Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-04
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.'tFromthe, ,Maoon.tG Telegraph
Mortality .Amopg1 slEe North Car
OIina Negroes - o..

,ytFrom the Maoonz(Ga0 Telegraph
Mortality Among slEe North Car
Oiina Negroes. IN .9cgf,i
Bishop Atkinsenis- statement upon
this Subject, which was published in the
Telegraph some time since, having been
fiercely assailed by Radical newspapers
and orators, the NeUbeYm Journal 6t
Commerce sustains it with the following
from Major John Hughes, a prominent
resident Of Newbern. He, explains why
he appears over his own, signature, and
says: > ssSgi '''V'' . l-'7 ''-''''- 90
= al do so because Lconsider myself in
some considerable degree responsible for
theCstatements made by the Bishop In
the spring of 1867, while 1 was i'm at
tendance upon theEpiscopal Convention
at Wilmington, the Bishop, in the course
of conversation with me, remarked that
on The occasion Of recent visit to New
bern, he had been informed by a physi-
clan of position and character, who had
an extensive practice, that the then NOR
tality among the negroes was fearful,
and that, in his opinion, during the year
preceding it had not fallen short of
twenty FIVE per cent. of the entire popu-
lation, which population in and around
tNewbern the physician estimated at
10000. zasei
/ The Bishop went on to remark that
while he had the utmost confidence in
this statement. as he knew the gentle
man who made it would not wilfully
n,isrepresent, yet thathe would prefer to
be fortified with statistics; and that he
would feel under obligations to me if I
would furnish them, for, if the truth was
as stated, it Showed conclusively that
something must be done for the relief of
the colored population. I very willing
ly undertook to furnish, the desired in
formation, and Immediately upon my
return to Newbern sent for John Ran
dolph, very intelligent colored man,
who had for some time been engaged in
the manufacture of cofins for the Freed
mems Bureau at New bern, and who can
not be accused of working "in the inter
est of the Democratic party as he is,
| understand, a member of the same
Union League with the individual who
wrote the original scandalous charge
against the Bishop. 5.l.., -.
He very cheerfully furnished me with
all the facts in his possession, and l com
municated them to the Bishop. His
statement was, in substance, that in thir-
teen months he had made between $500
and 2,700 cofins, nearly all of which
were used in burying co1ored people in
and around Newbern, and that many
were buried in coffins made by other
parties, while some were buried without
collins. In order that no misunderstand-
ing may exist regarding it, 1 have again
seen Randolph this morning, and pro-
cured from him a written statement,
which 1 append to this communication.
"But, in addition to this, I desire to
give few figures from orders drawn by
F. A. Seeley, Major and A. Q. NJ, at
Newbern, on John Randolph, Jr., for
coffins. They were handed to me to-day,
by gentleman who found them some,
little time ago in the shop lately occu-
pied by Randolph, but now in possession
of the gentleman who gave the orders to
me. These orders are regularly num-
bered. and as very many were issued in
the'course of a month no positive GER
tainty can be arrived at, and in the lin
tied number in my possession (only 13,)
| have the first one issued on the first
day selected, and the last one on the
last day selected, and, therefore, the
number may considerably exceed that
hereafter stated, but by no possibility
can it be less. The. orders only en-
brace two, showing an interval of ex-
actly month.
"The first is dated March 18th. and is
numbered 1,714; the other is dated
April 18th, and is numbered 1,91I, by
which it appears that from the 18th Of
March to the 18th of April the number
of orders for coffins for immediate use
was 1877. From the Sd of April to the
18th of the same month, the orders
show that so cofins were issued, or at
The rate of s per diem. Doubtless
greater number were issued at other
times, but I have not the figures by me
to sustain the assertion; but take the
average OFFS per diem, it would make
the whole number for the year 1920.
"Thus it will be seen that the truth of
the Bishops statement is fully vindica-
ted, and that the 'falsehood'. rests where
everybody who knows the Bishop, and
the author of the charge must have
been satisfied it rested before this letter
was written. 7ls1 5wat asl-i.E ~1T
-"The only error made by the Bishop
(if he made the statement as reported),
is in confning the loss to the village op-
posite Newbern, where he supposed 10,-
900 negroes resided. The whole negro
in and around Newbern, as
was stated by the Bishop, was estimated
at 10000, and the deaths referred to
were among them, so that the important
fact, as to the proportion of deaths to
the whole estimated population, is en-
tirely correct. Very respectfully, 10 o.
John HUGHES"
Appended to this letter is the certif-
cate of John Randolph, the negro un:
dertaker referred to, who asserts the en-
tire correctness of Major Hughes state
ment. -l1 aa.-- l- eds J
The American Horse. tsf.s