Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-03
LOUISVILLE LETTER.
Fred. Douglass Marriage-Fishing for
the Democratic COnventiOn-The Next
Exposition, and Other Subjects.

the Democratic CONFERENCE.-The Ne 1t
Exposition, and Other Subjects.
Correspondence ftte Morning Ee,os.
LOUISVILLE, KY, Jan. 30.-Since the
Hon. Fred Douglass has, in the eyes of
many of his color, stepped down from his
exalted position and disgraced himself bv
taking a specimen of ''pO' white trash,
for a wife, the affair is naturally canvassed
from various standpoints. The presen t
Mrs. Fred. was a conspicuous visitor last
autumn when the cOlOred convention as
sembled here, and passed tor handsome
/ quadroon. She appeared to be especially
under the wing of the Hon. Fred, and
lodged and mingled altogether with the
| wives and daughters of the delegates,
! seeming to have no more utilization with
/ the white people than an educated negro
| of the better class would be likely to have.
! She seemed of mature age, was quiet and
lady-like in department, and Oh essed with
much taste and elegance. If she is alto
gether white she is a thorough brunette,
her complexion and eyes being dark, while
/ her hair is coarse, dark and heavy, with
much more of a "kink" in it than the
hair of mulattos usually has. The gen.
/ eral opinion seems to be that she has a
strain of negro blood, perhaps very
/ slight, in her veins.
Louisville is working up the National
Democratic Convention card for dear life.
| The principal business men of that city
/ in session have appointed committee of
/ fifteen who will select a subcommittee
/ to prevail upon the powers that be at
/ Washington. Between $4,000 and 500
/ 600 will be necessary to insure the ses-
/ sion of the convention here, $4,000 being
required to put the Exposition Building
I in dor fO hnl Z a cot ar-f
| for the committee who will proceed to the
/ capital, "bar bills" making an important
! item of their expenditures. 1t was diff
| cult at first to fad men TO spare time to
! go to Washington, but since the generous
! appropriation for the aforesaid ''bar bills"
which covers a multitude of very high
! jinks, everybody wants to be on that COM
/ mittee.
The subscriptions for the next exposi-
! ton drag Enthusiastically. They now foot
up some little over SAC, 900, and it takes a
wonderful amount of beating up to get
| hold of signatures. Mr.. Dupont having
resigned the Presidency, great moan
went up lest no one else could be found
! to step into his shoes. When a man who
| has become prominent in any one position
! gets out of it he is supposed to leave such
a large hole that no one else can possibly
fill it. But experience constantly teaches
and sizes of men to fit all possible kinds
of holes; the greatest difficulty being a
mans own imagination, which frequently
leads him to suppose himself a much
tighter squeeze in it than he really is.
! Col. Bennett Young, who recently re-
signed the Presidency of the Louisville,
New Albany and Chicago Road, has been
unanimously rendered the vac ant
office and Mr.. DupOnts old shoes.
He has not yet accepted, but
holds the matter under advise
ment, and that is doubtless the reason
why subscribers hold back. Should he
accept, he will be the right man in the
right place-zealOus, prompt and having
no private axes to grind-and the enter
prise will receive the confidence and CO.
! operation OF the whole community. Mr..
L. Z. C. Brinley, who gave his heart and
soul and time and labor last year to the
Florida department, has been elected one
of the directors, and will be a faithful
| guardian of FlOrida's Interests in his new
position.
AN EFFORT WAS MADE BY NUMBER OF
LOUISVILLE LADIES
this winter to reOrganiZe an enterprise
inaugurated last winter under the name
OF the "Ktchen Garden" having for its
object the instruction by practical lessons
| of the children of poor white parents in
the duties of house servants. 1t was a
| fOrlOrn hope in the direction of solving
the great and perpleXing problem of SER
| wants and their undermining influence
upon domestic life. 1t was hoped and be-
lieved that if each year number Of young
| girls were taken from the poor and suffer
ing classes and gratuitOusly taught to be
| efficient cooks and hOuSemaidS and laun-
dresses and seamstTesses, that something
would have been accomplished IN making
! capable servants to answer the growing
| demand. But, alas! instead of grasping
! eagerly at the opportunity these children
Of the people tossed their unkemp
| heads and elevated their noses
when the Ladies' Committee invaded
their domiciles. Finally. as an induce
ment number Of little misses, children
of the lady managers Of the "Kitchen
Garden" consented to take part, and a
few children from the byways were gath
cred in. After the term was over an ex-
hibitIon was given at public hall and
! the society disbanded for the summer
| This year an effort to renew met with in
/ dignant scOrn and jeers from the old pu-
! pills, when it was found no ''yOung ladies'"
] would be enrolled, and the enterprise fell
! fiat. AS the city enlarges year by year
| the question of domestic help becomes
| more hopeless of solution. The numerous
factories springing up absorb the class Of
white girls available for house servants,
submit to the degradation of Civ
| ing OUT in families are eXtortionate,
insOlent and unreliable. But few days
since the auction flag waved from a hand
! some, luxurious residence in a fashion
able neighbOrhOOd. Everything about the
premises was perfectly arranged, and the
| question was asked why a family so we'll
! fitted for housekeeping and the enjoyment
| of domestic comfort should break UP and
change. Was the mistress i'll, or the mas
ter, perhaps? Or did the shadow of some
sorrow rest upon the household? Oh!
yegs there tCdS grief that could not be
healed-the cook had married. She was
| a paragon of perfection, and her loss could
never be supplied, and so life became in
tolerable, and the family were breaking
up to live at a hotel. AS Providence has
| never yet created that perfect specimen Of
cook who will not get married when she
has chance, the outlook for house.
keepers is exceedingly dreary. And a
contiding trust can not be placed in our
colOred friends. Last summer the pro-
prietors of Broadway mansion left the
city for the season and placed the entire
house in the care Of the cOlOred house.
keeper, whom they trusted as their own
souls. During the Exposition the lady re-
ceiYed message from a neighbOr that if
she returned home at n certain time I'M
| announced, she might be mildly sur
pIlSSu az CGIbdlu IuluRs. AcIl02 upon
the hint the lady and her husband ar
rived one night to find the house
ablaze with gas light and a medley of
divers trunks and baskets and bundles in
the halls. EnscOnced in the bedrooms
was party of colored excursionists from
Indianapolis who had come to take in the
Exposition in sumptuous style, while in
the dining room the elegant hOusekeeper
was presiding in a queenly manner over a
wine supper where the private watchman
on the premises, white man, was one of
the honored guests. The aspect Of things
in that neighbOrhOOd was sensational for
while following these discoveries.
A CASE RECENTLY CAME TO LIGHT
in this city which promised a sensation,
and although it has sImmered down for
awhile may yet develop into something
interesting. Last summer an old citizen
of Louisville, Mr.. William Forwood, who
was very wealthy and had the reputation
Of miser, went to Florida to invest in
lands. He was accompanied by
his son, a young man who had been
tried and fined $500 for hiring a negro
to shoot a rival lover in the county.
Some time in last November word was re-
| ceiVed by the rest Of the family here from
the son that while both were out in sail
boat on Indian river, no Otherperson being
with them, his father fell overheard and
was drowned. He stated he had ordered
| search for the body, but no trace could be
found except his oveTcoat, washed on the