Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-08-28

nimbIe enough on this occasion. Everything had
passed. along silently for some sine, except the
strains of the fiddle aud the patier Ut the feet.
whose exercises engaged the undiSidei attention
of the crowd, when the lord of the fddle threw
bis head back. and. with some double akings on
HI. fiddle strings. exclaimed, Dis i de way 90
get 20 hebben." This seemed TO be the signal
Tor general outburst The fiddle went faster
and tie feel qsscker.-"I IL Saiiy Was only here
for de lady instead Of dis zig niger" said one Of
The dancers. "And Dnah land Chloah. /" and
jane, and a hundred other names went through
the crowd
As matters were now taking the high pressure
style, Nr Bones came jumping into the ring
with two big ribs he had saved from his rations
and. striking an attitude that set all cork bediz
eued imitators into the shade. added his weight
and muscle to the propelling power. Mr.. Banjo
soon followed, and the patters, who hit shins,
knees, head and breast in perfect time with the
music, became inspired; in fact. every body was
marking lime in some way, and so on the thing
rushed through the reels. cotillions. jigs, and
fancy dances mentioned on the "smalI bills"
The second scene introduced love song, dur
ing which the singers walked around the ring
and. at the end of each verse. received new re
cruit. The tune was old Methodist ore and
drawn out through the noses OF the per
formers that | could not gather many Of the
words. IL commenced:
We're going down to New Orleans,
The place from which we started"
And Mary Jane and Nv Darling" which
were woven into the chorus, determined the char
acter of this part of the entertain ment.
For the next performance, q muscular boy en-
tered the ring with iron baking kettle. and a
big cracker box. Arranging them in a row, the
music commenced, and he set in with dance
around and his playthings. Keeping time
with the music, be seized the baking kettle, ad
jusied il in his teeth, dropped his hands. and con-
tinued the dance for some minutes. when, drop
ping the kettle, he seized the box in similar
way and went through the same dance, and con
cluded by serving the other kettle in the
way. AS the company were preparing tor a break
down cotllliOn, we concluded We had seen enough
for one entertainment, and departed.
These scenes, learn, are enacted nearly every
night. They are varied by blind mans buff"
and other smisr plays, wrestling, butting. &c.
On Sunday night they hold prayer meeting
which. for "gories. "hallelujahs, and the like.
is said TO be of the first order
In the morning We returned 10 see the turn out
for work. The breakfast table just spread
we arrived, or, rather, rough boards set on
stakes IN an open building, huge crackers and
big pieces OF beef were arranged. and boxes of
crackers strewed along at convenient distances,
To repenish that article theTeirOm. Each niger
had a cup, with which he repaired to the kettle
Tor hot coffee when he desired, and, Selling his
cracker anu meat ia his fingers, the delicate ope
rations of few hundred voracious jaws soon
left no remnants behind. These negroes, for
convenience In working, are divided into GONNA
Bies OF from twenty five to fifty, over whom is n
negro captain" and all, of course. under the di-
rection of the proper officers in charge of the
works. The captain realizes his Importance,
and manages to get an old pair of military pants.
coat, cap belt, or feather, To Indicate his posi-
ton" a negro now seized "secesh" drum
and beat upon it. which was the signal for falling
into line, each company on its own particular
ground.
There was so many Sans" Caesars" and
''Jims. that resort was had 10 numbering them
The number they could not remember though
they had been told it over and over again for
weeks, Sam No. 9 is called two or three
times, and "Sam" SAYS, Oats my name but
doesn't reckamember dat number" Sam No
ID ran away last night" and Sam" No. % is
sick though he had just disposed of his morning
ratons. After the roll call is completed the
crack company, under the lead OF a fife and
drum, start out to their labors, the other com
panes following As we'll as the negro PLAYS the
fiddle and banjo, he is a very Indifferent musician
on a fife drum.
majority of these negroes have been drafted
from loyal owners for this particular business and
lshed. Others are negroes who have escaped
from their masters and come within the lines and
have been set To work. Some have run away af-
tee being set to work and returned to their mas
tiers. Others, not thinking that this kind of work
correspondent with their ideas of liberty" have
sought tai object in other quarters At best the
most OF these negroes will be spoiled, so far as
any further usefulness to their masters them |
selves is concerned. They will catch just enough
OF the idea of liberty TO become lawless, and
many OF the citizens would prefer that they should
be run out OF the State rather than that they
should remain to contamnate the rest of the |
slave population. Some and officers think |
they are doing cunning thing to be spending
their time in coaxing niggers and particularly /
the wenches, away from their masters, although
they are violating the orders of their command /
ers. and know they are only leaving their vic
Tins to misery when they shall have gotten
through with them.