The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1879-07-24
Apt Mo At WICHITA


APANIC AT WICHITA.
We published yesterday portion of
an article on the Exodus" from the
Wichita EAGLE. Ii seems that the arti-
Gle itself, or something else, threw that
city into panic. On the 18th inst. the
Freedman's Association sent 10 Wichita
ten able bodied adults and four children
They were sent at their own request.
Some of them had acquaintance there.
and they had been assured if they got
there they could sustain themselves.
| The Association in this case as in all
others. used the means placed at their
disposal by the generous people of the
country to the best advantage possible.
They paid full fare for those ten able
bodied persons and four children to
Wichita. When the negroes got there
they asked for no help. They hoped
and expected to get work. But Wichi-
ia got into panic. The City Council
Was called together and money raised
to get the negroes back. Yesterday six
of the adults and three of the children
got back. the other four in some means
escaping the watchful eyes ofthose who
had the matter in charge. Perhaps we
do wrong in giving information that
four refugees are still III Wichita. Wilen
our paper gets there this afternoon
there may be another panic, and the
Council be again called together. Would
il not be funny 10 have the authorities
at Wichita hunting around among six
or seven thousand inhabitants to find
four refugees, to get them out of the
city for fear of-what! These people
ask nothing but the privilege of work
ing if any one would give them work.
They did not beg any thing, had COM
nittcd no crime they are citizens of
the United States, and rs such had a
right TO go where they chose. II might
have been bad taste for them to go 10
| Wichita. but there j. no accounting for
taste. YOU know. On the 18th the fol
lowing dispatch was received:
WICHITA, July l6. 1879.
| Secretary Freodmdn's Bveau, Topeka.
Our city will prohibit the introduce
ton of any more exodus by quarantine.
Shall return all that will come.
4. WiEGAND, Acting Mayor.
| Quarantine against what! Really the
whole affair is so ridiculous AZ TO be
Imaginable. The idea Of a city Of Kansas
with six to eight thousand people get
ting up such scare over the advent of
fourteen negroes, who asked nothing of
| them who were in good health, able
bodied, ready and willing TO work, is
curious one and illustrative of how
small thing it sometimes takes 10 up
set the wisest people.
We had written this much when 4
Wichita man came in and gave us some
! ,1.,i.
cause Of the panic. lie says that a re-
port reached there that there were sixty
cases of yellow fever in Topeka. and
that there had been ten deaths. If the
| Wichita people really believed this there
was some excuse, but in such a case they
should have quarantined against all To-
pckans and not alone against fourteen
poor ignorant blacks who were seeking
Il chance to earn livelihood. Then
again. before such a moIstrous story
should gain credcncc some steps should
have been taken TO have ascertained the
| truth. We can say to the people of
Wichita and 10 all Others. that there is
not nor has not been any sickness of
any kind amc.g the negroes except such
as would be natura, Ia those who have
been exposed a. they have been, Their
health is and has been remarkably good.
| Al these left the South long before the
yellow fever broke OF; in Memphis. TO
suppose that yellow fever patients could
get by 81. Louis, and the dozen other
points between Mississippi and here.
is To exhibit q lack OF know ledge in the
ways of the world.
| II seems that il is necessary 10 say Il
word about the article in the EAGLE Ii
| is intina,ai, and in fact charged that
Topeka people are making money on,
of The exodus. aud thai our people have
given nothing. AID that The people of
other localities have given great deal.
| We have no fault to find with other
places. but Topeka At the very iirs,
raised six hundred dollars for the retu-
gees Has any other town given The
half Of that1 What has Wichita given
Our physicians instead 81 getting pay
have given their services 2ratuitously.
The members OF the Freednlun's Assoc
citation have given their time and SER
vices eratuiiously, in a cause which
they believed 10 lac christian one. To
now be siigmatizcd by ,ha EAGLE As
they are is pretty hard 10 bear. but
their christian charity will show itself
in taking such charges in silence. rs IL
has in the noble work which has been
done by them. Not c.iize3 of Topeka.
not a member of the association has
ever BY a word or deed. asked or en-
couraged any man to come from the
South without means on the other
hand. they have spent time aud money
TO warn the negroes Of the South OF the
trials they would have TO go through |
if they came here. The head and front |
of the wrong-doing has been. when the /
poor deludcd negroes (fleeing from |
har,iships. and mislead by parties un-
known 10 Us, as 10 the attractions of !
kansas.) reached the borders of our |
State. poor. cold hungry and ignorant,
they stepped forth 10 give their money.
advice and counsel. When their own
means were expended, they appealed TO
other parts Of the country for aid. and
that appeal has been responded 10. If
there had never been 9 committee. no
less negroes would have come 10 the
State. II there had never been an or
gsinizaiion these poor delgded people
would have been left to sfarvc. dis
grace not only TO Kansas but 10 human
itv. As It is through the organization
they have been sent 10 different psrts of
the State. and out of the State. where
there WAS demand for their services.
The most of them have been absorbed
in the community. and are self-sustain-
mg. But few of them are LEFT uGpro-
yided for, and ten of them are those
Wichita got scared about. 1t is believed
that but very few if any more are on
the way. Now one more word. We !,
expect that in few wears Marsh Muir
dock will be a candidate for Governor
of Kansas. Then we expect that he and
some others who have raised n howl on
this subject will be asking for certifi-
Gates to show that they have ALWAYS
been friends OF the negro. In iile good
time coming we expect 10 have TO saw
that Marsh Murdoch and Others were
always on the right side of the Negro !
question. tha; they on.y got II. wrong .
l,ecanse of a false report getting up to
Wiciaixs from that wicked place ToJ,cks.
thar there ST2s yellow fever there. Al
that time the good Mayor of Wichita i
will dec3arc that rhs dispatch we print i
to-day was forgery. - Commonwealth.