The Washington critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1889-1889, 1889-05-21
is THIS A FREE COUNTRY?

Something in the nature of social
tihgedy occurred in Washington last
night. Deacon Franklin Dade, colorcd,
is class leader in Mount Pisgah A. NJ.
Il. Church. He attended in the even
ing meeting of the pastor and officers
of that church, remaining there until
about the hour of II, The deacon car
ried with him when he went to the
church meeting bag. In that bag
were chickens. There were one cock,
five hens and number of little chicks
lately hatched When Deacon Dade
left the church he carried the bag with
him
1t was not yet midnight when the
good deacon started homeward with his
pleasant burden. What visions may
have come to him as he trudged along
of chicken broiled and brown, of
chicken fried in creamy, golden gravy,
OF chicken pie deep and wide, will
never perhaps be known. Whatever
were those dreams they were rudely
dissipated. Deacon Dade was stopped
by a policeman.
Officer Petritz was patrolling his beat
on r street when he met the deacon
with the bag and chickens, The hour
was late, and the officer, finding what
the deacon had, insisted on an expla-
nation, The good man gave the ex-
PLANTATION freely He said he had
bought the chickens of white lady
before going TO the meeting and was
now taking them home. The officer
but laughed grimly. He did not be-
lieve the deacon would have ventured
into his church with the chickens; he
had heard legends of white ladies and
purchases before. The deacon and
his chickens were taken to the station
and locked up. This morning the
facts were brought out The deacon
had told the truth, the whole truth and
nothing but the truth. He had pur.
chased the chickens of white lady,
had taken them to church with him
and had brought them off safely, Tardy
justice was done. He was discharged.
Deacon Dadc is free man again,
but that Is nothing What is to be done
for his hurt sensibilitiesY What shall
offset the humiliation and anguish Of
spirit he endured last night Here, in
the Capital City of the Nation, father
in Israel, a.class leader in the church,
has been dragged off to a bastile, just
because ii happened to be late when
he was out and because he
chanced to be carrying bag with live
chickens in II 1t is true that in Ger.
tain shallow minds there has been an
association Of ideas between colored
deacons, midnight and chickens al
disconnected with any strictly business
transaction in obtaining possession oI
the fowls, but Is the existence of sucl
vulgar fancy any warrant for Officer
Petritz's course2 What can life offer to
man who may not carry his own chickens
along the street2 What make good til,
recent dreary past to Deacon Dade2
There may be those who will defend
the officer, and who will drop no tear o.
sympathy for the Inexperienced anC
maltreated deacon. There may b,
those who will say the legend justified
the act, OF such II can be said only
that they are weak creatures of menta
habit. They are like the maligners o
the colored pastor who was accused o.
too great an intimacy with female mem
bers of his congregation; Oars nufiir
in H. muffin in II whatebberr' he said
when taxed with the fault "Som'
fo1ke 10 unieshtv e,,,naretitio,,u