The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-08-28
A SAW-MlLL NAPOLEON,
The Iron Rule of Yankee from Maint
Over Il Colony of Georgia Negroes.


A saw-mill Napoleon!
That is what he is. Apparently his
soul does not rise above the common
place level of pine logs, rosin and tur-
pentine, but for all that he is a born
leader of men.
A young fellow whose home is in
Atlanta, but who is now keeping books
for a lumber man down in Dodge
county, came to town the other day
and told one of the dromios of the At
lanta Constitution very interesting
story.
This lumber king has one of the
dark corners of Dodge all to himself.
He employs large number of hands
fifty whites and 250 blacks These
men with their families all live on
their employers domain, in comforta-
BILE cabins and cottages, which they
enjoy without paying any rent.
1t struck the dromio that such a
community would naturally present
many significant phases OF the race
problem. and he asked the young
bookkeeper about it.
''Oh. that's all right" he replied.
''The blacks kill each other OCCASION
u.
ou see the cottages occupied by the
white families are all punched toget H.
er, and an alarm from one would be
heard in all the others. Every white
man has Winchester rifle and re-
volver, while the blacks are entirel V
unarmed."
How do you keep pistols out of the
hands OF the negrOesa'
he finds a negro with pistol he just
knocks him down and takes the
weapon away from him and throws it
into the mill-race. l tell you, that
man won't stand any nonsense. When
his men do their work and behave
themselves he is rs mild as milk, but
when anything goes wrong he's id
sight worse than your little eruption
of Vesnvius out here at the Fall of
Pomprii.
''And this policy works well?"
You bet it does. And it is the only
policy. If we tried any other plan
those desperate negroes would butcher
us in our beds some night. You uugh t
to see the boss when II big nigger for
gets himself and talks SASSY. He
doesn't say word, but Just takes up
a scantling, "a rock or a bar of iron
and knocks the fellow down without
caring whether it kills or only Grip
Piles him.
''The old hands know what to ex-
pect. and they walk chalk line. 1t
Is only the new ones that get into
trouble.
1.-The men have to obey the rules.
When they don't they have to go.
Once when there was an election in
Eastman the boss notified the hands
that they might go at o'clock with
out having their wages docked, but
that if a man left before that hour he
would be discharged. Well, it turned
out that twenty of the hands knocked
off at II o'clock, and went to town.
They had good time, but when they
returned at dark they found their
household goods all thrown out in the
road. Before they got over their sur
prise the boss came along and ordered
them to take their things off the prem
ises at once. Some of them were
hustling until midnight hauling off
their stuff.
''You think it was hard. Wait
bit. When the prohibition election
was about to be held the boss called
a mass-meeting of the hands. On a
table in front of him he had pile of
blue ribbons. He looked at the crowd
a moment in dead silence. Then he
began to talk in his usual calm, cold
way, as if he had no interest in the
matter. He said that in every mans
life the time came when he had to find
out who were his friends and who
were his enemies. He did not discuss
prohibition. He merely said that he
was determined to have no liquor in
his camp. and was for any measure
right or wrong that would keep it out.
Now, he concluded. in a clear, ring
ing voice. my friends will come up
and take these blue ribbons. My ene-
mics will take the red ones!
'tWell, sir, every man marched up
and took a blue ribbon. The boss
smiled and asked if that meant a
unanimous vote for prohibition. The
niggers all told him that it did, and
they voted solidly that way"
Your boss, as you call him, doubt
erners-he probably owned large
number of slaves before the WARP"
The bookkeeper laughed.
mo, ne answered, me Is 1anRee
from Maine. He is a small, slender
man about 40, weighs l25 pounds and
has quiet, steel-grey eyes that look
right through you have seen gang
of the worst desperadoes in the camp
scatter when they saw him coming.
The most reckless outlaws in Dodge
are as much afraid of HIM as they are
of the devilr'
"And you like himP"
You bet / doI'