Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-08-14
Correspondents Cincinnati Commercial.

Correspondents Cincinnati Commercial.
certainly shared in the prevailing
ignorance, hut not in the prejudice re-
specting the colored farmers of Ohio,
when, as your special correspondent
/ was desired TO visit and report upon
the condition of thecolored settlements
of Rumley and Carthagena, in the
Counties Of Shelby and Mercer, in this
State The most commonly lreoeiyed
opinion among the white people of the
counties named, together With those Of
Auglaize and Darke Counties is. that
the colored settlers are ''shifless and
idle" that ''they i0iH steal, and tViH not
iOork." / feel reluctant to write words
conveying so groundless a slsnder, now
that 1 know how utterly cruel and
baseless it is. I do so because it is the
prejudice entertained by many other
wise sensible people, who have never
taken the necessary trouble to inform
themselves. e.. a. l1.
So little was acquainted with these
people who were TO be found some
where back in the woods, that 1
seriously intended, at first, to furnish
myself with what had heeE grayely
toi5 ,vonI5 ha -,aceesarv 10 make nv
tour of inspection 8 success, to wit: a
tent, mattress and bedding, portable
cooking utensils, liberal supply of
carr eerrv INV trans =
fncL;Iv az n turned ont. 7 nroyided
mr1seIf -x;tb- a WALKING suit an extra
coat = obanga- of l;1sn- brushes and
eon,h-sH Sr,,slv -sto,ze5 avsv In one of
Strobslps hest and Fsbtest leather
bsrs and thns. ,so1,ipned and favored
Win fns davs and tbe cIearest skies.
I have amid tbeouiet and solemn still.
meas of thosa natbs and woods. in a
nr;n,itiva country where macadamized
roads an5, Ill t-scks are vet unICnoyTp.
walked NV aiohtI tan or twelve mills
each dav. besidess occasional wagon
travel uith . zest and epievuaent that
7 vonid not liz io5coDsess to les liber.
Al an,uIovarai for fsar thev roisht AK
me to sccsnt my, nv for n,v1naTyS In
thirtsan' deys, -tsaXei = have Visited !
know not how ;paznv. coIofed farmeFs'
Nome. 'baTe, seem their lands and pos-
sessionsg have listened 10 their 'sibdple
tales Of earlv Struggles and after sac
.oasaas- hav,. sste1 al their tables. slept
in their beds. and knslt with tkepa
rannd what. after the nious fashion of
vvhita folks thnv 1eaH the family altar.
and I had narhsoz hstter ssv; hare Ar
the outset to avoid beingI ostracized bv
the rasllv nice' :neoOle VIM rad The
CommercialL-.So. for tl1e1 Esstr I, don't naTe
= fie-sfhAE ia thAss fhirtse1r aa1s trav-
81 Jsr,ono cnlored nsonIes n have NOT
sr,aIt vv6;sLv or. aI1v 6lbar7 vile ANAL
besrd An oath orr 1ord ~ .rr,d e.es-- ~
ohsosn;tv saen a RI 80 ester ofF a
dirtv taSIa. .cloe,,. or, .vitr.Ssad !. s;nole
case of novsytv SrwantT5 At bed-roSm
has often besn ,,airT;Stless ; bi,t 'the fioor
has ham ,cIaans II have sorI1et;nee At
the fiTst glance of the Gav. Looked AZ =
niceIv r6iteUashed ceiling. as oftea
perhsps. AT the big he1ed beams. raf.
ters nd sbiuglsz all in siobt and All
of honest -oak nnEulIied bv eitheF paint
or cobUebs. and AT othar' times 7 have
interested mvself, during the first few
minutes of the iaV by noticing the
primitive frescoiu9 of NV ohsmber
walls done In Eevptisn stvie. with CLAW
tempsr9d with strsW but In mo- sinele,
.instanca have I lbad oceas;or to follow
NV nsnal cDaton,, ,vhen orI,sl fsta Throw.
me- into = second-class hoteI--strin' a
com fri from The bed- 1sllaI,a n an one
sida If the roomI fold and Law II on the
loor AZ the Other side and trv tn COM
nose mind and body there. q on 81
Now / know what these peopls have
done since .they began. some twenty
wears apo. 10 clear those psthless forests
and iii those Highland swamps.- How
thew failed thoas teWafiner uisfIs. and
rolled and burned, lsornafiins.1 kin6le-
handed. at other times onIV the man
and his mate. such unuaan aeeable de-
bris. boT thew came ont -best in this
uneoual fieht With sturdy, nature: how
thew reared their log huts fenced and
nIanted their elearinus- SuiIt their
barns 4rnoke-houses and eorr-cribs dug
their wells made tbeir WAGONS and ths
;Dd;v,nensables of : honsaboid how
tbav bniit thar loo
scbooIIhonsss and chnrches. bow asrn9
estIv- thsv worked for the crnda and
r,ggardly Gifts of nnsnhd,,ed .na4nre 1
.nS hovs ,o;ot,slv thev accantad thenn
Soa Snu III" .Sev % fron, the E f;r~t aonsht % w;tb
.tern go natnra hard fate and a still
harder to5be-en5ured nersecntion. how
e;Isnt thsy have bssn nndsr tbe;r ner-
.acnt;on ...c boy snbm;ss;va vhsn tbev
ond ths;r cbildyan have basn nroscrib.
Cd and how readv-yes. I viii tan il
how -sadv for the fray tbev have been
vban tbreatened with and exnectino
a., ottacE No. cort; dingiv thsy bsve
sa+tiaJ -, &, ths-s conono113it;s- ~ avaiI
ssamsalyss y ~ an sIsy,snta-y scho6iing
e. 81 s-,,ss 49,. ch;idra, s,,ch .s 1onritS
IHt I;fa siona I coII5 sford 49, tbano bov1 Nv
- az ii Sf i;cLs - a. 90 .s;d ~ nnt;r;ns
,.Lns I~ - T srsdn,snca tbsy has fro5
49,. 49, -o,,sb besinni7oT thr;Tan -
49, - d;t;on of comnarafiva corfort IN
! y e.A.S q bIs3 -. to-.Ea -
sons % os - go bss1,t;s,i E ~ -!
sso -;.h l;fs s,J -Iar.r
"natLs.J III 49,. Z sSa y:1,.stsa -
nar -.,l, T bsys T hss,. sO. .t,,cL -,;tb AZ -o,
- - .dro;r.t;on. ronJsr a, rt ~; 80 80
.. 80 !. 1f l IiIt- =, "a - -
,13;rsI;on Al their ;,;ni5nssiionshls .ns.
80 =. :. '''- = a - - |
7 -wss toJd HAT tba s;sloroa s.asalarrs
vs,a sh;ttIsss saI3Sl bnt bsrSiv l,Ss3 bv
srch cnI,nra a. thav gava tIa;r f.-ros
7 hsxs found tIsf me r,sioS;tv 1no-a
- - az ff,,-. - "a ~ q -