St. Landry democrat., 1879-06-07
Negro Life
THE QUEER ITEMS PICKED Up BY / MIS-
SISSlPPI CORRESPONDENCE
RIVER BOOSTERS.
Boston Herald Letter.


IBoston Herald letter.
There is something almost pathetic in
the recent ludlcrons manl1eStat.ols OF
negro ignorance ana cTedulity. lhe
simplicity, of the mass OF negroes il
hardly to he credlted. just below here
is camp or negroes VINO nave Sqnatteu
Wa1tlng for some boat to take them to
! Kansas. Inc river BOAT captains re-
| use 10 take me IN, ana thell litIic Stock
OF money IS almost gone. Inc noat
! people say tl'it IL "onia oe crucl 10
/ taNe tHtse ll'Seraoie people 10 81 i""is
aud leave them there to stnrve. some
! OF these negroes were "Gli-t0-oo lei
/ lows o"hlhsa little stock. one man
so!n new wagon for "hlch lie h'u
pald S'o' lof 49, so as 10 'a'se money
I 10 :" 10 N'uSaS: t ~ Aiot'ie1 al ci,"p solt
e,,vs c"w .'na navinr T hnnn soid fnr sG Nv those
reckless and improviAcnt people, A
mule worth $50 was got rid Of for $40.
| The darkcys believe that in their Kan
s;,s paradise they will receive 1SO acres
/ of land, ii mule, farming tools and sub
! sistence for yeal-;lll from the gener-
! Gus hand Of the United States govern
ment. Cotton" said one old dalkey,
. gruvely "c0tt0n grows better in Kansas
| than here
Whar is Kansas" asked another.
Il reckon it ; a days ride from hc;h,
! replied another geographically ignor-
; ant tcllow.
! Under u shabby tent on the IcVcC |
noticed Il singular pair--a blind 0ctO-
GciIaIiali negro and Ills wife, an cnOr-
"h ounce: o1e "o'''o l''!Hlt t"'ti7
,''an ,a"n" u l''e 'l'l '''o"'' gay . 'no 'l'
:: uao no,, . ,,..,;o, r,.,,, 1o rorl .rd
ua i.Is ,n1 to cn 't" t'. ;s ;S,-. ,u nnsa n1
! sI,,l, oct haci- ,,,, s;,rht :,
III, .:nat i dn H.', t,nf j saiJ tio cid f,t o
,,,., n,r'oi'nratai,. M '''>' Wv o''' ''''
''a; "1vL, Nv '""I'; nunti: Wv, ,o,t ,vo,,,
+o, 81 c''n va '''' "'' -
nil, ,,or,;i ..i,, ,,,;"i '''' ''''''
VIII pei 'oe' 0''o 'e'''eS'
! DAVIS TAKES MEMPHIS.
! One day the camp is greatly excited.
! A negro with news has arrived. "J2lt
! Davis has taken Memphis with 1900
troops and fonl gunboats, and is agoin'
! to send back to slavery cherry t!arkcy
/ who tri,}s to go 40 de 1ihrr."
| There is Consideration until equally
! trustworthy news is brought in by q
! special and sclf-commissirned courier
! Of sable hue.
! "De.e is good news" he SAYS. zen.
! t4rant has cot ter Vicksl.urg With 900
! tr30ns and heap Of gunuOHts, and is
~oiu' to take as all up de ri,c?."
! AtHny OF these waiting negroes daily
tN!t''t !n'i' my '!'!ti Sn'rihA1ent steam
tr Is Eo''S - 10 taho .i,eiii itHe ol TAl,%l'st
70 ''ei' loo acres aHu d 'Ia'e III h'hs.'S' S
| sCOLNDEELS FLEECISG TIE NEGROES.
Recently some white scoundrels have
gore throug.l tho Northern LoHisiaDa
parisl,es selling the creAulous easily
dipped darkies tickets to Kansas-price,
| s. each. The negroes have gone TO
the lerce and tried to board the boats,
showing their tickets. Aud then did
they learn that they had been sold"
By this time the white rascals had. "lit
| out Of the country as the phrase is.
! One OF the n.eanest games played
! upon the negroes was on the Dalt of
some white 'nen from the North, who
! travelled through these pariShcS, carry
! ing trunks tilled with tiny American.
flags, such as sell in Boston toy stores
for a penny apiece. The negroes were
told that If tIiuy bought these flags and
planted them in the ground, the gov
! ernncnt would III the fall give them the
land. The negroes bought the flags at
Hrl1o9 iHtnS'"5 49,! I" =: "pi1'o
drallu tran>.cticn th"v nndeavore1 fo
seeura lie ,,prsuns Of These rasrals- Int
tIev had s. Skinned >
fofohAt IALho.
! You will often hear Kansas bound
dari key say Gen, Grant has ordered
us to go to Kansas, ami he Will take
care OF us"
L listened to the conversation OF the
stokers on the steamer Natchez for
half hour. I" Kansas" was the topic.
4 big negro, bpsily loading up one OF
the furnaces with cottonwood, was the
cold water thrower, and not at all
popular with his companions. Go to,
Kansas" said this chap" go there and
starVe. It's fearful cold there; heaps
OF snow
| 4 young negro ans%eredi Il knows
better. Can't we stand de cold! Goliy,
it was cold huff in ole Eirginny; cant
be colder i'll Kansas, | recokon.r
And here added another: Well, we
might as well starve in Kansas as starye
here. We Amt any us getting Eich-
Yah yah yah !"
Said an old darkey: "We, can git a
living ID Kansas just as we'll as git it
lleah. y mans got to work anywhere"
PICTURESQUE MISERY.
Thadacl- of Nississinni ste.n NOR with
:, ,.,rfv of kansas "a " as ern;grantS nn hoard
i in itna scene nf nicturnsGue miserv Tha
- =, .i'I tLi s,o % w. r. ~ ai ~ I ii . |