The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1872-12-12
From the Rome (Ga.) Commercial.
Bill Arp on Freedom.

I'm not Teconslled tn0uSnt was, DuC
aint. Pve been tryin to make peace, and make
friends ever since the confounded old war was
over, but it wont do. I've seen folks cussln
around by the day, like they was tryin to get
even that way but they dident. I've knowed
some to moan and grieve over 1t Till they pineo
away and died out of it. don't know whether
that was a success or not. I've seen some set
tin around and givin advice like Sokrates and
Plato, but it dident do any good. Politshuns
and editors have cavorted on the stump and in
the nusepapers, hollerin "hello, boys, come
here, Pve found the way to fix 'em-jist follow
me and I'll bring you out. Step this way, gen.
tIemen, all ye that are weary, and I'll give you
rest" But thar was nary rest-nary satlsfac-
ton. The poor unrekonstructed women are
the worst sufferers. For seven years they have
been spankin around waitin for somethin to
turn up, and now they are losin patience. l
hev thought the children would fare better II
we could sit even. Poor things-they git many
a spankin when their mammys are thinkinl
about them Yankees and them glorious old
times before the war. A woman's a woman,
you know, and she's bound to spank sumthln
when she's mad. Well, it's powerful hard on
EN- I know The whole thing cum upon us so
sudden-so collapsy. 1t was like we all had
moved to another kouutry. Them good old
niger days was Just blotted out like fallin into
a cellar. If we could have slid into it quietly
and slantendikular, if slavery could have sorter
tapered out and freedom sorter tapered in, ev-
erybody could have got used to it. But when
freedom cum, it cum like whirlwind or a
waterspout, or an avylanch, or more like
drove of wild pigeons cunning home to roost.
1t fairly darkened the atmusphear, and it's dark
vet Talk about manners and customs and
statisticks Why we wasent the same people.
A Geography made in January, '65, wasent
worth cent in Junel We dident have the
same ways. We was subjued, subjugated, su-
perseeded, and that new clover begun to spred
all over the sunny land. Jim Mullens says it
ALWAYS grows in conkered countries. 1t was
curious to see the darkies steppin Oft the lot
without akin. The pass bisness was abolished
before we ever thought about it. I've got some
printed ones now as memorial:
"Let the bearer, Jim, 60 to his wife's house.
at Tom Clayton's, and stay till Monday morn
ing. VIM. ARP"
9aHere, Bob, go and catch selim, and saddle
him, and bring him here in five minutes, you
black raskal-hurry up you son OF gun, OF
I'll straiten you with thrash pole till you cant
see. Go sir"
Now its:
ooh, see here, Bob, would like to have my
horse brought out, if you aint doing anything
partikler; bring him as soon as you can, will
you"
And there's the poor women-good souls
its all we can do to taper em down to the situ-
alton.
"What did you spill that water for, Julyann,
you lazy, triAing, contemplate huzzy-posi-
lively you amt worth the salt that's put in your
vittles; dident tell you that the very next
time you split water on this floor I'd give you
thousand-now take that-and that-and
that-and that. Now 60 and get your wash
rag and come here and wipe it up, you good
for nothin imp Of darkness"
But that's all gone out of fashion, and now
its
"Come here, Saray Ann, I want you to go
and see your aunt Francis and ask her If she
wont please cum and do my washin this week.
Tell her I'll be very much obliged to her if she
WILL now run along and be quick and I'll let
you 60 to the circus"
Well, it hurts EN-, know it does. 1t hurts
this generation nifty bad, but the children
GROWN up and comm on don't mind it. tor
they never knowed much about slavery times.
We old people wont last long no how, and per-
haps by the time We pass away and new
crop grows up on both sides, the North aud
South, we'll be better friends. ! hope so, for
if we haven't been an unhappy family for DO
wears I don't know where you'll find one. 1
cant help recallin them old times when my old
carriage driver sot up on high dickey, with
stove pipe hat on, and cracked proud whip
over pair of crackin blood bays, and little
waller mig a standn up behind the carriage
holdin to the straps and feelin bigger and
prander than Julius Cesar Demosthenees Alex
auder Bonaparte. Old times, farewell vain
world, farewell! Now I've got no fore niger,
nor hind nigger, nor blood bays, nor nothin,
and if I want to go anywhere, thank the good
Lord for his mercies, I am allowed to walk
Well, everythings different, even this here
newspaper we're runnin. Them old fashund
runaway nigger picters that used to be scat
tered along down whole column is all van
ished. Them picters of abskonded darkeys
Just trottin off with the hind foot stickin up
and lookin likeathe Top side OF an Alabama
bundle on heend of it.; gone, all gone
"Run away from The subscriber. a coal black
niger, named Dave, about II years old, feet
s inches high. Anybody catchin him and
lodgin him injail can git S20 reward"
Darn 'em-there's more Of 'em catch the
Jail now than they did then. Them old pictur
dies are for sale cheap atthisofis They aint
no use now ybut the Jail is, ,sits Kept full from
court to court Some of 'em want masters,
shure, and they got 'em, too I reckon Alex
ander and Grants Railroad chain, gang now
thinks slavery days was perfect, garden of
Eden. &
But somehow like the plagy things, and
while last on the top side of-the sile want
em hangin around. 1 like my dog Boyse, and
like them; but blame my cats eff like the
way the thing happened. ] wish there was
some way to get satisfaction. Old Greeleys
hand busted, and little Alexis advisn peace on
earth and good will to man but don't like
the way it was dun. 1 want a new deal of the
kards Mrs. Arp don't like it, and as long as
she don't, don't, and I don't expect to.
BILL ARP.
=;
Apples can be purchased for four cents