The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-07-25
From the Overlooked Dis
tl'ict.
How the Negroes Draw RatiOns and Trade
them off for Whisky.
The Terrible Ravages Of Charlton.
The Crops. Health, Etc.

The Crops. Healtn, LIE.
| We conversed yesterday morning with a
gentleman who has just returned from an
extended trip through the overlooked districts,
viii b he undertook in the interests Of the
Relief Committee, and derived from him
much interesting information as regard the
crops, the conduct and condition OF the ne
groes and the ravages Of that fearful scourge,
the Charlton.
| The distribution Of the ratons donated by
| the Government and the Changers continues ;
but these rations are frequently the cause OF
trouble, and generally an incentive % idle
ness Many negroes have quit work III the
| field, relying upon the supplies furnished by
the distributing agents, and our informant
has actually seen them after they had drawn
clothing and shoes from the agents, go to an
adjacent grocery and sell them for half their
value. in order to get money with which to
buy whisky.
Even the seed corn given them to plant,
many of them sold in the same way instead OF
planting it, and some sharp tradesmen in the
neighborhood are driving excellent bargains,
buying up the rations issued to the negroes.
| It is curious fact that many of the freed
men will sell their ,ations clothing, etc, to
buy whisky when they are almost il state OF
nudity. They are actually ninety per cent.
least as their physical well-being is concerned,
and the only thing which they now possess
which is valuable is their right to vote, right
the improper and ignorant use of which is
rapidly reducing them to abject want,
1t is biting sarcasm upon the wisdom OF the
emancipation proclamation that suffering as
these negroes are, without money or clothes,
and destitute by reason Of idleness, they yet
listen to the syren song of the abominable car
pet-bagger, who tells them that ali they need
to lift them up to the level with the whites, is
social equality. These white rascals are not
only preaching social equality, but they are
urging the negroes to acts OF violence, which
will, if unchecked, bring upon them terrible
retribution.
THE MULE AND CATTLE PLAGUE.
The most terrible calamity which has be-
fallen the planters, and especially those in
Pointe Coupee and the lower part Of Ayoyel-
les. is the dreadful disease Charlton" which
is literally sweeping everything in the shape
of horses and mules before it, and in some in
stances killing the mich COWS and cattle.
Those who have never witnessed the rava-
,,o, ~ t1,a I;oao 50 oan form M 51a nf II 0nr
informant says that all the remedies seem to
have failed to stop the march Of the plague,
and numbers Of planters have lost all their
stock. One who owned twenty-one head Of
mules had lost nineteen by Charlton to date,
with the probability OF losing the other two.
The disease is very repulsive, and animals
afflicted with it soon become too offensive for
treatment. The general opinion is, that the
disease is caused by the bite Of poisonous
fiy and none Of the animals are exempt, fat
and lean suffer alike. For fear the mich
cows, some of which have died Of Charlton,
may be affected, the planters have stopped
milking them, and it is related that hogs
that have been permitted to touch the car
casses of animals that have died from Char
bon, have almost instantly been killed them
selves. Mr. Norwood lost number of pigs
in this way.
The negroes, fearing the contagion, have
declared temporary cessation of hostilities,
as against hogs, upon which they have man
aged to exc out a thievish existence
In the Black River country there is some,
but not so much Charlton, and we learn that
the disease is not confined to the overlooked
districts, but infests even the bills and high
lands.
THE CROPS
The corn and cotton in the parishes Of
Pointe Coupee and the lower part ofAvoyelles
will be almost an entire failure.
The cut worms have not only cut down the
cotton and corn but the peas also. On Black
River, in the parishes of Concordia and Cata-
houla the crop has been so ruined by the cut
worm that it will be almost 3 total failure as
far up as Columbia in Caldwell parish, but
from that point up to Monroe it looks de-
cidedly better.
The planters in the latter section have good
stands OF cotton, and the plant looks well,
and if they will fight the army worm, (as they
can do successfully vi tn Paris green and be
favored with late fall, they will make a fair
crop Our informant says that this was the
only region of country he visited where the
prospects are promising.
HEALTH.
AZ
there is much sickness, mostly fux, which
has been very fatal, particularly about Har-
riSonh,Ys- and Trinity