The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1876-02-12

THE EARLY LIFE OF A DIGNITARY
OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
Photographs Wanted IN Michigan-
Some Peculiar Transactions
that do not Become Per-
son Destined to Wear
the Ermine. -ia.a

| MILAN, Mich, Jan. 25.-The
people of this region take great
interest in reading about W. j.
Whipper, the dusky politician
who was recently elected a Judge
in South Carolina, because he
onced lived here for short time.
He was not a Judge then, unless
a Judge of whiskey, nor was he
called in those days the Hon. w.
>. Whipper, Int simply Bill Whip
per, or more commonly "Nigger
Whipper."
He first made his appearance
among us as farm laborer, in
the service Of a farmer living a
short distance north of this vii.
lage. He enlisted the sympathy
OF his employer, who helped him
to buy or get some shadow of ii
tie to 100 acres of timbered land.
Whlpper made a very small pay
Iaent OH the land, came to this
place, set up for a capitalist, got
a saw mill built for him, and then
hiring gang of colored brethrea
and d number of teams, he made
expeditions work in getting the
valuable timber off the land of
which he had become the nominal
proprietor at slight expense. This
timber he converted into money.
which he put in his pocket, when
he quietly stepped out, leaving
his colored brethren, the real land
owner, the mill owner, and Va,
rious other creditors to deplore
ms untimely taking off. It, was
hardest on the cOlOred brethren,
as many of them were Just from
the South, and very poor. To use
an expression in vogue here.
abouts, he whipped" the negroes
tue worst of any of his creditors,
and it was owing to this, more
than to his color. that he acquir
ed the cognomeu of 'sMigger"
Whipper. ....... .r.g - -.
The Judge had obtained ,mepey
and credit at various places, in
amounts varying from ten to Eve,
hundred dollars, on the represeu
tatlon that he owned l6O acres of
land, a saw mill, and q large
amount Of personal property,
when his total cash investment
could not have exceeded $500.
Several warrants for fraud and
one for stealing betting from the
mill in the night time we're sworn
out against him, but he managed
to elude service for q time. At last
close pressed by the aficers of
justice, he enlisted in a colored
regiment in Detroit. Even after
this he was arrested and locked
up in Jail in Ann Arbor, but mill
tary authority being paramount
at that time, he was released. His
subsequent career is better known
in South Carolina than here. We
have heard he rose to be a Major
General in that State as we'll as, q
Judge and Commissioner of the
Sinking Fund. His numerous &C
quaintances here would be glad
to see him once more but Il he
can't pay them a visit if he would
send them all his photograph it
wOnld be better than nothing.
l have made Careful inquiries
and have no doubt that the w.
j. Whipper, who "whipped" his
colOred frieuds here so unmerci
fully, is the same w. j. Whipper
who is figuring extensively in
South Carolina politics. AS to
the truth of all the statements
made in this communication any
number of af1idavits can be pro
cured from responsible citizens in
Milan. 1t may possibly be case
of mistaken identity, but it is not
likely that two persons bearing
the usual name of w. j. Whip
per, both colOred, and both dis
playing such remarkable charac
teIistics, could exist in one cOun
try at the same time.-N. Y. Sun