The Washington herald., 1913-10-12

De taken away by Sherman's army was
burned. My mother GiC- aer own house
keeping. We hadn't money enough to
ipay servant, even If one could have
been found who was willing TO work
| Il learned to wash and wipe dishes
and to kindle fire in the kitchen stove.
There was a weekly newspaper in Mill
ledgeville, TO which my father contrib
utcd verses and editorials Through his
influence, I became the office devil but
l got no pay for my labor. The editor
thought that the honor of being asso-
ciated with his organ of civilization was
sufficient recompense for my services.
! The connection so established nat
Iurally turned my mind toward the print
ing business and led to my first re-
lmunerativo employment. 1t seemed to
me, as I canvassed the situation. that
daily newspapers might be sold in the
village il properly brought TO the notice
of the inhabitants. My father encour-
| aged me to write letter to the Macon
Telegraph. He wanted me to do things
for myself, saying that boys should learn
to transact business and to be resource
ful and self-reliant.
The Macon Telegraph readily appoint
/ ed me its sales agent at Milledgeville.
Moreover, it agreed to extend me a line
! of credit and to take back such papers
| as remained unsold. l received five
copies of the Telegraph every morning.
| Three OF the copies. after energetic ef-
| forts on my part, were disposed OF to
regular subscribers. The other two
copies were returned to the publisher.
Spent His Savings for Trousers.
My profits amounted TO cents a day.
or 81 cents a week. The accumulations
were given to my mother. At the end
of six weeks I had 324 cents, net. The
money was invested in linen. out of
which my mother made trousers for my
younger brother and myself. So ended
my first independent business operation.
by and by l was earning Is cents a
day. Perhaps my prosperity made me
arrogant. At all events, l fell out with
the Macon Telegraph people and trans
ferred my patronage taking the five Gus |
toners with me, to the Augusta Chron- |
iCle"
The father, in course of time. became |
prosecuting attorney Of Baldwin County, |
and while holding that office sent the |
leader of the local Ku-KluX Khan to pris- |
on, thus breaking up the organization in
that part of Georgia. When he was tOf- |
fered the professorship of history and |
English and $3.50 a year by the trustees |
of the University of Tennessee. he left !
MiIedgeville and thereafter until his
death lived in Knoxville. He moved
away from Georgia because he thought |
his children would have better education
al opportunities elsewhere.
''I understood the struggles my father
had to face in making a living for a
family Of nine children" Secretary Nc
AdOo told me. land naturally helped
him all 1 could. l worked on farms
and tried in every way TO lessen the
burdens of my parents. During Christ
mas vacation. in nv Junior year at the
university, I asked the clerk of the
United States Circuit Court, whom I
knew. if he could give me temporary en-
ployment as a Copyist. Legal papers
at that time were written by hand in
stead of on typewriters.
The clerk, to my amaZement. said
he would pay me 81 a day for two weeks
I had never earned s. a day. The pay. /,
l thought, was fabulous. At the end Il
Of the fortnight I received s24 in one,
big lump. The amount almost carried +
me off my feet. 1t was the largest sum ,
had ever seen all at once. I wrote ,
legibly and the clerk, to my delight. said
he would keep me two weeks longer. II
Earned S2S5 the First Year.
Then came one Of the unexpected
turning points in my life. The clerk I
said he would appoint me as his deputy
and send me to Chattanooga. Ny father I
was a college man and hoped 1 would /
complete my course at the university I
But I argued and pleaded so effectively r
hat he Yielded and | moved away from ,
Knoxville l intended to he a lawyer =
and believed that my official association !
With judges and members of the bar 4
would more than Offset what l should !
ose by quitting the university. =
l read law at night During the day :
was employed with legal gentlemen and :
egaI papers and was eXcellently situat- 7
ID Tor Young man in my circum-
tances. Ny admission to practice came ~
after my twenty-first birth n
lay. The opening weeks at the bar
we're not golden. My fees at the end =
II twelve months, I will remember, a
mounted TO SIS. I lived within that -
um. Ny first client was a friend He \.
vas a man of property. l drew his will h
te is living yet. l have always thought
Ie is too loyal to me to die and LET ,
hat will be filed in court
M my negroes were arrested hack IN
hose times for all sorts of big and little "
rlmes- They never had any money, and VI
he judges would appoint lawyers to de- I,
end them in court. Being officers of the
ourt the lawyers, of course accepted
he assignments. Young lawyers, indeed
'ere always glad to perform service of G,
hat kind. They almost asked for it, be- n
"'SSS ~ save NHtlll an opportunity to NJ
ppear In court and try their skill in p
riminal trials. They were full of ora -
Dry and zeal and often gained consid- -,
rable notoriety. l had my share of such =,
ases. se
The fees of my second year at the =
ar of Chattanooga mounted to the sat- a.
factory total of $500 Then / got mar :.
ed and times grew better Collecting ~
ebts was one of my early professional
h,,t
Ike every sort of case to make a liv- :,
g The customary charge was 10 per ns
INT of the fact of the claim. After l =,
id collected several accounts of 50, re- -,
Ewing thirty cents on each occasion ~
concluded that my dignity as an at -
rney and cOunsellor-at-law was being b,
lpaired by so trifling a recompense and n,
made it a rule of my Office or
lat no fee thereafter should be less than All
noo Vi
becomes Interested in Railroads.
A photographer in Knoxville soon
Ter that sent me an account OF S25O
'alnst Chattanooga hotel clerk. re- re
rned IT, saying that not a wheel in NV eN
nee ever turned for less than IS. Col tr'
ct the BILL the Photographer wrote ne
OK and l will pay what you ask. The re
D. he added. will be worth it. He CO..
as acquainted with the clerk Won nm me
rstand. 1 got the money and remitted l
to the photographer, along with a hin to
r professional services Tba Rim - thi
moi