Daily Kennebec journal., 1879-04-10

\ and mules and land, and came North TO starNe
for that is what he di1 for several days, He
was rescued from death by the Rev John
| Turner and others of the Relief Committee,
and is now in Kansas.
What the negroes were charged for the
necessaries of life in the South can be seen
4 from the following items. taken from bill
| rendered bv storekeeper to Louis Woods a
| colored emigrant One bushel of corn-mcal.
s2--wholesale price in st. Louis markets
81. 10 per barrel: four pounds bacon sides.
| SI-wholcsale price in st. Louis cents per
pound; one plug of tobacco 80 cents one
| GALLON mOlasses Sl.50-St. Louis price 30
cents per gallon: one bushcl corn sl.5O-
xorth here about 50 cents one steel plow
| sl2: one pint whisky - cents. The total
bill from March ! to Nov. - footed up el31.-
o. and when three bales of cotton had been
sold and the proceeds turned over to the
storekeeper, the darkey was still si.62 in
debt.
/ The following is literal copy Of planta-
ton lease. the lessee being Louis Woods, of
whom the items of the bill given above were
procured:
This agreement made and entered into this 3lsi
day of January, 1877, between u. D3rien purity of
the first part, and Louis Woods party of the second
mart wtnesseth That the said party of the first
part for and in consideration of fOO 10 be paid TO
the said ID. O'Bren, as hereinafter expressed here
certain tract Of land the boundaries of which are
well understood by the parties hereto, and the area
of which the said parties hereby agree To be 10 acres
being portion of the o'lIrien plantation in Madison
Parish, La.
The said Louis Wood l. to cultivate said land in
proper manner under the general superintendent of
The said D. O'Brien or his agent manager and l.
10 surrender TO said lessor peaccable possession OF
said leased premises at the expiration of this lease,
without notice to quit. All bitches, tnrnrows,
bridges fences, &c, on said land shall be kept In
proper condition by said Louis Woods, or at his ex
pense. All cotton seed raised on said land shall be
held for the exclusive use of said plantation and no
goods of any kind shall be kept for sale on said land,
unless by consent of said lessor.
If said lessor shall furnish to said lessee money or
necessary supplies, stock material, either
all of them during this lease TO enable him TO make
a crop. the amount of said advances not TO exceed
$.5 the said lessee agrees to pay for the supplies and
advances furnished out OF the first cotton picked
and ed on said land from the crop of said year,
and deliver said cotton Of the first picking to said
les ~or where he may designate, tobe by him bionght
pped at his option, the proceeds to be applied
to payment Of said supply bin, which is to be fully
paid ON or beforc the lst day of October, lS7..
After payment of said supply bill, the said lessee is
to pay lessor where he may designate, the rent, cot
ton hereinafter stipulated, said rent be fully paid
on or before the t day of October, 1877. All cotton
raised on said land is to be gnned where he may d.
ignate, - dollars per bale for ginning same. TO
secure payment of said rent and supply bill, the said
lessee grants unto said lessor special privilege and
right of pledge all of the products raised said
land, and on all his stock, farming implements, and
personal property, and hereby valves in favor of said
lessor the benefit of any and all homestead laws and
exemption laws now in force or which may lie in
force in Louisiana, and agrees that all his property
shall be seized and sold to pay land rent and bill in
default of payment thereof as herein agreed.
Any violation of this contract shall render the lease
void. ID. O'BRIEN,
LOUIS WOODS.
Witnesses: 5. KAHN, JONI wALKER.
THE SuFFERINGs OF THE BLACKs-A Pro
What the refugees have suffered can be i'm
agined when the following, which is the text
of n memorial now being extensively circu-
lated for signatures, is read;
| The undersigned. your memoralists, respectfully
represent that within tn, last two weeks, there has
came by steamboat up the Mississippi River, and
landed at St Louis, Mo-, great number of colored
and composed of men and women old and young,
and with them their children. This multitude is
eager to proceed to Kansas and without exception,
far have learned, refuse all oyertures in
ducements TO return South, if the passage back
is paid for them. The condition ofthe great majority
| il absolute poverty; they are clothed In thin and
ragged garments for the most part and while here
have been supported to some extent by public but
mostly by private charity. The Older ONES the
former slaves of the South; all now entitled to life
and liberty. The weather from the first advent of
these people in this Northern city, has been unusual
y cold, attended with and snow so that their suf
ferings have been greatly increased, and il In their
hearts there was IA single kind remembrance of their
sunny homes, they would naturally give il express
sion now We have taken occasion to examine into
dnary and unexpected transit and beg leave to sub
nit herewith the written statements of number Of
individuals of the refugees, which were taken with
out any effort to have one thing said more than
another, and to express the sense of the witness in
his own language ms nearly rs possible"
Then follow the stories of suffering and ter
ror. The story is about the same in each in
stancc-great prvation and want from excess
sivc rent extracted for land connected with
the murder of colored neighbors, and threats
of personal violence to themselves. Election
days and Christmas, according TO this concur
rent testimony. seem to have been appropri-
ated for the sole purpose of killing 'pcart
niggers, while robbery and personal violence
in one form or another appear to have been
going on every day in the year. j In the small
number of afldavits taken a large number of
murders are mentioned, caused by the rcpub-
| lican proclvities of the victims.
Dave Marshal states that when they went
to the polls to vote they were made to 90 away
by white men who said they would shoot if
the negroes put ballot in the box. Clarence
Wren says: ''If we voted the republican
ticket, the democrats would get up in mob
and kill US off at the last Presidential cleo
ton, after the voting was done at Ravia, doors
were broken open and ballots taken, and the
colored men in charge driven off" James
Brown states '"The agent of the place rent
! w sdlu - jim, Wt Hfc poluR 10 carry tIls
thing our own way; you - niggers have
had things your own way long enough, and
we white folks are going to have it our own
way or kill all you - - republican mig
gers These are only a few of the outrag-
es sworn to by the refugees. The memorial
continues
ave submit that the great immigration from the
South Is In itself fact that overbears all conradic-
tion and proves cOncnsiyely that causes must exist
at the South to account for it. Here they are. ia
multitudes; not men alone, but women and children
old midde-ugcd, and Young, with common consent
leaS ing their old homes In IA natural climate and
facing storms and the unknown dangers In Northern
| Kansas. Why Among them all there is little snid
Of hope In the future. Ii is all fear in the past
They are not drawn by the attraction of Kansas
they are driven by the terrors of Mississippi and
Louisiana. Whatever becomes of them they are
return There Others coming. Those who have
| come and gone to Kansas must suffer- even unto
death we tear-at all events, more than any body OF
people entitled to liberty and law the possess of
property the right to vote and the pursuit of hnpp
ness, should be compelled to suffer under free GOV
ernment-irom terror inspired by robbery threats
assaults, and murders. The occasion is, think, n
nj one for us to protest against state of affairs thus
exhibited in those parts Of the Union from which
these negroes come, which is not only most barbar
Gus toward the negro, but Is destructive to the con
try.
at is inoleTabe to believe that with the increase
representation OF the southern States in Congress
those shall not be allowed freely cast their ballot
upon whose right 10 vote that representation has
been enlarged. We believe no government ear