Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1865-11-16
The Free Negroes in alabama.

A correspondent OF the Columbus, Ga,
Enquirer, writing from Huntsville, Ala
bama, gives the following. description of the
condition and prospects of the negroes in
that section. We suppose this would apply
throughout the cotton States. He.says the
day will come whepa Yankee will exhibit
among the aCowikees" bncks negro, as
curiosity, charging rs cents admission fee :
In 1845 the Honorable j H. Hammond,
of South Carolina, addressed letter to
Thomas Clsrkson, Esq, of England, On the
abolition of negro slavery at the South, in
which he said: aReleased from their pres
ent obligations, their FIRST impulse would be
to go somewhere. At first they would seek
the towns and rapidly accumulate in squalid
groups upon their outskirts. Driven thence
BY the armed police force which would i'm
mediatsly spring into existence, they would
scatter in all directions. Some bodies of
them might wander to the free States, or to
the Western wilderness, marking their track
by their depredations, and their corpses. -
Many would roam wild in our big woods
: Many more would seek the recesses of our
swanps for secure: covert. Few, very few
of them, could be prevailed upon to do q
stroke of work none tolabor continuously
while a, head of cattle, sheep or swine could
be found in our ranges, or an ear of corn
nodded in our abandoned fields These
exhausted, our folds and poultry yards,
barns and store houses would become their
prey. Finally, our scattered dwellings
would be plundered, perhaps burned and
the inmates murdered"
This prediction has been fulfilled in part
with remarkable accuracy, and we, who live
on the "Cowikees," where there is large
number of these unfortunate children of
Ham sireleased from their obligations" fear
that the prediction will be altogether full
filed. Wecannot look out upon the high.
way at any time without.seeing them going
ssomewhere." Some~to Columbus, some
to Eufala, some to Union Springs, some to
Montgomery, some to -, anywhere; and
they are gathered in "squalid groups upon
the outskirts" Of every town in the country,
The earned police" has already sprung into
existence aud begin to scatter them. If
we are not mistaken we have read accounts
in recent issues of your paper of the scat
tsring Of some Of these squalid groupa by
the armed police Of Columbus. A few are
going to the free States, and many of them
are roaming wild, if not in our "big woods
and swamps," yet they are roaming and
"mafking their tracks by their depreda.
tions." Few of these can be induced to
work.. Our farmers need their~labor, aud
are willing to pay them for their services,
and they have been endeayoring for the
last two months to make arrangements with
them for next year, but we have yet to hear
of a single instance in which they have
agreed TO work on the farms on any terms.
One of cur neighbors, an aged man, without
children, told his if they would agree to re-
main with him and work as heretofore, he
would will them bis isplaptation and its outfit
at his death, but not a. single one would
agree to it. They anticipate a general ex-
odus about Christmas. They all want to
30 to see their "folks" in Virginia, the
Carolinss, or "somewhere," which many Of
them have not seen for half-a century. It
is not improbable that some of them will
endeayor to follow their 'folks" back to
: Dahomy and Tmhoo. After they have all
found their afolks" they expect to locate in
town, and laugh and grow fat, without ia. +.
king any thought ssof what they; shall eat,
or what they shell drink, Or whsrswithal
they shall be clothed"
We 60 out In the morning to hear our