Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-05-12
What a Black Man Can Do-Story Of
an Enterprising and Thrifty Colored
Man


We received a call, the other day,
from full black man, named
Charles Latting, and being ourselves
not little interested, we give his
story for the encouragement of our
colored people aud their friends
Mr.. Latting was born and raised in
Chicot county, Arkansas, one of the
most benighted sections ofthat State.
When twenty >eight years of age, he
bought. his own freedom and that of
bis wife for fifteen 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. BE then
learned the trade of GIN wight, and
at the same time attempted to learn
to read. When he had mastered bis
trade he determined to educate him
sell, and went to school st Oberlin,
Ohio. He attended school there du-
ring the summer, and worked st his
trade, in Arkansas, during the win,
ter. Having obtained good busi-
ness education, he moved. to Chat
ham, Canada West, and bought TIRES
farms in three different townships,
besides q house and lot in the village
of Chatham. This entitled him to
four votes, according to the franchise
laws OF the province, but he never
cast at any election more than three,
as the fourth township was so far dis.
tant. In 1864, he sold all hiss real
estate except his house and lot IN
Chatham, which he still owns, and
went to st. Louis to hunt up his rel~
atiyes. In his search he found siss
ter at Cairo, brother in Memphis,
and sister in New Orleans. He at
length settled down at Cairo, and
opened an eating house, in which be
made money rapidly. In few
months he closed out and determin>
ed 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 n
plantation for sale near the mouth of
the st. Francis, offered ut a great
bargain. He called upon the agent
at Helena, who could not believe his
eyes when he saw full black ".nig-
ger before him, with the effrontery
TO ask him TO sell TO him--a {. nigger''
six hundred and eighty nine acres
OF rich land, and rather rebuffed him
until Mr.. Latting told b i'm he had
the money to pay for it. The agent
could not then be too complaisant,
showed him the locality of the land
on the map, and in o day or two took
him up in boat to show it to him.
Ar. Latting was pleased with the
place, and in ton days had placed the
purchase money in the hands of the
agent, and received a properly &C.
knowledged deed to it. He worked
a plantation adjoining last year for
8 900, and has added one hundred
and eighty-five more acres to his
place, so that he now owns eight hun
dred and seventy-four acres For
all this he owes but $500swhichis not,
however, due until next Jaauarys---
He is cultivating his own piacelt this
year, aud is putting in fifty acres of
corn and fifty acres of cotton. be-
sides running two wood yards on the
Mississippi river. He in the means
time keeps his children at school in
Helena. Mr.. Datting iss quiet, sun.s
assuming and evidently q hard work.
or. He values his word and rpays
his debts more like an honest man
than many heightened gentlemen
His career is. certainly q cheering Gu
to every colored man
who will be honest, industrious and
enterprising. Just think of color
ed man the owner of nearly nine huns
dred acres of rich land, as lordly a
domain as that of many of the slave
holding Observation-Disclosures Post.