Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-12-05
Ths southsrn ReruEees &C Nashvl1Is.
HAstrS Axo- rsxoRAHcE OF 4Hs "PooR
wHITR6"

The Southern Refugees Mt Nashyt1Ie.
HARtrS AND rsxoRANcE OF TIE "PooR
WHITES"
"Berwick," writes from Nashville to the
Boston Journal as follows:
"T met to. day Mr.. OTiatt, who inaugural.
ed the system now in operation of taking
care of refugees from the South. BE had
often hefriended the poor people who began
TO arrive here in July of, last year. as an
act OF humanity, until his unselhsh labors
attracted the notice of Governor Johnson,
who urged him to devote his whole time
to it in an official capacity In the begin
ing of September he took office under
the Governor in the quality of an sgent for
the destitute, and continued in the work
till the lst Of April last.j During that
period he received about ten thousand per-
sous, Mr.. OViatt is from Cleveland, Ohio,
and is o relative of q former partner of
Joha Brown His experience and state
ments are of value.
CHARACTER OF TIE AsS.
at was pitiabls. he said, before the off
fce that be filled was created, to see the
Iistleness and extreme poverty of the refu-
gees, who during his entire term were of
the lower class, or white trash, almost ex.
clusively. The men who accompanied the
parties would sit down on their miserable
and rude furniture with stolid apathy, as
If they had no interest in tife aud no mo-
tive for exertion, aud pay NO attention to
anybody or anything, until their women
came back and told them that they had
found a place to go to until they could
IeaVe the city. IL never seemed enter
their, heads that It was the duty Of the
husband to go and search for sheltef for
his wife iend children Mrs loviatt, who
has lived In the South for fourteen yeassst 4
snd seen a great deal of the life OF this
class, states that it is just the way they act
at bone-they depend in everything upon
their wives. The women do all the hard
work.
".But what do the men do theu2" I
asked her.
",Oh, go fishing and hunting. and drink
whisky when they can get it. The women
do pretty much all the outdoor work
1oxoRAscs OF The REHusEEs.
81 asked if they could read, or what
"Mr. oviatt replied that their ignorance
was beyond anything we can conceive Of
in the North. 1t was amazing. There
was not one per cent. who could read.
"tAnd their moralsH
"NearIy all the boys Of eight Od nine
and upward we're smokers-they all svore
without exception; aud so do all the Wo-
men. They all swear; and they all smoke
or chew tobacco or dip snuff; and some
times all fourI had heard enough along
the military railroads to form an unfayor-
! able opinion as to the fidelity to the mar
risgs vow; bat Mr.. Oviatt said that in his
opinion they were worse in that respect
than the negro women themselves.
"'But do they all smoke, or chew, or
..Mr. Oviatt did not remember a single
case Of ofexceptioa. Notone. The lower order
take the green tobacco leaf, dry Il, and
chew it without any other preparation.
Mrs Oviatt, in all her experience In
different parts of this department, could
not recall single instance Of women or
good sized girls who did not use tobacco
In some form.
"a young girl, refugee from Northern
| lAIabama, who was present, was asked il
she knew of any women or girls in her
section Who did not smoke. nQnly one
her 9randdsddyfs folks, she said; the old
man was opposed TO tobacco but this was
the only family she knew who did moi
use IT."
"Mr. oEiatt's experiences were almost
wholly with refugee women aud girls-Dol
more than eight per cent, he thought, oi
these poor people, were accompanied BY
males of the couscript age, or over sixteen
years. A goodly proportion Of them, per
haps one half, had husbands in the North
prisoners of war, or in the southern loyal
regiments. They came up to induce their
Iimprisoned husbands 70 take the oath and
thereby escape from the power OF the
South; or to be nearer their ltege lords; OF
| II not that, at least further from tho reach
of the rebels. Eight Thousand Of them al
least were sent North. a-..
How THEY WILL GET A NoTHERH EDUCATION
zones, several years sgo when abolition
lfsts were not so plentiful as these gentlemeu
are now, after what had seen and heard II
CharIesion-how coueeited they were, how
confident that they alone could whip the
North and how little they knew OF the true
epirit and the vast strength of our people
suRRested that itwoHld be great ssYipl
az eS1ense % rs and q real benefit 70 them
| 70 tAte eli the secessionists there and caus'
them 10 travel through. the free states, jus
as the diff rent Indian chiefs have done
and for the same purpose-to let them see
how vain it would be to measure swoTdi
with the nation. 'What have seen Of thu
unbounded ignorance of these poor whiteI
conVInced me that a somewhat similar ex'
cursion, but for q different purpose, Of
rather for the came purpose but By differ
ent method. 70 insure future neace, namely
by educated freemen, would become neces
sary in their case. A, residence In
highly civilized community-not' merel!
1 a contact with'it-seems Indispensable Y
i educate these people. And see how. Is hs