The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-02
JOHN RAND0LPH'S SLAVES.
THE STORY or THEIR MINUMISSION
AND mama INTO ONO.
Facts About this Curious Colony Never Reforc
Toid-Huckcye Prejudice Thirty Years
Awo-A Race Experiment aud its Result.

descended in the seventh deRrce from POca-
hontas and in the eighth from King Powhatan.
owned broad estates on the Roanoke river, bor-
dering North Carolina. There no practiscd
splendid hospitality; horses. hounds. and
rctinuc of servants were nj the command of his
guests. On his plantation wcrc employed. or
kept. nearly thousand slaves. The number
was not reduced by sales. Although Virginia
then made slave breeding as much of an indus
try rs the raising Of tobacco. Mr.. Randolph did
not engage in 1t. lie never sold slave and by
his will manumittcd all that belonged to him at
his death. Under the laws Of Virginia freed
men could not reside on her soil. and in the
deed of manumission provision WAS made for
| the settlement Of tho cmRncipatod negroes on
| land to be acquired in free State. sum of
| money was sot apart Tor their maintenance in
Although Mr. Randolph died in 1899. II was
not until 1916 that Judge Leigh. the executor Of
| his will, removed the negroes from their old
| home ON the Roanoke, taking them through
| Lynchbufg-that grent tobacco and slave mart,
! the terror of every bondman-and across tho
| black belt to the knnnwha river. whore
stoamboats were Chartered. and the swarthy
| emigranis and their portable property con-
! veyed To Cincinnaii. Here transfer was made
! 10 boats on the Miami and Eric canal. and the
! journey continued TO Mercer county. Ohio.
| about lao miles north Of Cincinnati, whore
5000 acres OF land had been purchased for the
coonists.
They arrived Mt their destination, but they
v werr net permitted TO- land The region si was
| udcc against the new corners was carried 90
the point of armed resistance. No compromise
! had sold their land to Judge Leigh for the
negroes joined their ncighbors in hostile
! demonstrations against its lawful owners.
/ Neither the local nor the state authorities
would interfere. Even in Ohio In 1916. the
hegro had no rights which a white man was
/ ago. Revolutions have taken place since. and
! history has been made.
The boats were turned about and n retreat
made TO Plqua, a hourshing and delightful
little city ninety-nve miles north OF Cincinnati.
| bend Of the Great Miami river, ON the evening
| Of the 4ih Of July, 1876. Ii was sad lndcpcn-
dence Day 70 them; Denied return to their
! purchased for them in what they had supposed
u be free state with no knowledge Of and
/ means OF livelihood but the rude work of u Nir-
| ginia plantation, these homeless and housclcss
ireednien were in q most pltiabIe c9ndI-
ton, From tho death of Mr.. 4sand9lph
! Roanoke-thirteen yeHrs-their number had
been greatly reduced. During his lite there
| had been steady natural increase. and no
| dimnutions. except by death. But the rem
! nant cncamped nj Pqua numbered not over
45O souls and many ofthese were old men and
! proportion Of ablo,bodied. midde-aged men
and women 10 the children and old people was
notioeablv small. How 10 provide for this num-
| Der OF dependent people was the absorbing
| question with Judge Leigh and the humane
| people he met mt Piqua. who rendered him not
| only Their advice hui very efficient aid. with
.he really money he hai IN his possession he
! bought small nOmprfoNdS Tor tho older meme
| bcrs ~ the colony, ~ suburb OF the city. and
| found situations as lahorers for tho young men.
| and places ~ house servants for the young
women-in many cases securing homes for en-
! tire families oil farms and thus preventing. ~
| lar m possible. tho separation Of parents ami
| children. The colony was broken into frc-
! ments. but was all settled IN and around four
| towns-Sdney. Pilua. Troy and West Million.
| tho latter Quaker community. In all proha-
| bility II was better Tor the negroes 10 Dee scat
| tered in this way than settled together on the
land selected Tor them surrounded. rs they
would have been. with hostile. ignorant. and
The astonishment Of these simple people in
hearing language spoken they did not under
hear some Of them narratc the incidents OF their
reception when they went 10 take possession Of
| their land. Tho Germans who prevented them
| from leaving the boats convcrscl In their native
tongue. The words, being unintcligible To- the
| negroes. the latter looked upon their adyer-
sarits with an awe bordering on Veneration.
In all this company Of 45O men. women. md
| children. there was not n mulatto. The African
! blood hnd beeu t,ro served IN lis puritv 4 few
! OF tho children could read to very limited cN-
tont. but this was all the edu'htion there WAS
! among them. They had everything To learn
! Plantation methods Of work would not answer
on ohio farms AMI men and women had t. be
| taught. like children. to perform the most SIM
| pie operations. They were awkward and inaIt.
! hut fortunately they were among friends who
possessed pa!iencf and who were anxious To-
| showed great anxiety Tor the eduration ~ their
| children. The public schools wore shut against
/ them Their par uis gladly used portion of
| the money bcqueaihcd them 10y their late mus
ter for this purpose. \ young man was loun
who agreed Ia tako charge Of their school. 1t
required great moral courage for him u do this.
a. there was at that day a strong pr"Julico
H. colorai race' He served out his nn..lc".
mont, winning the gratitude Of his pupils and
| thr respect of those who hAl al first made him
the butt II their ridcule. This interest in liu-
cation has been maintained by this colony of
colorcd Nirglnians Ia the pres IT time
The older m"ui"r- Nutc a!l di'd Nud tho sce-
ond generation has taken their places Tury
! have been pushed forward ~ kind and inter-
c-tsl friends and tsarn" fr.uui have done much
better tlun they pt"oanN would nave done II
l.it % follow their own bent. While some have
learned trades and few have shown aptitude
/ in business, ~" majority NAY" been content to
remuln day labprers, and not one has ACCOM-
plished ANYTHING of not". II would he unreal
! sOnablc, however. To expect much from Il gem
Grafton but one degree removed from semi
barbarlsm. Their numbers have slightly de-
While they were encampel on the river bank
at Pilua the Randolph negroes We're almost ~
much an Object 81 curiosity H. the same num-
itors took delight IN having the young - pie
dance plantation jlgs and sing their IN,
when one could BE- set in motion. was more las
clnatlng than the best organized minstrel troupe
that eyer appeared before me i9ollights have
and sing by the hour for tho occah ona dimes
and quarters tossed them refrain Of one Of
their livcest songs ran thus. rcpeatcd hour
after hour. very mOnotUnOusly, but without amy
apparent WEAKNESS;
Ibuill my house in Baltimoroi
hulld my house i'm y IItuuIr,
| Ibuld my house IN BALTIMORE,
| Three stories high
There was prolonged stress on the word
three and one not quite SO torciblo ON the
word high that rang in the listeners ears
long aftcrt tin sounds had ceased. The women :
songs We're Of Il melancholy kind, One partic-
ularly doleful In uuerance, had burden Of
grief that ran thus as nearly as can designate
the sounds by letters
Amy mo amy mo-
| Inchcr come back, amy mo-
Amy mo " was meant for any more" Day
after day this refrain could be heard through
out the camp, almost without cessation and far
into the night.
But the lamentations aud practices ot tho
| fetch women, Of whom there were several, had
the most attraction for tho curious. What saw
| OF them excited more disgust than desire 10 in
vestigate. Fetichism disappeared with tho
scattering OF the colony. and ! doubt If one Of
| the present generation knows anything about il.
1t was prartised quite secretly in the camp ms it
had been on the plant alton. and was confined TO
a very fow persons. these being Of the most de-
| graded sort.