143. CXLIII.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE TRIP TO RALEIGH.
Post Offis, Confedrit × Roads, }
(wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky),
June 10, 1867.
[1]
I accompanied the President to Rawly. The President
doesn't feel safe at goin anywhere without me to arrange the
details, and do the nice financeerin wich is necessary.
The Rawly trip wuz the occasion of a serious truble in the
Cabinet. The President wuz in favor uv it. Ez he sed, he
wuz essenshelly uv a filial persuasion. He hed alluz experienced
a most consoomin love for his parents, partickelerly for them
on his father's side. He hed swung around the entire cirkle
uv offishel honor, and hed found traitors on all sides; but he
cood lay his hand on his heart and say that he hed never
knowed a troo man but who, at some period uv his life, hed a
father. Why, then, shood we not honor our fathers? How
could it be better dun than by layin corner-stuns? His father
deceest in 1812, and it wuz time that this dooty wuz attended
to. Besides, at this crysis in the affairs uv the country, with
Wilson and Kelly a snortin through the South, he felt it wood
be a good thing to show ourselves.
Seward felt that it wuz well to go. Filial love wuz charmin.
Shakspeer, who wuz ez justly celebrated ez a dramatist
ez one he cood menshun wuz for diplomatic telegraffin, remarkt,
“How sharper nor a serpent's tooth it is to hev a thankless
child,” — the truth of which he hed experienced, ez he hed
been styled the father uv the Republican party: but that wuz
not to the pint. It is the dooty uv every son to lay corner-stuns.
In this case it wood, perhaps, hev bin more creditable hed it
been dun fifty years ago; but wat difference is it? It is
natral ez we are about being gathered to our fathers, that we
shood remember em. Besides, he hed a little speech wich he
felt he'd like to deliver. He wanted to bear testimony to the
patriotism uv the son uv Jacob Johnson — particularly to our
colored brethren in North Carliny, who hev bin listenin to
Kelly and Wilson.
Randall didn't bleeve in it at all. He made bold to say that
ez the deceast Johnson hed slept without a corner-stun for
fifty-five years, he'd manage to git along without it a while
longer. It wuz rather late in the day. He bleeved in feelin
sorrowful over the decease uv our relatives, but he didn't go
much on doin it fifty-five years after date. It wuz too much
like bustin into tears over the suffrins uv the last illness uv yer
wife's great-grandmother. The speeches he didn't bleeve in
at all. He hed seen some uv it — he hed accompanied one
toor uv the kind. He hed bin on it. He wuz at Cleveland, at
Indianapolis, and Springfield, Illinoy. He begged to be excoosed.
He didn't keer about tailin sich a kite agin. Ef the
people uv the South shood receive us ez corjelly ez the people
uv the North did, he preferred to consult his feelins and be
absent. He wuz a sensitive plant, and disliked sum things.
Ef his memory served him rite, the demonstrashens coodent
be considered flatterin. The people didn't fling dead cats at
us, but they did wuss. Where they wuz cold, they wuz rather
too cold. Where they wuz in a volatile humor, they wuz
rather too lively. He hed about made up his mind that it
wuzn't uv any yoose to fite it out on that line ef it took all
summer. Success is a dooty; but when success is as impossible
ez water in the great Sahara, wat's the yoose? Wherefore
struggle? Let us go slow, draw our salaries to the end uv
our 'spective terms, and so live that wen the summons comes
to jine the innoomerable caravan that moves out uv Washinton
to'ards their 'spective homes, we go not like the dusty slave at
nite, wat's bet his all on two pair, but soothed and sustained by
wat we saved, — go like one who's got the wherewithal to
live. It wuz a source uv comfort to him to know that the
worst men wuz soon forgotten. Who ever speaks uv Tyler, or
Peerce, or Bukanon, now? Benedict Arnold is only spoken uv
on Fourth uv Julys, and Judis Iskariot on Sundays. It will be
so with us in time, for wich thank the Lord.
But it wuz determined to go, and I wuz sent to Rawly to
find where the grave uv the honored father of our honored
President wuz reely locatid, and to make other arrangements.
I hed difficulty in locatin the grave, and ain't jest shoor that I
found the right one. The people uv Rawly wuz anxshus to hev
it come off, ez trade wuz dull in the retail line; and for fear
that I wood report that the grave coodent be found, and thus
nip their budding hopes, they giv me the choice uv fifteen.
Selectin the most eligible, I made the uther arrangements and
returned.
The eggscurzion contrastid very favorbly with the one we
took last fall. The people receeved us at every stashen with
the most affectin demonstrashuns uv luv. “Johnson! Johnson!
Johnson!” they yelled at each stoppin-place, wich sounded
sweeter in his ears and mine than the damnable iterashen of
“Grant! Grant! Grant!” wich greetid us at every pint North.
But ther wuz drawbax to our enjoyment. No sooner wood the
President commence, “Fellow-citizens!” than Randall wood
pull the bell-rope, and off the trane wood start. He wuz
determined that the President shouldent speek, wich put me to
a grate deal uv trouble, ez after we arrived I hed to write
out and telegraph to the papers the speeches the President
wood hev made.
At Rawley, General Battles welcomed the Presidential party,
and the President responded. He remarked that in Rawley
he first opened his tender eyes, a penniless boy. Here is the
scene uv his childhood; here is everything to bind man to his
fellow, and to associate him with that with wich he is associated;
here is where the tenderness uv heart hev taken holt upon
everything to wich it hez attached itself. But he wuz wandrin
from his subjick. His mind went back to the day he left this
city a penniless boy. Where is them he left behind him? He
begged to inquire where is the scenes uv his childhood?
Where's the Haywoods?
“Killed at Antietam!” shouted a returned Confedrit. “I
wuz by William's side when he wuz shot.”
“Where is the Hunters?”
“Runnin a distillery at Waxhall's Court 'ouse,” sed this same
fellow, who thot the President really wantid to know. He wuz
choked down, and the President proceeded: —
“Wher is the Roysters and the Smithses, the Brownses and
the Joneses? Wher is the long list of men that lived at that
day, and who, like me, command respeck for constancy of
devoshen? I feel proud of this demonstrashen — I feel proud
of any demonstrashen. Ez alloosion hez bin made to my boyhood
days, when I wuz a penniless boy, I may say here, ez
pertinent to that subjeck, that I hev adhered to the fundamental
principles uv the gov'ment, and to the flag and Constooshen.
But to return to my subjeck. When I went out from
among yoo a penniless boy, I adoptid the Constooshen ez my
guide, and by them I hev alluz bin guided. To the young I
would say that they will be safe in takin me ez a model.
Leavin here a penniless boy, it is not for me to say whether
or not I hev succeeded. I am no longer a penniless boy, nor
is them wich are round me. Mrs. Cobb ain't a penniless boy;
nor is — But this is a wanderin from the subjeck. For the
[ILLUSTRATION]
NIGGERS RECOGNIZING THEIR MOSES. Page 443.
[Description: 635EAF. Illustration page. Illustration of the meeting
described on page 443; a man in a dark suit shakes the hand of an
African-American woman.]
encouragement uv the young men afore me, I wood say, that I
hev enjoyed all I care about. I am no aspirant for nothing, and
therefore the way I now open for em. All places uv honor
is now before em. I thank you for this corjel welcom.
North Caroliny sent me out a penniless boy, and did not
afford me sich advantages ez, considerin my merits, I ought
to hev hed; yet I luv her. It's better ez it wuz. Goin
out a penniless boy, and returnin after holdin every offis,
from Alderman uv my adopted village up to President, shows
my qualities to much better advantage than ef I hedn't gone
out a penniless boy. I thank you for this tribute to my many
good qualities.”
And he startid to go down, when Randall whispered suthin
in his left ear. Risin promptly, and drawin out his hankerchief,
the President assoomed a look uv subdood greef, and
resoomed.
“I hev come among yoo to participate in the dedicashen uv
a monument to a man wich yoo all loved, tho it hez taken suthin
like fifty yeers for yoo to diskiver it. He wuz poor and
humble, wich akkounts for my goin from among yoo a penniless
boy; but uv him I am proud, — for hed it not been for him, I
woodent hev returned the shinin example to yoo young men
wich I am.”
The corner-stun wuz laid, and the monument set on it. It is
uv red limestone, ten foot high. It's ez good a ten foot uv
stun respeck ez there is in North Carliny. Ez the monument
was elevatid, there wuz appropriate speeches, and then my
little arrangements cum in. A nigger woman I hed took with
us from Washington rushed for'ard, and sed, “Bless de Lord,
I'ze bin a waitin for dis day to see de President, — OUR President!”
at wich a squad uv niggers I'd picked up and drilled,
hollered “'Ror!”
This little affectin sceen over, two quadroons, wich I'd also
bro't with us in a privit car, cum for'ard with a expression of
profound greef, at wich the President wept, and tenderly slung
bokays uv the choicest flowers we cood buy in Washington,
upon the tomb.
It wuz reely a techin tabloo. The ancient nigger woman a
holdin the President's hand; the young quadroons a slingin the
bokays; the President with his head bowed, apparently a
dreamin uv the days uv his boyhood; me with an expression
uv thankfulness that the niggers hed at last recognized their
Moses; Seward with a saintly smile on his face; Welles tryin
to look ez near like Seward as possible, but failin miserably to
look like anything but the eggrejis old ass he is, and Randall
with his handkercher to his eyes ez ef onmanned by the movin
sceen, but keepin one eye cocked over the handkercher to see
how it took among the niggers. It wuz a sceen easier to be
imagined than described.
Ther wuz incidents which occurred wich did not appear in
the telegraph. When his Excellency wuz speekin uv himself,
and remarkt that his race wuz nearly run, a unregenerated
nigger yelled out, “Tank de Lord!” And when the quadroons
wuz a strewin flowers on the grave uv His Excellency's
father, I observed rather more titterin among the niggers
than I approved uv on so sollum an occasion. I askt Randall
what he thought of the speckelashen, and his answer,
“It don't pay!” struck me ez havin a vane uv trooth runnin
through it.
On our return, the President wuz allowed to speek more,
for Randall got tired of watching him. We returned in good
health, and some was in good spirits. Seward feels well, for he
hez an abidin faith that the mere showin uv hisself alluz hez
an effeck for good upon the people, and ez a matter uv
course Secretary Welles thinks so to.
Petroleum V. Nasby, P. M.
(wich is Postmaster), and Professor.
