Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-05-23
"PURE WHITE BLOOD, SUREw
AmaIgama tion Nippcd I'm the Bud
by Cincinnati Judge-A Nash
Vile Girl the Intended Bride.

We find the following ratherstrange
episode detailed in the Cincinnati Ga
zette of Wednesday:
In the forenoon of yesterday a thin,
tall, awkward colored man shufiied un-
gracefully into the Probate Court room,
and presented himself before the clerk
who presided over the marriage license
desk. The clerk looked up and saw
before him a jet-black face, wrinkled
from age, overwork or i'll health, and
.surmounted by a coarse, uncombed,
struggling mat of black hair, marked
here and there by gray. The man was
Enthusiastically an American citizen OF
pure African descent, fully forty years
old. He said he wanted a marriage
license, and after giving his name as
Thomas Sharp, and the name of his IN
tended bride as Sarah Baker,.he added,
with twinkle of pride, " De ladyis pure
white blood. sure.b The clerk dropped
his pen, looked up in astonishment at
the black face before him, and said:
You can't get license, sir.
Thomas Sharp looked lbewildered.
He evidently did not perceive that the
Fifteenth Amendment conferred on his
race only the right of choosing men to
rule over them, and not wives. The in
exorable clerk referred him to the Judge,
and the Judge told him to bring his bride
into court. . wa ~ Fm q
Thomas went on this errand and soon
returned with three women. One was
dark mulatto, another a light mulatto,
and the third, Sarah Baker, was indeed,
as Thomas had described her, of pure
white blood" She had long, light, soft
hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, regular
features, with no trace Of negro blood or
parentage about her. She was small,
and possessed a neat, symmetrical hgure.
The Judge asked her if she had any
testimony to offer ia supporto of her state
ment She referred to the dark mulatto
woman, who, being sworn, testified that
she and Sarah were playmates together
in Nashville, Tennessee. Their mothers
belonged to Mr.. Baker, who lived on
Cherry steeet, near College Hill. Sarah
was reputed to be the child Of her
mothers young master. Sarah S mother
was very bright mulatto. The witness
aud Sarah had been here about four
years, and were each about twenty-five
years of age.
Judge Hoeffer called the two before
him and explained that the law forbid
the intermarriage of persons OF pure
white blood with persons of African blood,
and imposed penalty of fine and i'm
prisonment upon the Probate Judge who
should issue license for such marriage,
as we'll as upon the person solemnlzing
the marriage. He then asked the ex-
pectant bride about her parentage. She
did not become suffused with bushes,
but told her story with a clear, straight
forward, business air, in strange contrast
to the halting, dubious expressions of
her intended husband. She said she
never knew her father; he died when she
was quite young. Her mother was a
light mulatto, the slave of Mr.. Baker,
of Nashville, Tennessee. She had been
told that she was the child of her young
master.
This was all the testimony she had
to offer, and the Judge told them to re-
turn at two o'clock to hear his decision.
At that hour Thomas came alone, evi-
IDENTIFY fearing the decision would be
averse to his hopes The Judge at once
told him he was satisfied that Sarah
Baker was of pure white blood, and that
a license could not be issued.
lam very sorry, master, said Thomas;
1--WE only been here four months from
the cotton fields / met this gal at a
ball, an I've been takin' her to church,
an you see we nat'lly fell in love, an we
wanted to get married. Very sorry, in
deed, sir" And he walked away, sad
4 I I II.