The Portland daily press., 1868-01-27
Radical siiurule n, ,hc s..,,.

We take the following horrible picture Of
the wrongs and abuses heaped upon the de-
fenceless people of the South by the dominant
party, from very interesting letter published
in the Eastport Sentinel. The writer calls it
letter to her old pupils in Eastpoit: ,a.
About mile from the city of Richmond.
all in sight of great fields OF soldiers graves.
are number OF buildings which were hastily
thrown together and used for various p,lrpos-
es by the rebel army. After the evacuation
all these fell into the hands of our Govern
ment, and are now used, as you will see. for
quite different things. Two of them were
powder-houses; one is used for a school-house
and the children sit on cartridge boxes, and
the other is used for wood-house for the
school. A large brick building which was
used for packing ammunition is also used for
schoolhause. These are free schools for
white children, supported entirely by the
Soldiers Memorial Society at the North. You
are aware, perhaps, that there was no such a
thing as free schools in Richmond before the
war, and very few of the people who could
not afford to pay for schooling can read or
write. Now they are getting their education
the same as you get it at home, except that it
is work OF charity. Although they accept
so much at the hands of Yankees, many of
the children continue TO say the same foolish
things which they have heard their elders
say, yet the children love their teachers. and
are anxious to be in their places at school
and learn all they can. Slowly but surely
they are being taught 10 realize that the
Yankees are really their friends.
This year two Normal schools have been
opened, one for white and one for coored
pupils. thus they are preparing the way to
leave the schools in good hands in case chari-
table societies grow weary of the burden. OF
course it would be impossible at this stage of
civilization, to have the white and colored 90
to school together, as they do with you. 1
have visited quite a number of schools. both
white and colored, and they compare very
iayorably with our schools at home, eXcept in
the accommodations.
/ Among the buildings spoken of above are
three low wooden sheds, YOU would call them.
They We're carelessly thrown together, and
used as work shops for the army; they have
many crack and Granny which admits the
snow and rain; they are ceiled and white
washed OH the inside. This is my home. |
found here awaiting me me twenty-five little
colored children between the ages of eight
months and twelve years; they have no
fathers known to them, and their mothers
cannot support them. Many of the mothers
are sick from the long years of abuse and
suffering from which they have come. and
are staying at the Freedmen's HOSPITAL. /
nave ADDED ten TO my number since coming,
one an infant OF six months whose mother
does the washing for the family. No two of
the children calling themselves sisters or
brothers have the same name nor are they
the same shade Of color. Ones name is Phil.
Sheridan; he has asister named Emma Jack
son; boy says his name used to be Lee but
they changed 1t. The houses are very plainly
| furnished, assure you; coarse, plain floors
without paint, long wooden benches on which
to sit. The bedsteads are indescribable; they
were made by the rebels of such material as
they had, and were used in their hospitals;
in fact all my furniture was once rebel prop
erty. l use one house for kitchen, dining
loom, and long room partitioned off is
used for girls dormitory and sitting room
combined. One use for wash-house, bath
ing room and boys dormitory. The third is
my own residence. 1t is rather more preten-
tious than the others, having once been occu-
pied by teachers, it is papered, and when the
boards OF which the partitions are made
shrank, it damaged the paper somewhat l
have pasted it on, however, as we'll as L could,
and it looks very well. have no carpets or