The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-03-09
R0uStabOuts.

1nc IOuSUaDOuGS OF Qeck na0uS, on the
Mississippi boats, who handle the freight
at the landings and are the most de-
graded types of the negro race on our
continent, are fond of religious melody.
1t is one of the queerest anomalies of the
negro life to see on river boat during a
cold night group of these reprobates
gathered around the red-hot stove sing
ing religious songs with apparently real
fervor and sincerity. Outside of his
singing, not spark of religion or morals
Eliminates the roustabout's dark life.
He carries habitually a revolver, razor
and keen knife, the latter of which he
uses skillfully to cut the pockets of sleep
ing deck passengers. In "razor fight"
the roustabout-and, l believe, most of
his race-use the weapon in original
fashion. They double back the handle
on the thick part of the blade, then,
grasping the whole tightly, close the
fingers and ball of the hand half way
down the blade, so as to leave its whole
length exposed to depth of, say, half an
inch. With the weapon thus disposed
they do not slash, but chop, inflicting
dozens of very CHASTITY but superficial
wounds. A combatant after razor fight
looks, clothes and all, as if he had been
through cutting machine. But in a
week his wounds are healed, and he is
ready for another fray. During the busy
season the roustabout on the river
steamers gets from $50 to 500 month,
and four meals day; but his work in
handling the heavy freight and carrying
it up the slippery river banks
is terrible strain, made doubly
severe by the fact that his only
rest night or day comes in maps between
the landings. The roustabout wears his
clothes from the day they are bought
until they drop off in rags, without re-
moving them once. He is an inveterate
gambler, with two dice playing an orig
inal game called Scraps" the main fea-
ture of which is throwing the number
seven, or as near as possible to it, though
the game has other refnements. The
spectacle of a group of roustabouts around
the ''crap" board, betting large sums
yelling, gesticulating, and invoking aid
of all the supernal and internal powers,
as they whirl the dice-box high in air,
is described to be as one of the most
amazing of human sights. Often one or
two skillful gamblers will win three
quarters of the wages of a newly-paid
hand before the final trip ends, and what
little remains, as well as the winnings,
are finally spent amid the vilest orgies in
the purlieus of Vicksburg or New Or.
leans. But physically the roustabout is
wonder. His life of heavy lifting de-
velops his upper body until his form
seems acutely triangular pointed at the
feet. Back of his shoulders rise two vast
muscles, which give him the semblance
of hunchback, and his knotted arm
muscles, thick neck, and protruding
chest complete a matches physique.
The brutal mates of the river boats,
armed with club canes, pound these fel.
lows mercilessly without the slightest
effect, and they are quite as stolidly in.
different to the rain of oaths which the
mate pours forth with the fuency and
vigor bred by lifelong familiarity with
the profane tongue. In justice to the
plantation negro along the Mississippi, il
must be said that many of his failing,
are to be charged to the reflected vices Of
these roustabouts, with whom his hard
lines of life are necessarily cast.-Lok
put (.a's.) Cor NJ Y. Evening POa.