The Monroe journal., 1922-12-15
INTERESTING COLUMN OF
news And INTERVIEWS
A War Time Story About Mai. Miller
and His Negro Slave Sol Who At
tempted To Keep the Mill
DON'T TALK so MUCH
fOC SCRAMBLE YOUR BRAINS

unusual Civil War time story the 9TH
Ell day. II was about Major Miller.
who once lived and carried on a large
farming and mercantile and milling
business where the town of jefferson
now stands. Maj. Miller, who died in
the eighties, was one of the best
known citizens of Chesterfield county,
and one of the wealthiest. He trans
acted much business in Monroe and
was here frequently up till the time
OF his death-all that country at that
time coming to Monroe as its nearest
railroad station. William Crow, the
famous millwr:ght, father of Messrs.
John, Bob and Ed Crow, who built so
many mills all over this section, built
a splendid mill for Maj. Miller before
the war. The mill did a great busi-
ness, grinding corn and wheat, and
ginning cotton. Maj. Miller had a
slave named Sol, who was the miller.
Sol was giant in strength and was
not good darkey. He was known as
man of high passion and de.ermi-
nation when aroused, Maj. Miller
controlled n m largely by letting him
have his own way. When Sherman
came through that country he de-
stroyed every mill, store, and public
place of eve.y kind. Maj. Miller, who
had been in the Confederate army,
had come home on account of age,
and when Sherman came, he, like ali
such men, had to take to the woods
for his safety. Sol was then in charge
of the mill, and squad of Sherman's
men encamped near the mill. For
seme unknown reason they did not
destroy this mill, it being the only
one left standing in all the country
round about. Nobody understood how
it happened but when the soldiers
left Sol announced that the Yankees
had given him the mill and it was now
his. 1t then dawned upon the people
that Sol must have claimed that he
either owned the mill or would keep
1t when they left and thus got il
spared. At any rate he would not give
1t up and, being known as a desperate
man, he defied any one to molest him.
There were ne officers to serve eject
ment papers and Maj. Miller sent to
Camden where the Federal garrison
was stationed after the war and got
an order from the officials to take
his property, and they sent a young
Irish officer to execute the papers. He
knew his business and before Sol
knew what was happening the Irish
man had him covered with his pistol,
wherelpon Sol caved in completely,
But before he would agree to give up
the mill he was strung up by the
thumbs by the official and held there
until DR.. Blair called to the officer
to take him down unless he intended
to kill him. Sol was about gone then
and completely cowed when cut
down. He soon left the country and
settled in another section. People ex-
pected him to return and burn the
mill, but he never came back. This
being the only mill left Major Miller
did land office business and the mill
made him large part of the consid-
cradle wealth that he accumulated.
David, Jr., Has the Pop Corn
Mr.. W. W. Pusser was in the Jour
nal office the other day with a couple
of wire corn peppers which he had
just bought: Preparing for Christ
mas?" he was asked. He was not.
Christmas means lot more than
pop corn at his house. The peppers
were for the chaps, he said, who had
plenty of corn and peanuts. David,
Jr., made five bushels this year all
by himself. He is eleven years old and
did his own plowing, and his Pa never
saw the patch.
About that time Sheriff Fowler
come in and Mr.. Pusser asked him
to go eat Christmas dinner with
him. We'll, WILL" the Sheriff said,
81 Would like to take Christmas din
ner with you and | am going to on
certain conditions. If my wife hasn't
made some other arrangements and
! am not called out that day, will
be there"
"Well," said Win, "come if you can;
we are going to have a twenty-seven
pound turkey, and there may be just
little bit of old apple"
Hold on, WILL" hurriedly put in
the Sheriff, an be there"
"Going to Make Us-Do Better
A farmer friend of The Journal
who sometimes comes in and chats
ilttlc SdHe dlOilS yeSteTuay. he
reads and keeps up and also observes.
"Now." thought the Journal man,
"well get something for this column"
and he was quizzed little.
What about women serving on ju-
ries?" was the first question.
"Women have as much sense as
men and some ines think they have
better grade of sense. | don't see
why they wouldn't make good jur-
ors."
What about the effect of Clemen-
ceau's visit to American"
ITO big a subject for me, l don't
know"
well, what about the boil weevil?"
Hes going to make us-do bet
ter. Been knowing for twenty-five
years that we ought to make some-
thing else beside cotton and follow
diversffication, but wouldn't do it.
Now we got to-
"But. if you knew it before why
didn't you do it,"
"Just got in rut, | guess, and
wouldn't make the effort to climb out.
Our preacher said the other day that
rut is long trench with both ends
open. You can't get out by following
either end. Just got to make a big
4 ,fnrN ,rJ ,,,,.,, 1,,s "a L.