The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-05-23

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D. II Locke Z 'Nasby'9 MN r 81 8
lows In The Toledo, Ohio, Blads
= in New Orleans . race and Y
raoe which u NO race. It has II ~ 3
hand upon the whites and tho =
upon the blacks, and it occupies a5
ation betwixt and between, belo1s1
20 both and to neither. The whit /:
luse 10 acknowledge them, and lliSv
hold themselves 20 far above the blas1.e
that they will acknowledge no relatiudGls
ship With them. Like the bat, tksY
arc neither bird nor animal, but to d.
cupy . position entirely distinct; and 4
very lonesome one IL is.
These arc the octoroons, which in
New Orleans means not only person,
whose blood is one.eighth negro, but all
Of that class who are almost white, but
U whom negro blood is perceptible.
Down here they don't say negro blood
1T il negro ''taint." They are. not
white enough for the white, nor black
enough for the negro.
Their position, especially that of the
women OF the race, is very peculiar. No
matter how white an octOroon girl may
be, white man may not marry her.
She may be - beautiful, =. Venus, md
accomplished in every possible way;
aho vnav .;w, ILL., D.xk: S-.:-A v:i
Rosa Bonheur; but no white man would
marry her and remain in New Orleans.
It would be ostracism for her, and for
him also. She could not be received
in society, and he would find himself
on the wrong side of the wall at once: !:
The law il fixed, and the barricade b J,
impassable. 's838 .s
The women of this mixed race are
wondrously beautiful. Their complex
ions are daxxlingly white, with shade
OF olive underneath the skin that shines
through, toning down the white to 8,
shade Of brown that is as beautiful, In
the matter of color, as beautiful can be;l
their teeth are marvels of whiteness and
regularity; the figures are invariably
perfect in their vuluptousness, and the
whole woman is as near physical per-
lection as anything ever permitted on
this earth to the temptation of man.
st. Anthony would have stood but 6
poor chance had he undergone HIS
temptation in New Orleans, and had the
arch enemy employed octoroon women
to work his fall. There is nothing in
womaphood more delightful.
The men among them are in various
employments, and many OF them have
achieved successes. They have had adj
vantages above their half.brothers who
are darker in color; for they are all
necessarily, the sons of white men,
many Of whom have, for their mothers
sake, been liberal to them in the matter5
Of education and means to commence
life with after education is completed.
To understand this, the status of the
octoroon woman must he understood.
She cannot marry white man, nor can
q white man marry her. She cannot
associate with the race to which she ie
allied, for she has had opportunities far
above them. She looks upon the "nig-
ger" proper with even more contempt
than does the pure white. Her CON
tempt is tingcd with bitterness; for she
cannot help thinking that, were she
without that one drop of negro
blood, her beauty and requirements
would give her any place among women
she might desire.
But, while white man cannot marry
her, there is no law-human ct least
that prevents his living with her. As
the poor girl cannot marry q white man,
and will not marry negro, she does
what seems to her the next best thing,
and the only thing she can do; she &C.
cepta the protection" of white lover
and lives with him. The next thing ia
for the white lover to buy her house
furnish it gorgeously, and make it really
bis home. He does not take her to the
theater or balls of bis own class, nor is
he ever seen with her on the street; but
her house is really his home.
She bears him children, and those
children he educates and provides for,
In many instances, better than his legal
offspring: but he may not recognize
them. The black blood in them bars
that.
When he is tired of his illegal fame
it is the simplest thing in the world.
The house and its furnishings ore hers
in her own right; and the middle-aged
woman WHO has lost her beauty accepts
the situation, lets the furnished rooms
to single gentlemen, and lives in COM
fort all her life ON the proceeds. 1t was
for this that she entered into the ar
rangement to begin with, and its ending
satisties her. She accumnlates money,
her children, who would pass for white
anywhere except in the South, go else-
where where their talentha scope. and
become actual men; and the daughters
may emigrate also, or they may stay in
New Orleans and 60 through the same
them.
This explains why the male octoroon
is generally well-educated and alto
gether superior sort of man. "Niggern
as he is, he has the best blood Of the
South in his veins always, and if there
is anything in blood he must be supe-
rior man.
These octoroons were, for the most
part, slaves prior to the war, they being
employed as house servants and in con-
fldential positions. In those good old
days" beautiful octoroon girl brought
very high price-for what purpose
may be imagined-and the trade in
them was regular thing in New Or
leans.
Terrapin.
The best terrapin found in the world
the only kind the real epicurean will