' * I. ' • o. .^^ » K - u , o » o • • 5 - / .•.'^' 'o . k ,^' _/' '%. o " n c .1 '-> -(.^ ■ .-^^ ,^-' ■^x. •^ ^'n- ^ ^ TJ .*' # ■>• ^. ■<'. ■,>■ , ( 0' ^; ',^ (^^ o " o ?, '^0' J o *-f .o' <$> * o « P-r- ^^ «,r>»»^ ♦ ^ % .0* iP^ri .V ^^ • ' • o , O^ v^^ : SCOTT BOND AT 40. MRS. MAGNOLIA BOND. ' FROM SLAVERY TO WEALTH THE LIFE OF SCO BOND THE REWARDS OF HONESTY, INDUSTRY, ECONOMY AND PERSEVERANCE BY DAN. A. RUDDanpTHEO. BOND M'lTH PREFACE BV HON. J. C. r^APIEK President National Negro Business League and Ex-Register of U S. Treasury PUBLISHED BV THE JOURNAL PRINTING COMPANY MAUISON, ARK. 1917. ^/ CONTENTS. A Crop of Artichokes s5 An Offer of Wages 139 A Deal in Peas 151 Application 379 Birth of Scott Bond 17 Bond and Fitzpatrick Buy A;len Farm 49 Buys His First Farm 73 Brick for Allen Farm 93 Buvs Back Old Home 97 Buys Half Section 122 Bear Story 135 Brick 193 Build Gin at Madison 220 Bad Crops 233 Builds Saw Mill 324 Cash Rent : 65 Conditions Changing- 375 Deer For Dinner 30 Edmondson Gin 312 First Merchandising- 57 Finding Money 234 Forgets His Wife 260 Frog Farm 323 Floods and Cutworms 331 Gravel Beds 263 Gravel Loading 284 Gloomy Times Ahead 333 How I Learned to Make Brick 171 Handling Cottonseed with Different Oil Mills 238 High Cost of Living- 253 (4) NOV 30 1917'' CI.A4P7403 - ^iC CONTENTS O In a Jim-Crow Car '-^^-^ Latent Forces -^^^ Learning a Yankee Trick -Oi Mother Dies 2" Making a Slip Gap 29 Madison Cemeteiy 307 Mother -^'^ Negro Deals with Negroes 352 Otto B. Rollwage -S^i Overcomes Objections -jIo Pays First Rent With Money 65 Patterson, the Great Bear Hunter 183 Renting an Ax l^^d Ravenden Springs • • • • '-^92 Race with the Stork 212 Race Prejudice in America an Economic Loss 372 Starting Negro School 25 Sitting on a Snake 33 Scott Bond Moves to Madison 37 Swaps Fish for Meat 90 Sale of Allen Farm 77 Shows Sons Nev/ Store 202 Settling a Strike 156 Slaves' Method of Communication 191^) Scott Bond Finds Pot of Money 215 Scott Bond's Wife Finds Can of Wealth 217 Scott Bond Builds Concrete Store 234 Starts Housekeeping 174 Summary 382 Theophilus Bond Learns to Fire 162 The Difference 167 Taylor Swift Goes to Africa 206 Trip to Kansas City 243 Visits New York ". 352 Visits New Orleans 361 Visits Roger Williams University IIS 6 CONTENTS. Working- for Nothing 134 Why Scott Bond Has Been Successful 200 What the Negro Farmer Is Doing 374 ■~-.'::u:-~-c;;r.r.i^'--2:'"' ■**•• '"^ """ -n1 '~^ — - — ILLUSTRATIONS. Flood in the Mississippi River 19 Gives an idea of that mighty stream, when on a rampage. Sheep and Cattle .23 This is a daily scene at the Bond home at the morning milking hour. Scene on Gray Farm 27 A great field of cotton that has just been worked out the first time. Scott Bond's Sheep at Home ^1 The sheep have returned from pasture and are waiting admission to the bam yard. Cattle After Dipping 35 Getting ready for the boll-weevil. "The Cedars" -39 Scott Bond at home with wife and children. Scott Bond's Birthplace 43 Cabin in Mississippi, where Scott Bond was born. Spring Creek M. B. Church 47 An historic landmark on Crowley's Ridge. Scott Bond Landing Logs at His Saw Mill 51 He turned his timber into money instead of deadening it to rot on the ground. Mr. Bond and Mr. Bridgeforth 55 Discussing hogs in the Mulberry orchard at Tuskegee Institute. Corner of Bed-room in the Bond Home 59 Showing fireplace where can, supposed to contain $500 in gold, was found. Scott Bond Gin 63 Showing platform filled with cotton ready for shipping. (7) 8 ILLUSTRATIONS. Wheat Stacked on Side of Field 67 Diversification: land being prepared for peas. View of Stevens Farm 71 This scene shows a great field of corn and cotton in earli- est stages of cultivation. Near View of Fruit Farm , 75 There are 5,000 fruit trees in tlii.s orchard. ."Some more diversification. Laying by Com with Cultivators 79 This field was used for silage 1917. Bird's-Eye View of Madison 83 From "The Cedars" one can see for miles up and down the St. Francis River, that threads its way, like a silver ribbon, past Madison. View on Fishing Lake Farm 87 One of the finest fishing spots in Arkansas. Bird's-Eye View of Fruit Farm 91 View of Section 12 on Military Road 95 Mr. Bond and Mr. Bridgeforth 99 On the Tuskegee breeding farm. Mr. Bond and Mr. Bridgeforth 10.3 In Tuskegee Orchard. Mr. Bond and Mr. Bridgeforth 107 On Tuskegee truck farm. Mr. Bond Visits the Tuskegee Poultry Yard Ill Mr. Bridgeforth and Mr. Bond 115 Discuss Tuskegee 's prize jack. Scott Bond's Blacksmith Shop 119 It requires the time of this shop to keep up the repairs of tools on Mr. Bond's many farms. Scott Bond Making a Start in Life 128 ''Started to lay the foundation of his career at the age of 22 with a bed quilt and a clean character." Miss Chism Milking 127 The products of the dairy have done much to aid Scott Bond on his way up. ILLUSTRATIONS. 9 Scott Bond's Registered Bull, Robert 131 This calf at eleven months weighed 850 pounds, and this is the' way Mr. Bond made him' keep his baby fat. Another way to discount the boll-weevil. View on Stevens Farm of 580 Acres on the St. Francis River. . .137 View of Stevens Farm Looking South ^43 Harvesting Alfalfa ^'^'^ This is another way Scott Bond is discounting the boll- weevil pest. 1917 Potato Crop Ready for Digging 153 This is still another way to offset the efforts of the boll- weevil. Scene on Gray Farm 150 It was at this point that the old military road built by Gen. Jackson crossed the St. Francis River. Engineers Surveying 163 This part of the ocean to ocean highway runs between Memphis and Little Rock: passes half dozen of Mr. Bond's farms. Duroc Red, Registered Hogs 16lI Mr. Bond says: "'if T can't grow cotton I can grow i):g>. boll-weevil or no boll-weevil." Com in New Ground, First Crop 175 Not twelve months since, this was a dense jungle. Scott Bond and His Wife •. . . .179 Discussing a New Hereford calf. It is thus they have worked through more than forty years. Registered Hereford Bull, "Robert" 155 AVeighing 850 pounds at eleven months. Unloading Second Cutting ol AltaKa 191 June 15, 1917. More diversification. More preparation for boll-weevil. Hogs Grazing on Alfalfa 195 By frequently changing from one pasture to another, Scott Bond keeps his stock growing without destroying his pastures. 10 ILLUSTRATIONS. Interior of Scott Bond's Gin Plant 201 Capacity, 80 bales per day. Continental system. Home of Taylor Swift 207 This man came back from Africa without a penny. Now he is rich. Bird's-Eye View of Scott Bond's Gravel Beds 213 From these beds for which Mr. Bond paid $5.00, he has sold more than $75,000 worth of gravel. The supply will never be exhausted. Here also is to be found vast deposits of marl-embedded oyster shells. Fanners at Scott Bond's Gin, 1916 223 This scene is common every day during the ginning season. One of Scott Bond's Cotton Fields, 1917 229 In 1916, Mr, Bond received from sale of cotton seed in this field enough to pay the entire cost of the crop, including rent and picking. Mr, Bond charges himself rent for his own land as a part of the cost of his crops. Scott Bond's Store, Looking North 239 The usual Saturday crowd doing their weekly trading. Scott Bond's Herd of Registered Herefords 245 This is another of Mr. Bond's methods of preparing for boll-weevil. Hogs Following Oat Harvest 255 ''If boll-weevil comes, we can still eat hog and hominy." Another View from Military Road 261 Looking South at the old St. Francis River Ferry. This road forms the Memphis-Forrest City link of ocean to ocean highway, Klondyke Farm 270 On this farm John Harris made money enough in one year to pay for twelve head of horses and mules and his other debts and clear $1,280. Scott Bond's Overhead Cable Excavator 273 This machine, base 33x40. feet, 75 feet high and moved with 3-8 inch cable along the gravel beds, operated by ILLUSTRATIONS. 11 five men, loads with ease a car of gravel every ten minutes. Scott Bond's Store 287 35 feet wide, lUU feet long, 2 stories high and 12 foot basement, running full length of building, stocked with goods from bottom to top. Mr. Bond Pointing- to Grove at Madison 293 Where Dr. Washington addressed the assembled thou- sands of colored and white people in 1911. Farm Bought for Theophilus Bond by His Father 303 Thco. on turn row instruct i^.a,- the tenants. Colored Cemetery at Madison, Ark 309 Jack Davis Farm 319 Planted in cotton in 1917. Mr. Bond and Son, Thee, 325 Planning Bull Frog Farm. Another way to meet the boll- weevil. Sheep Grazing- in Grove 335 Theophilus Bond 296 Dr. Booker T. Washington at Madison in 1911 297 Enjoying Life After Forty Years' Toil 312 Ulysses S. Bond 313 Waverly T. Bond 328 Dan A. Rudd 329 Scott Bond and Family in Garden at Home 344 Dr. Washington at Bond Home in 1911 345 Registered 0. I. C. Hogs 360 Mrs. Bond and Her Pets 361 Scott Bond's Office 368 "Robert," Registered Hereford Bull at 5 Months .... , 369 Scene Showing Cottonfield in New Ground 376 Interior of Scott Bond 's Store 377 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. The Journal Priiithig Company's plant at Madi?on, 4rk., was not large enough to print this book and in order to have the work done by Negroes the National Baptist Publishing Board at Nashville, Tenn., was awarded the contract for printing and binding. How well the work was done is attested by the appearance of the book. The magnitude of the plant of that great concern must be seen to be appreciated. With its large batteries of linotype machines, presses and cutters, and complete bindery with all the latest mechanical devices it is indeed an establishment for the race to be proud of. Tuskegee Institute furnished the photographs illustrating scenes in Mr. Bond's visit to that school. The portraits, as well as the photographs showing some of Mr. Bond's activities and farms, were made by Hooks Bros, of Memphis. The engravings from these pictures were made by the Bluff City Engraving Co. of Memphis. The generous courtesy of all these people merits our highest praise. (12) PREFACE. I have known Mr. Scott Bond since 1905. He is unassuming and progressive and while lacking in what men generally term education, I regard him as highly intelligent. To value him at his true worth, one must become thoroughly acquainted with him; upon such acquaintance, his motives, purposes and aims in life become more highly appreciated. By intuition, he is naturally a merchant, a conservative trader, and a man who at a glance sees the advantages and disadvantages of any proposi- tion made to him. During the sessions of the National Negro Business League, he has been the very spice of all meetings he has attended. Dr. Booker T. Washington, founder and lifetime President of this League, was always insistent upon his being present at these gatherings, because of the life he always threw into their pro- ceedings. His unique and purely Southern method of expression always added, not only to the material and interesting side of the League's deliberations, but also presented a most exemplary phase that increased the inspiration of the many young men who have heard him and known of his life and work. On the occasion of the League's meeting at Little Rock, Ark., in 1911, a special visit was made to his home and place of busi- ness at Madison, Arkansas. There we found him surrounded by every comfort of life, domiciled in a beautiful home, presided ' over by a devoted wife and surrounded by a happy family of children whose loyalty and devotion to him were made manifest by every action and movement. His place of business was per- haps the largest in Madison, every part of which showed method, order and intelligent direction. (13) 14 PREFACE. The people of his community were unanimous in their praise of the manner in which he conducted his business and of his life among them as a citizen. At a recent meeting of the National Xegro Business League, at Chattanooga, Tenn., Mr. Bond was really the life of every proposition presented before that body; and while he did not fail to express himself on every question that came before the League, he at no time failed to make good his point and to impress his views thereon, firmly and intelligent- ly. I regard Mr. Bond as one of the most substantial, exemplary and really meritorious men produced by our race. INTRODUCTION. The world of unrest in these days is but the harbingei' of better things. This is a crucial period in the history of mankind. AVhat- ever may be the efforts of men to force certain unJioly conditions, history proves that in the end right will triumph over wrong. Truth and justice will at last prevail. In offering this biography to the public, it is our purpose to sliow some of the many disadvantages that must be overcome by the Negro in his way upward. We also want to impress the idea that the Negro will be measured by the white man's standard; that he must survive or perish when measured by that scale. The Negro must "find a way or make one." His goal must be the highest Christian civilization. His character, his moral courage, his thrift and his energy must be in excess of the difficulties to be surmounted. He must use his own powers to the limit, then depend upon God and the saving common sense of the American people for his reward in years to come. To the white friends of the race and to the progressive, earnest Negroes of all oar country this book is especially dedicated by the author.s. (15; SCOTT BOND. |IXTY-FOUR years ago there was boru near Canton, in Madison County, Mississippi, a slave child that was destined to show the possibilities of every American- born child of any race. It was a boy. His mother was subject to the unhallowed conditions of that time. That her son was to be numbered among the leaders of his generation was not to be thought of; that he should become the largest planter and land owner of his race and state seemed impossible; that as a merchant and all-round business man, OAvning and operating the finest and one of the largest mercantile establishments in his state was not to l)e dreamed of; that at the advanced age of 61 he would erect and operate successfully the largest excavating plant of its kind in Arkansas and one of the only two in the entire southland was beyond conception. Yet, these things and many others equally remarkable have been accomplished by the little Mississippi-born slave boy whose history these pages recount. The illustrations in this book show some of the many successful enterprises OAvned and managed by Scott Bond, and also some in- teresting iiicideuts in liis still more interesting life. This is the story of one, who started to lay the foundations of his career at the age of 22, Avith a lied (luilt, a clean character and a manly determi- nation to do something and to be somebody. Today he is one of the largest land OAvners. merchants and stock-raisers in Arkansas. Mr. Bond credits much of his success to his charming Avife, Avho lias been his ]ic1]km- aiul his comforter in all his struggles. We oifer this as an inspiration to the young men of the race and of all races. No race that produces men Avho can build and operate such Avorks as these needs have any fear for the future. (17) 18 From Slavery to Wealth At the age of eigliteeu months, little Scott, removed ^vith his n-other to Collierville, Fayette County, Tennessee, and at the age of five years removed with his mother and step-tather, AVilliam Bond, to the Bond farm, Cross Connty, Arkansas. The question of '^States' Rights" was uppermost in the mind of the American people. Mighty things Avere to happen that would settle forever tliis vexatious question. The south was drawing farther and farther fiom the north. The north was declaring "union forever." Bleeding Kansas ! Forensic battles in the Congress of the United States ! John Brown's Raid ! Then in April, 1861, the first shot oL' the civil war crashed against the solid granite walls of old Fort Sumpter. What has all this to do with some little obscure mulatto boy, born on an obscure plantation somewhere down in Dixie? Just tins : Had these tremendous events not transpired and ended as they did, the country woidd have still kept in bondage a race of jjien who have in fifty years — years of oppression and repression— !^,iiown to the Avorld Avhat America was losing. Booker T. Washing- ton would not have revolutionized the ed^ucational methods of the world. Granville T. Woods would not have invented wireless teleg- laphy. There would have been no Negro troops to save the rough riders on San Juan Hill. There would have been no Negro soldiers to pour out their life blood at Carrizal. There Avould be no black American troops to offer to bare their dusky bosoms in the fiery hell beyond the seas today in the might}^ struggle for world democracy. Scott Bond would have had no opportunity to prove to the world that if a man will be may. There were many things in the life of the slave to break the monotony of daily, unrequited toil. At no time m the history of slavery in America was there more rapid change of scenes than during the years of the civil war. It was in these years little Scott had his ups and his doAvns, enjoying as others the bitters and the sweets of youthful slave life. As the fratricidal strife neared its close, and the dawn of freedom appeared upon the horizon, slaveholders Avere put to their trumps to keep their human chattels. When the union soldiers would be nearing some big plan- tation the slaves Avei-e hurriedly secreted in some out-of-the-way Life of Scott Bond 21 place to keep them out of sight until the apparent danger had passed. It was an occasion like this in 1865 that the overseer on the Bond farm was ordered to hurry the Negroes to a hiding place in the swamps. News that the Yankees were coming had spread abroad. Teams were hitched to the wagons and some provisions for camping were loaded and the Negroes, some seventy-five in number, were started for the hidden camp ground. This was grea\ fun for these poor people. The overseer had some of the slaves make brooms of brush and spoil out the mule and wagon tracks to keep the Yankees from following. They were headed for the big blue canebrakes on the banks of the bay and Morris pond, a great fishing ground, where little Scott joined the others in fishing and irolicking. They had not been long at this place before the cry M'as raised, "The Yankees are coming." Soon a troop of union cavalrymen came upon the scene. They ordered the slaves to sur- render. A few knew what this meant and threw up their hands. The lieutenant in command ordered his troopers to dismount. Then all fell to fishing, singing, dancing and feasting. Skillets, pots and frying pans were called for. Mr. Bond says he never saw men eat fried speckled perch as did those soldiers. This was a picnic for the slaves. "The only thing," says Mr. Bond, "that threy cold water over my pleasure was that my good mother could not be with us; she being the house maid had to remain with the mistres.^ while all the other slaves were sent to the bottoms." ''"When the dinner of fish was finished, the lieutenant ordered us to gather up our things and load them into the wagons. This was done. He got upon a stump and said : 'This war will certainly end successfulh- for the union. Every Negro under the stars and stripes will be free. ' "Right there," says Mr. Bond, "was one of the greatest events of my life. Old gray-headed women with children clasped in their arms ; old, feeble, decrepid, worn-out men, all shouting — Hallelujah ! Hallelujah. The officers stood quiet until the hysterical demonstra- tion had subsided. He then continued: 'I am going to take you back home to the farm from which you came. Don't leave home and run from place to place while the war is going on. Stay at home and be good and obedient servants as you have been, until 22 From Slavery to Wealth the war is over." Tlie drivers mounted their seats, the children elimbed upon the wagons, the men and women walked behind, the soldiers bringing up the rear started back home. When thej^ reached the Bond farm, they came as they went through the middle of the field down the turn ro^^ . 1 saw things happen up and down that turn row, vouug as I was" says Mr. Bond, '"that I thought were very wrong and think so to this day. The hoes and harrows lay along the turn row. Some of the Negroes in the crowd took axes and broke every one of these farm implements.*' When they reached the great house, Mrs. Bond, the mistress, walked out on the front veranda and with her little Scott espied his dear mother. The lieutenant introduced himself and said: "I have come to restore to you about fifty head of mules and seventy- five colored i)eople. I regret very much to know that you tliought that we as union men Avere coming down here to destroy the south. I want to congratulate you upon the skill with which you had your colored people hidden. It required some skill to find them but we iiad more fish to eat than we have had since the war began." The madam replied : "I am so much obliged to you for your kind- ness and generosity. I was not indeed looking for union soldiers; I was expecting the jayhawkers, that was my reason for sending them doAvn there." The soldiers then rode off. One of little Scott's duties was to ride behind the madam and carry her key basket, for in those days when she would be absent from the house she would turn the keys in the locks, then put the keys in a basket kept for that purpose. "But they change as all things change here, Nothing in this world can last." SCOTT BOND'S MOTHER DIES. ' Not long after this Scott Bond's mother died leaving him yet a little boy Avith his step-father. Tliey laid her to rest on a beautiful spot on the side of a towering hill overlooking the Bond farm. ♦ ' lac r*. ( ^ Q o o- u- HI < o z boat and iiiovel all the people, mules, cattle, hogs and liorses t-> Crowley's Ridge. He lived about a mile and a half from Crowley 'h Ridge and owing to a deep slough or bayou beivreen him and the ridge he was compelled to use a boat. There was perhaps nu more exciting time in Mr. Bond's life than wdien with his boat he would brave the dangers of tiie murky flood and wdtli the iielp of his creAV scout the country over hunting out and rescuing people and stock from the rising, rushing waters. It is said by those who know, that Scott Bond saved the lives of hundreds of people, white and black. In this particular overflow he had 7,000 bushels of corn and 10,000 i)ounds of meat that he had killed and cured, lie saved all this by putting it in the lofts of the different buildings on the place. Having secured his own people and property, he spent )iis liiiu' looking out and helping his neighbors. He lived in the great house on the Allen farm. He took flour barrels, placed planks on them for a scaffold to put his cooking stove and bed on. The next day he ran his dugout into the house and tied it to his bed post. Three days later he was compelled to get another set of bar- rels to raise his scaffold a little higher. On the third evenino' he ar- rived at home betAveen sundown and dark with all his boatmen in dugouts. It was impossible to get in the door on account of the >vatcr. They ran the boats in through the window^s, each man to his sleeping place. Every one of them was as M-et as rats. They would have to stand on the head end of their boats to change their wet clothing before getting into their beds. The cook and his helper who looked after things in the absence of the boats, were brave ta start in with and promised to stay with Scott Bond as long as there was a button on his shirt, but when they saw the bonts eom-n m- Life of Scott Bond 4i through the top sash of the window their melts drew up. They said, "Mr. Bond, we like you and have always been willing to do anything you asked us to do, but this water is away beyond where we had any idea it would be. We are going to leave tomorrow morning. ' ' They had all changed and put on dry clothing, and as a mattei' of course felt better. The next call was supper and dinner combined. A big tea kettle full of strong, hot coffee, spare ribs, back bones, hog heads, ears and noses. There was some shouting around that table. Mr. Bond says he did not attempt to pacify the cook and hostler until after all had finished supper, as the time to t:dk to an individual is when he has a full stomach. '"The next day when we started out," says ]\Ir. Bond, "I in- structed my men to 'do as you see me do.' If a cow jumps over board, follow her and grab her by the tail and stick to her until you come to some sappling or grape vine ; grab it and hold to it until help arrives. Any man can hold a cow by the tail or horn in this way." xMl Mr. Bond's people were comfortably housed on Crowley's liidge. In those days people did not need the assistance of the goveinment to take care of them. They had plenty of corn, meat and bread they produced at home. Six )uonths later you couLl not tell that there ever had been an overflow from the looks of the com and cotton. "But to return to the boys who were getting frightened at the ever-increasing flood," said Mr. Bond, "we all loaded our pipes and A ou may know there was a smoke in the building. 'Twas then I said, 'Boys, all sit down and let's reason w4th one another. The water will be at a standstill tomorrow evening. I really know ■wh.it I am talking about, because the stage of the river at Cairo always govertis the height of the water here. That is a thing I always keep posted on. While this, the great house, is two-thirds full of water, you must remember that this is the eddy right alon;jr here, and anyone of you take your spike pole and let it down to the floor and you will find from S to 10 inches of sand and sedi- ment. ' 42 From Slavery to Wealth "One man said, 'J know he is right, because whenever an over- Mow subsides 1 i)avc to shovel out from ten to twelve inches of sand. This liouse is built out of hewn logs, 46 feet long and the biggest brick stack chinnieys in the middle I ever saw. Now, boys, with all this meat and other things piled on this scaffold j'ou are l>erfectly safe. J am feeding you boys and paying you Avell. 1 am only asking you to do what you see me do. This satisfied them and we stuck together." j\Ir. Bond rented the same farm for eleven years. In that tinie he had paid for rent iplG.OOO. He then wrote Mrs. Allen at Euox- ville ill iIh' inniiih of August for her to be sure and try to get 'a lenant for the next year, as he had bought a farm of 300 acres of land at Madison on the St. Francis River, and he would be com- l)elled to go and develoj) it; that he had seven boys and he really felt that he would be doing them an injustice to have them renters the balance of their days. lie received a letter from Mrs. Allen in reply. The offer she made was hard to turn down, but looking around at his wife and beautiful boys, there was a longing for home sweet home aiul wliih' he regretted to have to do so, he refused tlu' otfor. Mr. Bond says: "1 paid $2 per acre for 320 acres and today I am ott'ered $85 per acre for every foot of it. If one had seen it before I bought it and would see it now with all its improvements, M-ith splendid roads around it, over which automobiles pass every few minutes, tlmy could hardly realize that it is the same place." The south seems to be the only place on earth for the Negro, with its fertile soil, its mild climate, its sunshine and its flowers, it does seem that nature had left this fair land in which to raise the Xegro to the highest state of civilization. :\lrs. Allon asked Mr. Bond to recommend to her the best tenant lie could find. He could only think of two colored men whom he thought had the ability to take and manage the place, Richard Miller and Henry Anderson. They were so placed at the time that Ihoy said it would be impossible for them to take hold. His next iliought was of a white man named Newt Johnson, who had been his neighbor on the Allen farm for ten years. Mr. Johnson was proud of the chance. The next year there came another overflow- Mr. Johnson was unable to employ the right kind of hands and made Life of Scott Bond 45 a failure. He told Mrs. Allen his troubles with the overllow and he agreed to try it another year, that ho thought he would succeed. J don't know what per cent of the rent young Mr. Allen collected that autumn. Mr. Johnson and others told young Allen that those two big overflows had literally ruined the farm. They took him around and showed him the different sand bars that had accumu- lated on the place. Mr. Allen, a gentleman as he was, not being posted about these conditions, said; 'Gentlemen, I have heard of j'Ust such things." No sprouts had been cut nor ditch banks been cleaned off for two years. The place really did look desperate. Mr. Allen returned to his mother at Knoxville and explained things to her just as he found them. They held a consultation. Mrs. Allen said: 'Johimie, what shall w^e do with that farm? I would not have you go back and live there for anything. Yoa know that the Boyd Manufacturing Company promised that if I would not take \"our wife back to Arkansas to give you a half interest in the man- ufacturing concern. Now, Johnnie, I had rather for Uncle Scott to have that place than anyone I know. Get your pen and I will dictate a contract to Uncle Scott. It read thus: 'Uncle Scott, if you will pay the taxes which amount to $136 and then pay rie >1,000 every November until you pay me $5,000, I will make you a warranty deed to the whole 2,200 acres. ''When Mr. Allen arrived with the contract in his pocket," Mr. Bond says, 'he found me ginning cotton to beat the band on gin on my new farm that I had cleaned up. The sun was about three hours high the morning Mr. Allen came to me. He seemed to be full of glee. His aristocratic breeding and training showed in his every movement. He grasped my hand and said, 'Howdy, Uncle Scott, mamma sends her highest regards to you and your family.' I was proud to have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Allen at my nev/ steam gin. with all the modern improvements and last but not least, it was built on my own land. I showed him my new brick kiln that I had just blown out. I made everything around the gin plant as pleasant for him as I knew hoAV and looked every moment for him to say, 'Good bye, Uncle Scott,' knowing his quickness of move- ment and decision. I was at a loss to know Avhnt to do for him. At 10 :30 o'clock I sent a messenger to info"m my wife that Mr. John 46 From Slavery to Wealth Allen of Knoxvillr w.)ul(l be with me for dinner. She had not much time to prepare, but when the boy returned he brought turnip salad, eggs and fried chicken. Knowing the customs that existed betweeri the white man and the Negro in the south, 1 spread a clotli on the top board of the scales, fixed his plate, knife and fork and said, 'Mr. Allen, have a lunch.' Mr. Allen said, 'Uncle Scott, tlm is your gin and your property. As you used to belong to Cousin Mary Francis Bond, who always felt dear to mother, now you come and let's eat together.' " 'You know a man feels best jast after he has had a good din- ner. Mr. Allen said, ' Uncle Scott, I have a proposition for you that will make you scratch the back of your head.' This, of course, took no effect on me, but when he drew from his pocket the contract his mother had authorized him to submit to me, I was struck witli amazement. When I came to myself T was standing on the front side of the scales scratching my head. I looked around ;i!id Mv. Allen laughingly remarked: 'I told you 1 wouln have you scratching your head.'. I then began to figure. I had liuiuli'ods of acres of land already on hand that were already ])aid for, but I reasoned that if I could rent a farm and pay $1,250 a 3^ear rent until I had x)aid the proprietor .$16,000, as I had done on that same farm, it looked to me like the proposition was a good one. I said, 'Where will you be tomorrow at 9 o'clock?' He said he could be at any place I would have him to be." Mr. Bond agreed to meet Mr. Allen in Forrest City the next morning and close the deal. "The next morning," says Mr. Bond, "I rode over to Forrest City and met Mr. Allen and Mr. T. 0. Fitz- patrick on the sidewalk. As usual' Mr. Fitzpatrick said, 'Good morning, Uncle Scott.' Mr. Allen said, "Uncle Scott, I have a bet- ter proposition to offer you than the one I offered you yesterday. [ have a party Avho will take it at $5,000 and pay half of the money cash.' Mr. Fitzpatrick said, 'Have you been talking with Uncle Scott about this deal?" 'Yes,' 1 was at his gin plant yesterday all day and lie promised to be here this morning at 9 o'clock to close 1 he deal.' Mr. Fitzpatrick remarked : 'Now, T take down my propo- Life of Scott Bond 49 tiition aud have nothing to do with the deal. There stands one jnan, Scott Bond, that I always thought to be a gentleman.' " Mr. Bond said: "Mr. Fitzpatrick that is all 0. K. Now in order to help Mr. Allen out and also better your condition we will buy the farm in partnership."' Mr. Fitzpatrick said : "That would suit me better than buying it by myself, provided you promise me that you will superintend the farm for five years, with the understand- ing that T. 0. Fit/patrick will allow you big wages for superin- tending the farm.'" Here, again, Scott Bond showed his ability and foresight. He says : " I grabbed like a trout at a troll. I sold my new gin plant on my place and moved back to the Allen farm. The only thing invested in the farm to start with was a pair of plug mules and 180 bushels of corn." He says when he got on the good old fann he felt like he was the bull dog of the bone yard. We here again repeat Mr. Bond's word without quotation: "When I was on this farm as a renter I thought I had a big melt. When I looked around and seeing there was a probability of me becoming proprietor I felt that I could do four times the amount of work I could do before. There was immediate demand for axes, hoes, plows and people. In four years ' time there was over 100 additional acres of land brought under cultivation ; fourteen new houses with brick chimneys, a new steam gin and a kiln of brick; the farm was stocked out with work stock and tools and the farm all paid for. I then turned every- thing over to Mr. Fitzpatrick and rented to him my interest in the farm, gin, mules and horses. I moved back home with my beauti- ful wife and children and began clearing and improving my big farm at Madison. Some years later the colored people all around Madison, where I live, became Africa struck. I begged them not to sell their farms and go to Africa, but first go and see for themselves. All my begging and advising did not avail. I owned at that time 320 acres in that inmmediate loealitj' and saw there was another opportunity. I sold my interest in the Allen fann to Mr. T. 0. Fitzpatrick and received every dollar in cash. This money bought in seven other little farms adjoining mine. I told Mr. Fitzpatrick that he and I could get along in perfect harmony all the days of our lives but after our days our boys might not agree as we had 50 From Slavery to Wealth done ; that I thought it good policy as well as profitable to myself to sell. When I got the seven little farms attached to my main big farm, I found there was room for the little bull dog to grow larger and stronger as there was plenty of room for work and im- provenuMit. All tiiese years cotton was only 5 cents a pound. My larger children were all in college. One can readily see there was plenty of room and reason for the little bull dog to raise his bristles. All this land Vv'as high class, fertile land. I came to the <:onclusion that 1 would go into the Irish potato business. Potato growing was something new to me, but I always felt I could learu to do anything any one else could do. I paid $500 for seed potatoes the first dash out of the box and planted fifty acres. We made a very good crop, shipped about 20 car loads and made a nice profit. Seeing this Avas the thing to do, I next year planted 110 acres. I got a good stand and by digging time I found a tremendous crop of potatoes. I had everything arranged, about 75 hands, buckets, baskets, barrels and teams ready to start digging potatoes on Mon- day morning. I awoke at 3 o'clock and said to my wife in the bed, "Just listen to the rain.'" This of course knocked potato dig- ging in the head. I thought, however, that it would be all right in a day or two, but it rained a solid week and when I started dig- ging the ground was really too wet, but I thought I had to do something but the next day it rained again. I finally made up my mind to continue digging but it was a bad old go. As fast as "l would load one end of the car I could smell the potatoes rotting, in the other end of the car. I shipped about 30 car loads, many of which when they reaehed their destination the consignee would write back, "Please remit $5 or $10 to pay balance of freight." One can see that I had the land and had the potatoes, there was no reason in the world whv ] should not have shipped 65 or 70 car loads of nice, clean, commer- cial potatoes, but the rain did it all. Instead of making a profit I lost $0,000. T soon learned to realize that this was an unavoidable acudent. There wa,s no negligence on my part. The little bull dog raised his bristles again and remarked to himself, "The place you lost It is the place to make it." I prepared the land again for a fall cro,>, got a good stand, built a potato house, dug and housed Life of Scott Bond 53 the potatoes and saved them for seed potatoes on the Texas market the following spring, I had about 10,000 bushels, which by holding until February brought $1.25 per bushel. I got back all the money lost on the first crop to pay all the expenses of the second crop and leave me a neat margin. Cotton was still selling for four and five cents a pound and as a matter of course I continued to grow potatoes. There is perhaps no vegetable that is more palatable and more nutritious than the humble potato. The next year I grew seventy-five acres of potatoes as the seasons came right and I had learned to prepare the land to cultivate a potato crop. All this gave me a wonderful yield. We began digging about the 10th of June. The market opened up at $1.10 per bushel, but this only held good for a few car loads and the prices took a downward trend. Chicago and Pittsburg were my best markets. My commission men in those two cities kept writing me, telling me to rush my shipments as the price would go sky high in a few days. I had not much confidence in their predic- tions. Potatoes had fallen to 75c a bushel. I was not able at that time to keep up with interstate commerce. I made up my mind to try some good horse sense concerning the market. Two of my southern friends came by to view my potato crop and to see the manner in which I was selecting potatoes for the market, as they were strictly in the potato business and had handled several hun- dred car loads from this community. They insisted that I should let them handle my potatoes for me. I told them I could not do it. 1 was taking at that time a paper that was devoted especially to potatoes that were grown in all parts of the United States. This 2rave me a chance to see and learn something of the market. I had already decided to close out my entire crop to some other people who understood the market better than I did, so I remarked to them: "Gentlemen, E cannot let you take this crop and handle it for me, but I have a proposition to make you; that is, I will sell you these two cars we are now loading for 75 cents per bushel, and then I will close out the balance of my crop to you for 65 cents per bushel and will gather, sort and load them, that is, deliver them to our station for 65c per bushel." They were both perfect gentlemen. They conferred with each other a short time, then 54 From Slavery to Wealth turned to me and said, "Uncle Scott, we will take your proposition if you will allow us to put. two inspectors to see that potatoes are selected and loaded properly." This I agreed to. It was about the 11th of June. I further agreed to get the crop loaded by 12 o'clock midnight, June 16th. I had worlds of potatoes to dig. Then and there 1 got busy. We finished those two cars that day, ate supper and that night I jumped into my saddle and rode over the entire conxmunity. The next morning at sun up I had 125 hands in my potato field. I sent eighteen miles to my upper farm to get more mules and wagons to double my capacity. I figured that I only had five days in which to dig and load this crop, but if I got 10 days out of five days by working daj^ and night I could complete my con- tract. Business picked up, but the price of potatoes continued to fall. This inspired me with more ambition to hustle. "We would begin in the morning as soon as it was daylight. I had my teams arranged so as to give each one of them rest. We would dig and barrel all day and at sundown have fresh teams and a fresh crew and load cars all night. This enabled me to load from two to four cars a day. On the 16th I had finished digging my entire crop with tiie exception of one small car. I dug that next day and it netted iiie only 15 cents a bushel. From the day I sold the two cars at 75 cents and the balance of my crop at 65 cents a bushel the market continued to go down every day, so you can see that it was to my interest to push things and get through by the 16th. Just think about it! I had no written contract with these gentlemen. The contract was only verbal. The names of these gentlemen were l\Ir. Eugene Rolfe, now county judge of our county, and Mr. Eugene Borrow. Botli of them were southern born, aristocratic gentlemen who always stand upon their honor. They paid me every dollar they agreed to like heroes. I wound up that year by making a handsome profit on my potato crop. Cotton advanced that year to 8 cents per pound. This brought about quite a change as cotton had been four and five cents for years. I looked over the situation and concluded that on account of the advance in cotton it would be hard to get hands to handle a potato crop. I knew the potato to be a leguminous plant. Then considering the amount of plowing I had to do to make tAvo potato crops, I concluded that that Life of Scott Bond 57 land would grow a good crop of cotton. I planted that land to cotton. I never had in all ni,y days such cotton crops as were grown on that land for the next two or three years Cotton sold that year for 10 1-2 cents and by Texas going into the potato busi- ness on account of the boll weevil, I decided to stop potato growing while times were good. Cotton has remained at a fair price from that time until the European war, when in 1914 the bottom again fell out of the cotton market. I then began to diversify my crops in earnest. I planted wheat, rye, oats and alfalfa and began in a small way to accumulate cattle and hogs. I saw the prices on that class of farm produce was up and going higher. During all these years I kept my children in college and managed to buy another farm every year. One of the greatest mistakes people make is when they take their children out of school in the very years they should be in training. It is false economy to think they are of more permanent heln in the field than in the school room. More children are cheated out oi' an education in this way tlian in any other. SCOTT BOND'S FIRST MERCHANDISING. In this age of specialization, it is unusal to find a man who does many things well. A saying that "a. jack of all trades is good at none," is certainly not appropriate in relation to the subject of this sketch. It may be that the exception proves the rule : If this be true then, the life of Scott Bond is the excep- tion. Mr. Bond not only did many things, but he also made a success of everything he touched. In 1876, the records show that he was the first of his race to do merchandising in the then little town of Forrest City, which has since become the county seat of St. Francis County. At that time, Mr. William Bond, Scott Bond's step-father and Mr. Abe Davis, proposed to him to open a store. They agreed to go each one-third share and share alike ; each to invest $200 dollars and Scott Bond to be in charge to handle the business. Each was to pay one-third of the expenses, rent, clerk hire, etc. So about the 15th of December, Mr. Scott Bond insisted that 58 From Slavery to Wealth business should be started in order to get the benefit of the Christmas trade. He therefore invested his $200 and his step- father and Mr. Davis agreeing to come in vv^ith their share a little later. January, February, March and April came and still they were not ready. The business was a success for the capital in- vested, but the capital was not large enough, so May 3rd Mr. Bond decided to pack up and store his goods. He stored them with Mr. Abe Davis, and on May 4th, went back to the Allen farm to make a crop. About this time he was engaged to be married to Miss Maggie Nash of Forrest City. The night before he went to the Allen farm, he called on his fiance. She was living with a white family, one of whom a young lady was also named Miss Maggie Nash. Mr. Bond told his future wife that he was going to the Allen farm and promised her a box of stationery and stamps, that she might write him. The next day he purchased a nice box envelopes, writing paper and stamps and sent them to her by a young colored man, who marched up to the front door and delivered the package. The young white lady received it, thinking it was for her. At this time Mr. Bond's future wife entered the room and noticing the package claimed it and told Miss Nash to look at the name on the box, which she did and found it from Scott Bond. After a jolly laugh in which all joined, the present Mrs. Scott Bond was allowed to take her stationery. It was in the time of the old horse gin, and the conveniences of the modern gin were undreamed of. The cotton was hauled to the gin and unloaded in baskets, then fed to the gin by hand and pressed into bales with the old wooden screw. So when Mr. Bond had picked all his cotton he and his wife hauled it to the gin house and unloaded it up into the gin. He had two ponies and tw^o borrowed horses. His wife, to save 75 cents a day insisted on driving the ponies for the week and his cousin Ananias drove the borrowed horses and it took all week to gin 12 bales. At noon they would go home to dinner of left overs from breakfast. One of the most delightful southern dishes is baked raccoon. o < O O Q m o Oh 0^ P M Q Z P O &< M z < o H o <) O C/2 3 o p « o z o u Life of Scott Bond 61 Mrs. Bond, a past mistress in the art culinary, would often get her husband to visit a famous trapper who was camped not far away to procure a raccoon, which she would proceed to cook after a fashion that would delight an epicure. Upon one of these visits, the trapper had no coons, and offered Mr. Bond a beaver. Mrs. Bond had always said that she would not eat a beaver. The trapper skinned a beaver and persuaded Mr. Bond to take it and not tell Mrs. Bond it was a beaver. When he arrived at home, his wife remarked that it was the largest and fattest "coon" she had ever seen. She cooked it and both ate very heartily of it. Some time later she told Mr. Bond to bring her another "coon" large and fat, just like the other one. Mr. Bond then told her that what she had before was a beaver. Well it was excellent and that he had better get her another beaver. Mr. Bond swapped a mule for a yoke of small steers and he would load two bales of cotton on a little ox cart and drive 16 miles to Forrest City and get home again late in the night. The next year he increased his acreage, procured more stock and took on some share croppers. By this time his wife was compelled to stay at home, to use Mr. Bond's own words, "be- cause we had gone into the baby business." With three share croppers he cultivated 75 acres in corn and cotton and gathered 67 bales of cotton and all the com, nay and potatoes needed. He would never tell his hands to go on but would say "come on and let's go." He never knew what it was to get tired ; and he never allowed any one about him to get tired. He was a close observer. Whenever he would find his hands becoming fatigued he would start joking and make them forget that they were working. It was actuallly fun for him in those days to take an interest in what is now called diversified fanning. Cotton, corn peas, vegetables, calves and pigs each had a share of his interest and in each line he was unusally successful. And the things that encouraged him most was when he saw that his two boys were growing. This fired his ambition for greater effort, as he knew they would soon be ready for college. 62 From Slavery to Wealth One of his families of share croppers had worked with Mr. Bond's step-father while Mr. Bond was quite a boy. The old man's name was Bill Thomas. Another man, named Albert Banks, with Thomas and Mr. Bond were picking cotton for Mr. Bond's step-father. The rumor got out that Mr. Bond's step- father was going to give up the farm they were working, and move to a farm he had bought. Old man Bill Thomas was tongue-tied, hence could not speak very plainly. The three were picking cotton, side by side in cotton taller than themselves. Bill Thomas said to Banks : "Suppose you and I rent this big farm next year and hire Scott to feed horses and do chores, and we will grease his mouth every day with a 'eatskin (meaning meatskin)." Scott remarked you had better learn how to talk and not say 'eatskin, 'eatskin. It would make the old man exceeding angry for anyone to mock him, because he was tongue-tied. He grabbed his sack and leaped across the rows after Scott exclaiming: "You stinkin' booga! I'll lick you if it is the last thing I do!" The cotton was higher than one's head on horse back. Scott was so small he could run under the cotton and out run the old man. He chased Scott for some time and finally gave up, saying to Scott, "I'll git yer." Time rolled on and Scott grew to manhood and finally bought the farm where they had this controversy, and the old man. Bill Thomas came to Mr. Bond and offered to work on shares v;ith him. Knowing he was a good hand and easy to get along with, his proposition was accepted. Mr. Bond fed all the hands out of his own smoke house. One Saturday evening all of the people came up to the smoke house to get their weekly rations, and to use Mr. Bond's words again : "I locked the door and started into the house. All had their meat and were sitting under a large shade tree in front of the smoke house. Old man Thomas called and said, 'Bond come back here.' " "I turned and went back to see what he wanted." l-( 02 O H '«'>? • ijfit hi fa O fa Q M 03 Jz; o Q fa o o K Eh <1 fa a Life of Scott Bond 69 a package as when I started from town with it. Off I went to my landlord. The landlord of whom I speak and my mistress were first cousins. They frequently visited each other. I was a little servant boy. When my mistress would visit the lady of whom I speak, of course I would at meal times, take my meals in the kitchen with the other servants. When I reached there with this money, it was then I learned another new lesson in the difference between orders and real money. It was a little after 11 o'clock when I arrived at the lady's front door. I pulled off my hat and laid it on the steps which was customary for Negroes at that time. I rang the door bell. Mrs. Allen came to the door and said good morning Uncle Scott, how do you do. Walk in. "I replied, howdy, I have come to bring you your money." She said, "That is all right." I took out the money and placed it on the center table and asked her to please count it and if correct to give me my rent note. This she did in a few minutes. The money was all right. She hunted up the rent note, marked it paid and handed it to me, and said "Scott, I am much obliged to you for the rent money and your promptness in paying same." "Mrs. Allen you are perfectly welcome, but I realize the fact that I am the dependent party. I have no property of my own and I am the one that is much obliged." I turned around and said good bye Mrs. Allen. She said no, no, you can't go home until you have dinner. You have to ride 7 m.iles and now it only a few minutes to 12 o'clock. Take this seat and sit down and I will go and see Maria and have her to rush dinner. She soon returned and got a chair and sat down and asked how was "Bunnie" ( nick name for my wife) and the two boys. Then she asked me hundreds of questions and entertained me in a way that I had never been entertained before in life. She was cultured and refined and had the ability to entertain any body. 70 From Slavery to Wealth In a little while she had the servant girl to bring a small table. They used nothing but linen table cloths, silver knives and forks, and napkins. The servant was sent to the pantry and set all sorts of preserves on this little table. Dinner was brought in and I was asked to sit up and eat dinner. Mrs. Allen said, "I will sit and entertain you while you eat." I want to say that this was an unusually fine dinner for a man like me. I ate very heartily, but I could not really enjoy this wonderful dinner. My mind ran back to the time when I was glad to eat in the kitchen among the cook pots and slop buckets, and at the time enjoyed the meals in the kitchen better than I did the feast set before me by Mrs. Allen. Instead of enjoying my dinner, I took all my time to figure out what had brought about this great and wonderful change. Now to solve this prob- lem and entertain Mrs. Allen all at the same time was quite a job for a fellow who was uneducated, but by the time I got through eating and entertaining Mrs. Allen I had worked out the problem ; that was this, the $1,250 paid it all. I mounted my horse and arrived at home about sun down. This day's trip caused me to look and see differently from what I had ever se^n in all my iile. After supper I sat down with my wife and talked the whole thing over, i said, "wife I am going tomorrow and buy 300 acres of land. I have learned today what it is to own a farm." « o o M o o a fa H t> H M o Life of Scott Bond 73 SCOTT BOND BUYS HIS FIRST FARM. There was a man in Forrest City, a saloon keeper named Pritchard, who had offered me 300 acres of land and made me two propositions. One was $800 in two payments and the other $600 cash. The next morning I got on my horse and started to Forrest City, eighteen miles from where I lived. I found Mr. Pritchard very busy, but walked up to him and said : "Is the deal still open on the piece of land that you spoke of, 300 acres on the Little Rock and Memphis R. R., right close to Madison? He said, ''Yes." "I think I understood you to say that you would take $800 in two payments or $600 spot cash." "Yes, that is what I said." "I will be here Friday next with the money." I suppose you will be ready to make me a deed on that date." "Yes, that is a trade and I will be here." I returned home that evening went to Wittsburg and told my merchants, R. and B. Block, that I wanted $400. They asked me when I wanted it. I told them I would call for it Thursday evening at 6 o'clock. At this time I walked in. Mr. Ralph Block said to his partner : "Ben here is Uncle Scott. He wants $400." Mr. Ben Block said "What are you going to do with it." I said : "I am going to buy a piece of land." "How much will the land cost you?" "Six hundred dollars." Mr. Ralph Block said : "You told me you only wanted $400. I said : "Yes sir, but I have $200 in my pocket." Mr. R. Block said: "How will this suit you, you give us your $200 and we will give you a check on M. Y. Myers, New Orleans, for $600." "I said : That is all O. K., if that will answer the purpose." I paid over the $200 and got the check for $600. Went to For- rest City the next day. Found Mr. Pritchard very busy in his saloon. 74 From Slavery to Wealth I stepped up to him and said : "I am ready for the deed." He said: "Have you got the money?" "Yes, sir." All right I will go and see Mr. Wilson, J. P., and have him write the deed. We walked over to the Justice's office. "Mr. Wilson I want you to write a deed to this man, Scott Bond, for a piece of land that I own on the Little Rock R. R., close to Madison. Here is my deed from which you can get the descrip- tion of the property." "All right I will have the deed ready for you in a few minutes. But I want to know what is the consideration." Mr. Pritchard said: "Let's see I made him two propositions, one was $800 in two payments, the other $600 cash, which one are you going to take?" I told him I would take the one for $600 cash. Mr. Wilson said all right and started writing. Mr. Pritchard looked at me a few minutes and said : "Nigger I am very busy and I have no time for foolishness. I want to know if you have the money." "Yes sir. I will hand you a check from R. and B. Block at Wittsburg, Ark., payable by M. Y. Myers and Co., N. O." He took the check and looked at it and said, "Wilson what do you think of that?" Mr. Wilson said, "R. and B. Block at Wittsburg are all right I know. M. Y. Myers at N. 0., has a fine rating and I think the check is all 0. K., but carry it down stairs, L. Rollwage and Co. and they can give you the information you want." Mr. Pritchard took the check to L. Rollwage and Co., and they told him the check was as good as gold and they would be glad to cash it for him as soon as it was in his possession. In a little while, Mr. w ilson had finished the deed. After the deed was signed and the check paid over, my appearance showed a fellow that lived away back in the sticks, had not been to the barber shop for some time. My hair was long, my clothing were patches. I had been working at the gin and was full of cotton and really looked pretty tough. Life of Scott Bond 77 Mr. Pritchard looked at me and made an oath and ^said: "Nigger, where did you get all this money?" "You can readily see from the check that I got it from R. and B. Block at Wittsburg." "I want to know how you got the prestige to get that much money?" "From the day that your action drove me from Mrs. Maloney's hotel, where I was a waiter boy, I have learned to realize that all the money, gold and silver has been dug from the bowels of the earth. I am glad to say to you that I made 156 bales of cot- ton last year and I will get something over 175 this year, so you can see where the Negro got the money from." SALE OF THE ALLEN FARM. The incidents of Mr. Bond's life are all very interesting, but perhaps none will portray the financial foresightedness and ready ability of the man more than the sale of the Allen Farm. First the method in making the sale, second the look ahead for breakers that in time of prosperity and general contentment would not be thought of by the ordinary mind. The attempt to sell a bunch of cattle caused him to find a ready buyer for the Allen farni. He was in partnership in this farm with Mr. T. 0. Fitzpatrick and had been superintendent of the farm for four or five years for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick. At this time Mr. Fitzpatrick was superintending the Allen farm for himself and Mr. Bond. On a certain day Mr. Eugene Rolfe a prominent white gen- tleman who is now County Judge of St. Francis County, wanted to buy a bunch of cattle Mr. Bond had at that time running on the Allen fann. Mr. Bond says: "I agreed to sell these cattle and the day was set to go and look at them. Mr. Rolfe and he went up in a two horse rig. This was about the middle of November." Mr. Bond says : "To get to where the cattle were we had to pass a gin I had built but was then being operated by Mr. Fitz- patrick. Prior to this time Mr. Fitzpatrick had agreed to turn 78 From Slavery to Wealth over to me twenty bales of cotton as my interest as rent on the farm that year. This was one of the most notable farms in the county at that time, being situated on the St. Francis river, where the military road, built by Gen. Jackson, crosses that stream. There was a ferry boat there to transfer people back and forth across the river. It contained 2,200 acres of the most fertile land in Eastern Arkansas. As Mr. Rolfe and myself reached the gin I asked Mr. Rolfe to stop a minute, and shouted, hello. Mr. Fitzpatrick came out on the platform. I said, "Good morning Mr. Fitzpatrick. Mr. Rolfe said good morning also. I said, "what day shall I send my wagons for the cotton?" He said: "I have 18 bales ready for you now and expect to gin the other two bales this evening, so you can send your wagons tomorrow morning." "All right sir." Mr. Rolfe and I drove on. Mr. Fitzpatrick was one of the most noted and influential white citizens of the county, was a Republican and had been County Clerk for a num- ber of years. Mr. Rolfe was also a very noted gentleman in the county, being honest and upright. We had been boys together and threw rocks on the creek on Sundays. This grew into manhood friendship. Mr. Rolfe re- marked to me: "Scott you ought to feel mighty grand." "Why so, Mr. Rolfe?" "Just think of you driving up to a steam gin and hailing a man like Mr. Fitzpatrick, who is finely educated, who has a repu- tation equal to any man in the county and also having a man like myself driving you in a double rig." "Mr. Rolfe it is a long lane that never turns. You must real- ize that Mr. FitzpatncK has used me this way for several years." (At the same time I was on his bond for $5,000.) "So far as you are concerned it would be a real pleasure to me to drive you or wait on you in any way." We drove on up to what was known as the big house. There we unloaded and took it afoot all over the farm, hunting up the cattle, I had agreed to sell to Mr. Rolfe. Life of Scott Bond 81 Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Rolfe were friends morally and socially. Mr. Rolfe being a very shrewd trader, Mr. Fitzpat- rick was somewhat shy of him along- these lines. After we passed the gin, Mr. Fitzpatrick began to wonder what Scott and Rolfe were up to. So he sent a boy out on the farm to see what Mr. Rolfe and I were doing. The boy returned to Mr. Fitzpatrick and told him he really could not tell what we were doing. He saw us go up the river bank and then along the levee, thence south to the old mill yard ; that we had left the double rig at the big house and gone afoot. Mr. Rolfe and I founa all the cattle. I closed the deal and sold him the cattle. We both got into the rig and started back to FoiTest City. As we passed the gin Mr. Fitzpatrick was out marking some cotton. We raised our hands and waved him good bye. This was 18 miles from my home place. I arrived home about 7 o'clock, which at that season of the year is after dark. Wife as usual had a hot supper waiting for me. Right here I want to say something that a very few men can say. My wife has never turned me out from home, regardless of the time of night, without a warm breakfast or waiting sup- per for my return, in all our forty years of married life. About 9 o'clock that same evening I heard some one speak at the front gate. I remarked to my wife that, "that is Mr. Fitzpatrick. I wonder what is the matter? I just left him about five hours ago on the Allen farm." I walked to the door and said, ''Get down Mr. Fitzpatrick and come in. I have a good fire. I will have a boy unsaddle and put up your horse and feed him." He walked in. I gave him a chair and he sat down by the fire. "I am sure you have had no supper." "No, but it is too late now to think of supper." "Yes, but it is never too late for a hungry man to eat." "Well, as you insist, I will have a snack, for j^our wife can cook the best biscuit I ever ate." My wife got busy and then the conversation started. "Now I see that you and Rolfe w^ere today on the Alien farm 82 From Slavery to Wealth looking over and inspecting the farm. I don't intend to have anything to do with Rolfe as a partner on the Allen Farm. It is a part of our contract that when either of us take a notion the other should have the refusal of buying, and I am here tonight to say to you that I demand that refusal." I dropped my head and began to think that the time had pre- sented itself for me to sell out to a good advantage. I had several times thought of selling, but had decided that it would be a hard matter to find a man with the cash money to buy. Mr. Rolfe had never said anything to me about buying the Allen farm, nor had I said a word to him about selling the Allen farm. . I thought for a few minutes, that it would not do to mislead Mr. Fitzpatrick as we had always been friends and on the other hand I did not feel guilty of doing so. I raised my head and said, are you willing to buy? "Well, yes. What do you want for your interest?" "I want $5,000 all cash." "That is really more cash than I have, but I am sure I can raise the balance provided that you take my note 90 days for $500." I will be able to close the deal with you, Mr. Fitzpatrick I think by 9 o'clock tomorrow." Now he said, "I am not going to have a thing to do with Rolfe." "All right, the chances are we can get together at 9 o'clock and close the deal." He had supper and remained all night at my house. Next moiTiing we were in town, and by this time I had figured the thing out clearly that this was the best chance for me to sell. I met Mr. Rolfe in town and he said, "I suppose our deal is all right," but he meant the cattle deal. I remarked, "Yes that is all O. K." This made Mr. Fitzpatrick more anxious to close the deal so he in-oposed to give me $100 as earnest money. He gave me a written description of the farm and the conditions of purchase and paid me the $100 earnest money, and allowed himself 10 days to get the deed ready. This I said to myself is all right. "Mtr. Fitzpatrick I want Life of Scott Bond 85 you to know that I really believe that we could get along- as part- ners in this farm for forty years, but as you have boys and I have boys, after our days, the boys might not get along as well as we have. For that cause I think this is the proper thing to do." When the ten days had passed the deed was ready and the money paid over. I took the same money and bought seven other farms and added to the three hundred acres I had at Madi- son. This gave me a large and beautiful farm. These farms were fresher and hence far more fertile than the one I had sold to Mr. FMtzpatrick. A CROP OF ARTICHOKES. At the time of the aforementioned incidents I was living on a farm, which I had bought near Forrest City known as the Neely farm. It was also known as a fine fruit farm. The land being upland was of a poor nature. I bought the farm mainly on account of the health of my wife and children. I paid old man Neely $900 for 120 acres. This farm was two and a half miles from my main bottom farm. After moving on the Neely place and getting straight, looking over the farm and finding that the land was far from fertile, I decided to sow the whole farm in peas, knowing peas were a legume and hence fine to put life in the soil. I excepted several small spots that I planted in corn. I got a fine stand of peas, and looked as if I would make worlds of pea hay. When the peas were ripe I took my mower and rake to harvest my hay crop. This was the first time I had undertaken to cultivate this class of land. I prepared to house the hay and after the hay was cut and raked, I only got one-tenth of the amount of hay I counted on. I prepared the land that fall and sowed it down in clover. I got a fine stand. The clover grew and did well. The next year I took two four horse wagons and hauled from the Allen farm large loads of defective cotton seed. I turned all this under and planted the land the next year in corn. I made and gathered a large com crop that year. I was at that time taking 86 From Slavery to Wealth a paper known as the ''Home and Farm." I would usually sit at . night and read my farm paper and entertain my wife, while she was sewing. I read an article, where a party in Illinois had claimed that he had gathered 900 bushels of artichokes from one acre of land. That did not look reasonable to me at that time. I said to my wife: "Listen what a mistake this fellow has made. He claims to have gathered 900 bushels of artichokes from one acre of land." This seemed impossible to me. In the next issue of this paper, I read where another man claimed to have raised 1,100 bushels to the acre. This put me at a further wonder as to the artichoke crop. I decided to try a crop of artichokes. I had a very nice spot of land that I thought would suit for this purpose. I prepared it as I would prepare land for Irish potatoes, knowing that artichokes were, like the Irish potato a tuber. I took a four horse wagon and hauled one and a half tons of rotten cotton seed put a big double handful every 18 inches apart in the drill, then dropped the artichokes between the hills. I cultivated first as I would Irish potatoes. The plants grew luxuriantly and were all the way from 8 to 12 feet tall. About the 10th of August I noticed the plants were blooming it occurred to me that there must be artichokes on the roots. I got my spade and began to dig. I could not find a single arti-. choke. I took my spade back home and decided within my- self that both parties were Pxiistaken when they claimed to have grown so many hundreds of bushels to the acre. After a few days I went to my lower farm and started picking cotton, and was busy as busy could be all that fall gathering and housing my cotton crop as usual. Just before Christmas I promised my wife that I would be at home on Christmas Eve in order to accompany her to our church conference. I was on time according to my promise, helped her to get her household affairs straight and the children settled. I had bought my wife a beautiful cape. She took the cape, I took my overcoat and off we went. In order to take a near route we 'decided to climb the fence and go through the artichoke patch. As we had none of the children along and I helping Life of Scott Bond 89 her over the fence, made me recall our old days when we were courting. I remarked to her: "Gee whiz wife, you certainly look good under that cape!" She said: "Do you think so?" "Yes, I have always thought that you looked good." By this time we had gotten to the middle of the artichoke patch. I grabbed an artichoke stalk and tried to pull it up. I made one or two surges and it failed too come, but in bending it over I found a great number of artichokes attached to the tap root. I asked my wife to wait a few minutes. She asked me what I was going to do. I told her I would run back and get the grubbing hoe and see what is under these artichokes. She said, "don't this beat the band ? Stop on your way to church to go to digging artichokes." "All right I will be back in a few minutes." I came with my grubbing hoe and went to work. I dug on all sides of the stalk, then raised it up. I believe I am safe in saying there was a half bushel of artichokes on the roots of this stalk. I then noticed that the dirt in the drills, the sides of the rows and the middles were all puffed up. One could not stick the end of his finger in the ground without touching an arti- choke. I found that the whole earth was matted with arti- chokes. And really believe that had I had a full acre in and could have gathered all the artichokes, I would have gotten at least 1,500 toushels of artichokes. I told my wife that now I could see that those people hid told the truth when they said they had gathered 900 and 1100 bush- els to the acre. When I returned from church, I at once turned my hogs into the artichoke patch. I then climbed up on the fence and took a seat to watch the hogs root and crush artichokes. I looked around and saw my clover had made a success, the little artichoke patch had turned out wonderfully. The little poor farm, I said to my- self : "Just think of millions and millions of dollars deposited in all of these lands both rich and poor soils. And just to think how easy this money could be obtained if one would think right and hustle." 90 From Slavery to Wealth SCOTT BOND SV/APS FISH FOR MEAT. He said to the writer : The first time I ever undertook to make a crop for myself aud mauage it, I had an experience that has been a lesson to me all through life. I did not own a horse but my aunt owned a little pony and she loaned him to me. I secured a piece of land. I had no money to start with. I sold a gold rii]g for which I had swapped a pig, for $5.00.. With this I bought twenty pounds of meat and three bushels of )ueal. I prepared the land and planted it. I then secured a trot line and set it. I would feed my horse as soon as I got up in the morn- ing. Then I would run my trotline, take off the fish and re- bait the hooks. This task would be completed before sun-up I would put the fish in a slatted box in the river. At noon when I came from the field I would go through the same process. In the evening this would be repeated. By Saturday I would have a nice lot of fish. These I would take out and sell. I was too small to fill my sacks and put them on my horse, so I got two cotton seed bags and fastened them together. I put one fish in each bag and threw them across my saddle. I would then put a fish in one bag and go around my horse and put one in the other bag, continuing in this way until I had all my horse could carr3^ I would lead him along the road and dispose of m^" fish. Sometimes a customer would have no money and would swap m.e eggs for fish. Another would give me a chicken for a fish. These 1 would leave until on my return home. Many of my neighbors passing along the road on the way home from town would trade me a piece of meat for a fish. I never refused a trade. Meat Ihen selling for twenty-two and twenty-three cents a pouna. In this way, when I reached home on Saturday night, I would have enough meat, eggs and chickens to do my aunt's family for a week or two ; besides some little money to pay the blacksmith and buy other things. Times were very hard ihat year. Coi^ sold for $1.75 a bushel. < p fa o O I— t pa Life of Scott Bond 93 There had been a drought, and everything was literally parched. Hence meat and everything else vv^as unusually high. A quart of corn w^as my pony's noon feed. While he was eat- ing I made it my business to keep the chickens away and pick the grains from the cracks with a little stick, that he should get every grain. I made and gathered the crop without making a cent of debt; paid my rent and cleared $200.00 in m: I— I (^ m O -Si M o p^ < TO t> H E-i TO o n > Life of Scott Bond 139 lions of pigeons would sweep north in the spring and southward in the autumn in their annual migrations, that not a single specimen is alive today, the last having died in captivity a few years since in the zoological garden in Cincinnati. AN OFFER OF WAGES. Mr. Bond relates this story of refusing an ofrer of employment on the ground that he could make more working for himself: "Some years after I had become the owner of two farms, one of which I called my home place, Mr. W. S. Graham, an aristocratic southern born gentleman, who owned a farm of some two thousand acres across the road from my farm, had been having a great deal of trouble in getting a suitable agent or foreman to handle his farm. It happened that every one he hired, was short one way or another. If they were good farmers they would not be able to handle labor. Mr. Graham was a cousin to my mistress. Before the war when he would visit her, he would sometimes, go hunting and take me along to carry the game. He would often, on these hunts, divide his lunch with me and was friendly to me in every way. When he had grown to manhood, knowing my ability as a farmer and my capacity for handling labor, came to me one day and proposed to hire me to run his farm. He offered me $65.00 per month and a residence for myself and family, which was $15.00 per month more than he had paid any one else; in addition to this, a horse, bridle and saddle. I told him that was all right. I could not ask him to pay me more than that, but I thought it was Avorth more to me to run my own farm. "And you think," said he, "that you are worth more than $780.00 a year?" **No sir; but I think I have earned more than that. Besides, what should I do with my own farm?" "I will rent your fainn, as it lays alongside of mine, and hire you to superintend it as well as my own." 140 From Slavery to Wealth He then got out his book and pencil and began to figure, say- ing, "1 think I can convince you that $780 is more than yoa can make working on your own farm. And what you would get for rent and salarj^ would amount to $1,500.00 a year." "Yes sir, but I think I earned more than that last year. 1 will get you to figure it out for me." ''I went into the swamps in February and earned $550.00 cut- ting timber. I then planted and gathered a good crop of corn and cotton. I sold forty-eight bales of cotton at eight cents which amounts to $1,640.00 1 made and burned a brick kiln; net profits were $600.00 Yet I have said nothing of the growth of my garden and chickens. I was ready at all times to go to my wife when she would call me, knowing I was my own boss. 1 was also in a position to improve my own farms during that year." I had no objection to hiring to Mr. Graham if I could make more money working for him than any one else he had ever hired ; this T felt sure I could do. Yet, I could not afi:ord to work for him for $780.00 when I was making $3,000 working for myself." ,._'.'",•"•■>•.....> ,,..,1''"'" Scott Bond Hunts His Father. When the writer asked Mr. Bond what he knew of his fatlier, lie related this story of his hunt for his father: ■'My mother died when I was quite small, and had never ex- plained to me who was my father. She married my step-father, Avho is still living, w^hen I was eighteen months old. "As I grew older and found that he was only my step-father, 1 began to inquire who was my father, and wdiere he lived. My Aunt Martha told me I was born in Madison County, Mississippi, twelve miles from Canton, the county seat, at a little town called Livingston. That my father was a man, Wesley Rutledge, the nephew of Wni. H. Goodlow. "After I had gotten started out in life and had accumulated a lit- tle spare money, I thought I would like to visit the place of my birth and, if possible, find my father, and if he was in need, help him. "In ante-bellum days Mr. Goodlow was a very rich man. He owned five hundred slaves and thousands of acres of land. "My mother had a large chest, which, in those days, was used as a trunk. I had often seen her going through the things in tiiat old chest. She v/ould take out her calico dresses, which we people called "Sunday Clothes." She would hang them out to air on Sundays. Among the things she would take from the chest was a pair of little red shoes and a cap, and would say to me: 'These are the shoes your father gave you.' Being only a child, I thought she referred to my step-father. "I was married and we had two children and had rented a large farm, and I thought it a good time for this trip. "I purchased a nice suit of clothes, then paid a visit to the bar- ber and got neatly shaved and trimmed up, and pulled out for 142 From Slavery to Wealth Canton, Miss, where I arrived at night. The next day was a rainy, drizzly' day. It w^as March, but the people were bringing- into Canton onions, lettuce and other early vegetables. I was surprised to see this and thought they were being shipped in from farther south. I went to the- livery stable the next day and introduced my- self to the livery man as Bond from Arkansas. I told him I want- ed to drive to Livingston, sixteen miles away. The liver.yiuaii, thinking I was white, said, 'All right Mr. Bond, the horse and buggy and nigger to drive you will cost you three dollars.' '^I told him I vfould be ready in about thirty minutes; and at the appointed tnue 1 paid him the money and started out for Liv- ingston. '^We drove about two and one half miles and opened a gate to the enclosed farm of Mr. Goodlow. The old colored man who was driving was as active as a boy, although his hair was as white as cotton. This old gentleman took me to be a white man, and as he had never ? 'led me I did not make myself known to him. He used these words: " 'White folks, I have been in the country since I was a boy, and since that time I saw the man you are going to visit, harness up a hundred and fifty mules to be used on this farm. In those days the water almost boiled in this country. When you went to bed at night yon could hear the blood hounds, and in the morning when you would wake up, you could hear them running colored people. The white folks said the music they made was the sweetest music in the world. There was once a runaw^ay slave who liad been chased at different times for four years. At last a set of pa- trolers came in with their dogs and said they were determined to i-atch him. They ran him for two days. Once in a while he would mislead the dogs and make them double on their tracks and he would gain a little rest. Eventually they would again pi',-k up the trail and you could hear the hounds as they ran ; say, here he goes, sing-a-ding; there he goes, sing-a-ding. At last, finding that he could not escape, he ran deliberately into a blazing fur- nace and was burned to death rather than be caught and suffer the tortures that awaited him.' Life of Scott Bond 145 "He regaled me with many other stories of slave life that he had witnessed. ''He told me that many a time he would be so tired from his day's work that he would not wake up in the morning until the horn blew for work. He would not have time to cook himself any bread, and that he would run to the meal bowl and put a hand- ful or two of meal in his hat and run with his bridle and catch his mule and while the mule was drinking, he would take water and mix the meal. Then when he got to the field he would go to a burning log-heap, wlien the overseer was not looking, and rake a place in the ashes and hot embers, put his cake in and cover it. Later, when chance permitted, he would take out his ash cake and eat it as he plowed. Thus he would Avork until dinner time. "This old man was more than an average man. "After telling me many other stories o; the hardships of the slave, he said that after all, the things that looked hardest to him, were really blessings in disguise. These hardships had developed his self-reliance and resourcefulness, and now that he was a free man and a citizen, he could see a benefit, even in the hardships he had undergone. He said that he knew he was a Christian and that he was respected by all his neighbors, black and white. "This instance is but one of ten thousand, showing that tJie Negro in his long apprenticeshi]), has gained in adverse circum- stances, that he has wrung victory from oppression. "Bj^ this time we had reached an elevation. He stopped his horse and pointed to a house in the distance that j'ooked no larger than a cow. He told me that was the house to which we were going. "As the distance lessened, the house proved to be a great mansion with beautiful lawns. "He stopped in front. I got out, and as I passed up the walk, knowing this to be my birth-place, 1 felt that I Avas at homo. I rang the bell. It was answered by a large gentleman, who had a perfect bay window of a stomach. He was so large that he was niaable to tie and untie his shoes. "I said, 'I suppose this is Mr. Goodlow?' ' 'Ves; this is Goodlow.' 146 From Slavery to Wealth "Mr. Goodlow, this is Bond from Arkansas.' " 'Come in, Mr. Bond.' " "As I walked into the parlor over elegant brussels carpets, I eould see m^^self reflected from the mirrors on either side of the hall. The fiirnitnre was rare and elegant, and was typical of the splendor of the old time southern mansion. I was invited to sit down and for tlic next hour answered a rain of questions about Arkansas. "Mr. Goodlow was very much interested in the young state of Arkansas. "At that time wild life in the state had not been much dis- turbed. Bears, wolves and panthers were plentiful. Arkansas at that time bore the reputation of being a paradise for murderers and other criminals fleeing from justice. Hence, Mr. Goodlow was interested to learn from me all he could about these things, as well as about the climate and country in general. "After I had imparted to him all I knew, I was then able to ask him a few questions, and began by saying: "Mr. Goodlow, can you recollect hiring some slaves from the widow Bond's estate in 1852?" "To which he replied, 'Yes; I remember hiring some slaves from the Maben estate. Mrs. Bond was a Miss Maben.' " •'I .-'Uppose you are right. Do you remember hiring a man named Alex, a woman named Martha and also a bright mulatto girl named Ann? Ann was said to be your house servant at that time." " 'Yos,' ho said, 'I remember that very distinctly." "I procee.Iod: 'Ann gave birth to a child while sIk^ was your servant. It is said that Mr. Rutledge, who was your nephew and manager of your farm at that time, was the father of this child. It is furtiier said that Mrs. Goodlow dressed the child and called it Sf.ott Winfield." " 'You are certainly right,' he said. 'All that is true.' " "I then arose from my chair and, standing erect, said 'I am the kid.' " "I was at that time a young man, and from what I felt, and others said, I was a very good looking young man. I had' not Life of Scott Bond 149 l^een married a great while, and 1 knew my wife was a judge of beauty. Mr. Goodlow said, 'Wait a minule.' He stepped to the parlor door and called Mrs. Goodlo-\\^ telling her to come in, he wanted her to see some one. According to custom it took Mrs. Goodlow sometime to dress and make her appearance. As she entered Mr. Goodlow said to her, "Do yon l^nou this hoy sitting here?" ' "'I got up and put on niy best looks. " 'No;' she replied. 'Mr. Goo:llow, I have never seen him be- fore.' " "Mrs. Goodlow Avas a typicid soulhern matron, and with iier wealth of silvery hair, was the personification of womanly grace and dignity. " 'Yes you have.' remai^ked Mr. Goodlow, 'You put the first rag on him and named him Scott Winfield,' at tlie time our sou James was a baby.' " " 'No, Mr. Goodlow. I do not remember.' " " 'Don't you remember Ann, our housemaid, at the time Wess Avas managing our ])usiness'?' "'Yes! Yes!' she exclaimed. 'I remember now. You are Scott Winfield!' " "She grasped my hand and said: 'I certainly dressed you and named you Scott Winfield.' "It would be impossible to describe the scene that followed this greeting. Tears Avere shed, words Avere spoken that came from d.eep down in our hearts. A more touching and sincere greeting rarely comes to one in a life time. "I was most hospitably treated and Avas nrged to stay all night. I accepted and Avas given a nice room. The next day I Avas shown the place where I was born. "Mr. Goodlow accompanied me. Tie had a m:in go into the "plunder room" and get out an old chair they used to tie niv^ in, when my mother was about the duties in the hou-e. "One Avho does not know the south, can form no conception of the extreme liardships some' of the slaves had to nndergo ; the 150 From Slavery to Wealth iiKiiiy peculiar situations that would arise, nor can he have tlie faintest idea of tlie deep regard, and at times, even real affectiou iliat existed between the master and the favorei slave. It is a reflex for this regard that is the basis of all the helpful things the better class of southern white people are jiow doing to lielp the Negro better his condiiion and rise to a higher plane of mau- Jiood. The following day I found an opportunity to explain to Mr. ^ m m tf H H ;z; o Life of Scott Bond 165 serious disaster. I think you are a wonderful boy; your father's boy." 'L wish, son, that I had some way to show you how proud I would be if you should master the job and make a success of it. "If you have a hundred and twenty pounds of steam and .stop your engine, what would you do?" "I would raise the flue doors and put on the water," he replied. ''That is exactly right," I said; ''but 1 would like to know .vherb you learned all this." He replied that lie had been Avatching Charley for the last six months, and he had learned by watching him do it. 1 said to him, "Now son, there is one thing more I want to im press upon you. \'ou are only a small boy and just eleven year^- old. You must not try to handle big sticks of wood. You must only handle small sticks of wood and trash, and call Kenry when you want big sticks of wood put into the furnace. I will call you my little engineer and Avill pay you a salary for operating this plant. This will give your father a few hours to attend to other things pertaining to tlie farm." We then went into the engine room and started up the cotton gin. I stuck close to the gin plant that I might be thoroughly convinced that he would not neglect his duty. I found he would use all necessaiy precautions and that I could trust the engine in his hands. This made me think that I was a great Negro. That I could have my own engine and make my own engineer. We ginned equally as many bales as we had been ginning formerly. I was never a healthy man, even to the present, and in ihose days I suffered a great deal Avith Avhat was known as the sick headache. On one occasion I was riding home with my little en^^incer be- hind me. I remarked to him that I was nearly dead with the sick liead-ache. He said to me, "Pa, that means that you will be in bed all day tomorrow. But I will be able to carry on the gin all right and you mav lie in bed, as you will have to do Avith Ihe sick headache." 166 From Slavery to Wealth "No, son,'' said T, "I iiop'e to be better in the moming and get up at four o'clock to get up steara." He answered: "Pa, that will be unusual, for you generally have to lay in bed tAvo or three days when you have these attacks." "We arrived at home, put up our horse, fed him, ate supper and retired. The pain in my head was so intense that I did not go to sleep until after two o'clock. I was awakened by the noise of the gin whistle blowing. I turned over and found the little engineer vras gone. It frightened me. I arose, dressed hurriedly, caught my horse, and at topmost speed rode for the gin. When I arrived the boy had up steam and they were ginning cotton to beat the band. I found everything in perfect trim. I had been so badly frightened that I forgot my head- ache and when I did think of it, it was gone. Theo said, "Pa, what are you doing here? Why did you not stay in bed ? ' ' I answered him: "I was so frightened, and thought every minute I would hear tlie boiler blow up." The foregoing narrative is given the reader to show one of the many trj^ing times through which Scott Bond passed on the way up. It is through such struggles as these that men are tried: and 'f one passes unscathed, if he triumphs, then indeed is there added another name to the truly great. True greatness may be attained in one line of work as well as in another. It is not the work, but the way it is done that counts. Tt is the results obtained that make Ihe sum total. Life of Scott Bond 167 TKE DIFFERENCE. In this chapter we again write of one of Mr. Bond's experiences. In his own words he says: "I had at one time an acquaintance named John Harris. John and I are better acquainted now than we were some years ago. Harris had been firing at the Box Factory, one of Madison's in- dustries. He came to me and offered to fire mj^ gin for me if I Avould give him $1.75 a day, which was twenty-five cents more than he was getting at the box factory. He guaranteed that he would give me first-class service. "After some consideration I agreed to his proposition and he went to work. Things went along nicely for some time. Then he asked for $2.00 per day. I gave it to him. The next season Harris insisted that I should give him $2.25 per day. I finally agreed to do so. We had gotten pretty well along in the ginning season. I Avas rushing the work. Harris demanded a raise. At last I agreed to pay him $2,35 per day. I paid him regularly all the time, every Saturday night. As I was passing from point to point about the gin plant and to my store, I met him one day, sixty-five or seventy yards from the gin, and asked him what he was doing so far from the engine. He informed me that the engine was running all right. I instruct- ed him to keep close to his engine, so that should it become neces- sary to shut off the steam, he would be at hand. Some time later I met him standing in front of my store, one hundred and fifty yards away from his engine rooms. I asked him what he was doing there. He h) formed me that I could see what he was doing. I then said to him, *'You are out here away from your engine. If anything should happen — should some one get caught in the machinery, it would hv rmpossible for you to get there Jn tinur to be of any service. You sJiall not fire any longer. I will dD Iho work myself." When I reached the boiler room, I looked around and Hoimriiy; 168 From Slavery to Wealth was right behind me. He said 1 should go back to my office ; that he would attend to the engine and fire. I said to him, "You are the man to go to the office and ask the bookkeeper to settle with you; then you can look for another job." I He said he would stay and do the work until I got another man: that I knew I was not able to handle the heavy wood. I thought of the great danger to my crew and machinery by having so careless a man at the engine. I grabbed a shovel and ran him out of the boiler room. I replaced him the next morning \yith another man. To show what many a colored man has to contend with when employing his own race in a place of this kind; Harris had never received more than $1.50 per day when firing for the white man, and gave him efficient service. I was paying him $2.35 per day for indifferent service mid consequently much annoyance and poor results. Harris went some thirty-five miles away and got another j b firing for a wdiite man at a saw mill for $2.00 per day. He worked twenty-five days and applied three times for a settlement. He would always be told that the man was not ready for settlement. The last time he asked for a settlement, the white man said to him: "Well, I am ready for a settlement now.'' He opened a drawer and came up with a navy six. Harris said to him: "That's all right. You don't oAve me any- thing." He came back to Madison, dragged around for a few days. I gave him his job back at the same salary and he gave me better service than he had ever done. At the close of the season he came to me and said he wanted to go to farming; that he had made up his mind to show me what a man could do. I owned a farm on the St. Francis River twelve miles below Madison. I rented Mr. Harris this farm, sold him twelve head of mules and horses and all the wagons and tools necessary to operate the farm. He paid for all this including his store account and had a bank account over and above all of $1,280. Life of Scott Bond 171 THE MANNER IN WHICH I LEARNED TO MAKE BRICK. After buying the seven small farms and adding them to my main farm, 1 found that to make permanent improvement it Y/ould require worlds of brick for chimneys. Unfortunately for mo [ had never been about a brick kiln. I reasoned that I could learn to make, kiln and burn brick. I heard that a big kiln was to be burned in Forrest City, so when my crops were laid by I went to Forrest City, three miles from where I lived, on a Monday morn- ing by sun up. I had to cross my sand pit on my way to the brick jard with my wagon and team; so I took my shovel and put on a ioad of sand, which was worth $2.00 a yard in the brick business at that time. I wanted to learn all I could about making brick. The yard was in charge of one of my old chums, Mr. J. H. Blount. "When he arrived on the yard he said, "Hello, Mr. Bond, what are you doing here?" "I came to work," I replied. He said: "Well, I do not need you and I cannot use you." I said: "I am going to work anyhow." He asked who hired me. I told him, "Nobody." "Well, how do you expect to get your wages?" "Well, Mr. Blount," I replied, "that may come around by some hook or crook." "'' Mr. Blount laughed and said, "That is very cheeky in any man." It was then about 7 :30 o 'clock. The man who had contracted to be there on time at 7 o'clock with his team to run the mad mill had not yet shown up with his team. I had a pair of fine mules with me at the time, on the yard, and I asked Mr. Blount to let me hitch my team to the mud mill and run it until his man got there. There will be no charge what- ever, I told him. My object was to learn how to mix mud and mold brick ; to learn how long they must lay on the yard before bemg set in the kiln. I kept this all to myself. The man who was to come with his team to run the mill did not show up. When we quit that night Mr. Bloant said to me: "Mr. Bond, you need not .orae back tomorrow because I know the other man will be here." 172 From Slavery to Wealth I said: "Mr. liloimt, that is all right, but this is a free country-. I will surely be ou time tomorrow morning." The next morning I was on hand with a load of sand. I un- loaded it and hitehed my mules to the mud mill and waited the arrival of Mr. Blount, the jnanager. The hands began comiiig in. l.]r. Blount was with them. He said: "Hello, Mr. Bond, you oeat any man I ever saAA'. Ton just walk up and take a job." "We laughed over this. The whistles blew for work time. 1 said, ''Mr. Blount, may I run this mud mill until your man comes?" He laughingly replied: "Yes, if it suits you to do so, bat I am sure he will be here in a few minutes." "That is all right," I said. "I am ready to give him h s job at any time he comes for it."' I learned how to buiid a mud mill, how ibe- clay Mas watered and prepared for the molds. I co is.dered this in itself big pay. At 6 o'clock in the evening I hitched my learn to my wagon and was ready to drive out, when Mr. Biount f.ame up to the wagon and said, "Mr. Bon-l, it really won't be nec- essary for you to come back tomorrow, because I am going to write a note, put a boy on a mule and send after the man wilh whum I have contracted to do the work you are doing." I looked at him, laughed in a jolly way and replied: "All right, Mr. Blount, I will surely be on hand on time in the morning." 1 was on hand before 7 o'clock the next morning with ano'ber load of sand, unloaded and had my mules hitched up to the mud mdl. That (lay the proprietor of the brick works came out. He was a man who had several large business enterprises. He walked up to Mr. Blount, the manager, and held a lengthy conversation with him. While I was busy at work I could detect mach o*-* thp con- versation referred to me. Tn a little while M'v. Grav, the pron-'ie- tor, came to the mud mill where I was at work and said; "Hello, Uncle Scott, what are you doiug here?" "T am sure, Mr. Gray, you are not a blind man, you can see what T am doing." "But T mean: who hired you here?" I replied: "No one." "Well, from whom are you expecting your wages?" Life of Scott Bond 173 "I am not looking for any wages. The Lord always niakcrf tilings right." "And you are depending on the Lord for your wages?" "Yes, sir, certainly. Of coarse, all good things come from tlie Lord." Mr. Gray and myself had, prior to that time, had quite a number of business transactions and they had all been as lovely as the month of May, so I continued to be on hand every day until Sat- urday 12 o'clock, when all the crew went to town to the office to be paid off. I hitched up my team and instead of going to the of- fice I went straight home. I was on hand again Monday morning and by this time it had become a custom with me to hitch m> males to the mud mill. AVhen the manager, Mr. Blount, got to the yard, he found my mules hitched up to the mud mill. I said to him, "Your mud mill man has not yet arrived." Mr. Blount replied, "No, the boss had advanced him $15 on the work three weeks ago and for that reason I was sure he would be on hand." "Well," I replied, "Mr. Blount, were I in your place I would have been sure he would not have been here, as there are two bad pay- )aasters — the one who pays in advance and the one who never pays." The mud mill man never showed up and T continued to work. Everything moved along nice!}'. The following Saturday evejimg at 5 o'clock the crew kuoci<:ed off and went to town to the ofQue to be paid off. I again hitched my team to my Avagon and drove home as usual. The next morning being Sunday, I went to the postoffice for my mail. I got a letter containing a check for $65, which I think was really more than I would have gotten had T. attempted to make a bargain. Here is a lesson, especially to young- men. It is always best to hunt the job, not the salary. Master the job and the salary will surely come and nine times out of ten. the amount will be larger than expected. I remained on the job until the brick kiln was completed and wound up with one hun- dred and forty odd dollars in cash. I reaily know that I had gained more than a thousand dollars worth of infoi-mation about makine: briek. 174 From Slavery to Wealth SCOTT BOND STARTS HOUSEKEEPING. Scott Bond set a splendid example for young men, when in 1877 he was married to Miss Magnolia Nash, and went im- mediately to the Allen farm to make a share crop and began housekeeping in a little log house. Let him tell the story: 'The first thing we did was to put up our little bed, then we looked around to see what was next. Just at this time in walked a white lady by the name of Mrs. Albert, she laughed and said : "You children are fixing to go to housekeeping." "I also laughed" and said, "Yes mam." "She looked around a little and asked what we were going to do for something to cook in." "I looked at wife, and wife looked at me, then we all laughed." ■'I said: 'I don't know what we will do, Mrs. Albert.' "She remarked, If you will come over to my house, I will see if I can find something for you." "I went over and she gave me a skillet with a piece broken out of it and a lid without a rim, and a tea kettle with no top." "One may think this a small wedding present, but it was a God send to us." "We used the tea kettle as a pot, to boil our dinner in and the skillet with the lid on to bake our bread. When the bread was cooked, wife would take it out and put it up beside the jamb to keep warm, while she would fry the meat in the same skillet." "We were so happy together that all this was real fun for us." "We had as yet no broom to sweep the floor, nor had we a wash tub, or rub board." "We had to borrow these things from my aunt who was my nearest neighbor." "My wife usually went to borrow the broom and the wash tubs. This after a time became worrisome to our neighbors and ourselves." "One bright day just as I was starting to the field my wife looked me in the face and said: Jf^JBiPllfP }}''ihS W^^ Q W < Pi o u Life of Scott Bond 177 "Willjjou please go and borrow the tub and rub board for me this morning?" "When I looked into her eyes, I saw her feelings were against continual borrowing." I said, "certainly, I will go and get the broom andd rub board," I got them for her and remarked : "Wife, this looks tough, just hold your light up a few days and if the Lord will let me, I will show you a sight." "These were the brightest days of my life, I could never tell when I had finished a day's work. "Time rolled on that year, and wife and I made and gathered a bountiful crop. Then we had some money. We discussed the situation and decided we^vould only buy the necessaries of life. We had a cilb full of coril ^^ sw apped my wedding suit for a milk cov/. When winter 'SBUlt'a.ssed and spring come, my wife's auntie made her a present o?Sa kitten. A Mr. Mc- Cutcheon made me present of a bitch and by that time we had two cows, two sows and I had bo^ight a beautiful little filly, named her Mattie and gave her to my wife." "By that time, Biddie the kitten was grown and here it was, Biddie brought kittens. Queen brought puppies, both of the sows brought pigs, the ccws were both fresh with young calves. I was ploughing for another crop. I ploughed the little filly up until Friday night. There came a big rain that night, so Sat- urday morning I turned the mare into the field where there was a large cane brake, as I knew I could not use her again before Monday morning. "I told my wife I would go and get Mattie to have her ready to plough Monday morning. The cane was very rank and one would have to look very closely to find an animal in that thicket. I finally espied her and called her to come to me. When I called her, the little mare started and up jumped a fine colt. I said, 'Ain't this luck, turn loose one and find two?" "I took them home. Wife and I looked the colt over and talked about our new horse. Tnis stopped ploughing for a few days. The chimney of the old house in which we lived was con- structed of dirt and sticks. It had caught fire and had to be From Slavery to Wealth thrown down. My wife had asked me several time if it was not time we had it rebuilt. This put me to looking and thinking. B.^^]t it and finished Monday evening and that night our first son^averly T. was bom. I had my hands full. The kittens, the^^uppies, the pigs, the calves, the colt and the wonderful boy. About the third day after the baby was born, the granny woman came to dress the baby. I had been up, off and on practically all night, this made me a little late getting up as it was about day- light. I was making up the fire and had not dressed. The boy needed dressing and was quite fretful. The granny woman came, and old folks like, did not knock, but shoved the door open and walked in. I was later that morning than usual. The kittens in the box were crying, the puppies under the house were whinning, the pigs had not been fed and as a matter of course, the sows and the pigs were squealing. I generally milked early, but being late that morning, I had not milked and the cows were lowing and the calves bleating and my big son was in the bed squaling. When the granny woman shoved the door open she exclaimed, "My God! Aint this a sight?" This reminded me of the remark I had made to wife : "Hold me a light for a few days and I will show you a sight." "1 found myself standing in the middle of the floor, patting my hands and said to wife, 'Listen to what Aunt Eliza says. My God! aint this a sight? I told you a few days ago to hold me a light and I would show you a sight.' " Wife and I made up our minds that we would lean together and march boldly up the path of progress, with the hope of be- ing able to buy a farm and educate our children. My wife furnished me with another boy every eighteen months or there- abouts until she had borne me eleven boys in succession and nary girl. When my wife had given me seven boys I then made a contract with her that if she would give me three more boys I would set her free. The morning the tenth boy was born, with my arms around her r^ck, she exclaimed, 'Thank God I am free!' My wife was such a good woman she did not stop there, ■^-'gg^.' ^ mm m mm wmK-^j' r*M < O B tc W M TO tc ►— c B B o E- Eh o O 03 Life of Scott Bond 181 but gave me another great boy, which made eleven sons in succession." "Here it was, boys, hogs, cows, mules, cotton and corn, peas and potatoes, chickens, eggs, milk, butter and pumpkins. We have been able from that time to the present practically to live on what we raised at home. I was growing financially stronger. I took charge of the whole Allen farm, and was raising the meat and bread that was consumed by all the hands on the place. We would kill and put up every year between ten and twelve thousand pounds of meat and barrels after barrels of lard. We grew cane for molasses and in fact produced every thing along these lines, needed on the farm. I made it a rule to fill every row of corn full of peas at lay by time. This alone almost made my meat every year. We grew as much cotton as our neighbors or more. Every time I sent my wagons to town I was able to send either a load of peas, potatoes or a country ham. Now even with 5 cent cotton I was able to put my oldest boys in col- lege and keep them there for six years without losing a day. I only gave them home made clothing and underwear. "The method of diversification and all the year sales of my products put me in position to make a payment on a farm or buy a farm every year. "I would to God that it were possible for me to pump into my colored friends all over the land, how easy it is for any man who wants to march boldly up the hill of success. I did not only serve God and make money, but I also made it a rule to make friends with all with whom I came in contact. I now value the friendships I have with all the people both white and black, far more than I do the money I have made." "I not only grew cattle and hogs, but also three or four mule colts every year. This enabled me to leplace the old mules as they would wear out or die. "It was in those days that I learned to experiment in farming, as I had so much land to work, it was necessary to have crops that would come off at different seasons. Besides I soon saw that I could not furnish all that land with $250 mules and I bought only small ones. When breaking the land two would be 182 From Slavery to Wealth used hitched to a large one horse plow. While this was slow work the land was broken good and deep. After this they would be singled out and each little mule was able to cultivate a full crop. It was impossible for my hands to cultivate deep. The result was they had to cultivate shallow. That was the reason I could make more cotton and corn than any of my neigh- bors. Necessity not knowledge compelled me to do that which years of experience has shown to be the best way to cultivate corn, cotton and everything else. "That was long before the government started its work coach- along these lines, and today with the impediment of poverty re- moved, I am still doing what the government experiment stations prove to be the proper thing." Scott Bond maintains that with fifty years experience in farm- ing, the science of agriculture is at the very beginning of its development. He says that if he were a twenty year old boy, by the time he was fifty years old he would learn something about farming and that the mysteries of agriculture like the mysteries of the Bible will never all be unfolded to man. He is of the belief that he can now take fifty acres and make more money with less expense than he used to make on five hundred acres. Patterson, the Bear Hunter. At a certain time there came another overflow. This again aroused my ambition for the timber business. I re- marked to Capt. Stearns, to whom I had been selling- my timber, that I was going to buy the north half of section 12 and then I would not pay any one 15 cents to insure me $15,000. That there was over 2,000,000 feet of the finest cypress I ever saw in that brake. Captain Stearns asked me who ov^oied the land. I felt that it was no secret, so I told him, thoughtlessly the very things that Mr. Patterson the great bear hunter, asked me to reveal to no one. Mr. Patterson, being well acquainted with the swamp and the overflows and knowing the drift of the currents, when the entire bottoms were flooded, said to me : "Come and go with me and I will show you just where and how to cut your float roads. I have been here for forty years. I have never given to any living man the information I am giving you, and would not like to have you reveal it to any one." I thoughtlessly told Capt. Stearns where I intended to cut my float roads. He asked me to let him go in partnership with me. I looked and thought at once, now it is worth something to be in partnership with Captain Stearns and I told him all O. K. I told Capt. Stearns who owned the land and what it could be bought for. The next summer, after my crop was laid by, I was very busy mold- ing and setting brick to burn a brick kiln. A young man, I do not now recall his name, came to me and asked to hire my wagon and team," I told him I would like to accommodate him but I was using my wagons and team every day hauling wood to burn a brick kiln. He said he had to have a wagon and team 083; 184 From Slavery to Wealth somewhere, he wanted to move his camping outfit up on section 12, that he had contracted with Captain Stearns to cut out a float road through the south half of section 12 and through the north half of the same section. Then and there I remarked to the young man : /'Sir I own the south half of section 12 and told Captain Stearns that I was going to buy the north half of sec- tion 12. Now I want to know who sent you to me for a team." He pleasantly replied: "Captain Stearns told me to come to you." I asked him how he knew that Captain Stearns had bought the north half of section 12. H- replied: "Because he told me he had." Then I thought of what Mr. Patterson, the great b€ar hunter had told me. Then it occurred to me that Captain Stearns wanted me to know that lie had bought this property. The next day, something, I do not remember what, caused me to be at Madison. I was standing on the front porch of a store house. It was a bright beautiful day. It happened that Captain Stearns walked right up to where I was standing. He seemed to have on his face as usual, one of his pleasing smiles. I looked him in the face and tried to return about the same pleasant smile, and said: "Good morning Captain Stearns." "Why good morning Uncle Scott." I looked him straight in the face giving him about the best smile I knew how. He said: "Well I saw that you had gone into the brick kiln business and had also agreed to go into the gin business, I came to the conclusion that you would not need the north half of sec- tion 12, so I went the other day and bought it and have the deed for it." "I said: "You did? Captain Stearns you are one of those smooth slick Yankees. Now I don't believe there is a southern born Democrat in all of Eastern Arkansas that would stoop so low as to take advantage of a Negro's ignorance as you have mine." He saw that I was pretty well keyed up, and remarlied : "That IS all right. We will still be partners, you own the aouth half Life of Scott Bond 187 and I own the north half and we will both work together as partners." This of course pacified me. I had up to that time never known anything of Captain Stearns but a perfect gentleman and he had run for County Clerk on the Republican ticket and being a Negro of course I was a Republican, supported him dur- ing the campaign, worked and voted for him and had always thought that he and I were all 0. K., as we had gone hand in hand through the campaign, so I felt good over the matter at last. A few years later came another overflow. I prepared my logging and camping outfit. About the time I was ready to start, I met Captain Stearns. He said: "Well, I see you are going to cut more timber." I said, "Yes, sir, my aim is to make a killing this time." He said, "Now when you get through cutting the timber on the south half of section 12 before you begin cutting on the north half, let me know." I said: "All right." This put me to thinking. I finally figured it out that that was only a matter of business and everything would work out O. K. So I called up my timber crew and lit out for the brake and went to work cutting and floating out timber. I cut and floated out about 145,000 feet which was about all the first class timber I had left on that section. After giving my boys in- struction what to do I got into my boat and had to go kbout 18 miles before getting to Capt. Stearns. I landed at my home about 10 o'clock in the night. Capt. Stearns lived about 300 yards from where I lived. I remained all night with my familj^ My wife had me a warm breakfast on the table by 4 o'clock. Then it looked like it was raining down pitchforks and it was as dark as dark could be. That did not deter me from my journey. I was at Capt. Stearns' house about three hours before daylight aroused him up, struck a match and said: "Captain Stearns I have cut all the timber that had been left on the south half of section 12 and I came to bring you the information you required of me." 138 From Slavery to Wealth He said : "Did you ever see it rain as hard as it is >"iining now." "Yes, sir, this is a pretty good rain. But Captain I am after results. It never gets too dark nor rains too hard whpn I am after that. What information can you give me ?" "Well I will have to go with you." 1 said: "It is a long ways to the camp and we will have to go up stream so we had better start now." I finally got him to agree to turn cut; and off we went. We arrived at the camP about 10 c'clock. Upon our arrival I said to Captain Stearns, "As you have not had any breakfast, I will have the cook prepare you something to eat." He said : "No, I am very much obliged. I will run up to Hull and White's camp," which was about one-half mile from my camp. I had never been to that camp, but I heard them felling trees ever since my camp had been located on the south half of 12. . My boys had finished all the work I had left for them to do and were sitting on the raft laughing and talking, waiting- for Captain Stearns to return from the other camp. In a little while ho made his appearance. He said: "Uncle Scott, Hull and White refuse to let you cut any timber on 12, so get your boats, crews and camping outfit and I vvill carry you over here en lost swamp and there I will let you cut all the timber you want to cut." I dropped my head and began thinking within myself. What a nice thing I once had and had revealed all my business tb Captain Stearns regarding the timber, and saw how nicely and pleasantly he had wound, me up in his little web, as the spider did the fly. I realized the fact that I knew nothing at all about lest swamp, and there had been no float roads cut through it. I decided that was a lame job. I realized the fact that Capt. Stearns had done me a great injustice, not only taking advantage of my ignorance in buying the north half of section 12, but had even trespassed on my property without my consent by cutting the float road through it. It appealed to me that if Captains Hull and White were cutting timber above me for Capt. Stearns, they were compelled to come through my premises to get to the Life of Scott Bond 189 river, which was the only way to get out with the timber. T still had my head hung down and I saw pretty clearly that I could master the situation. So I raised my head and looked at Capt. Stearns and said : "Captain Stearns, lost swamp the devil. I know nothing about lost swamp and I am not going anywhere you will never run a log through my float road unless I am dead.' This aroused all the boj^s at my camp. They were up in- stantly and ready for a big row. I grid to them : "Quiet boys I will master the situation. You are out of your place." This seemed to somewhat shock Capt. Steams. He finaiiy raised his head and said, "Uncle Scott wait until I come back." "All right, sir,." In about an hour, he returned with Capt. White, and Mr. Hull. Both of these men were perfect gentlemen and both were neigh- bors of mine. They came up and said: "Hello Uncle Scott," "I am not doin^ much Captain." They both had on their faces the smile of southern born, aristocratic gentlemen. They said to me : "We learn from Capt. Stearns that you are going to prevent us running our timber through this float road." "Gentlemen, that is true. I suppose that is Captain Stearns' timber you are cutting?" He said : "In part that is right. But Uncle Scott we have a contract with Captain Stearns as long as this paddle I hold in my hand, and we are in the hole about $1500 with Capt. Stearns. We have about 250,000 feet of timber already cut and ready to float out, and in case we can't pass through your float road it will be a total loss. If you will allow us to go through and run our timber this will put us something like $2,000 to the good." "Capt. Hull, you and Mr. White are my friends and I have the highest regard for you both, but in this case I am compelled to shoot through you both in order to get to Capt. Stearns. He has taken advantage of my ignorance, by me telling who owned the land and what it could be. bought for and also explained to him about the float road. In my absence, he went and bought the land and later I met him and he agreed with me that we 190 From Slavery to Wealth would still be partners. Now here it is, I have my entire crew here and had let him cut timber on my brake for two years. Now he winds up by telling me I can go in lost swamp, and I told him lost swamp the devil, I was not going anywhere. So you can see I certainly regret very much that I have to punish you gentlemen to get to Capt. Stearns. They and Capt. Stearns had a hearty laugh. Capt. Hull said : "We see Uncle Scott that you are in a position to master the situation. He being an old aristocratic gentleman, said: "Let's all be friends and make money. There is more timber here in this swamp than we can get out on this rise, so you can take your men and go to cutting and when we put our timber in the float road we will not allow it to stop until we get to the river. And when you start to running your timber do likewise." This gave me great relief. When I could see that my neigh- bors were making money and I was making some myself. This gave me great comfort. So in a few minutes the axes were ringing and the saws were singing. In the next few days we had another 140,000 feet of timber cut, cribbed and toggled ready for floating. Sometimes our crib of timber would be in front and sometimes Captain Hull and White's timber would be in front. This was rather a new line of work for myself and my boys and when we could get the white in front of us we would watch the skill with which they handled their timber. We were benefited by their skill and art in floating timber in the float road. So Messrs. Hull, White and myself worked together, hand in hand and we all came out Avell and made nice money. % < O o I — I o Q o 'J H M u o A P Life of Scott Bond 193 BRICK. On July 26th, the next year I finished laying by my crop and drove my team on the brick yard. By working with Mr. Blount the year before that I had learned just what to do. I cleaned off my brick yard, planned my mud pits, had me a mud wheel built like the one I had run the year before for Mr. Blount. My brother-in-law, Pat Banks and myself had been together from time to time, thought we would go in partners and burn a kiln of brick, after I had the yard cleaned off. The next day he came around to where I was at work, and said: "I have de- cided not to go in partners in the brick business, but you can use me anywhere you see fit and I will do all I can to advance you in the brick business, and you can pay me whatever you think is right." I agreed to that and said : "I am going to make and bum the brick." So I moved off with my brick business. I hired my molders and offbearers and after I had made brick two or three days, I went to see Mr. Blount, who was teaching school in Forrest City, to get him to show me how to set my kiln. I effected the following arrangement: "I was to furnish him a horse, bridle and saddle, and every evening at the close of school he was to come down to the kiln. I was to board him at my house and we were to work from 4 :30 to 7 :30 or 8, and we would start in the morning as soon as it was light enough and we could set brick until 8 o'clock then he could have breakfast, get in his saddle and be at school on time. This worked all O. K. After Mr. Blount would close over the eyes of the brick kiln, I had learned to set brick all right, and in five weeks time after I had got started we had made and burned 130,000 brick. I had a partner, a white man by the name of Mr. Crawford. He and I had decided to put up a steam gin. I put my brother- in-law, Pat Banks to hauling the material to build the gin while I was burning the brick kiln. So I was ready to build my furn- ace at the gin plant by the time the brick was cool enough to handle. 194 From Slavery to Wealth By the 15th of October, I had my brick ready for the market and had completed my gin plant. I ginned a bale of cotton on that date. I had not as yet sold any brick, but happened to be in Forrest City the next day after I had ginned a bale of cotton. Capt. Wynne, who at that time was president of the Bank of Eastern Arkansas, came into T. 0. Fitzpatrick's office and said : Mr. Fitzpatrick I have a subscription list here. We are going to build a church here in town and I want to see how much you will subscribe. Mr. Fitzpatrick was a scholarly gentleman, yet he had a gruff way of meeting his friends. He said : "No, Capt. Wynne, I have spent the most of my days building churches and school houses for the white people and Negroes of this county." Captain Wynne was a very modest Christian gentleman and I noticed his face when Mr. Fitzpatrick made that expression. It appeared that he had thrown. cold water over his face. I remarked: ''Captain Wynne, he is mistaken. The Negroes and a. large per cent of the white people of this county have kept his hands in the government corn crib for years and years. Mr. Fitzpatrick has never paid a dollar in the way of building- churches for either the Negroes or white people, and the Lord has simply loaned him this money, in order that he might help to build churches and school houses. Captain Wynne I wish I was a white man in order that I would have a chance to help build this church." "Uncle Scott we would be glad to have you help us with this church." "All right sir, here is ten dollars." He handed me the list to sign my name, we were both standing at Mr. Fitzpatrick's desk. As I went to pass the list back to Capt. Wynne, Mr. Fitz- patrick, who had not in all this time said a word, grabbed the list and struck it for $50.00. He said, the conversation between Scott Bond and yourself has changed my decision." Capt. Wynne, as I have before stated was a modest Christian < fa < fa < < O e o w Life of Scott Bond 197 gentleman ; and as he turned to go out, said, "I am so much obliged to you gentlemen for your generosity." I did not know at that time what kind of a church they were going to build, frame or brick, but about three days later, the building committee came to my house to see me, they said : "Uncle Scott, we learn that you have finished burning a brick kiln." "Yes, Sirs, I have one that just blowed out a few days ago." "We would like to know if your bricks have smooth faces and are well burned." "Gentlemen, come to tne kiln with me, I will let you be your own judge." When we arrived at the kiln I said, "now gentlemen I will open the kiln at any place you want me to." They picked the place on the top of the kiln. I went to work like a June bug and made the opening until they said that is deep enough. "How did you manage to get such smooth faces en your brick." I worked with Mr. Blount, who worked for Mr. Gray in For- rest City, in order to learn how to make brick, and I noticed that the coarser the sand they used, the rougher the bricks were. So I found a real smooth white sand bed and used it so that my brick would be smooth. "Well these brick are all right. What are they worth?" "I am asking $9.50 per M." "Well we will take $450.00 worth at that price." "All right gentlemen. What are you going to build with these brick?" "We are going to build a church at Forrest City, and will use these bricks for the front." "Gentlemen is this the same church for which Capt. Wynne was soliciting?" "Yes, this is the same church and we notice that you have given us $10.00 on it." "Gentlemen, let me say right here, as this is the Lord's house, I will only charge you $9.00 and leave the half off." "Uncle Scott this is very nice in you and we thank you for your kindness." 198 From Slavery to Wealth This was the first sale of brick I made at the kiln. Within the next day or two, I met Mrs. Graham, who was a large land owner and a Christian lady. I said to her, "I see you are making extensive improvements on your farms. I see you are hauling brick from Forrest City to build your chimneys. Now as we are neighbors and own large farms adjoining, I would be glad for you to have your agents examine my brick kiln and if the brick and prices meet your approval, I would like to supply you with them." "Why Uncle Scott, ha-e you a brick kiln and what do you ask for your brick?" "$9.50 per M." "All right, I will instruct my agent to get the balance of the brick I need from you." A day or so later, there were seven wagons from Mrs. Graham's at the kiln for brick. The wagons continued to haul until they had hauled off the last brick I had to spare. I did not get a chance to build but one chimney for myself, after making my brother-in-law a present of brick enough to build a chimney for himself, I said to my brother-in-law, "I begged you a long time to go in partnership with me in this kiln. If you had been a partner, you could not have worked harder than you did work, and you would have made wages, as you did make and would have been $350 to the good clear of all expenses." You see I only made two sales and sold out the entire kiln. Now Mr. Banks we could have sold 500,000 brick just as easy as we sold what we did." This encouraged me to burn another kiln the next year. Mr. Blount, by this time had gone off to school. I wrote to Gray's Station, Ark., for Mr. Carey Brown, who was an all round good brick man. By this time I had gathered experience about the brick business by which I could economize in various ways. I went to work, doubled my capacity and burned tvdce as many as I did the year before. It did not cost me as much to bum these brick as it did to burn the others. I do not re- member now the exact date when I got rid of these bricks, but it Life of Scott Bond 199 was a short time and a more handsome profit than on the other kiln. Mr. Bond's example in this particular could be profitably followed every year by farmers during what is called the "lay-by time." There is hardly a community in the south where clay suitable for brick can be found but would be benefited financially and other- Avise if those who have the time training and energy would get busy making brick. THE SLAVES' METHOD OF SECRET COMMUNICATION. In the time of slavery there were many methods of communi- cation among the slaves. Some of these methods were unique. Information was conveyed in many apparently mysterious ways, sometimes, the methods known as the clothes-line telegraph, some- times the underground mail; at other times a code of signals v/ould impart the desired news. All this remember in a way to keep the overseer in the dark as to what was going on. Negroes used to steal something to eat sometimes, and if it wa? a hog, he would call it "'Joe High." And if it was a beef, he v.-ould call it '"Ben Low." In fact, they had a jargon name for everything. If by chance, the overseer should smell the meat and detect it in one's dinner basket, he would rarely expose the thief. In fact, few people conscientiously thought the Negro's steal- ing at that time a moral ^vrong; and today his conscience along ihese lines is in a measure eased as a reflex of the conditions of that time. ■>t. *?»i«;>. 200 From Slavery to Wealth WHY SCOTT BOND HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. As a rule when a white man employs a Negro to work for him he tells him to go ahead. Mr. Bond has always made it a rule to say, ''Come on boj'S, ]et's go." Here again we repeat his words without quotations : I hired two men — Frank Rutherford and Richard Earwood. The contract was that they were to eat when I ate, get up when I got up, go to bed Avhen I went to bed, drink when I drank, and rest when I rested. I was to pay them one-half of their wages each month and settle in full when the crop was laid by. If they quit before the crop was laid by, except for sickness or death, thej" were not to be paid the balance. I did this to keep them until the season was ver. They went to work and did nicely until on the 15th of June. T noticed Earwood stopping and looking up at the sun. At last, about eleven o'clock, he stopped and said to me: "Mr. Bond, 1 have done the best I could. If I should stay to complete my contract, I would have $27.50 coming to me. I can't stand it any longer. I will have to quit." I laughed and said to him, "All right. If you see a man along the road tell him to come to me and I will pay liim a doVar and a half a day while your money lasts. Then I will give him a dollar a day and board the balance of the season." Earwood left me and went his way. Rutherford stayed with me. One day as we Avere nearing the end of our work, I paused in the shade of a tree that stood in the middle of the field. The fresh turned soil in the rows in the shade looked cool and inviting. 1 stopped and sat down on my plow. As Rutherford came alon<', 1 said, "Whoa!" He asked me what was the matter. I said to him, "Sit down and rest." He seemed astonished. He shouted, "Rest?" "Yes," said I, "rest!" He remarked that he had been with me from March until the 26th day of July and that was the first time he had ever heard me Life of Scott Bond 203 say rest. He was amused, and peal after peal of hearty laughter j-ang across the field. It is this spirit of "get up and get'' that has made Scott Bond the most remarkable man of his race. He never takes anything for granted, but must have evidence of effort by the results at- tained. LATENT FORCES. "I often think of the latent forces," says Mr. Bond, "ot the Kegro race, of its opportunities to do things and be somebody, that are passed by us unnoticed."' To illustrate : "I was once engaged in tearing out an old fence row. It was covered with briars and vines. The fence was a post and board fence. I had a number of hands working. After we had cut all the vines, briars and bushes, one of the men put his hands on one of the posts and gave a push, Down came five or six panels of fence — the boards and posts were all rotten. One of the men said, "Just look at that! If the cows had any sense, they could have had all the corn they wanted." I said, "Stop, all of yon, and listen to me for a minute, if we Negroes only knew our power, we could do a great deal to bette]' our condition, fmancially. If we would only stop and look and think, fortune would be as easj- for us to get as it would have been for the cows to get the corn." Years after this I met a ycung man in Hot Springs, the grear health resort, who knew me. He hailed me, saying, ""Why, here is Mr. Bond! You don't know me, do you?" I told him I did not. He then said, "My name is Alvin Wofford. I used to work for you fifteen years ago. I owe all my success in life to you." "With tears of joy running from his eyes, he continued: "Your lectures made a man of me, but of all the talks none did me more good than the talk you gave us the day we were tearing out the old fence row. I want you to make my house your home as long- as you are in the city, because I feel that I owe my success to you." 204 From Slavery to Wealth Mr. Wo f ford was married and had a nice family and home in Hot Springs. Thus is shown in a beautiful way, that if the race used its la- tent power, it would forge ahead by leaps and bounds. And if individual efforts succeed so well, who can even estimate the ad- vancement we could make if we work in union to attain a com- mx)n end? LEARNING THE MEANING OF A "YANKEE TRICK." One of the best things Mr. Bond tells us is how he learned what people meant by a " Yankee Trick.' It is best told in his own words : "When I was a small boy in the early years of the Civil War, one of my duties was to keep the flies off the table. My mis- tress and the overseer would sit at the table for hours and talk about the Yankees and "Yankee Tricks.' I wondered what they meant by "Yankees." I had heard people sing a song about "Yankee doodle dandy," and I thought a Y'ankee must be iome kind of an animal. After the war I asked a white man Avhat a "Yankee Trick" was. lie said one day he was driving along a road in a wagon. Among other things he had a barrel of molasses. He met some Yankee soldiers and asked them to show him a "Yankee Trick." They told him they would, and taking an auger he had in the -wagon, bored a hole in one end of the molasses barrel and told him to stick his finger in to keep the molasses from running out. Then they bored a hole in the other end and told him to reach over and stick a finger in that hole. The soldiers then rode off. As they were leaving they said: "You asked us to show you a "Yankee Trick." That is one. Hold vour molasses." Life of Scott Bond 205 SCOTT BOND IN A JIM-CROW CAR. Soon after the passage of the separate coach bill in Tennessee some funny things happened. At one time I was returning from Nashville, where I had been to see one of my sons graduat.;. When 1 started to enter the train the conductor came to me and said, "That is not your car. Get in this car." We obeyed the conductor as we had a right to do, and found ourselves in the car with white passengers. As I sat down I said to my son: "The conductor is mistaken. We will sit still and wait until the conductor comes back. We will then call his hand and have him let us go into our own car." This conversation attracteo. the attention of other passengers and they took in the situation. When the conductor came through and took up and punched our tickets, I remarked to him: "Colonel, I think you are mistaken. We are a little above riding in a car with white folks, as we are Negroes and I would like for 3'ou to show us into a Negro car if you have one hitched to this train." The conductor looked a little strange but we had a hearty laugh and he had the porter show us into a car where the colored pas- sengers rode, where 1 found the schoolmates of my boy on their way borne from school. We chatted and discussed the commencement exercises and the callings of thp different boys and girls in after life. At another time I remember that soon after the separate coach bill had been passed in Arkansas, I boarded a train at Madison. This was what was known as a fast train. After I sat down the porter came to me and said: "This is not your car, captain, you .sliould get up and go in tlie other car." I paid no attention to him. lie went out and in a feAv minutes he came back and stuck his head in the door and said, "Cap', get up and go into the other car, you don't belong in here." I still paid no attention to the porter. Shortly afterwards he came back with the conductor, who slapped me on the ba>'k and said: "Get up and go into the other car." I looked at hira in a sarcastic manner and said: "What in the name of the Lord shall I do? The law says I shall not ride in the other car and you say 1 shall not ride in this car with niggers. What shall I do?" 206 From Slavery to Wealth The conductor siiijled and said: "I guess we will have to have the legislature pass another sejmrate coach bilL" I said: ''I have been made to feel very much embarrassed and as soon as I get to a county .seat I am going to have papers made out and sue the railroad com- pany for damages." The conductor said: "There is no use to do that, for this has happened unintentionally." "All right, colonel, admit that what you say is true, I suffer from the effects of it just the same." This put me to thinking. I realii^ed the fact that I was neither pig nor puppy and said to myself: "Somebody is responsible for this somewhere and at sonie time. Lord, is it I?" SCOTT'S FRIEND GOES TO AFRICA. Some very peculiar things can happen in life. Some years ago the Negroes in these parts caught what might be called the "African I'^'ever" or a desire to move to Africa. A man named Stanford came through this part of the country and was persuading all the Negroes to go to Africa. He succeeded in getting quite a number to agree to go. They sold out their holdings, including real estate and personal property. He had night meetings among the colored citizens of this communit.y. Dr. Stanford was a Negro, and was a man of note as a financier, lie was a plausible fellow and would almost talk the horns off a frozen <'0w. He had a way of telling the people that, owing to the vast amount of tropical fruit found and the ease of getting gold and diamonds, all of which could be gathered by the handful, and even went so far as to say that there were pan cakes and molasses that the pancakes grew on trees, and that all one had to do was to shake the trees and feast. He was quite a historian and made a number of my people believe that what he said was true. The day they were to leave, there were about three hundred of Ihem. They met three hours ahead of time in a great body. I never saw nor heard such singing and shouting before. Among the songs they sang were : ■~! a I— H fa -1^ J ■ASrf'W * ' ^ *"*«VJ^, H o fa fa Q o m fa I— ( O < fa o fa o W Life of Scott Bond 209 "Jesus my all, to heaven has gone, He whom I fixed my hopes upon; His track I see, and I'll pursue. The narrow way 'til him I view. I'll never turn back no more." This and many other old Plantation Melodies were sung, and ona of the emigrants preaclied a farewell sermon. There were numbers of them who made prayers for the safely of the voyage. There were two real old people — man and wife — named Amerii-a and Hannah Shoulders, who were so old that any one co'ild see that they were not strong enough for a journey of that ciisract-^r Numbers of people, white aud colored, went to them and tried to persuade them not to start. They would reply to all alike, "'I am heaven bound. There is more money to be made in Africa picking up mahogany switches than there is in growing com and cotton liere. Africa is my original home. There is no Ij-nching and brutal treatment of its citizens. I am going home ! If I fall by the wayside, I want my face to be towards Africa." As old as they were, it was fortunate for them to reach the Prom- ised Land. They only lived a few months after their arrival. The people of this community of both races were very much ex- cited over the "African Fever," white as well as black. A few days later I happened to be in Forrest City, the county seat. A number of the white people would say to me : "Uncle Scott, do you think all the colored people are going to Africa?" I replied, "No! There are ten million Negroes in the United States and it would hardly be possible to furnish them transporta- tion in twenty-five years," "Well," they would say, "I have no business in Africa, but I have 'been raised with them; they partly raised me. If they all go, I am going too. I can't live without them." I said to them: "I am sorry to hear you say this, for as large as this world is, all broad-hearted people ought to be able to get a liv- ing out of this world." 210 From Slavery to Wealth Among the large number of blacks who went to Africa, some re- turned, some died for lack of knowledge of the laws of health, and otiiers lived, thrived and did well. There Avas one named Harry Foster, a man from Georgia, whose transportation 1 had paid from his old home to Arkansas, who had a great deal of vim and "get up." After he arrived in Africa he secured his two barrels of flour, one hundred pounds of meat, sugar and coli'ee and took possession of his twenty acres of land, cleared it, developed it and set it out in coffee trees, then bought twenty acres more from the government and planted that to coli'ee trees. The last 1 heard of him he vvas deriving an income of $1,500 a year from his cott'ee plantation. There was another man named Taylor Swift, who lived on one of my farms for four or tive years. I finally persuaded him to buy himself a home adjoining my farm. He had developed this place by clearing the laud and building houses, and at that time had plenty of corn, mules and cattle and a nice little bank account. He too pulled out for Africa with about $1,800 in cash. Taylor Avas a good cotton groAver. After he got to Africa and sa.Av no cotton he Avas at a loss as to Avhat to do. At the expiration of six months he decided to return to the United States. He took his famdy and pulled out for home A'ia Liverpool. His funds Avere exhausted Avhen he arrived at the English port and cabled back for transpor- tation to Arkansas.. He was glad to get back and to meet his old friends and Ave Avere all glad to see Taylor and talk Avith him about Africa and his adventures. Taylor Avas now in destitute circum- stances; no home, no money and nothing to eat. But he had a host of warm-hearted friends. When he left he had sold his farm to a A"hite man, a Mr. Newman, Laughiiighouse, but later I had bought H as it joined one of my farms. He sold a pair of mules Avith his farm. One of the mules he called old Nell. He met this mule in ^he road one day after his return, smacked her in the mouth and said: "Nell, I hope to 'buy you back and if I do you Avill live and die mine." Taylor is more than an average man. He is really a good citizen, a good worker and always paid his obligations. He is well thouo-ht of by all Avho know him. When I met him after his return home he said to me: "Well, Bond, T am at home again. I got my start Life of Scott Bond 211 with you before I went to Africa and lost it and now I want you to sell me another mule on credit and rent me 15 acres of the best land you have. I made.it here once and I can make it again." I said-: "All riglit, Swift, I will not sell you a mule but I will give you one." "Bond, that sounds good." Swift took the mule, made and gathered 14 bales of cotton and 180 bushels of corn that year. I had reduced his rent and practi- cally gave him the corn and the hogs to make his meat another year. There was a track of 80 acres of land belonging to another party adjacent to the farm that he had formerly owned. I encouraged Swift to buy it, which he did, and now he has it in a high state of cultivation, all paid for Avith plenty of mules, cattle and hogs, au automobile and a fine bank account. This instance shows what a Negro can do in this country, if he will. Here is a man who came back home destitute and in debt. If he can do this, others can. A Race with the Stork. This story of another addition to the Bond family is intensely interesting and we let Mr. Bond tell it in his own way: "I had always made it a point to be near home when there was an arrival expected. On one occasion the time approached when I felt it my duty to be at home as much as possible. Yet it was crop gathering time and my farming operations for that year were about 16 miles north of my home. My hands were gathering cotton and when ginned I would wait until J had a number of bales ready and would then get all my own wagons and the wagons of my neighbors and take in enough cotton to Forrest City to give the gin something to do. One Sunday afternoon as I sat talking with my wife I noticed that she was crying. I asked her what was the matter. She replied: 'You have always been near me, but this time you will not be able to be at home. You are in the midst of your picking and will have to be at the Allen farm.' I told her 1 had 18 mules and two horses and that I would be with her or my mules or horses would not have a leg left. I comforted her as best I could. I rode 32 miles a day, leaving home in the morning and returning at night. Some three weeks later as the time drew near I had been to the farm and was within three miles of home when I saw my son Tlieo., riding toward me. I knew what was the mat- ter. I was driving one of the 38 wagons in the train. I called a boy who was riding my horse and gave him the team and mounting my horse turned and coursed my way through the woods, Theo following. I found on my arrival that I would still have time to go to Forrest City. I passed a few words with my wife and then went on to Forrest City. When I returned I found a bouncing boy awaiting me." '212) Life of Scott Bond 215 SCOTT BOND FINDS POT OF MONEY. There are extant many stories of the finding of hidden gold in the fields and hills of this county. About three years prior to this writing there was a colored woman driving into Madison along the river road at the foot of Crowley's Ridge. She noticed an old pot tiiat had been exposed at the root of a large tree by a heavy rain that had fallen the night before. She passed it by and at night as she was returning home she thought she would satisfy her curi- osity by examining the old pot. A passer-by told her that a white man had found there that day a pot containing $8,000 in gold, all of which proved to be true. As to myself, I was one time building a fence. I had a boy dig- ging a hole for a gate post. He struck a hard substance Ihat pre- vented him digging the hole. The boy's name was Willie Uucker. I said to him: "Willie, how long will it take you to finish digging that hole?" He replied: "Mr. Bond, I don't know. I have struck something hard like a piece of iron; I can't get through it." I told him that M^as all right, to jjull it out. "Mr. Bond, you will have to start another hole I can't get througli this iron." I told him to get away. I got down and reaclicid into the hole and put my hand tiirough the handle of the lid of an oven, T had often heard that money had been buried somewhere about the place. It was in the month of February. It was very cold. I immediately found something else for Willie Rucker to do. The sun was about one and one-half hours high. I sent Willie to feed the horses. I covered the hole with a board and waited until night to remove the pot. It looked as if night would never come. Whea jt was dark I got my spade and went to work. After digging for an hour and a half I pulled the pot up. It was dark. I could feel the seam around the edges but I could not remove the lid. As it was cold, I took it to my bed room and placed it on the hearth in front of the fire and got a hammer and tried to get the lid otf. My wife and mother-hilaw had retired by this time, and in tapping the rim with the hammer to loosen the lid it awakened ray wife, who rose up in the bed and asked me what was the matter. I ''old her nothing; to lie down. She got up out of the bed and cav' • to '216 From Slavery to Wealth me and asked what I had there and what I was trying to do. I t<»l(l her il was a pot of gold. Then and there wife got busy. "Lei nie have the hammer," she said, "I will get the lid off." By that time my mother-in-law had awakened and was up and at the fire asking what in the world was the matter. ''Let me have the hammer," she said. "I Avill get it off." I was so worked up over my find I did not eat any supper. I thought that I had found a rich and une5.]:)eeted treasure. By that time my two children wei-e awake and at the fireside, and all were anxious to get the lid off the pot. There was a seam all around the edge where the lid appeared to be fastened on to the pot. But all the joys of earth have an end. To our chagrin the pot of gold proved to be a weight off the safety valve of an old-fashioned boiler. It weighed 29 pounds. It has often been said that Scott Bond found a pot of money. That is true; he did; he dug it -dollar by dollar from the long rows of corn and cotton, working early and late or as he has often said: " From can't to can't. From can't see in the morning to can't see at night." His pot of gold is the profits of his toil. There are thousands more like it buried in the fertile fields of Ar- kansas -waiting for the energy and thrift of any who will dig. SCOTT BOND'S WIFE FINDS CAN OF WEALTH. He said : "When 1 bought my home place where I now live it was formerly owned by a man named MeMurry. It appeared that Mr. McMurry and his wife did not alvvaj^s agree. They only had one child, a son. This young man ahvays esteemed his mother very hichly and gave her the greatest honor in his power. After he had gTO'vVn to manhood he became a captain on the river and made quite a sum of money. Being so aJfectionate to his mother, it was said he had given her $500 in gold and that his mother had buried it somewhere about the place. When I bought the place mother, father and son were all dead and J. bought the place from their estate. There was a jug cistern dug within ten feet of the north chimney of the house. It had alwa3^s been said that colored people believed in dreams. One of my neighbors named Abe Davis met me one morning and said : ' I had a dream last night. I dreamed that you had found $500 in gold buried between the cistern and the chimney of the room where you and your wife sleep.' "I had a hearty laugh with the old gentleman and passed it off. About three weeks later my 'jbrother-in-law's wife dreamed that a lot of money was found within three feet of the place where Mr. Davis dreamed that he found it. A few months later my brother-in- law came with another dream. He dreamed that he foimd it under the hearth in our bed room within five feet of the place where the others dreamed it was found. About a year after these dreams I was running a large farm about 15 miles away and always made it a rule to come home every Saturday evening to see my wife and children. "Wife would always have our home in perfect order and phe and the children would be eagerly awaiting my arrival. On this particular occasion I was a little early. (217) 218 From Slavery to Wealth As I quitely rode up to the gate and looked over into the yard, and all the flowers were in bloom, my two little boys wer-. out in the front yard playing. They had not yet detected my presence. I sat there on my horse and noted the cows and hogs, chickens, boys and flowers, and I could hear my wife singing back m the kitchen, getting supper. All this appeared to me like home, sweet home. I made my presence known and there was a hearty greeting. I told my wife and children many little stories of what had happened during that week. After supper was over and we had retired, the fire from the fire place made a brilliant light on the hearth. I said to my wife, "I admire the neatness with which you have painted your hearth." She remarked: "Yes, do you remember that sunken place in the liearth that was so hard to keep level?" I said: "Yes, I remember it." "What was the reason we coidd never keep that brick level?" she asked. I replied: "I have no idea." "Some crazy person," she said, "in laying the foundation for Ihat hearth had put a tiu can in with the dirt and one edge of the brick rested on the tin can." "What was in tlie can?" 1 asked. She replied: "Nothing but dirt." I asked if the can was rusty. She said: "No, it was bright. The top had been melted off and was pressed close together." I asked how she kiiew there was nothing in the can but dirt. "Because it was heavy, '" she replied. I asked her what she did with the can. She told me she had given it to Dora, the nurse girl. This girl was about grown. She said she told Dora to take it out and tlirow it aM^ay. Tasked her where Dora threw the can. The next morn- ing I asked Dora to come and show me v/here she threw the can. She walked over to the fence where I had a potato patch and said : "1 threw it right over there in the potato patch." Life of Scott Bond 21^ I had only six rows of potatoes set out at that time and I took it row by row and searched diligently the entire potato patch for the can. This was on Sunday morning. I thought the matter over several times during the day, and remembered the dreams, all oi* which pointed to within eight feet of the place where the can was locatevl. This confirmed in my own mind that by the can being bright and not rusty and the top edge being pressed close together and being heavy, as wife said; then taking into consideration the stories of the :>o()() hi gold, I thought we had found the hidden treasure. On ]\[onday morning I gave Dora another can and told her to go and rhrow it where she threw the other. She took the can, walked up to the fence and threw it over and said: "There is- where I threw it.'' I got the garden rake and raked the ground thoroughly for ten feet around where she threw the can. 1 failed to locate it. I then hitched my mule to the hai'