Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-08-07
ro-wOrk. All. how these descendants Of Ham

gro-work. All, how these descendants OF Ham
do hate IT,
NJ Nichols. who has spent some time at Hill
ton Head and who knows the negro character
thoroughly ssy- that IL i perfectly useless 70 put
arrn- iAto the hands OF the negroes, for they will
not fsht, and they afraid of gun as OF
lightning They will learn TO drill readily and
admirably: but as for fighting, IL j. not in them.
Yet I suppose the testimony of such men, or
the testimony Of any Others, viii not IN The lest
interfere with this insane effort which Is beng
made to organize negro regiments. lie, them,
If il be expedient, shovel, Dig and do the me
NAL and laborious work OF campaigning; to 60
further than this is sheer folly, the idiocy of ia
naticism.
In the evening attended "nigger prayer
meeting" When L entered found the small
building densey crowded by wOolly heads of
both sexes. and OF ali possible ages and sizes
The stOlidity aud impassiyeness Of the morning
we're changed az If by magic, for never. even IN
an election row, did | witness such scene of ex
element One elderly individual, whose fore
head commenced at his eyebrows and ran straight
back till, at immense distance, Il united with
the crown of his head. and whose .eck was wrap
ped with what had once been a white hand
kerchief, WAS +" leading in prayer" with the
whole congregation accompanying him on their
knees
Before the old man was a barrel. and on that
praying the while with vim that overtopped the
other voices as the roar of cannon does the vol
lies OF musketry: We, what he said il was impOs
sibe TO catch. All over the house the volume of
prayer rose up undistinguishabe in words per
feet howl seemingly OF demoniacs, only broken
here and there by the shril " Hallelujahs. "
and "Oh glory" of some irrerressible, happy
fed sisters Ii the prophets of Baal had called
half as loud as did these. they would have woke
Z inn tbnuoh Ia aIa
of brass.
Alter the prayer came singing, or rather mo-
nOtonous chant and repetition OF some such
words, as
''Oh, bress de Lord. ives a-gwine home"
in which everybody joned with the whole strength
of his or her lungs, swaying their bodies Wildly
from side 10 side, and accompanying the music
by vigorous Shaping OF hands. The music
was not without it, Inspiration, for half drunk
eli soldier who sat Immediately behind me. aud
had been putting ~" the Star Spangled Banner,
Niger on WOOdpilc. ami various other airs,
+ in the confusion OF sound, suddenly stepped cut
into "A space between the seats, and commenced
/ executing a double shuttle A haIfdozen dar
keys gazed ut him, hOrror-struck for an Instant.
and then unceremOniOusly cOllared him and forced
\ him into a seat.
The singing grew more rapid and wilder. the
swav wing of the bodies faster. and the Stamping o.
hands more vigorous The effect upon many
was like ether: they sung, they roafed, they
/ howled, they embraced each other with frantic
/ expressions of delight, they sprung with out
stretched arms into the air, vociertting unintel-
/ ligible sounds, like maddened beasts One lie
male, with outstretched arms and head fallen
/ back upon her shoulders, commenced yelling
/ "Hullelulah, and jumping up with an agility
that displayed far than her CATERS; and this
manacal proceeding she continued till alter they
were dismissed, jumping TO the door, jumping
down the steps. jumping up the streets, until
lost sight of her turning Il corner, when she was
still jumping up and Yelling "HulleIulahw Sew
eral others similarly affected. but, owing to
either lack of breath or MUSCLE or possibly be
ing less pious, they gave out after a few frantic
efforts.
The three or four individuals who had taken il
upon themselves 10 keep the soldier in his place
were full OF trouble as each moment he either
made an effort TO get out and dance. or else pro
famed the sacredne>s OF the occasion by joining
the singing with some not over modest song.
Keeping eye on him. and singing and swinging
and hating, they proceeded about as follows:
"Oh bress de Lord (Lookee dat wife msnD
''Oh, bress de-(NOw. gist keep your seat, sah)
"Uh-( top dat song) Yves goin' houel
"Oh-(dann dat wife manD a-goin' bomei
"(NOw lou gist git out Ihaf9 a-goin home
'Uh bress the Lord-(Jake, less put him out o. diS)
Ooh ldar he comesO de Lord, we's a goin home"
Finally, when everybody seemed boiling over
with glory, the meeting was dismissed, and all
poured out, singing and shouting they went
I'LL from fifty different directions, through the
star,it nj ,ht, came back the sounds of GLORY
"HuIlelujah!" "Oh, Dress the Lord, ives goin
] homei"
One thing is certain: if our coored brethren
cannot get to heaven any other way. they III take
IL 10y storm.
! In concluding my notice of the contrabands
will only say that more degraded, filthy. help
less crowd WAS never before gathered together
under the pretext OF philanthropy. WILKIE.