Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-23

| ST. LOUIS, March 22.-The Globe Demo
| Gratis correspondent on the government relief
| steamer Anita, up the Sun1ower river and
! some of its tributaries, gives some graphic
| descriptions of scenes along their banks
among the poor people who for many days
| have been camping on dry spots of ground,
or cooped up in lofts of houses, or huddled
| together roofs. Many of them were suf-
! fering from hunger and all utterly destitute,
| having lost everything they Possessed. Up
to Sunday night the Anita had picked up
| and taken to what are known as the Harris
mounds, which are large and high, nearly
| 1000 people, mostly negroes They are
camped in the open air, but they will be sup
piled with food until the flood subsidies aud
| they can take care of themselves. The
respondent relates the following az one Of the
incidents of the trip: While passing through
Lake George, Captain Lee came plump
against the labor issue, the mule niger
question. The Anita had taken off a party
OF negroes whose place of refuge was
only a foot above the surrounding
food, and who had no boat to make
use of if the water swept over it. The
Anita was on the way to high mound with
the party when the planter for whom the
negroes worked rowed alongside and asked
to have the negroes put back. He said they
were in debt for supplies, and il allowed to
get of the place they might refuse to return.
He was permitted to talk to the people, and
said something like "You people know / had
gone off to get float, and that after | moved
the mules | was going to take care of you"
Captain Lee interfered with the remark that
the people were in imminent peril, and that
a removal to a safe place was demanded by
humanity. The conclusion OF the matter
was that the negroes should have an equal
chance with the mules; that is to say, the
planter agreed to put the people on the float
with the animals, and remove them together.
General Beckwith received dispatch to-
day from Captain Loud, dated Vicksburg
He has Just returned from an inspection
tour in East Carroll and Madison parishes,
La. He found 5000 destitute people in East
Carroll and 1000 in Madison.
A dispatch from Captain Lee, dated "on
board the steamer Anita, up the Sunfower
river, March 18th," says: "Since leaving
Vicksburg | have been in the lakes, creeks
and ever plantations receiving and relieving
people. Yawls are now out brin ing in the
destitute from the house tops and gin-lofts.
By dan k to-day we will have over 200 people
on some large mounds one mile below here
aud will give them one weeks rations. All
OF them need tents for shelter The food is
| Blk 10 eight feet deep over the entire coun-
try, and rising seven inches per day. A
large supply of tents and ration5 should be
sent to Vicksburg for distribution. Cattle
are drowning by hundreds, and many on the
mounds Will die OF starvation. The mules
! are mostly saved"
A dispatch from MacFeely, commissary-
general at Washington, directs General Beck
with to purchase 100000 bread and meat
rations, 100000 of which are to be sent TO
Memphis, 100000 to Vicksburg, and $4,000 to
Helena, for the sufferers in the Mississippi
and Arkansas bottoms.
Captain Krower telegraphed General
Beckwith from Monroe, La, as follows:
about 1000 people in.the parishes along the
Black and Odachita rivers will need aid until
May 1st. About 300 of this number are
now supplied until April 1st, HOO to April
| I0th, 600 to April 5th, and the balance need
aid at once. The greatest distress is found
in Caldwell parish, and the least in Ouschita.
| The issue Of meal is preferable to flour. The
| loss of stock will be serious, for the want of
! forage. 1 do not advise more aid for
| Ouachita parish, below Monroe, or Caldwell
| above Columbia"
| Captain Vedder makes the following re-
port, in dispatch dated Monroe, La: Gar
rived here last evening after having visited
Delta, Tallulah, Delhi and Rayville. Dis
/ lance travelled seventy-three miles, tifty-nine
miles of which was in a skiff, over from
three to eight feet OF water. The
| country is in a most deplorabe condition.
The loss of stock from being drowned and
eaten to death by guats is very great The
| people, rich and poor, need food Tor such stock
as they have been able to keep alive. If the
water does not fall rapidly most OF the horses,
| mules and cattle will be lost, as no means Of
transportation can be procured to move them
away. | have not been able to discover a
single case of actual suffering from hunger
among the people, but have no doubt that
much destitution exists, and that it will be
| general before many days"