Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-07-27

The following lcilcr from J. W
Smith, the colorcd cadet at West
Point, to his folks al home at Hart.
ford, Connecticut, certainly makes
out pretty hard times for that young
pioneer:
wrsr PoiSr, N. Y, june 20, 1870.
Your kind letter should have been answered long
ere this, hut really have been 20 hanassod with
examination and the insults and ill-ircntmoni OF
these cadets that / could not write OF do anything
else scarcely. passed the examination all right
aud got Co., but my companion, Howard, Jailed
and was rejected Since he went away | have
been lonely indeed, aud now these fellows appear
TO be trying their utmost 10 run me OF, and fear
they will succeed if they continue Hs they have
begun. We went into camp yesterday and not q
moment has passed since then but some one Of
them has been cursing and abusing me. Allnght
they were around my tent, cursing and swearing
at me 80 that did not sleep two hours all night.
II is Just the same at the table, and what get
to eat | must snatch for like dog. / don't wish
to resign if | can get along at all but ! don't
think Il will be best for to stay and take all the
abuses and insults that are heaped upon me- The
examination was very hard this year-harder than
ever beforehand since have been successful in
getting in will siay as long as l possibly can.
One OF the cadets refused to drl the squad because
was in IT, and they reduced him from corporal
TO private for disobedience Of orders, and they
are all mad about that. The one who drills the
squad now is the meancst specimen Of humanity !
ever saw. After marching US out to the drill
ground this morning he said to me, "stand OF one
side from the line you d--d black son Of a b-h.
You are too near that white man. want you to
remember that you are not on an equal footing
with the white men in your class, and what you
learn here you will have to pick up, for l won't
teach you id thing" And thus be kept me
standing until the captain came around inspecting,
when he pretended that he put me there TO teach
me a movement which / had never praciieed be-
fore Ard conld sov ,athins, % ali or I ,vo,tI
have been locked up for disobedience Of orders OF
disrespeet 10 superior officers" If Il ever hap.
pens again ! shall deny it to his face and then
resign.
II complain Of their conduct to the command
ant l must prove the charges or nothing can be
donei and where am to ilnd one from so many
to testify in my behalfY If this afternoons dril
is conducted rs this mornings was, you need not
be astonished at hearing that have resigned. /
have borne insult upon insult until aln com
pletely worn out. / have written a plenty of bad
news. and wish had some good news for you,
but alas il seems to be getting worse and worse.
l forgot TO tell you that out Of ninety-one an
pointces, Eve failed physically forty ailed
mentally, leaving thirty admitted. They had
prepared it to fix the colored candidates, but il
proved most disastrous to the whites.
J. W. SMITH.
Why don't tho government attend
TO those "nasty" white boysY Grant
and Geary, each have a son there
Why do they not enjoin them TO
associate with this Niger baby ard
keep it quiet? As the "pet lamb"
makes no distinction, we suspect that
Grant and Geary's boys are as bad as
the rest Of the "white trash" Let
the government" set the example,
and make its own son mess and sleep
with the Irrational ward" Practice
what you preach, ye hypocritcs.