Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-08-02
THE NEGao ELEPaANr IN WASH
INGTOy.


A Rambie Among the sshades" OF
the Capfsal-How the Freedmen
Live. " hat Their Prospects for the
Coming winter, etc.
'Fron the Sstionsl IntslligeDoer
The coIored people Of this city are an institu
ton. The war has poured great food OF them
upon Is. With every advancing step OF our
armies. gathering up great bales OF articles that
seemed most desirable 10 them from their own
domicils and fron the houses Of their masters,
they made their way to Washington, the Mecca
Of their imaginations. under the impression that
freedom and plenty we're TO be attained by
reaching IL. They came by tens and by hun
dreds The old and the decripId. The young and
HELPLESS. the middle aged and strong On foot
they came, and they bore with them their goods
aud chattels Stout girls OF twelve carried the
fst. shining babies lads OF all ages balanced upon
their heads baskets Of provisions for the journey;
burom field hands bore great bales consisting Of
feather beds, Missum's dresses, mirrors, and
baPdboxes, aud the men we're burdened with an
amount OF sundrics that would make CARLOAD.
no exertion vas exhsastiRg. no obstacle in
surnountAble. "Gwins Norf where you all cum
fun" was the eIultant answer 10 the nterroga-
tories concerning their destination.
They knew little, but they dreamed much Of
what would be the result Of the sudden and IN
provided change in their position. IL was leap
IN the dark; but they imagined leap from dark
ness into light-from a state OF bondage into the
glorious condition of freedom; and they naturally
considered that they would be the recipients of
the blessings that such a change should produce
Alas, alas, for the awakening from this dslu-
sion They found themselves At last in Wash
ngton. homeless and friendless They stocd
upon the vharyes and gazed and wondered.
The great dome of the Capitol the marble
walls Of the public buildings; the busy throngs
going to aud coming from their accustomed
places Of business amazed them. No feast was
Offered Them: they were invited to no hospitable
homes. They found themselves strangers in
strange land-destitute and despsed: and pinched
by hunger and faint with the reaction OF stimu-
lated imagnatons, they began TO grope their
way into alleys and by ways. and stable lefts and
rude bowels; and so became. twenty five thou
sand Of them. denzsns Of the American Metro
polls.
How they have lived. how they have suffered,
how they have died. will never be written.
The great events that were rolling up the scroll
of history absorbed the public mind and these
poor sons Of Ham crawled about from one place
Of wreichedness 10 another. without attracting
the attention Of any, except those who. unosien-
tatiously, ever 60 about doing good.
But here they are, still in our midst they
throng our streets they roll our barrels they lift
our bales. they delve in our cutters. they black
shut our eyes to the fact that they affect as well
"a permeate all branches of our society. Some
of them prosper, and We find them engaged in
the regular channels Of legitimate business, and
enjoying the confidence Of the community; but
the masses-ah accompany US in a ramble among
their places of domice and then answer: Do
they not demand our early and earnest consider
alton
The question il put in a double sense. both
Will rd IN fhoir
to themselves, and with regard to their cond-
ton relating to the present and future int
rests OF our city. We find great portion Of them
In what denominated "rows, generally made
Of the cheapest lumber, aud covered with felt
and tar. and divided into apartments. some twelve
By fourteen feet in dimension, and rented for 81 ,
S. and So per room. or cabin" The actual
cost of the room from $40 10 500 each
rarely exceeding the latter sum- and the rents
already paid have. in many instances. exceeded
the entire OUTLAY in erecting them.
On Eleventh street east, the cabins are covered
with rough sidngs. the roofs are OF felt aud tar
and the floors of coarse, unmatched boards; but
the doors are paneled-a feature quite uucom-
mon. single room is occupied by family
and in many instances two or three families are
crowded into the same apartment The occu-
pants of these rooms and others in that section
Of the city have hitherto found employment in
washing for Lincoln and Emory Hospitals, in
cutting wood for the Quartermaster's Depart
mont. and working for Capt. Krouse. Near the
Marine Hospital. in a most wretched howell, lives
an old cOlored woman, who, besides paying her
rent of five dollars per month. supports a family
Of eight children by washing.
In the vicinity OF q street south, between
Fourth and Ffth-e east there is group of rows, +"
some of them perched upon posts, some consist
ing OF double rows OF rooms some eight BY ten
feet in Dimensions. aud all with sunken roofs
that freely admit the rain aud all with floors bet
ter adapted for ventilation than for keeping small
children OF from the ground, and here the price
Of rent Is put AZ four dollars.
Lent's row on II street south. between South
Capitol and First streets. contains the only
rooms plastered or furnished with conveniences
for cooking: but his row on South Capitol
street is as wretched any in the city In the
neighborhood OF the brick yards near the Arse
nal there are cluster Of tcnements. and bull
ding used for a church and school house, erected
by the Scotch Presbyterians Here rooms arc
two dollars each. and the children Of all this Sec
ton enjoy the privileges of free day and Sunday
schools. Male and female teachers are kept in
constant employm ent. and tho station called q
mission. On h. l., and NJ streets south, between
Second and -Four and a half streets West 10 a
settlement containing some thousands Of inhsb'-
tants. called Fredericksburg, and here the occu
pants own the houses, paying one dollar per
month ground rent. They have erected a church
Of their own. aud support colored pastor Here
may be found more evidences of comfort aud in
dependence than in any other large settlement OF
contrabands in the city They have shops. and
streets. and little gardens. snd seem contented
with their lot. Many OF their houses have st
tanned an attitude of Two stories, and paint and
verandahs ornsmen, not few of them At
their church, on Sunday there was goodly dis
play Of broadcoth and crnoline. aud they con
stitute sort of aristocracy of color.
Further west the Island is studded with the
same sort OF cabins. and North Of the avenue. in
the vicinity of the corrals and the original con-
uaband camp, all sorts and Ess OF them nav
be found. wedged Ia every conceivable shape
into vacant spaces and yards and alleys
How such multitude live aud obtain clothing
il = question for the curious.
They have no convenences tor coo king OF
washing--an old broken stove. placed outside on
the common suffices tor several families. In
many instances a rude furnace, built Of broken
brick on the top OF which Is placed kettle
takes the place OF the stove: and line stretched
out on the CON mon. aud watched by the children,
IL the clothes dryer All day. boys and girls and
the old and iutirm deve in cutters. among piles
Of rubbish and cinders. on the wharves and in
the trail of wood and coal carts. for bits Of fuel
which they carry home in old grain sacks that
thew have uirk ei nm abOut the caufns