The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1882-07-26
CADET WHITAKER.
He Tells the story of HIS Expert.
cupes nj West Point.

johnson Q. Whitaker, colorod (bottor known
az Cadet whittakor), last night, at sharp street
NJ. +. church, Baltimore, delivered his lecture
on "Color Line at the Nations School,"
The papers OF Baltimore give tho following
account of the lectures
"Tho attendance was smail-not moro than
nifty persons, mostly males, being present.
Tho lecturer is a bright.looking mulatto, OF
medium size ana good figure, and claims TO DO
ninctenths white. lie was introduced to tho
audience by Rev. John A. Holmes, pastor OF
the church, and proce eded to state that he was
born at Camden, s. O., I'm 1885, received a part
OF his education In the public schools OF Cam.
DEN; and was then sent to me 81
no WIS appointed TO West Point from tho
Third Congressional District OF South
Carolina. Ho wanted It understood that
there was no amusement In lecturing. ne did
II 10 obtain means to 0nieh his education aud
TO to place ms case properly before tho people
but true manhood would assert Itself under
all circumstances. The cOlored people have
entered the army and assisted In lighting tho
battles of the country; they are Taxpayers as
well as voters and under tho law they have
the same right TO go TO West Point, but thoy
have tough time when they got there. He
WINS assaulted because no had but one drop OF
African blood In his veins, aud was then &C.
cused OF having done tho decd himself Every
man at West Point was against him; partisan
and prejudiced court tried him, and partisan
court convicted him, during all OF which time
his friend, II. y Grcenor, was tho only person
that stood by him.
Iwhen he reached West Point and went 70
tho barracks TO give his name, ono Of tho
cadets said, Are you the Niger that's coming
hcro 2 and he replied that he was colored. a
cadet from South Carolina Joined In and said
that he would leave the academy before he
would march by tho Side OF n Niger. When
he went TO tho mess hall some one cried
out, where's tho nigger; won't you show
him to mo 2 and another replied,
There no is (pointing TO tho lecturcrl.
When at the table no one would sit
by him. He asked for spoon and cadet
from Georgia handed him ono, whereupon
a man from New York said to him, 'Dld you
hand that niger spoonr He said he only
did II through .politenoss. so, said tho loo
turer, the man from the great Southern State
OF Georgia was more kind to me than the man
from the great free State of Now York. After
leaving the mess hall cadet officer said TO
him, III you are found deficient, as hope to
God You will be, you will then be returned
from whence you came. The Same onlcer
came into his room at night and told him IL
the bed was hard he could spread his blanket
on tho floor. Next day n man from Pennsyl-
vania Informed him that they had been or
dered by the cadet of1lcer TO have nothing to say
TO the negro. He was utterly alone. Not one
person, save tho cadet officers, spoke TO him,
and their words were harsh and grating.
When tho examination took place they found
ofllcer In whose ranks he marched was ioered
at for having a"white elephant The oflcer
toiu MIN ne would nave 10 nafcn III inc rear,
so that he would not be able to touch more
than one man. When riding out to drill none
would ride by his sido and none would Join
hands with him, Notwithstanding tho Joining
Of hands was called for by the drill. He
simply stood among them but was not OF
them. Some would not pass him
anything at the table, and when In
church at worship they would got up and leave
tho seat on which ho was sitting. If he won't
Into tent whore cadet was sleeping the
latter would get up and go out rather than
sleep where he was. The Professors had said
that no negro after Flipper should ever grad
nate at that academy, and not one OF them had
ever given him kind word. He spoke at
length OF the assault made upon him by three
masked men, who tied him to n bodstead,
split his ears and otherwise maltreated him.
They then accused him OF committing the us.
sault upon himself, and so testified before the
court-martlal."