Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1889-10-12
Negro Preachers
From tho uanviile Register j

about Mahoue'- secret methods, his s. cret
crcu ais TO negto preachers and biz com mu-
nj tic teachir2s, hut peoi.s es genera rule
baVe rtCeiVad thrse thl. gs a. II Tie over
AVN AID havs not believed the half that
oas been 10 d th-m
Il is but patural that people should think
thu. for it is hard 10 believe that man with
Anglo Saxon pood flowing iu MS veins,
would, for the cake of political success,
stoop 30 low as to attempt to arouse the Bit
| ter passions of the negro aud array him
against tbs white man
But ,bat these circulars are beiag sent
out and that their edeot on tbs ignorant aud
Vicious negro is detrimental to Lhe peace
and good order OF the State there can longer
be D doubt REV" James Epps, famla;-
~ known as jim Eups, is ii tail, rawboned
black negro, who lives in a lis:le shanty on
tue irn is o James A. Stone, jas at the cost
end Of she trestie, upon Wblvn the Atlantic
suG Dapvil g road crosses Pumpkin creek.
He is smart. shrewd negro, and tho head
of quite family, anoOg HhOD are several
growu boys He reu.s the shan:y 10 which
he lives from My. Stoue, eud also rents from
d.. II w. Cole, IF the tty, the Island in
Dau river known a Flag island. He makes
a crop, or rather makes his boys mske d
CTOp pu lHS IS duU, hab'kC' SCNs'o al hSb
traps there, catches drift wood which he
hauls TO towo and sells, and thus by work
ing his boys as veritable slaves, he manages
to make a living without selling bis
own hands or hardening them by labor. Be.
ing thus comfora ably situated and having
notnioe to 60 himself, Epps sits about under
the shade of the trees reads as best he can
the Scriptures and studies the political situa-
tn. lhe Richmond Planet, the leading
negro organ of Virginia, published at the
pita by negro, seems to be Epps choice
literature. He takes the paper and pre-
serves the ti es with Jealous care.
Some months ago, Epps constituted him
preacher. He has not been regularly or
dained but is merely self constituted sort
OF d d. He leads prayer meetings, preach.
es in The absence of the regular appointee
and oficates generally among the N embers
OF numerous hocks 10 this part of Plttsyl-
vania county. Thus 1t happens that the
Rev" J imes Epps' name got on the list
f.ru he'd the Malone literary bureau, as
une worthy TO receive Mahone's secret, in
famnatory and com munistic circulars.
Epps Dss received a number of circulars
and comes 10 the Ddpvile postofice every
day TO inquire for his mail He rarely ever
fails to receive communications of some
kind
On the lands of ] Abel Motley, about
two miles IRON Dapville, there lives an hon.
est, hard working white ,nau whose name is
James A. Durham, who is q farm hand, a
democrat aud an ex Confederate soldier.
The house 10 which Mr.. Durham lives ia not
far from the shanty occupied by Epps. On
Sunday, the % of September, Mr.. Dur
han was waking down The Atlantic and
Danviie railroad track in search Of miss
ing cow Wnen he reached Epps' house
he got in conversation with the so-called
preacher Eops asked Mr.. Durham to read
few paragraphs from the Richmond Planet,
aud Mr. Durham did so. The first article
which Mr. Durham was requested to read
was Bit er ettack on Hon. Frank G. Ruff
6n. The next was an article in which 1t
was argued by the writer that the white
man was more dependent upon the negro
than was the negro upon the white man,
aud that whatever the white man possessed
he had acquired by the negro's aid, and that,
therefore, the negro was entitled to share
Of 1t. The next article went on to say that
the negroes in the southern States had been
overswed and tutchered, and that now the
negro's choice of party being in power. 1t
was The negro's time to make himself felt,
sc. This is Mr.. Durham's recollection OF
the sense and tenor of the articles. Epps
then asked MIR. Durham to read some Scrip.
ture for him and sent a boy to the house
for Bible. While the boy was gone Epps
took from his pocket number of circulars
and card These be refused to show to
Mr.. Durham, saying they were secret. When
The boy came With the Bible Epps referred
10 the card, which he kept hid from Dur.
HAMS view, and thus refreshing bis memory,
asked Mr. Durham to read various verses
from the 14th, 18th. 16 b, 17th and 18Th
chapters of Joshua By reference 10 these
chapters the reader will seq that they speak
of the division OF the lands of CaEaau among
the tribes of Israel La the 17th chapter Mr..
Durham cad at Epps' request, who looked
upon the card for the number OF lhe chapter
and verse, as foiloUs:
But the ulountain shall be thine; for 1t
is wood and thou shalt cut II down; and
the ouieoiues Ct shall be thine; for thou
shalt drive out the Canaauites. though they
have iron chariots ard though they be
strong"
In chap;er IS Mr.. Durham also read :
And there remained among the children
OF Israel seven tribes which had not yet re-
ceived their Inheritance.
Ard Joshua said unto the children OF Is'
rael: How loag are ye sack to go to pos.
sess he land which the Lord God of your
fathers hath given your
And J, shua cast lots for them in Shiloh
before the Lord, and there Joshus divided
The land unto the children of Israel accord
ing to their divisions"
Now" said Eops, will you Interpret
that Scripture for me-"
Mr.. Durham told him wha it meant.
Eops looked for 6 few moments at the se.
ok ,Lo !