The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-03-14
How they Pay Debts to Northerners


A man who has just returned to Rock
Island, after trying to collect some debts
in the chiVslrous South gives the follow
ing account OF bis adgentures He does
not say whether be is in favor of COM
promise, but We venture to guess that he
is not:
81 went down the river io~ard the end
of October ts seek for work. birsd out
on the 5th Of December With man named
Edward Dyer. to cook for gspg of
hands at work at d'tching and repairing
levees, on the northern boundaries of
Louisiana. | was to hsse S35 month
and board. got along ~ith him With.
out any trouble Tor over three mortbs,
and gave. so far as l uBderstood. en-
tire satisfaction. At the end of that time
l happened, in the presence of Dyer's
two brothers, to see negro logged. and
as the poor fellow was grosning most pit
fully, could not help saying Poor fell
low. what pityP The next day Dyer's
brothers swore that | vas ao Abolition
ist. and that they would tury me alive
They then took NE and held me down by
main force, where the hands we're Wheel
ing dirt. until about l5 borFow-loads Of
dirt bad been emptied over me- lex
pected never to have GONE out aiise, but
finally they let ne 20, and with many
oaths ordered me to 90 to their brothers
Office and settle With bis. and begone a.
bout my business. There vas then ow-
ing to NE eighty three dollars. Edward
told me that be should no; pay ne more
than five dollars, for that woult carry me
to Memphis, and to be of before night, or
else if his brother caught ue there be
would surely kill ne. | was oaiiged to
take it and 60, for be presented reyol-
yer at me, and swore be would sboot me
unless | went about my business After
| had travelled about tbree-qaagters of
mile. he overlook nee sDd gave me snoth-
er FIVE dollars, which he said wss enough
TO carry De to ST. Louis, and ut the sane
time he threatened that il | mentioned
at the neiRhboring town how bad been
treated. | should be lyDched to certain.
ty, for he should be there himself early
the next morning. | got o0 board a
boat bound up the river. the very next
day in company with gang OF lri,hmen.
who, as they told ne, had been cheated
out Of their pay in much the same man
ner.
+. 1T would have been perfect madness
for me to stay and attempt to collect the
money due me. | had seeu enough to
know that any man charged Eith being
an Abolitionist vas certain TO De hung
or thrown into the rissr by lynch law;
and there we're Dyer's tso hrotAers ready
to swear. as they told ms, that actually
was an Abolitioniss Not yer, long be-
fore left planter had been robbed and
murdered on the Highway, aud there
came along 90 the leyse shere we ~ere
working q erowd of some forty rufiaus,
armed to the teeth. and accompanied by
forty hounds, such as are used to track
runaway negroes. Yhey searched the
cabin whore | cooked. aud inquired par
ticularly after any strangers. Three
hours afterward they returned xitb a
white man WHOM they had ssagat. tied
to the tail of mule by halter xbieh
had been tied around bis neck The
mule travelled at 5 good round trot, and
be had to keep on run to save bis life.
| heard that they took him into the tim
Der and half hung him to MAKE bim con-
fess. and would have hung hio' outright
but for planter who psr.uaded ,hsm to
wait till the next day. aud gave hin
trial by jury The very next day the
real murderer was csught, and this in-
nocent man vas released.
"Rock Island, Feb, 81, 1861.
Holm JONECv