The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1913-09-25
POOR CONRAD CALLS
BACK BY-GONE DAYS
AND BY MEMORY'S AID BRINGS
BACK PICTURES FROM
THE MISTY PAST.
Elitor County Record:

Elitor County Record: -
Some of my friends who are read
ers of your valuable paper wish to
hear from me again. | am not GER
tain that | can interest them much,
therefore | shall have to write on
more subjects than one; so, as this
was in the long ago, l will tell lit
tie about some more old men of
Clarendon and Williamsburg coun-
ties. Some were white, some black
and others the color of chewed to-
bacco. will begin at the old "1S-
mile House." on the State road from
Charleston to Columbia, where |
spent my childhood days. That was
before the war, as far back as 1886.
Yes, the old "1S". My godfather,
Mr. Vose, owned the place and the
family spent the winters there and
the summers in Charleston and
sometimes at Summerville. After l
grew to be five years and older the
old "18" was heaven on earth to
Conrad. 1t was famous place for
travellers to stop going to and re-
turning from Charleston. There was
only one railroad in the State at that
time, the S C railroad. The North
eastern railroad was built in 1854
and passed through Capt Vose's
land about half mile from the old
"lS". That was a blow which caused
the downfall of the old place, as the
produce from the up-country, as
well as travel, turned to the railroad.
The stable at the old "18" was
quite large and often during the
night every stall would be filled with
travellers horses, 50 | will mention
old Cato, who was head man in the
stable and would see that all the an
imals were we'll fed and watered.
Many good tip did old Cato get
from the departing travellers. He
had been an old sailor in his time. l
think Capt Vose bought him at a
tax sale in Charleston, as we'll as
some others. At that time many of
the free colored men who worked
along the wharves and docks would
become drunkards and fail to pay
their taxes. They were then sold to
whoever would bid them off and
they would have to serve long
enough to pay out, when they be-
came free again. Old Cato was of
brown color, something like an old
quid of tobacco that had been thrown
away and rained on. He was also
badly marked by smallpox. He was
a humble old servant but had
plenty of temper when among the
other slaves and, sailor-like, when
provoked would draw his cutlass
and those who angered him had to
give him ground. AS Nelson Cou-
sar's old Madison would say when he
would make a dash and get away
from the pat j wagon, when they
would catch him without a pass,
oh, d-n, | gee um groun'."
Captain Vose had many servants
about the house and all were fed in
the kitchen, as well as the wagon
drivers, the stable boys and old Cato.
loved to stay about the kitchen.
There were Mum Ellen, who was my
my nurse, Daddy Jacobs wife. She
was small. .coal-black negro, brought
from Guinea, and many good
spanking got from her small, hard
hand. / would often hear her tell.
after l got older, how she would
take me away off in the high woods
behind the garden, where Ma Vose
would not hear my cries. Mum FL
len would laugh and say, Il 'pank
um, | 'pank um,I 'pank 'um; holler,
but nuttin' flu dat; | 'pank um."
There was Mum Dinah, Daddy Ben's
wife. She was not so black as Mum
Ellen and was an American negro.
My mother died when | was but 8
months old, so | was given to Mum