Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-01-08
CORRESPONDENTS.

-NA1NIAI-L, lIoo', iJSOs --'a, iCdc-
Dear Chronicle Since my last 10
you we have had "a change of weather
and are now enjoying cool rain, That
is, outsiders are. "We" are sitting by
a nice little fire made of coal, called
"Pittsburg." How far up and down
the river does that place reach?
L spent one day last week over IL
Vidalia-a village across the river and
the Parish Seat of Concordia, Parish.
Spent an hour in the Office of the Con-
cordia Eagle. The paper is little, but
the Office comparatively less. One
man does all the work, from playing
the ''deviP' to acting the editor-which
is lucky, for there isn't room for two.
These little papers are kept afloat hy
State patronage, and their principles
are stated thus: "Official organ tor
Stat of Louisiana, official organ for
Cencordia Parish" Sometimes there
is third plank in their platform, as
official organ for something else. But
it simply means, they are paid for, and
well paid for, mainly by people who
never read them. What an amount Of
discussing with the dis left OFF, this
way of spendIns tne ieJt'ie's money
would give is l. 40 UnIu! The owner
of the paper named above Is IA culled
gemmen, yclept "HOn. David Young"
If you write to him be sure and put
the s'Hon." in, or else you'll likely get
a lesson on etiquette.
The town was thrOnged with dar-
kies, for court was in session, and OF
course every one must be on hand.
Many came as parties or witnesses;
many others We're allured by the hope
of getting on a jury. Owe seen white
folks tending court from the same mo-
tive.) 1t required some tact to find a
comfortable location in the crowded
court room where the empaneiing o. Il
Jury was going on. The main thing
on each side was to get as many rela-
tions on the jury as possible. -Four kH
of one of the parties were called IN III
succession and rejected. The sheriff IS
the color ola blacked boot, just before
the shine is put on; the clerk bears
striking resemblance to my old trunk;
the Jury, in this coW-Steallng case,
turned up to the court a dozen faces,
over which the glowing light of intel
Iect didn't play much, to speak OF.
There seems to be a great deal of busi-
ness both civil and criminal to be done
in these Southern courts, chiefly petty
cases and tried before juries OF negroes.
The white people seem as anxious No
keep off as Sambo and Ccffee are to get
on. Besides at this time of year, just
after cotton-picking and ginning, and
lust before the spring ploWing, there Is
a plentiful lack of anything to do. l
don't know, though, whether a grow
ing crop pretty badly sin the grass
would detain the average darkey from
the charms of that magic circle where
he might be fotched on de jury. The
white people don't set the example OF
carrying industry to any great excess.
1t breaks out though, sporadicall y,
"Without distinction OF coior," as IN
the case of two old, black "nammieS''
who were busy, among the crowd in
the courtroom, with their knitting;
their fingers keeping time to The mo-
tionS of their brains, while pondering
the decisions of dat ole man WOt tens
dis here biznes5. What's to he the up
shot of the present condition Of things
here. when the negroes greatly out
number the whites, both sides deter
mined to rate, not so much the coun-
try as the other side, whisky and re-
yolvers instead OF calm reason.-pve
promised my readers (if had any not
TO attempt to prOphesy. This thing
of a party ruling for its own profit is q
great evil, but probably not restricted
in its operation 10 this latitude. I'm
migration OF industrious white men is
the cure I think of the dangerous form
of the evil, above stated, which exists
here.
Before another mail expect to turn
nv face homeward. This, therefore.
closes my correspondence from this
point. It has been a pleasure to me to
write. hope my short letters havn't
been irksome to read. j. J. BURNS.