Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-05-07
VIII He Work 2

The following account given to the Bns-
ton Adpertiser by Southern correspond
emf. for whom it vouches, gives {. rather
remarkable refutation to the tenet which
the whole reactionary party, North and
South, have been 80 anxiously maintain
ing for years past
The day and generation OF the race OF
long haired, poor whites who have hung
around the bar-rooms of the South and
spent their time in drinking and chewing
tobacco, and harping upon the same string,
"The niger won't work." is fast passing
away-at least in this vicinity. The col
ored men have gone to work with an en-
ergy and will this spring that has aston
ished us all, and if the season continues TO
be as propitlous as it has opened, we may
expect the very best results when the crop
is gathered.
I propose to give you short history Of
a man who has shown such signal energy
and perseverance, that he deserves honor
able mention.
I. was born and raised in Ken
lucky, but was sold into Louisiana be-
fore the war, his wife and children being
left behind. He has gone up after them,
and will have them with him after this
time.
When quite young he managed to learn
to read and write, an accomplishment that
caused his sale down South, and separa-
ton from his family. OF course, his old
master concealed that it being a great
fault, worse than a broken leg or short
wind. AS /. - had suffered from this
discovery, he was very careful to keep it
concealed from the people down here, till
the change of time has now enabled him
to use his knowledge to good advantage.
During the years 1866 and 1867 he was
persuaded to work for his old master, be-
ing persuaded by smooth speech to be-
lieve that he was in reality one of the best
friends of the colored race. But the fall
of 1867 found him about as poor as when
he started, with no good prospect of better
times so he and nine others determined
to look out for themselves.
Their whole possessions consisted OF
very scanty stock of furniture and one
bale Of cotton. They came over and bor-
rowed our boat to ferry them across the
river to an uninhabited island they had
hired, and carried all their possessions
down to the river bank, prepared to make
an early start in the morning. That night
the bank caved in, and they lost most of
their small lot of furniture, and worse
than that their cotton.
They were not discouraged, but went
over to the island and commenced work
with their axes and hoes We lent them
fifty bushels of corn, which they pounded
into hominy, furnished them an old gun,
and trusted them for powder and shot, and
they began life. They caughta loose skiff
in the levee before they returned our
boat, and with that they picked enough
lumber from the sand bars to floor and
cover their log houses. They also used it
as fishing boat, and were successful
fishermen the whole season. Not
mouthful of meat did they taste till the
next fall, except such game as they shot
Fish and hominy were their principal
articles of food.
They cut little wood, which they car
ried on their backs to the bank of the
river and sold to the steamboats,. This
enabled them to purchase salt, medicines,
and such articles as were absolutely ne
cessary. With their hoes only they made
crop and -- was down here the other
day to make settlement Of his accounts
and start fair for another year. He repaid
the fifty bushels of corn, with five bushels
for interest, paid his account for powder
and shot and for oars lost in the spring,
three hundred bushels OF corn for the
rent of the land, had money enough to
buy good strong clothes for all hands, and
a stock of young hogs as start for this
season, with corn and potatoes to last till
new crop. a
l. - has found friends enough to lend
him money to buy four mules and wagon,
and in two years he will undoubtedly be
able to purchase the island and become
one of the land-holders of the country.
He has taught school evenings, and all
hands, men, women, and children, can
read, and most ofth EN- can write. With
the money of tn o sale of the first lot of
wood they bought states and pencils; salt
first-then these.
He has allowed me to copy the rules
and regulations of - Island.
ANY one whose stock Injuries the crops
OF another shall pay twice over.
az Any one who steals shall pay ten times
and be turned off the island. ~.
No one shall drink or bring drop of
liquor on the island"
- Each of his tenants is obliged to sub
scribe to these, and he informs me that
for the whole year he has had no occasion
to enforce either of them 7s 81