The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-12
sr :. .. HALE.


 4nn Eliza occupying one carriage and < Uuy parents and younger brother. an- Z n<hor. They crossed the river at Mont momery on the ferry boat. then took a 2 %nQrthwesterly course through Autauga Eounty. thence onward to their objec- $ Eies point. Each family started from U4optE0mery equipped with materials <. kcr lunch. At monday they partook of that lunch by the roadside. be- 1m4Ath the shade of trees that bordered M opring of col water in Tuscaloosa D4r. Coxe and family stopped with re- < XGtiveA Ny parents and little brother 1oarded In the family of Mrs. Whit M Ht home with MT. and Mrs. Williams Fhe had charge of our home during the D&oence of our parents.
 Ono uight Mfr. Williams and my bro- 1Her accompanied by one or two negro 8QSs went 'possum hunting. remain. - with Mrs. Williams. We were sit- ( t1nk In the dining room and Mrs Wtls 3i4ms sent Minda. the little house ser. vaut with a lighted candle. into the Bedroom to get some article that was beeded. She returned in few mo 11ientA walked, slowly. up to Mrs. Wtl1iams and. In awstruck tones. whis- pered: The beds on ire." Mrs. VII. 1iams ran toward the room screaming as she went close at her heels. The
 
 md had already mounted to the top. To me the situation seemed hopeless. Just at that moment Bess who oc- cupled . room in the yard and had heard the screams, rushed Into the room and with hands extended to the top of the netting with jerk. tore it down. stamped upon 1t and. In a twin kle had the fire extinguished. She en- tered the fight to win and she won. That was her style. No other negro on the place would have accomplished what she did. Mrs. Williams was about proatrated from excitement She be san to weep prcfusely. She sent Jim post haste to recall the 'possum hunt CTS whose torch light we could see through the intervening forest in the direction of the Thomas residence. I sat close beside her on the step to the back door. In front of us was row of pigeon boxes my older brother had nailed against the side of the store room. He had recently gotten several pigeons, and they. being a nov city. were the source of excitement on fhe part of the little folks As sat beside Mrs. Williams on the steps, the male pigeon began to utter the strange sounds peculiar to that bird. I said: Old pigeon. we are not thinking about you, tonight" was feeling very sol- eu1n and was astonished when, Mrs. Williams greeted my utterance with 1auxister. It was the beginning of a <enuine case of mysteries. She inter- !s&in&Ied tears and laughter. After ftHards she said that she was certain that the house and contents would be destroxed and theJ knowledge that 1t sendins the little negro into the room 'had unnerved her completely.
 hen my parents were ready to re- furn From Tuscaloosa, Mrs. Whitfield's young lady said to my lit x He brother. sTsn walt and marry you8 1z y0u will come for me when you gd Ex9Wn.% He replied: .'ail vfte an pW oin6 rant viftsrs wid me-. Esanik Has onr ideal AEaonE taS boys of all
 1Dfave and good. q Years later those too were soldiers 3n the same regiment and a Tuscaloosa general commanded them Frank fell at Sharpsburg Sept. '62. my brother. al chanceiorviIie. May. 'ss.
 was near Mrs. Vicker's home up in a tree, gathering ehinkopens when a little negro came a running and called to me: Miss has come" I was never more excited in all my life. I had never. before, been separated from my mother.
 The old House.
 On visit to Tuscaloosa, in recent years. enquired of citizens where the
 
 days. was located. None could tell. Finally. in. the negro portion of the town. I met an old woman who point ed out a two-story brick of peculiar structure as the home of the Whitfields, but not one of the name remained. For many minutes stood and gazed with feelings of reverence, at this re- minder of the past--the old building that nearly two thirds of a century agone, had been the temporary adode Of my parents and my little brothers. During the winter of '4s-'49. two of my mothers nieces came fram Sumterville g. C., on a visit to her. At the same time. Misa Margaret McIver. of Dari. inngton s. C., came on a visit to her brother, W. c. McIver, Tuskegee, Ala. She extended her visit to Montgomery and spent some days at our home.
 Several years later. she married a MT. Williamson. Her son, Evander McIver Williamson sometimes takes a day or two off, to teach Alabama farm CTS. and those of other States. How to raise corn
 Mr. Seth Robinson's residence was on South Perry street. For several consecutive years he invited my fa- fher's family to dine with his family on Christmas day.
 On such occasions each child pre- sent received quite c number of toys. On evening of Christmas. AS. Dan Robinson. MT. Robinson's only son, re- turned home with us. On the way out, was telling the number of toys Santa Claus had brought me the previous night.
 Dan said, pshaw! there's no such thing as Santa Claus. I used to think there was but learned better, long ago." appealed to my mother to know if she put all the nice things in my stocking the night before. She acknowledged that she had. I felt as though my best friend had been murdered apd l attributed the deed to Dan Robinson. nv older brother returned from school one evening and announced that the capitol had burned, that afternoon. He brought several pendants that had been detached from the chandeliers with which the building had been furn- 2shed. We had them for many years. In The City.
 I Tn September '49 My father sold his plantation to Mrs. Falkner who had resided in the Southern portion of the county and on Get 1st he removed to afontgomery. We then occupied the !, residence on North East corner of North Lawrence and Columbus streets, which he had rented of Mrs. Charles.
 Before our removal Mrs. Gus Ray, bought my mothers herd of cattle twenty -three-in number.
 My younger brother and 1 amused Mr Ray and our father by guessing ixhat ali of the cattle were worth fifty dollars.
 Tn 1887. fifty eight years after our