The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-24
'Benner, Be99 s. Garvin
How Benjiman Tillman
Lost His Eve
By. JAMES. B. MORROW

Going into a fence corner for a fig
ure of speech-it scarcely could be
called a flower-Senator BENJAMIN R.
Tillman said: Il grew up as wild as
a jimson weed in some respects" He
had been talking of his childhood.
First, however, he told why Ryan
had been made part of his baptismal
name. Now and then he took off one
of his slippers and scratched the sole
of his foot.
The Ryan in my name came from
an old Wing captain who served in the
Revolutionary War;" he said. HE was
neighbor of my grandfather and a
terrible man against the Tories. There
were many Tories in South Carolina
They were a third of the population,
guess. Ryan was a terror in all that
region. The Tories fled to the timber
with him in pursuit. After the British
captured Charleston. the Wings and
Old Ryan took to the woods.
A party of British caught up with
Ryan unexpectedly and made him a
prisoner There was an inclination
and a purpose to butcher him on the
spot. but he was Colonial officer,
soldier under the laws of war, and en-
titled to be treated as such 1t was
finally agreed. therefore that he should
be tied and taken to the nearest Brit
ish post But there was no rope. A
young man named Booth, Tory, said
he would go home and get a pair of
cotton lines. used in those days for
ploughins. I'D give,' and he grinned
at Ryan a whole season in the corn
field to see that old --- tied He
brought the lines. and Ryan was sent
o1.ln some way he got loose. Was
rescued, maybe. The first thing he did
was to notify Booth that he meant to
kill him. Booth hid in the woods and
Ryan couldn't find him.
1T was late in the spring. when, one
morning before the break Of day. Ryan
buried his musket in pile of dead
leaves and climbed bushy poplar
tree near Booths house. He waited
all day. Women went to the spring to
get water, balancing the buckets on
their heads, as Is the practice in the
south. and one of them put out wash.
Ryan kept on watching there in the
tree.
About an hour before shutdown a
sister OF Booth went along the grass
bordered path to the spring. She had
a wooden water bucket In her hand,
and Ryan. right above ner. among the
branches, saw something in it. When
she got to the spring she looked eau
uously about Seeing. hearing moth
ing, she took tin bucket out of the
wooden one and started off into the
forest. Ryan Slid from the tree. found
his gun and stalked her as he would
a deer.
She came to a log, where her broth
er met her. He ate and she talked.
Ryan purposcly made noise and they
looked and saw him. musket in hand.
only a few feet away. They fell on
their knees and pleaded. but Ryan
killed Booth right there. in the pres
ence of his sister. My grandfather
named his son after Ryan, and the son.
my father, gave the name to me-
His Father.
And your father?" I asked.
HE was cotton planter, with 1900
acres Of land, and about fifty slaves.
At his DEATH was two years old-my
mother took up his family and business
burdens. l was the youngest of nine
living children, and two were dead.
She added to her real and chattel pro-
perry until she had several plantations
some $500 acres of land in all, and q
hundred slaves. The average value of
slaves. old and young, men and women
was, should say, $1,000.
MY brother. brilliant man, never
could go to an auction without buying
u field hand or two. In fact. he spec
ulated in them, getting them near our
home and taking them to Texas and
Louisiana. Being young fellow, and