The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-03-19
Examsas VS.. a-hlOOa% oA'
This Picture.
Nashville Banner.


shabbiIy-dressed, hah-starVed looK
. inc colored man, named William
Lawston, yesterday afternoon Oh
Broad street. to hear his account o
the condition of his race IN TIL
I wonld-be-made eden" of the coloret
i man in this country. He adds:
Il am not mad with any one, be
cause / was induced to emigrate u
Kansas, but from the first word sd,
to nv colored friends, don't go there
In the winter the weather isSver1
cold, fuel scant and dear, and NJ
wood to be had; in summer time, I
crops are good, den wages is high
and person koepin' their health
may make enough to do 'em durln
the hard season."
"When did you so there" inquired
one of the listeners.
'Last September" replied Lawston
/ | landed in Kansas City with 500 IL
my pocket. rustled round looking
for work till my money was ngt
gone, the river was about to freeze
over, and the ground was covered
three or four feet with snow. AL
though went from place to place
could get no job; coal was selling al
40 cents per bushel, and so many
colored folks were suffering. | de-
termined to come away somehow,
Hundreds of the poor colored darllies
were frostbit up to the knees, and
many Of 'em dying; it was so cold
the only way they buried 'cm was to
fling 'em in the SNOW and cover 'em
up. These things scared me, and !
lit out for Topeka; here ] got Oh a
boat. Being good fireman, dey
lowed me to work my way to Cairo,
Illinois"
"Thom as had q little money, and
not too big families, went back tt
st. Louis, and from there to Arkan
saS, Texas, and some as far as Louis
lana. The balance If 'etn is there
half starved and froze, living by beg.
ging. The fact is, them feliers as is
out here trying to get the darkies to
go to Kansas, robbed the poor crea.
lures, selling them tickets there at
three cents a mile, and charging
them ten to come away"
ado the white people not treat the
colored folks kindly up theree"
"They does the best they Gun, but
most of 'em is not rich, ana CART do
as much as they would like to. ]
hearn much Of 'em say it was a
shame on the part of these emigrant
agents to fool the poor niggecs lbs
they did, aud they would be glad to
JOIN a mob to lynch EN- Gentlemen,
dars no use talking; Kansas am no
place for the colored folks, and &c
Yankees is not their friends. They
see we is ignorant, and can be easily
led, and promise you, they lead us
until the money is all gone; then
they say lead yourselves. None Of
'em need come bout me no more;
if he do, and he ask nae to 60 wild
him, iii say yes; jes' eome wild me
and help me bring my eIaEhos and
traps, aud if he iuliows me out oil de
limits Of de town, ! premise you now
I'll give him such a beatin he'll never
forget it."
'IOo you live in Nashville"
II use to live in SIatetown with
my grand-mammy, but i amt been
home yet. can't 60 to her with
these remnants of my wardrobe
t(pointing to his rags) (which 1 left
home with. She sentn, some money,
but ! believe the white man what got
the letter kept the money, 'cause he
told me deere was no cars or boats
running on account of the snow, and
that the ice III the Mississippi river
was seventeen foot thick. j know
dat is not 50, kase Pm here, and de
snow nor ice didn't keep me back"
well, i suppose you will not re-
turn to the fair land any morew in-
CURED the first intelocutor.
Newer, if the Lord spares me,
1ceptin It Is to sec the Teller that's
got my money. Next Sunday, pro-
yided / get some good clothes, will,
from the pulpit of the colored'Baptist
church, give my ideas in full to the
colored folks bout Kansas and nv
experience there"