Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-11-07
General Shernian's Talk with an "EAO-
dus" Negro.

4 gentleman who was an eyewitness to the
scene gives MS the following account of an in
terview between General Sherman and an ex-
odus negro at the Kansas Pacific depot in this
city on the occasion of the recent visit of the
President and General Sherman. While the
train was detained half an hour General Sher-
man 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 General. Finally black, aw-boned
negro, black as midnight, with heavy beard,
intermixed considerably with gray, stepped
up and grasping the Generals hand gave it
terrible shake, remarking, rs you Mr. Sher-
man z"
yes, says the General "Aro you Mis-
sissippi darkey?"
eyes, sab am from Yazoo, Mississippi
"Well, what did you leave there for = says
Sherman.
"Well, l 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 right to vote, and when
any one interferes with you in the free eXer-
else of your political rights you must tell
them to stand back and leave you alone"
But" says Exodus, 'dey go to shootin de
darkies when dey open dar heads about dar
rights to vote"
"Well, says the General "you must stand
up for you rights like men, and if they op-
pose your right as citizens and you cant get
any protection from the authorities, you must,
when the election comes, go in squads of thir-
ty 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 the polls wild
pistol Kill him suah, white folks would,
and 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 81 have been
there several times, and il you will let those
people down there know that you are deter
mined to have your political rights, guaran-
tied to you under the Constitution, and 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 the old Exodus got warmed
up en- the subject, and in a loud voice replied
'Mr. Sherman, when you was down dar
observed you had lots of white sogers wild you,
and de people down dar was afeared of you,
ana dey let you 40 as you please, out L 30
libbed down in Yazoo for twenty five years,
and knows EN- better dan you does, and
tell YOU dar amt no libben down dar for a
niger, and you don't cotch no niger what
has any sense wild horse pistol. No sar,
suah."
BY this time the train moved off, amid the
cheers of the crowd, old Exodus remarking
"If Mr.. Sherman wants to vote wild pistol
in his hand, he can do so, but this old Niger
isn't such fool as de general. knows
moah'n he does about votin' in Yazoo. Talk
about niger standin' up fo' his rights wild
hoss-pistol Golly! you'd see NOAH dead
niggers 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 sah suah !"
With a smile upon everybody's face, ex-
cept old Exodus, the crowd dispersed, -Laio-
rance (hdn Journal