Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-10-30
General Sherman's Talk with an
"Exodus1 Negro.
WHY THE NEGRO DID NOT TAKE HIS AD-
VICE

| WHY THE NEGRO DID NOTIIAhE HIS AD-
| VICE.
| A gentleman who was an eyewitness
to the scene gives us the following ac-
count of an interview between General
Sherman and an exodus negro at the
Kansas Pacific depot in this city on the
occasion of the recent visit of the Presi
dent and General Sherman. While the
train was detained half an hour General
Sherman was standing on the platform
of the car containing the Presidential
party, smoking a cigar. A number of
darkies were in the crowd collected, and
some of them shook hands with the Gen
eral. Finally, black, Taw-boned negro,
black as midnight, with heavy beard,
intermixed considerably with gray, step
ped up and grasping the Generals hand,
you Mr.. Sherman?
YES" says the General. Are you
Mississippi darkey?"
"Yes, sab; l am from Yazoo, Missis-
sippi."
"Well, what did you leave there for?"
says Sherman.
"Well, 1 tell you, Mr.. Sherman, dey
wouldn't let US live down thar in peace;
couldn't get no pay for our work, an
dey wouldn't let us vote"
"Ah, they wouldn't let you vote? Well,
you know you have a right to vote, and
when any one interferes with you in the
free exercise of your political rights you
must tell them to stand back and leave
you alone"
But" says Exodus, "dey go to shoot
in de darkies when dey open dar heads
about dar rights to vote"
well, says the General, you must
stand up for your rights like men, and if
they oppose your right as citizens, and
you can't get any protection from the au-
thOritieS, you must, when the election
comes, go in squads of thirty or forty to
the polls, take your vote in one hand
and pistol in the other, and deposit
your vote, and enforce your rights
against mob law"
"Gor a maSsa, you know nothin about
it. Talk about darkey goin' to de polls
wild pistol. Kill him suah, white folks
would, an where is de black man goin'
to get de pistol, I'd like to know? l tell
you, Mr.. Sherman, you know nothin'
about votin' down in Yazoo."
"YeS," says the General;" Il have been
there several times, and if you will let
those people down there know that you
are determined to have your political
rights, guaranteed to you under the Con-
stitutlon, ahd that you will stand up for
your rights, they will leave you alone;
they bulldoze you because they know
that you darkies won't fight to the man
for your rights"
By this time old Exodus got warmed
up on the subject, and in a loud voice
replied:
MIR. Sherman, when you was down
dar observed you had lots of white So
gers wild you, an de people down dar
was afeerd Of you, an dey let you do as
you please, but Use libbed down in Va
zoo fer twenty-five years, an 1 knows
'em better an you does, an tell you dar
amt no libbin down dar for nigger,
and you don't cotch no nigger what has
any sense wild a horse pistol. No sar,
suah.'
By this time the train moved off, amid
the cheers of the crowd, old Exodus re-
marking: "If Mr.. Sherman wants to vote
wild a pistol in his hand, he can do so,
but dis old niger isn't such fool as de
general. know mOah'n he does about
votin' in Yazoo. Talk about nigger
standin' up fo' his rights wild hOss-
pistol! Golly! you'd see noah dead mig
gers in Yazoo arter lection dan dere is
har on Mr. Sherman's head Eff white |
men don't fight for niggers' rights, dere
done for, suah, an sartin; yes, sab,
suah!"
With smile on everybody's face, ex-
cept old Exodus, the crowd dispersed
Lawrence (Kan.) Journal.