Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-01-11
AFFArRs I'M mIsslssrppl.
-
An Interesting Letter.


An Interesting letter.
" Editors Memphis Apr cal:
: I~reeeatly have travelled ~exiensiveI,
I through Mississippi, visiting many places
I seeing and hearing many things. Som
OF my discoveries 1 jot down, for the ben
. eft Of ali whom 1t may concern"
discovered more half-clad, hRlf-fed, Rshy
looking citizens of African descent, thar
I l bad before seen in shirty.6ve years o.
, slavery, in the same State. Poor indeed
were they cut of clothes, out Of money,
out of employment, out of friends, except
their badly abused former owners, 70
whom they are returning to work fol
their victuals and clothes. Unfortunately
for many OF them, their old masters are
so badly broke they cannot work them
even at this low price. In my heart /
pitied the poor deluGed devils, and
blessed the =" hest Government the world
ever saw" Inext discovered that ALI
the scum from the land of wooden mt
megs, which the war wave drifted down
on Us, had drifted back. They came 10
US with nothing In their heads but
roguery, and returned with nothing in
their pockets but a few dollars swindled
from the poor darkies who worked for
them. They buried their honesty in
EankeedOm, and their last stolen dollar
In Dixie. They became disguised with
Niger, Cotton, and What
Disguised them more han any thing else.
is the fact that some of our people learn
ed IN six months to be bigger dogs, than
they could with all their effort from their
youth up. They am TO preach the holy
doctrine OF negro equality. Some of our
people, who once dlsgraced Confederate
/ grey, shouted aloud for Southern riyhts
strutted round in official stars and bars
preached from the same text negro supe-
riOrity. Mr.. YRuk looked amazed
cursed, and quit-went in a huff back TO
his fatherlaHd. There may be remain
until called down below. | visited Jack
sos, the State Capital. The first thing /
saw that / did Rot understand, was the
ladies clothes lines, instead of being
stretched in the back yard, were
stretched along the streets. At this I
marveled much. Seeing a lady of the
eolOred persuasion, watching one of these
lines full of newly washed linen, and
being of an inquisitive turn OF mind. I
inquired Of the sable lady aforesaid
why this was done, and what she
was doing. To my questions, negro
like, she replied to the last first,
Watching desc clothes. Watching the
clothes wat for? Keep niggers from
stealing 'em, and keep 'em from getting |
too blue. Getting too blue 2 said |, look.
ing rather surprised, She cast on me a
look Of mingled pity and contempt, and
said, / sees you Is 3 stranger in desc parts
and not 'quaiDted wild deneW inventions.
We just hangs dem cut fore de gemmsn
go 10 dsr dinner, de shadder OBJ dar long
faces passes o5er dem, and dey is blned
enough, l tell you. Eff too many Of
dem pass, dey is too blue and has to go
back to de washtuh Oats why l has to
watch dem so close. Well, said 7, bluing
must have fallen in this market ? She
laughed and said, it am played out. l
weGded my way TO the State House,
where Mai. P, with whom fought, bled
and died in tine Confederate army, was
making aspeeeh TO his negro constituents,
by whom he was elected to the Conven.
ton. The house being crowded, l had
to scrCUge down between two of his
blacklist voters. The day was somewhat
warm Tor he time OF year. On leaving. /
somewhat sick with the speech and the
oder Antique, and not liking the smell Of
my garments, I went 10 a drug store and
inquired for a bottle Of cnlOgue. All sold.
said the polite clerk. Going to another
the same response; tried 8 third, success
no better. Thinks I, here IS something
new under the sun. Said I, what ia
thunder has gone with all the cologne?
Why, replied the druggist, the Con-
veHtlun meets to-day. There are four
aud a half score of gentlemen
among the piebald crew. They have
bought all in the city, and left
their orders for large supplies,
which we have sent for per express. Said
be, they saturate their clothes in il, and
battle IN it morning, noon and night;
and one Ofthem informed me that unless
there was q speedy aHd radical change
in the weather, he would go home, sick,
and let the proposed Constitution 90
tO-beaVen. L thought, as my drug,
gist was in a communicative mood I
would nRke further inquiry in regard
TO other articles of trade, which l did.
Trade ? said he; we have almost forgot
ten the meaning OF the wOrd-almCst
nothing sells now except cologne, tar and
skuuks. Tar and skunks, thunder I said
whoever heard Of them things
being sold before? Said he, who
ever knew a demand or a ne
cessity for them before? Said he,
did you notice nothing singular about
the billy-goats on the streets, Yes | saw
they all had their boards cut close Up TO
the chin. He winked and smiled, as
good as to say, Thereby hangs a tall
Said I, l give it up. Said he, I will ex-
plain. Tne citizens have bought uu all
the tar. They intend making the grand
smoke eve seen this side Of Mount
-Etna to keep the flies from blowing the
FH---a-Hg-- NJ 1T I'll --H Il
that concern at all, but it would be the
death of the last blue-tailed fly. And
then, said he, there are a great number
Of buzzsrds who daily, lazily soar on
slow ard steady wings over the capital
Of this once great gate. We do not
want them to fall dead In our streets;
aud though they might strengthen their
craW by dining heartily on rotten pole
cat, yet the scent borne 10 their olfac-
from the State House would kill
them outright. Friend, eaid I, enlirhtep
my benighted mind on the billy and
and will leave your city much
wiser than when J came. Easily done.
said he. Each delegate elected on
the niger equality platform has
provided himself with q billy's beard,
he wears in his bosom, and
3 pet p0lecat, which he carries
IN lis sue coat POCKET. whenever !
bis brother niger delegates grows
5weatty trying to get up the shadow of
90 idea in regard to State constitutions,
and the Others sYsat In trying to under
stand nothing, when the scent Antique /,
gets as thick as fog OF the coast of New
'%oundland, then the white niggers give
the Billies' beard a shake, pinches the
tail Of the pet polecst in their pockets,
thereby satisfying their constituents that
are qualified for Congress on the {
SCENTS. gays /, stranger, Ia there :
any praying mar among theSgentiemen
you mentiOned2 Says he, one. Said 1
tell him to go to praying az man never
prayed before. What for ? said he. That
the weather may turn bitter cold, and so
rem ain, during the session of the Con-
vention. l guess he went and did it, for
that night the weather changed to bitter
cold. l left the place, glad that l had
much and sent that praying
member good sdviee.
MfsSISSIPPIAN.
Small Change