Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1882-02-18
FLOR the Observer.


has just been brought TO my notice |
is All extract from Il letter in the
."Freedmen's Friend" published in
Pennsylvania. | consider it an infa-
nous fabrication, in short, an out
rage upon our community. With
your permission l reproduce it for
the sake of comment, and therefore
ask space in your paper.
From Greensboro the Commit
tee proceeded to Hillsboro on Sec
ond day morning. This is an old
town in a section bitterly hostile to
the colored people during the ku
klnx outrages, and the feeling,
though much modified, is visibly
unpleasant yet. The School Com
mittee, or Board. had here appoint
ed a teacher possibly from some po-
litical motive,) quite inferior in edu-
cation to the one we bad selected,
and opened a separate school, giving
to it the school fund which had aid
ed our school last year. There were
cabals among the colored people,
and the fuel was famed by the pas
tor of the Methodist Westinghouse,
in which our school is held, the
building having been sold by uasto
the congregation, but rot yet paid
for. We visited the Chairman, one
other member of the last school
board, saw the opposing teacher, and
various colored men prominent
among them, trying to smooth away
the differences, and left in the wen
ing for Salem, with the impression
that our visit may have had a good
effect. The school gave every prom
,se OF being a large and good one,
and the teacher Of being efficient aud
successful"
The Committee here referred to,
are styled "Philanthropists," whose
annual duty is to visit certain sec-
tons Of the Southern States where
they have established schools, and to
inquire into aud report the condition
OF the colored people in those Sec
tons. To report the facts. These
men, doubtless, are in high standing
IN their community, and their re-
ports are accepted, doubtless, AS
facts, incontrovertible, and such they
should be, going out from lei who
pride themselves as being next to in.
tallible, and incapable OF doing any
one injustice.
l wish to show very briefly that
they are fal:ible, and il not capable
of willfnl misrepresentation tor pol
icy sake, they are at least plant in
struments iu the hands of persons
having no regards for the truth
This Committee arrived at Hillsborc
about noon, spent some time at Mei,
school, interviewed two members o,
the School Committee, by whom
they were received with knigblly
courtesy. The remainder of the
afternoon, while they remained il
Hillsboro, they spent grouped about
the streets, las if maneuvering) will
IN infamous parsonage, who bore
the relentless contempt Of all gooo
citizens, and few of his miserable ad
herents, who had become subjected
to his banetul influence. Thus spend
ing their time and leaving town tn,
same afternoon, how was it possible
for them to learn so much Was i
possible for them to gel facts from
their superintendent? He visited
Hillsboro one late afternoon, visited
the Chairman OF our School Board
and requested that the school funt
be placed at his disposal. With
sense of justice and duty as all Off
Ger, the Chairman declined to com
ply with his request, explaining a
the same time, that incompetent. ant
possibly immoral, teachers had a
times been employed, but the Com
'nittee whose duty it was to dea
with such, had found themselves ii
an awkward position to do so. Thi
explanation would seem s%a,istac,or,
to any rational mind, but this "mode
OF piety," became enraged about th,
money, met with a special ga,herin,
that night, and encouraged the a,
tempt to impeuch the present Schoo
Committee, and to fill their place
with men wiling to transfer til
money to him, to be paid To teache
OF bis " selection, (possibly a bea'
eficiary,) OF whose qualifications n
one in Hillsboro knew anything
The attempt, Of course, was q failure
After that night his compee1
whenever IN Hillsboro. was a m,se'
able being whose habits had bee
) SO deroga,ory 10 the Chrisiiad RI
ligion, that he had become an anaat
ema. All political parties had ii,
, carded him for perfidy, aud he is t.
!, day od'oa> IL the sigh, Of all goo
~ci,,A.us III III. community. Sue
wa> ,.e COMPANY ileir SuIerin,enf
N kept. and he me, the children i
lhc s,ice:s aud tried TO discuuray
them 10 attend the citizens publ
sch"'.. Subsequently he met ,h
Pui...c School teacher aud ayoidc
looA!ny han IN The face. II fro,
: such y source ;,.e Committee RI
te!.e.i their information fh.v St,ouf