New-York daily tribune., 1859-10-03
,oy -pYINsAs AND THE CHEROKEE
FhOm "A COUNTRY.
C.r.,pondenoe Of Ths eos'sn ~. - Insl;

buiIe'o"' this Niclblty. lucy Ai"N-y
eef,IeD'sl, .eroviDg tasir b.is on aPptoac5ng .
white Do, and addressing BIN as " master too
bot at which stopped cay OF two on my Hf,VaI -
:. NAMED altogether by them; ana soouba7 0.snf
d<ne.s of their tbraeseness and careleesoes. Ono
the waters however seemed an exception y" '''
and wss prom pt. quick and intehseb'. .,r,
Dick appears 70 be unusually good ooy' i'e'
marked 10 the landlord. o~..xnsH
A. AGO Tor tha, uigeer. lie wouldn't nave oiousaA
mor, in New Orleans but he sas rai'ed 10 tae
ard "a an excellent cook. He's smart, good "a'ef'
but still be's bad.
even mes ju.t Ike ell nggers. ia gues, offers
him moi ey be riH teke 4, and VIII % az ~
A;m NO rx,fer how much others are peg,ectee- iua,
,I.,v, ths vsy; msIy Of these people woo usNei
SonL care for a dollar or two, ana thSI amount VIZ
buy nigg,rs sGeetobs Try to prev 'nt ny wsls'''
fror, Receiving money ut all but they ~lD DO i-
XT,er Ippressipg me sufficiently With the enormty
Of .Sis of. pee host ciscomsed ot toe slave ID
general through this region, esPeclany ~ lne w
srr tney bad a mighty easy time-much easier than
&heif masters. They had plenty VI spending money
s,c went to great many froics. At the oootn lhey
hsd TO work muc1 bsrc.r' ,... ::
Iop.ara a. ard lts gbty pesesut bosiuees to-, ihere
she DiggeTs have TO work night on through the
for tbss the pi king season They 10 70 ~Uik a. Ia
n, b, and Keep ut 1t I'LL dak: OveIseer follows them
right pp with a big whip, and you thl at hst ina
they hso po~erinl HARD tue Of It Bot, no ms1-r
bov tight they worked, jus, let Them get ose;ner
~ night With d fiddle, sDc Lord, hoT they ~iH Hoi'c
Keep il I'D oil pis h, too dancing aud singing a. they
.on nsyer tire of it. Thats the place for nggers,
any bow; put toem in the South and they are nsppy
Toe man ov. rseed for YES mig hty good mas.
te,-kiLd but still right strict. lie kept toem ven
clothed ana provided for, for about han OF tne are
TOO careless to look ont for the future vt al Growing
cotton IL the moet profitable business III the world tne
nlnt.ls don't raise am thing ese except few sweet
potatoes but buy Dl their other provfsloos Picking
the cotton is the great thing woman Will often pck
fa,ter Ii al a uaD, but child twelve years Old ~ul
freauepty beat them both. 1t cao't be learned; it's
kind Of seisht Those planters thIk nothing Of pay
ing 81 500 or even more, for good picker'
Are there many slaves among me Chockla" anu
Cherokee Indians here ~ 80
"Yes, Sir. John Ross, Governor Of the Cherokees,
has over hundred, and there's right smart o slaves
through the whole O stiOn'
How are they treated y
Badly; the Indians don't govern them; in fact the
nigeeIs sIe masters and do about as they please.
All the testimony have beard here 10 regsr 10 the
Itdisps and their slaves corresponds with THE. lac
Indian Territory ains population o about 5oOoU
divided between the CberoBess ChOcaSs, Creeks and
Cboksssws. Tney al hive under Repuonca 'rma of
soyerum pt have courts and educational institutions,
and in maty instances excellent houses aud well cu,l
waited fans Their hybrid civilization Is su0ect OF
great interest bearing up IN the question whether
III. Indian cav under The mOet favorable crcums ances
become anything but an Indian sbail eDde ayoi 70
speuc time enough among them, while III tins vicinity,
TO learn something of their social he and real condl'
tiop.
There is some rude medical knowledge among them,
which they have not received from the whites Ihey
pse large horn for cppping operations, exhausung
ture and piercirg the spo, with sharp, neat lance
iDgtniousy eroopd out Of glass, until the blood has
Hvwp copioosy. To remove inflammation they
procuce q counter irritation by pressing buroing
brspo sgan.t soue other portion Of the booy. They
are great believers Id this principle OF counter rnts
ton and many OF their .sick are quite motled WITH
scss from the application Of the 6Iebrsud. Some OF
the medicine men gea, botanists, and seem to
know the virtues ofsvery plant iiom the cedar OF Leb
anon TO the tyssop upon the wall.
The laws against taking liquor into the Territory are
tha EYst ntfanaa Int
eoods etc are all forfeited to the Government. For
fhe s.cupd hor h'ppng and perhaps death would be
the nsns,y The law is sad 10 be strictly enforced;
but the IDdisrs crosr the hue themselves, anu niie
here drink to their bearts' content. Iney are macu
more ten psrate than their race 10 general. fuy one
fnrth Of all persons in the Territory more or lees
tuctured with white blood. AT present but one ne vs.
psper is published among them /, is Issued IN the
Cbickassw nation, aud gives h'tie local news. & lSe
only stray copy have seen sppeaIed 10 nave oeeA
piiLted with apple sauce, upon veiy bad paper "a,
TUE ia a fine fruit region, bat this season tue late
sprpg trOsts wholly ae'cyea lac CROP EU,n, nd %
10 the overland emigration, AZ zoe. to per oushe
Beet in market commal DIS &C. pound. FOR long
time while the people exported their PORK, they i.
ported their hams from Cincinnati but they are Just
beginning TO learn that It does not pay. Enough
wheat is raised to supply the home demand Hour
usually ranges at 81 % To 3 per h9nded. Hoes ana
pecan 4 uts (which grow IN the Territory IN great
r,cfnicnI are the main exports. The whole valley
fhe Arkansas below here is cotton growing region,
and there one or TWO large Helos "itnih ION ioe
of Fort Smith. =,
Fee scboo~ are unknown in this region. In the pri
vats institutions often conducted by incompetent ana
unat fu teachers the prices Of tuition range from SS
TO 500 per term OF five monthe. pom parents IN mol
e,ne circumstances, who wiH educate their children
this tax is very opeIous. The most ct the children of
the poor and some of the people Of ample means, are
Del uitied to grow up In ignorance.
FoRT SMITH, Ark, Sept. IL, 1897
The colored population Of Fort Smith s quite large.
The negroes have two churches-one Methodist, the
l rn.N Nhenf
Bapts The services said 10 be largely stte aded.
In tie absence OF church going bells the congregations
aie called together a. the hour of worship by the sound
ing Of tin horns This custom has long been 10 vogue
heie with all the churches until they have been able to
procure bells. To my unaccusomed ear the sound of
fish horn ia strange and udcrous substitute for that
melody with which, on the return OF each Sabbath
morpii e. every New. Eogland hamlet is vocal. We
than so of the negroes IN Fort Smith are free. The
greater part of them are industrious and frugal, and
come have acquired considerable property. In a few
instances they were emaucipsted, but they have gen.
erslly pu chased their own freedom.
One woman employed q laundress ana purse
while paving ber msster $40 per noath for her time,
eaaed ard saved much that in i've years che psid
81 COO for herself, and was made fee sae then 10
short perod accumulated enough TO pay $500 for her
husband who was aged and poor in health, and go
purchased his freedom also Since tnst time they have
aAen aypg in this vicinity doing well, peeunisriy,'
though they do belong to the poor creatures wao
s'cannot take Of themselves
But the pernicous influence OF freedom is no longer
to exist where, through any possibility it can be ielt
by the aves of Arkansas The Legislature at It's last
session passed very stringent law Tor the expulsion of
free ne groes from the Safe. 1t goes into effect on the
LIST Of January pe1t and any Zee person OF color re-
naming here after that time lie 10 be sold as slave,
and ms properly contscs'eo TO the county.
Up TO that time, negroes have the opnon OF leaving
this State or choosing a master. In the latter case,