The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-12-23

"How are the colored people doing in
MississppiS pretty well!"
Fright round in that potion they gettin'
long fine. Greenvile is whar my mistress
married son lived, an his family had awful
| luck in the wah with the soldiers landin'
an strippin' the place about once week,
and carryln' the blacks off spite of EN-
selves. though some of em was mighty
keen to 90. Best of EN- done gone back
| now an settled round than; ones that's
been thah the longest is dom mighty well,
so much cotton they can't git it all picked,
they say. Got good church houses an
schools fur the chillun."
Then those accounts of the suffering
among the colored people and of so many
of them beng abused and killed were mis-
takes of the newspapers, were they"
"Well, can't say whether the papers
was wrong or us; seems like they ought to
know what they sayin', an yit nothin' of
the sort happened right thah at Greenville,
an didn't meet with anybody that just
seen it theyselves But that's what made
me 90 there. You see, heahed so much
70 went bout how theys hangln' an
beatin' EN- an burning they cabins with
the chillun in em | wanted to go down an
bring my daughter home with me. | was
'quanted at Greenville; mistress used to
take me long when she went to visit her
son, an thought I'd git off the packet
when she landed an enquire round 'mong
my friends bout the risks I'd have to run
gittin' down TO my old home. 'Fo' / got
than I heahed EN- tell awful things bout
the place, but Is like George Washin'ton,
Is wantin to see iur myself, so got off;
an don't you think they tole me nothin' o
the sort had happened in that neighbor-
hood But they all said the carryin's on
of the ku-kluxers was something awful
furder back in the country an on down the
river Always. That's what's the reason Is
gone so long from here fur. Ole man
lowed I'd lef' him; but Is just workin'
my way slowly down home, 'quirin' from
one to tother.'
Did you see the smouldering RUNS of
cabins and any dead bodies swinging from
the treesln l cautiously asked, wiping
away tear caused by an adverse zephyr
and onion juice.
Aunt Maria gave start and hastily swept
the porch with dilated pupils, but finding
no masked faces lurking behind the cistern
or ice-chest, nor down the cellar steps, she
rolled up the bonnet which had been flirted
into shape at my question.
EUR gracious sakes, mann l never said
l seen it myself. No m! / heahed 'em
say it was happenin' furder back an on
down the river, but l didn't see it an |
didn't chance to meet up with any Of the
ones that was driv from home theyselves.
Some KEEP warnn' me gin goin' any furder,
but got so uneasy bout my gal made
sure wouldn't come back without her, so
l went on to the next place whah the ku-
kluxers was just slashin' round settin'
fire to churches, when they's full o people
an then shootin' the ones down from the
bushesiwhen they tried to git out.
"My knees was knockin together with
fright since l got there, but promised EN-
at Greenville that wouldn't 90 inside a
church-house after nightfall. | was
nightly pleased when did git thar alive,
| tell you an so mad, too Turned out
that they didn't know nothin' bout the
church burnin' till / tolc EN-, nor the
shootin', neither.
"Time I got down to Mississippi City,
whah my ole mistress lives. | most made
up my mind I'd been fooled, fur | hadn't
seen nothing very skeery yit an l was bout
at lands end. Water comes right up on the
yard than swishes an swishes all day an
night, 'nough to drive you carry, less you's
a great sleepy-headed thing. never was
always like my mistress that way. Many u
night I've rubbed her feet an ankles tc
keep her quiet long 'nough fur her to lose
herselfin sleep"
"Well, now I'll get my scissors and cut
the apron" said, and when returned
with them and the pattern, my visitor re-
sumed her conversation.
81 got my daughter, an now she says
she wishes hadn't fetched her way
. cause the cotton crop is splendid an So
many of the black people went away Oh
that ex-ex-scursion, you know, they al
got up to go to Kansas. Ole man was jaw
' in bout the potatoes an l tole HIM if h,
A pestered me too much I'd 60 pick cottor
$ an git paid FUR my work, so | did
c Wouldn't be afraid right 'mong my oil