The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1889-03-20
COUNTRY DARKEYS
AS Found in the County of Baker, Where
Live the Alligator and the OWL

superstition, religion and greedi-
ness.
Such is the opinion I have
formed of him after spending a
week on the plantation of Mr.. B.
+, Mercer, in Baker county, where
there were fifteen of them, the goal
OF their ambition while was there
being to get all the old clothes frd
money | had before | took my de.
parture.
Among the signing pines and
sandy cotton fields of southwest
Georgia he is happier than he is
anywhere else in the state,
Ills home is in the quarter, a
collection of generally ten or twelve
rude log cabins, about two hum
dred yards from the "Cap'ns"
house as the planter is called by
them.
From daylight until dark when
the weather is favorable he follows
the plow behind his boon compan-
ION, the country mule. For short
while after dark he toasts his shins
and mods his head if the weather is
cool, before blazing pineknot fire,
and then rolls himself in his quilts
to be awakened before daylight by
the ringing Of the plantation bell,
calling him to work.
The houses in which these couno
try darkies live are made of logs,
the cracks stopped with mud.
The chimneys are built like a
bird trap. from pine slaves, and
the intervening spaces are filled
with mud.
The pine wood fires are so hot
that the mut soon dries, and be-
coming heated set fire to the wood.
A chimney on fire is almost an eves
ry day occurrence.
The largest portion Of these peo-
pie prefer to make contract on
the first OF January tor the years
work.
These contracts stipuIate that
they shall receive eight dollars a
month, house to live in, and four
pounds Of meat and a peck Of meal
each week.
The meat is generally exhausted
before the week is out, and then
they must either go hungry or draw
on their next weeks supply, and
thus it is that they are nearly al
ways ahead on rations.
On the plantation where I stop
ped, Alligator Place, there were
fifteen darkeys, men and women,
all but two professors OF religion.
Five of. the seven male Christians
were preachers. They explained
to me that they had never been or
dained, but had jess bin called by
de Lawd ter preach, and this they
did whenever they could find a
congregation.
Taken as a whole the negroes !
encountered in Baker county are
"h7ppy go lucky,' "come day go
day God send Sunday" race OF PEG,
PIE, their greatest delight being to
get little more meat than the
four pounds allowed them each
week.
| hired one to go hunting with
me one day, and his only thought
all during the day seemed to be that
he'd get some fresh meat.
In passing n little pond, long
legged, Iong-necked, crane looking
bird, arose from the weeds on the
edge and sailed over t. the other
side.
The negro, although he had a
gun, just sqnatted aud watched tire
bird.
"What is that?" I asked.
"My God, bos'. das wi!'9 gan :
der" replied the MAJ, ''kill him
and you will git meat" and he en-
phasized the word meat as he
grinned all over his face at the
bare thought Of getting y piece of
the bird.
"That's a crane" said, ''that's
not a wild gandcr."
"Yasser he IL, hut SOME dltz call
him a Injun hen, but kill him, boss,
for &c Lawd sake, coz den you will
git meat. "
The bird arose q second time, but
| missed Rim with both barrels, |
regret to say, and Lewis, for that
was the man'sname, did not get hi:
meat. lie seemed dumbfounded