 2.-Visiting az the home
Of relatives at Eo. 224 NcComb street is
Addison Smith, Of Rondeau, Canada.
former slave. father Of twenty-niae chi
dren by the slave wives be has had ia hrs
lifetime Of 1o7 years. His visit is 81 tire
nature n a family reunion and at the
gathering were ten sons and daughters.
The ccntenarian lives with a married
daughter. Mrs. Victoria Murphy. al Eol-
deau. where he has q man "lii ing lly
scattered town lots. as he expresses b.
Though practically blind, Addison
Smith says he can find his way srovn1
his village home as weH as any. maa
woman. child, or dog in the place. HIS
hearing and mental faculties are remarI-
ably well preserved.
The bald pate and the whitened growtH
Of hair upon the WrinkIed face suggested
reincauation Of Uncle Tom. as the
old man went back through the mist o.
years and told OF slavery days. aud no.
he outwitted his masters and escaped t0
the North in the hops Of becoming re-
united with MS wife and family in TIE
zone OF freedom.
Tenn, May %, 1885," DC SAID. IN diaIect
reminiscent OF the cotton plantation ''sIy-
FIRST wife was taken from me after 0uI.
third child was born. she was sold from
the block in New Orleans and / never saw
her again.
Il was a single man for six years
then, rascal that ] was I took q second
wife. We had Eve children, aad thcr
m u grr
separated Us our masters said ] couiG
come to see her twice each year-C7r.ze-
mas and Easter. That was a hard blow
ard began &c think II I could only set
up North Ike some other c0lOrcd folks
/ had done, / might Dc able o. s1nd for
my wife and children later on.
The father OF a boy I knew had free
dom papers. and I made 2 bargain win
that boy 10 steal the papers. He die So
and / gave him my b0Wie-knife One
night another slave and myself took
! horses and rode away We had mauy
trials and adventures. but finally We
reached Louisville, Ky. There I Wa
caught and jailed bat when my trial
came up I managed to wriggle out of the
mess. The boy had told me how The
papers read. and ] was able % answer
( the questions put 20 me-
But It took me a long time TO set
I beyond the danger line. finally landed
/ in SandusGy, Ohio and from there
came TO Detroit and afterward located
. IN Chatham. Then I moved 10 Rondeae.
and have lived there ever since. I ua-
living in Chatham during the war. and
( an abOlitiOn'st came there and started .
SOFT drink tavern. I told him the story
about my wife and children. and how
I longed 10 see them again. He said De
would Try to get them Up North for nae.
and gave him SIS for expenses.
he did 90 down there and found nv
wife But she was suspicious aud would
not come / have never seen her nor
them I'VE children since the night
/ stood IN the doorway of our iittle cabin
and kissed her gCod-by. telling her ue
would soon meet I'm that happy free land
that we had heard so much about
Well, as time wore on. I became lone
ly, and reckoned I'd better get married
again, cause I knew the only way they
could separate man and wife in the
North was by death or the divorce court
I was nigh onto fifty years old then. and
married girl only sixteen years Ole.
The result Of that marriage was ryrer-
ty-one children. Ter OF them were here
the other day. My thiEd wife died a few
years ago. but I have q comfort BE home
with my daughter. sleep we'll aud eat
1 three hearty meals every day 7 don't
use tobacco nor strong drink now. but lr
my earlier days I was able TO drink
good deal without getting fun.
These old bones are getting powerful
weary, and I reckon I'll soon be callet
/ 10 The Great Master OF us all"