The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-07-12
Mr.. Hale Writes Of city's Early
Days.
He Talks Of tAs Famess Polk Cam
Daign u 1e4l-His Father
was Injected sheriff Of
MontgomeTy County.
BY 3. q. HALE.

My mothers old family Bible, more
than three-score years of age. has .on
record. in her writing that was born
August /, 1870. Family tradition
taught me that my parents were. ut
that time, occupying cottage on Dex-
ter Avenue few blocks eastward from
the site Of The Advertisers building,
at, or near. the spot where Judge 0as-
ton resided many years.
I have mentioned that the panic of
81 ruined the merchants. Ny mother
had inherited valuable negro property
and my father bought plantation
south Of what 10 now known a. Clio
verdale. about one mile eastward from
was an infant he removed with his
family to that plantation and engaged
in farming.
The only Incident can recall Of that
home was the following: One after
noon my mother, accompanied by my
older brother, myself and one or two
little negroes. walked across what
seemed to me q very large field and.
finally reached a row Of negro cabins
She entered one Of them. while we. the
children, stood at the open door. Two
room. Lying upon pallet was lit
tie negro girl. or 9 years old. The
little creature had been fearfully burn
ed and ! now understood from the
conversation Of the grown negroes that
the accident had occurred but q short
time before our arrival My mother
examined the burns and had certain
remedies applied. was surprised that
the little negro gave no evidence of
announced that she died during the
night. Those negroes were not the
property of my parent. I love to as
sociate my mother with that mission
OF mercy-the earliest recollection
have of anything in this world.
ON Carter Hill Road
When I was 3 years old my father
exchanged his plantation with Genera,
watkins for land lying on the Carter
Hill road, two miles distant from Mont
gomery. There was an overseers cot
taRe and negro cabins to the south
of the road but no residence for our
family. My father selected an eligi-
BILE site, about 100 yards north OF the
road. and employed Jim and Berry Holt.
contractors, to erect building. They
first erected a two-roomed cottage as
shelter for the family. pending the
work on the residence. Our family
occupied one room of cottage. The
other was reserved for company. BY
BOUl0 ulChnH - PAhO Va oeeS 80
broken from one OF the windows to
the company room. That fact had
been noticed by an old cat, who, with
out asking consent soon got in the
habit of leaping through and appro-
priating to himself the bed set apart
for company. though not OF his class.
MY mother had a new pane OF glass
substituted for the broken one. but did
not take the trouble to notify the cat
of the change.
The Unexpected Cat.
That evening Mr.. w. c. McIver. OF
Tuskegee, an old South Carolina friend
of my fathers boyhood, came out from
Montgomery to spend the night, and
was assigned to the company room !.
After every member of the household
had gotten fast asleep the old cat
made his usual plunge and shivered the
new pane Of glass into atoms-scatter-
ing fragments in all directions. The
entire family was aroused by the un-
usual occurrence and Mr.. McIver. at
the top of his voice. called to my faith
or to know what In the world had hap
pened. My mother took In the situa-
ton at once. and soon brought or
der out of confusion. The old cat was
taught a lesson-he never afterward
entered the company room in such an