Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-05-31

III icJS, Outfies hammond, kneu tue euitOr OF
the Cincinnati Gazette. visited the negro colony
in Brown county This is wha, be said on his
return:
''SOme forty miles from Cincinnati to the east.
there are two settlements of free negroes; proba
bly, thousand men, women and children. Of the
true ebony color, with a little mixture of ma
hogany or lighter shades. The negroes own the
property occupied by them. but without the
power to sell. Each family has n small farm.
They are emancipsted slaves. and these lands
we're purchased expressly for them. and parceed
out among them fifteen years ago.
These lands are not OF the best quality Of
Ohio lands. but by good management could be
made very good They are particularly we'll
adapted to grass. either meadow or pasture
Having been slaves, compelled to work, one
would suppose they ought to have industrious
habits They have had every inducement to
industry held out to them. The experiment was
made to test the merits Of the negro race under
the most favorable circumstances for success
Has this experiment succeeded 1t has not.
In all Ohio, can any white settlement be found
equally wretched and equally reproductive?
Farms, given to them fifteen years ago, in
stead of being improved and preserved for farm
ing. have been sadly msnsged-small awkward
clearings. and those not in grass, but exhausted
aud worn out in corn crops, the timber greatly
destroyed-wretched houses with mud floors,
with chimneys of mud and wood, and little tim
Der for farming
They are so extremely law and stupid that
the people Of Georgetown (near their camps }
and the neighboring farmers will not employ
them as work hands to any extent. They do
not raise produce enough on their lands to keep
their families, much less do they have surplus
for a sale abroad. They pass most Of their time
in little smoking cabins, too lstless even TO fiddle
and dance. One might pass through the negro
camps, as they are called. passing dozen strag
Cling cabins, with smoke issuing out OF the ends.
in the middle of little clearings, without seeing
a soul either at work or at play The fear OF
starvation makes them work the least possible
quantity, while they are great deal too lazy TO
play.
why do not some jealous Abolitioni.,s 20
there, and see the experiment in all its beauty
The slave changed to free but wretched sayagel
Why not make something of these thousand ne
groesf There are not more than two or three
families out Of the whole that are improved by
the change from slavery to freedom.
The two regro settlements are dead weight
upon Brown county, as 10 any productive bens6t
from negro labor, and that space Of the country
might as well, TO this day, have remained in the
possession OF the Indians
eff Southern wealth can be applied to buy and
coonze such worthless population among US.
what farmer in Ohio is safe? Has he any guar
rsntee that black colony will not be established
in bis neighborhood?
Let anyone who wishes to learn the opera
tons of emancipating negroes. visit the Brown
county camps; as they sink into lszines,. power.
" aud fifth, they increase in their rumbers-
their only produce is children. They want moth
ing but cOuries TO make them equal TO the
negroes OF the Niger"
IL is now about twenty years since Mr.. Ham
mond made the above notes the condition OF
the black colony is not a wit better.-[ Ed Times.