The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-12-21
LETTER FROM ARKANSAS.
LITTLE Rock Ark, Dec. 10th 1871.


met with your approval will venture to
send you another, and what l have seen
and heard in the South land, (Which you
can put into print, or the fire, either
place you think it will give the most
Jght) First in Importance, comes the
negro question. Look which way you
will you see negroes,negroes, everywhere,
of all shades and sizes, from the six foot
mulatto driving an OK team, which Is the
cuttst of all animals, with it's round woody
head, staring black eye, and solemn face.
N ext comes the boys and girls, with their
satchels of books, going to school, happy
as any darkeys can be, at the prospect
Of lea rning to read, like white folks
Then pass women in blue sun bonnets
which is their first step towards refinement
the next being, to dress their wool, "a la
mode" which they accomplish by tying
it to the back of their heads,and hanging
over it immense water falls and curls, a
frizing it all over, in their style, they
rather ercoU the miss who sleeps with IS
crimping pins, sticking in her head for
the sake Of having her hair hirable the
next day The old fashion turbar is
almost entirely discarder, as relic of
slavery not to be tolerated these in by
freedom. Still they go through the streets
with baskets of clothes on their heads,and
bundles of household goods in their arms
Nor are the people given to frequent
changes, feeling that their independence
is compromised, by remaining any length
of time in one place.
So you may see them constantly passing
with their whole earthly possession piled
on donkey cart, with the man riding
in triumph on the top, while the spouse
walks behind. Soloman says something
about beggars riding in charjots, and
Princes going afoot, which has been
pretty we'll verified in their place, for
although the negroes do not ride IN
chariots, many of them have teams OF
their own, while their old master princess
90 afoot and not only that, but bow and
cringe to their former slaves, for the sake
of obtaining their vote to help lift them
into some lucrative Offices
You can't buy "a darkeys vote with a
glass of whisky, asaeasily as you can an
Irishmans but first. show them pol ice
mans star glimmering in the distance, and
they are ready to cast any amount of votes,
for the man who can place it ON their
breast. The amount of votes only being
equaled, by the number of promises the
candidate is willing to make. Over one
hundred men were promised the position
of door keeper to the house during the
session of legislation.
The new state in which they find them
selves does not seem to diminish the
natural pomposity of the negro, as the
following conversation will prove. A
big black fellow in pounding away at the
front door, "well what do you want" "Is
there lady here who wants to move
emo" "She told me to come, her name is
Gibson" ooh yes,that's the soOE,pleasc so
around to the Kitchen whereupon Gibson
fits away, and in her stead comes rolly
polly wencll, fresh from the field, who
with, her sable lord, has come to "hire."
Are you the CONAN who wants lady to
cook for herr Can you work ?" "Yase
UNI, but amt very strong"
"Can you cook he, he, I
cooked for 10 men on the railroad" I
should think SO by the looks of the first
meal. She could bake, boil, and fry pota-
toes, then again she could fry, boil, and
bake potatoes, of course she could cook,
and settled herself down in the kitchen,
ready for weeks wages, that being the
length of time they usually remain, thus
converting the quarters into a panorama
of moving in andout, most of them furnish
their own rooms, much to the relief of the
lady of the house. These colored people
are great church goers, and are fond of
displaying their finery on Sunday, as
their white sisters. Although not quite
as fastidious in their tastes. A yellow
ribbon and apink calico gown,cr enormou
brass earrings dangling on their necks
render them as supremely happy, as a
diamond set would southern belle. Their
religion is of very boistrous
i ELL 20 khoir