Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-03-27
GO FROM HONE 10 HEAR DE
NEWS.
A Terrible Tale upon Arkansas
and Mississippi Rebels
and BulldOEers.
Special to The Cincinnati Commercially

CITY VINO mas nau q DlJter experience
in the south, ''only because lher men
folks wouldn't vote to suit dem bull
d%ozers."
Briefly, her story is this: "Myname
is Frances Ann Dabney. l was raised
in Richmond, Va, but was sold after
my marriage to q planter who lived in
Phillips county, Ark, three miles
back of Helena. You want to know
about how they treated us since the
war, and especially since 1873. l
couldn't tell you near all, because it
would be too sickening to listen to.
Why, sir, we never could sleep sound
o'nights down there, for every time
the dog barked we thought they had
come to kill u.s."
"How about business matters?'
"Well, they would let one man have
about twenty acres, on which by the
hardest work he could raise nineteen
or twenty bales of cotton. Whether
they were to give you half and you
find yourself, or they were to have
two thirds and provide for you, they
always managed to take it all from
you anyhow. Sometimes we would
get one bag-a ~bale-never more than
two, and sometimes only the seed.
They charged US a cash rent of $40
per acre and 81 a bag for ginning the
cotton, but they always made US out
in their debt at the end of the season.
We were then obliged to split rails at
twenty-five dollars per hundred, and
do all kinds of rough work to get
something to eat. We were harder
worked aud much poorer fed and
clothed than when we we're slaves.
We had the same old overseers that
we had before the war. The punish
ment was just the same, only it was
m pre- frequent.
r'They beat Andy Smith nearly to
death Just before we came away, and
would have killed him if the high
sheriff had not said, There, you'v
beat him enough Williamson, the
boss said, Damn him, he ought to be
killed | 'spect he's died since.
"They said our place was still to be
their slaves and that they owned us
and all u property. Sheriff Bond
used to take away everything the
bosses claimed, and would have had
us killed if had made much fuss
about it,"
How was your son killed?
my son John wentoyer to Dowell's
Landing, in Mississippi, to work, and
while there the republicans and col
ored people wanted to run him against
a mean nan named Ravens for justice
of the peace. This was in 1876. One
day a crowd of white men came down
to the landing and tried to pick a
quarrel with the colored men, but tn.
darkies didn't say much-they were
afraid to, though there was more of
them han the rebels.
"At last they got awful mad because
the negroes wouldn't say anything.
and Cam. Ferguson said to Leroy
Burns, Knock that damned John
Dabney in the head so Burns hit
my poor boy with a big stick of wood.
and then made off. No attempt wa
made to arrest him. Next morning.
after John had hollered all night long
in his misery, he died about 8 o'clock.
They didn't want us to bury him
over there, so we took him across to
Helena. Mr.. Clark, the republican
government man, offered a 81, 900 re-
ward for the murderer, but the bull
dozer wouldn't let Burns suffer, and
he was ready to kill anoder niger
How did you get away"
"They said they'd kill my son.in-
law-who is now a cook on tie Bo-
nanza-because he wouldn't vote
right, so we quietly got ready to leave.
At the state election of 1878 the bull
dozers stood at the polls and threat
ened 10 kill every niger who would
vote the republican ticket. l know
three men they killed, and a good
many more they wounded. Capt. Nat.
Graves had forty men, who always
wore marks, that used to surround
a troublesome negroes house. call him
out, ask, in feigned voice, if he was
going to vote the id abolition
ticket, and if he didn'ttell a straight
story they'd shoot him down. If he
didn't come out they'd fire his house
and shoot him as he tried to escape.
I'VE had thirteen head of cattle
which other colored people bought,
except four, for so. The butchers
took four, but didn't pay for them.
De bureau and stove brought 81, de
seven fat pigs s., and we had to eat do
poultry ourselves We paid $50 a
head for the cattle in the republican
times We got a wagon and slipped
off early, some Of us walking, and
brung away only our bed. clothes and
dishes with us. We got to Helena
just as the boat started off, and it took
all our money 10 come here and pay
for one months rent. We were all
through the riots down at Helena, and
we don't know yit whar dem rebels
got dar cannon. Dey had none one
night, but de next mornin' dey had
three. We are all right now, and
nave written for other friends to cone
up here"
Such is the old woman's story,
which she tells in a pitiful manner,
especially Of her poor boys unpro-
voked murder. Her family came here
last month, destitute refugees, but
seem perfectly reconciled, now that
they are ne longer prosecuted, but
can industriously earn an honest liv-
ing.