Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-05-08
What n Black Man Can Do.

We received call the other day from a
full black man named Charles Lattlng,
and being ourselves not little interested,
we give his story for the encouragement
OF our colored people and their friends.
Mr.. Latting was born and raised in ChicOt
county, Arkansas, one of the most be-
nighted sections of that State. When
twenty-eight years of age, he bought his
own freedom and that Of his wife for fif-
teen hundred dollars Having been allowed
to hire his time, he had then accumulated
some little money, and in two years was
enabled to pay off the entire sum. He
then learned the trade of a gin-wright, and
at the same time attempted to learn to
read. When he had mastered his trade he
determined to educate himself, and went
to school at Oberlin, Ohio. He attended
school there during the summer, and work
ed at his trade in Arkansas during the
winter. Having obtained good business
education, he moved to Chatham, Canada
West, and bought three farms in three diff
ferent townships, besides house and lot
in the village of Chatham This entitled
him to four votes according to the fran
chise laws of the Province, but he never
cast at any election more than three, as
the fourth township was so very far dis
tant. In 1864, he sold all his real estate
except his house and lot in Chatham,
which he still owns, and went to st. Louis
to hunt up his relatives. In this search
he found a sister at Cairo, brother in
Memphis, and a sister in New Orleans.
He at length settled down at Cairo, and
opened an eating house, in which he made
money rapidly. Ina few months he closed
out and determined to invest in land in his
native county of Chicot He went down
there, but was so roughly treated that he
left on the first passing boat, and this
brought him to Helena. He here read
an advertisement of a plantation for sale
near the mouth of the st. Francis, offered
at great bargain. He called upon the
agent at Helena, who could not believe his
eyes when he saw full black niger
before him, with the effrontery to ask him
to sell him-a niger six hundred and
eighty-nine acres of land, and rather re-
buffed him until Mr.. Eatting told him he
had the money to pay for it. The agent
could not then be too mplaisant-showed
him the locality of the land on the map,
and in a day or two took him up in a boat
to show it to him. Mr.. Latting was pleas
ed with the place, and in ten days had
placed the purchase money in the hands of
tut dStut, dllu IcCclftQs IL property dC-
knowledged deed to it. He worked a
plantation adjoining last year for 1000,
and has added one hundred and eighty
five more acres to his place, SO that he
now owns eight hundred and seventy -four
acres For all this he owes but $500,
which is not, however, due until next
January. He is cultivating his own place
this year, and is putting in fifty acres Of
corn and fifty acres of cotton, besides rum
ming two wood-yards on the Mississippi
river. He meantime keeps his children at
school in Helena Mr.. Latting is quiet,
unassuming, and evidently hard worker.
He values his word and pays his debts
more like an honest man than many high
toned gentlemen. His career is certainly
a cheering encouragement to every colored
man who will be honest, industrious and
enterprisings Just think of a colored man
the owner of nearly nine hundred acres of
rich land, as lordly a domain as that of
many of the slaveholding aristocracy.-
Memphis Post.