Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-03-05
LIFE OF THE FREE NEGRO.
THEIR PAST AND PRESENT coN0i-
TON IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Their Lot BeHsre the War Not m Eavis.
BILE One-Unslastic and Promo to I'm
thrift-Now and Then . Sur
vivor Remaining.

After this period 1885 the life Of the free
negro grew unspeakably harder. Not 50
much that the laws were harsher, but be-
cause the attitude Of the whites became and
continued moro hostile. Neither the harsh
ness nor the leniencya of the laws was OF
great moment to him, who could In no wise
put them in operation even for his own pro
lection. His lot added the disability OF tho
slave to the responsibility Of the freeman
Dependent on his own industry and enter
prise, as the slave was not, he found the
field Of his labor contracted, till subsistence
became q formidable problem indeed Ex-
cept among the non-slayeholding farmers,
who were often too poor to pay him suffi-
Gent hire to sustain life, he could find little
employment that did not bring him in con-
tact with the slave, while the main end OF
public policy was to keep them as far apart
as possible Intermarriage and social inter-
course were Of course strictly forbidden by
law.
With him, all depended on the temper Of
the whites among whom he lived II they
were kind and well disposed he had little to
complain OF. But il they were cruel or
alarmists, his condition was pitiable beyond
words. Then all his movements were closely
watched and his actions ingeniously tortured
to sinister ends II, in quest Of employ
ment be ventured out Of his immediate
neighborhood and neglected to take his free
papers, he got into serious trouble. Even
carrying them in his pocket, if his actions
aroused suspicion and his explanation
was not at once prompt, lucid and consist
ent, he also got into trouble Dumb as
witness against the dominant race he not
infrequently became the object of the spite
of malicious white men, or the wanton
cruelty of heartless, unthinking striplings
STILL FURTHER DETERIORATION.
1t is not to be wondered that the free ne
groes, unelastic and prone to unthrift, un-
derwent still further deterioration. Cowed,
perplexed and dispirited, they huddled to
gether on any scant, sterile piece OF land
that they were fortunate enough to be pos
sessed Of, erected clusters OK their frail little
huts, and like oppressed, hopeless classes the
world over, sank into profound listlessness
and sloth. The women grew unchaste, the
men dishonest, until i'm many minds the term
free negro" became synonym for all that
was worthless and despicable. Their settle
ments were commonly contiguous to some
town, the counties in which We're located
Raleigh, Wilmington, Newberne and Fay
etteville containing nearly fourth OF all
the free negroes in the state, in which
the apter males became BARRIERS fiddlers or
Jacks of all trades. Some followed ditch
ing, well-digging and such work as was con-
sidered too perilous or too unhealthy 10 risk
slaves in its performance
never knew a neighborhood without
free negro shoemaker In fact they We're
largely, perforce, q class Of piddlers, and
like piddlers Everywhere, more Indispensable
than any other element of the community.
The majority kept soul and body together
with the product Of their sterile little patchs,
eked out with q petty traffic in the rude ar
ticles Of their own make, such as chairs,
splint baskets, horse-collars and door-mats
made from shucks and bark, ''dug" troughs,
bread-trays, etc Many derived almost
their whole living from the sale of ginger
cakes and watermelons, wild nuts and fruits
when in season, at the neighboring towns,
or ON Saturdays and ''big" days at the
cross-road stores and country postofiices
now AND THEN SPECIMEN.
Tn some Of the conntv seats during court
wool an AGED srac;mon of this latter tvpe
Is still occasionally to he seen selling ginger
Gales GeperaIiv tall meaper stooping.
slopcb;no for ali the world the color Of his
own wares he lounges half Gstlessly. half
de;ects5,v ON the shafts Of the little steer
cart haar;ng his ant;ouated ,,mfections 81.
,or.Ix ,wo;t;na tho CUSTOMERS that never
sea,n 70 come nowadavs He and his cakes
ora almost Tho colo srrv;vors of ,nte-bellum
dave Rat in all his Silent m,,sing it seems
NOT 10 have occurred 10 him that he is an