Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1850-05-11
Notes Of southern TraytIsrNc, III.

and Alabama. but during the whole course o
this travel VIC only saw four country schools
We made many inquiries after the state Of cdu.
cation and schools, but did not hear Of more
than fouc or five in the country through which
We passed. think there arc as many Scmina
RIGS and Colleges In that country, IN proportion
to the white inhabitants, as there are in this. -
Tho very wealthy in that country form an asso.
citation among themselves, and will not associ.
ate with the less wealthy. There is another
grade who form an association among them'
selves, and cannot associate among the "gppe'
tcn," and rM not associate with the poor; thii
class arc generally able to own few slaves, yci
they arc compelled to labor some themselves
The first grade do not labor at all. Those whe
own no slaves and get an honest living by the
sweat of their own brows, are "poor chite trash,
and arc not treated with any more considera-
ton by the upper crust " than gcntlcman's
negro. The white population being divided in.
to these three distinct castes yet so ntcrspcrscd
among each other, il is impossible for them ID
maintain schools. The rich send their children
to scminurics. or hire them instructed at homo
Tho poor arc raising their families without men-
tai culture. Uss aas.faern
Tho poor class being considerably the largest
portion of the citizens of that country, it is hard
ly necessary that should say that there is very
little general intelligence among them. There
is not one in fifty of this class that reads nows-
paper, magazine, or any thing of the kind; they
know nothing of common nows, except os they
are told by somebody who does read, or has
heard by the second, third or fourth person that
the papers say 50 and so." .,f,.ft...s h.
saw many exhibitions of stupidity among
them, and il was sometimes difficult for me to
control my risiblc muscles so as to prevent out
right laughter in their presence. On ono occa-
sion VIC stopped to stay overnight with an old
gentleman who owned 100 acres of land and
several negroes; his son had been candidate
for the Legislature, and came within seven votes
of being elected to its last session. 1t had then
been nearly two weeks since VIC had seen
newspaper or had any intelligence from Con-
gross. Being among political people, VIC sup
posed that VIC had a very good opportunity to
get some ncws, and accordingly askcd the old
man if he could tell us what was going on in
Congress. 90 yes, MY son, that came so nigh
being elected, takes the papers 1t is only
three miles to his house, and ] hear the news
every day or two." "Wcll, what arc they do
ing in Congrcss;" mot much; they spend
nearly all their time fussing about tho l-2 per
cent. fund" "Thc . l-2 per cent fund -
"Ycs, they want to mako a railroad from Sell
ma, on tho Alabama river. to @ untcr's Landing,
on Tennessee river; and some OF 'cm want to
take our 10 per ct. school fund to do It with"
We hintcd that it might be the Alabama Lcgis-
laturc that he was thinking of lie gave us to
understand that he knew all about it. ''Con-
gress had been in session down at Montgomery
more than threo weeks. and my son takes the
papers" o. -f la rl1eln4 .sr 1to 4
Several amusing anecdotes were related to us
relative to Court cases. A Justice of the Peace.
with whom VIC staid one night, said that one of
his neighbors sued another for right of property
in an old black sow. They kept the case in
Court said he, until it cost them $1,000. In
the County of Jasper certain man was indicted
some months previous to the time VIC were
there, for stealing an old axe. The proof against
him was clear and positive. After the testimo-
ny was through, the Judge summed up the evil
doncc in few words, and gave the jury their
charge. They retired, and after being out IF
tce.i or twenty minutes returned with verdict
of ma,islaughter.' "Poh! poh !" says tho
Judge, "that won't do" "Thc dewitt won't"
said the foreman of the Jury. with great simpli-
city; "plcase your honor we could not hang
him for the first oifcncc.' We wero asked more
than once whether VIC thought "niggers and
were as high in Indiana as they were
in Alabama; What good niggcr would bring
in cash; Whether it was as good country to
buy cotton as theirs &C.. sc. ,-. .,....
Public improvement in that country is very
little in advance of general intelligence. In
travelling the distance we did in Mississippi
and Alabama, VIC did not travel one foot on
a turnpike road. They have no canal or rail-
road. Some years since a railroad was commcn-
ccd, leading from Memphis into Northern Mis-
sissippi. The work was prosecuted until the
eight or ten miles nearest Memphis were COM
plctcd. Some cars were put on it, and somo of
the citizens run out on it few times for plea
sure; the work was then abandoned, the cars
thrown off the track where they now lie rotling,
the irons wcro pulled up, sent to Cincinnati and
sold, and if l mistake not are on the Mad River
railroad. Tclcgraphs are in operation in some
places, but it is very difficult to keep the wires
up; they arc torn down out of mere wanton-
ness. A line was completed from Columbus to
Tuscumbia. While the workmcn were enga-
gcd in putting it up on the premises of certain
old widow lady, she came upon them hoe in
hand, and ordered them to take the d-d thing
off her place, as she did not intend for all the
chat her family had to so down to Mobile. The
line is now demolished. We saw number of
gates hung with the old wire. They say it is
1oin0 tho pconln some pood now NAs ''