New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-31
INTERIOR LOUISIANA.
A VISIT TO A PROMINENT CONSERVATIVE
PLANTER.


THOMAS UNFORTUNATE CHARACTERISTICS of
THE NEGRo-sOME AMUSING ANECDOTES.
lrRox THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
DoNAIDsONvIILE, ASCENSION PARISH La, Octs-
Arriving here at midnight was obnged 10 wait
until the following day to take look at the town.
That day happened to be Sunday, but after Walk
on the principal street il was necessary to obtain
confirmation of my belief in that fact by the state
ment of my travelling companion and reference 10
pocket calendar. All ordinary signs OF sunday ran
in these Louisiana towns On this occasion Donaid-
sonville wore holiday air on the back streets ana
a market-day air the long avenue devoted 10
business. This business street meanders along
the river, just in the rear OF the le'ee'
| for distance of say three-quarters OF a mile
1t is lined on either side by small framed buildings
used as stores and shops all of which were open on
the Sunday IN question and nearly all of which were
thronged with customers from the country rounua-
bout. was informed that at an hour carrier thah
nv time for rising every body had been to or the
other of the little crOss-crowned Catholic churches
which abound here, and having pously witnessed
the celebration of mass said PRAYERS ana counteu
rosaries bad laid aside religion for the rest Oh the
day. 1t now past noon. and the crowd on the
streets was beng rapidly reinforced by people from
distance coming to town TO trade talk politics. ana
tell and hear the news of the neghborhood Three out
of every five people met were colored all shades
| from Congo black to quadroon yellow being repre-
sented while the fourth part was made up OF solled
| Creoles nominally white. and the fifth of planters
| and tradesmen whose pure Caucasian blood was IN
mstakable.
| HOW THE NEGROES ENJOY REIGN OF TERROR
The majority of the blacks came in continuous
stream along the narrow path on the levee' men,
women, and children, walking as for wager; Dut
| not few ambled along the road on ponies 80 sinai
that the legs of their riders almost touched the
ground and some fortunate fellows came in vehicles
of antiquatei pattern, which not only excited the
envy of the pedestrians. but covered their Sunday
clothes with dust l need hardly remark that these
! Sunday clothes were by means uniform. All the
| fashions of the last twelve Years were gwen an
equitable representation. The costumes were varied
as we'll picturesque. In the headgear OF the men
the four seasons cOntended for the mastery, while
the women equally at home under !lght-coloTed
| turbans coal-scuttle bOnnets, last Winters bats
sun-downs" and bare heads. Shoes were not pop
ular: bare feet carried off the palm; but some OF
both sexes who disdaned shoes for walking had
| them swung upon a stick carried on the shouI-
der ready for use on a dress occasion
in town. But You seldom see more
cheerful human beings than were these freedmen on
a Sunday tramp. Chattering now in bastard French
and now in bastard English, and filing the air with
/
evident that they had yet to hear of the Reign OF
! Terror in the South and had not yet got hold of
Senator MortOD's startling information that III Ala
! bama and Louisiana the favOrite amusement or
white is cunning for negroes" On the con-
! trarv they seemed on the best of terms with the
! white people whom they met the road. on the
| street and in the stores. From the negroes came
such salutations as, Howd'ye, Mass Tom " and
Mornin, Miss jimmy = and, HOw's all AT de ole
! place 2" And from the whites came kindly spoken
inquiries as to the health of this that, and the other
negro. and how they were getting on to-
gether, with Illustrations of that fac
| ulty of immediate recognition OF dusky
faces which we of the North find t hard to I'M
derstand when we cannot keep the physiognomy of
a negro in memory for day, except under very
peculiar circumstances. White men and black, who
rs boys were master and slave shook hands with
unmistakable cordiaty, and the former master
heard with patient ear the long and tiresOme story
of the cares pleasures of the freedman who
comes to him for advice in everything but politics
Here at least thought |, there is peace between the
races il So and yet this is OF the parishes In
which the whites have suffered most from the mis-
government of the ignorant and apparently I'M
teachable class, and where the carpet-baggers still
succeed in keeping parties divided on the color line
ARPENT FARMS.
In the afternoon took buggy and drove about
three miles into the country 20 present letter of
PRODUCTION to Gen. Thomas, gentleman of large
planting interests and influential member OF the
! Conservative State Central Committee The road
clInCs closely to the Mississippi not only between
Donaldsonviile and the plantation Of Gen. Thomas
but ali the way down to New-Oreaas. / was SIR
prscd 10 nG it lined with cottages as to present
the appearance of village street. l had no idea
that the country was so thickly settled. Ii appears
that these cottages are generally occupied by Creole
families of small means. to whom they have de-
scended from ancestors several generations back.
These ancestors bought tracts OF land fronting
on the road; at their death they
divided between their sons and daughters, who i'll
turn subdivd and bequeathcd their portions TO
their progeny and so the process repeated IN
til the men and women of the present generation in
many cases own only what is called an Arpent
Front" An arpent s a little less than an acre. Ny
informant said. by way of explanation. " 1t Is the
custom here to buy by the and sell by the ar
pentr But though a tract may have only an arpent
or half arpent front, " may back far enough 20
embrace good many arpents in area. and thus con-
stitute that variety of farm which is known in
States as right smart patch" The house on such
a place usually stands within few yards Of the
road and in full view of the river, and is
a framed building of or two stories.
Ii is faced with porch stretching from end 10 end.
Here the ladies sit in deshabe. Curtains are hung
TO hide them from view and to keep away the mos
ouitoes which rise in swarm from the river In one
or two cases the curtains were thrown back we
approached the house and we caught glimpse of
pretty face but was only glimpse for the sound
of carriage wheels caused the curtains to be drawn
together in haste, and when came abreast of the
porch eyes ready to admire met only by good
many square yards of sorted calico. The houses of