Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-12-28
A Reception Extraordinary.
THE NEGROES GIVE GENERAL GRANT A
SroRNT wELcoxE-Ax IxcrDEST OF his
SOUTHERN TRIP.


astic and heartfelt-Iast Monday he was
among the negroes. The Kew DIR. Hartzcll.
editor of the Southwestern Christian Advo-
cate, about whose work among the negroes
shall have much to say in the future, invited
Grant to Wesley chapel to meet the Metho-
dist preachers. Ii is a large church, but on
Monday it could not hold tenth Of the ne.
groes who crowded around it. Ii had come
TO the knowledge of the negroes that Grant
would visit this colored church at ten o'clock
and at four o'clock in the morning II was
icrowded TO its fullest capacity. These dusky
) patriots waited here and in the streets of the
vicinity for over six hours for q look at the
great Union General. When two blocks
4 away from the church he was fairly startled
at the mass of black humanity. The dozens
of policemen on the ground found il difficult
to clear Z path for the carriage, and when
Grant got ont he was nearly killed by the
pressure of the wild crowd. To merely touch
his arm would make a negro fairly scream
with ecstacy, and one whife-baired old negro
who grasped his hand cried out, '.Bress God !.
Bress God, Now Use ready to die--I done
shuck his han, done shuck his ham," and
the old fellow threw his arms up and called
on the people to look at him
HE'D "SHUCK GRANTS HAN
No language can give a correct idea Of the
DCene. Men, WOTUtU anu Culiuftu cCIcdultu
and pushed and pulled, crazy to shake hands
with the general, and it was fully fifteen min
utes before he reached the altar after he en-
tered the door. s.Tve been in Africa" he
said "but never got warm as this 1t
was fifteen minutes more before the crowd
could be quoted by the vigorous expressions
of the pastor. emperor William" an old
colored minister, who was formerly a slave.
When there was something like quiet, En-
peror William made some remarks, his. face
beaming with happiness and sweat
II done had a few big days in my life. ;" he
shouted, ian dis is one o my big days. One
pint's settled--you all said he wouldn't come,
an yer he is You was a-betten' yo' dolla's
he wouldn't come, but bless de Lawd. yer he
is ooh, yes. oh. yes. da' he is suah
enough" shouted back the congregation, and
they Rugged themselves and wept, while one
old sister cried, "Oh, my God, 1 done see
him OH INV God,''
A negro choir of hundred voices then
broke loose with 'De Bridegroom's Come"
the people keeping time with their feet and
with their swaying bodies. all crazy with ex-
citement. We had now for the first time,
chance TO look about Over the pulpit was
an immense portrait of Grant beautifully dec
GRATED, and opposite. fine picture of Lin
coin, similarly decorated On a table in
front of the pulpit was a cart-load of fragrant
flowers, brought by the colored people. Along
the aisles, squeezed into thinness by the
crowd, were the marslials; old colored men
with hair done up in bright ribbons and with
red-w hite-and blue batons in their hands.
Every inch of room in the large church was
occupied. while the gallery groaned with its
weight of dusky females. Every moment
| bench would snap beneath its load, the pres
sure of the crowd outside would crush in a
window, while the unctuous ''amens" would
| roll up from every part of the room. There
| never was better opportunity to study negro
characteristics and negro appearances; there
was every shade of skin, from the awfully
black African to the fair and buxom quad
room. just in front of us, seated below the
| altar railing, was girl whose skin was as
| fair, whose hair was light and as long.
| and whose features were as attractive as any
Southern lady can boast Her splendid eyes
never left Grants face, and his attention was
| called to her. "A few years ago.. he re-
marked, THAT fine girl would have been sold
by her own father"
CHARACTERISTIC SPEECHES.
After the singing and characteristic
prayer, DIR. Hartzel made an eloquent ad
dress of welcome, which was accompanied by
'amens" and cries of ''dat's So" .'dat's hit,
ny tne congregations TTant responded IN n
few words, in which he hoped the colored
people would stick to the Bible and the spell
ling book. A young colored man then made
brief speech, which was one of the most
eloquent and effective [ ever heard. He
stopped over little. but he did it gracefully.
welcoming Grant as the savior of the colored
people, to be named only with Lincoln.
General Grant" he said, ''you have uttered
many pithy sentences that live in popular
memory; YOU have said let us have peace
when peace was the longing of every heart;
you expressed the determination of the Ameri-
can people when you said you would fight it
out on this line if it takes all summer; but
there was one speech nobler than all, which
has sunk deeper into the hearts of millions
when the landlord of Jacksonville, Florida,
would have driven the colored people back as
they escorted you to the hotel you said, Let
them come. for where am there the colored
people may be-" The perfect frenzy of the
crowd when this was related was beyond all
description.
| wish could put Scott Chin before you as
he made his remarks. but pen and ink will
not do it. He is tall old man, preacher
| for sixty years. Evidently the brothers have
trouble in stopping his talk when he is once
started. Like an occasional visitor at news
paper office at the busiest time his tongue
seems to be wound up for twenty-four hours.
As he gets wound up his body sways like that
Of dancer, his speech has a musical swing
almost like a song, to which he keeps time
with his foot. He reached the pulpit after
being cautioned dozen times to ''briefen yo'
speech" and after shaking both of Grants
hands commenced in low voice which grad
ually grew loud and musical. "De Lawd's
been good to his OF sarvent." he said. Il
nebba hoped to see dis executive in dis wold
but hoped to meet him in glory. was
| proud of dis hero's respecting dc saying of de
Angel Gabriel-peace on earth and good will
to all men. God has reace in Heaven and he
wants peace yer, and dat's why he's watched
ova dis hero-he wants to make peace down
yer An angels been watchin' ova you an
a mighty big angel come with you to Louis
lana. As you come along prejudice and envy
and malice peeped at you, but de angel tuck
care of you. An when yo' ~uck's done may
dat angel take you to glory and set you down
on de right ham of God"
The old man was in an ecstacy. As he left
the pulpit his eyes were closed and his arms
thrown up. The brothers evidently under
stood his condition, for they passed him along
from one to another until he was deposited in
his seat apparently unconscious of how he