Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-25
- - a, q Frseman.

The condition of the " contrabands," wher-
ever they have collected during the war appears
to be the same; and sad enough it is. A cor
respondent of the indianapolis State journal,
wiring from Cairo, gives this account Of the
negroes Cor menageTie, as he seys) the;e col
lec.ed
While waiting this morning for boat, / con-
eluded 10 20 to the menagerie-a real show, the
animals Of which are partly Gagged, and parity
living around loose in End about the ola barracks
over on the bank Of the Mississippi. Such
sight! old men and old women, heads as white
as wool. and more kinky-babies, hem week
old all the way up iill toe big TO be babies, eli
half clad, and disiressingly dirty It IS the eie
phaut we got in the rattle ard now what to 40
with 1t is the question More than tw 0 thousand
of these wretehed Beings have been sent here by
military authority TO prevent starvation. These
are 81 csptives Of war" most Of them having
been abandoned by their former masters 10 and
about Corinth, Iuka and Bolivar. Some are
from Curtis operations. They have fallen into
our hands in spite Of our military polley TO pre-
serve the status Of slavery, and their Numbers
are daily Increasing. There is great demand
in this State foT men to gather the corn and cut
the winter weeds-so great that Northern lli-
neis is complaining that the farmers IN Southern
Illinois eobble up ali the best as fast as they
come. Men are here every day for hsnds
Wishing to get into the notions of the daTkies,
I passed among them ss an Illinois farmer, my
army hat answering capital purpose II the
game I proposed 70 hire man. Dun no,
sab Where you want ma to got What you
rim me Z" Goiug I'D to the dirtiest woman
saw. I proposed TO her. " Can't 90, sab rs
cot four babies &" Well, III take your ba-
bies.D " But rs got husband - " Well, III
take your husband, too" But dar's old
grannT I can't leave her" " Why can't yer
60. toe, granny 2" 90, master, Is in hopes
sone days It will please de good Lord 70 give
me back to old master" l tried dozsn or
more, and found underlying the hopes Of most
of them wss an ultimate return TO their native
lard. The one rtffain was:
HOh carry me back
Their local attachment is unconquersble, and
they seem utterly unreconciled 70 separating
the families. An over sanguine friend Of mine,
a physician, spoke to me the other day TO pro
cure q suitable boy for him, who, after serving
a reasonable time as a hostleT, could be put to
The science Of physicing | concluded TO get
the boy here; but you ought to have seen the
whites Of their eyes and their ivory when sug-
gssted studying to be a doctor. The bursting
of a bombshel would hardly have produced
greater CONSERVATION. The facts here and the
facts everywhere bid US look the subject fairly
in the face. Until the time comes when these
can return to their homes ID peace anu l4teooLnI
they must be managed here, and to do this some
system Of sppIentic ship must be adopted.
These creatures have neither the intelligence
nor the integrity necessary to contract wisely
for their own labos. One man asked $l5 per
month the year round, another $50, and an
other S..
And yet philaHthrop;sis- callsd-desire to
turn free, and thus deprive them Of their natu,
raj shelter four millions Of just such miserable
beings, bringing desola-ion upon both whites
and hlacks