The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-01

Nor,h Hair I, NIIIon DoIlnrs-A Rich
Negro of Memphis whose Wie was
Match tor the White Women Who Called
Out OF Curiosity.
from the chicago Tribune.
IL am glad to see the Tribune taking such
an interest in tho prosperity OF the coloreu
people" said Gen. Afford OF Texas. who has
been making some large investments IN Chi-
cage real estate, and who Is here looking after
his property. IL am Southern Democrat.
and have always taken great hrd Iim ~ es,
aiier emancination as | wanted to move to the
city and retire from active farming 1 can tell
tho Tribune some interesting tnlnRs hooue mo
prosperity OF the colored people. ,,..
7" Ii will probably be surprising to know that
In Galveston there Is coiored ~ man Ii, VINO IS
and be has n fine mansion In the most desir-
able residence portion OF the city; and what
employs none but white servants Tho colored
people will not serve their own race down
nes and h TnS rs fGY tnfS ha they
ever did from white mistresses " course inc
servants are not southern girls; they are
brought on by Mrs. Sylvester from the North
and East They say they are treated better in
that colored Southern home than they ever
""t0Sf O course the white society ladies do not
call on them. They do not do that here. nor N
the East, And in many years experience expert nc IN
call on negroes there unless they be some o.
fetal representatives OF a Government ms
question Of social eauaity does not ad 90 that
as free to choose their associates n the S9uth
soo Bn peops ia thu soS
How did Sylvester get ricn5 We'll. he got
start in politics. then ran SALOON on an az
years, then went into real estate and specu..
lated. He is shrewd and successful. one OF
mon i Of Houston n' is eoored man. Ills name
is Milton Sterrett. He owns fine residence;
surrounded by immense grounds, all terraceu
bory, and keeps a landscape gardener to attend
it. He was a waiter on the boats between Ga,
war, and made everything he has in real estate
deals during the last twenty years. he owns
several large plantations and Is worth at least
Then take Senator. @. N. Burton OF Fort
Bend county When the war closed and n ne
to his mistress. whose husband and two sons
were killed. leaving her alone in the world.
Sns h9d gyea s Eod 70 bTs
ness lie soon acquired good farm. In a few
years he added TO it. and bought In the plapta;;
ton formerly owned by his mistress. and had
two other large ones on the Brazos in ten years
more; His old mistress being reduced to poyy-
when he was elected to tho State Senate. that
he owed al he was to her Kindness. and that
he felt it his duty TO caro- for her And he sent
regularly RENTS to her. and has done SO tor
fifteen years. $50 every month. He is popular
publicans and studied law that he could
delend on nj mself to manage his immense
plantation and ranch interests Senator Bur-
ton Is worth over S6OD.UuO.
Then Henry Black tho great sheep and
cattle ranch man Of Tom Green and Pecos
Counties is worth nearly half u million. He
has made it all In less than fifteen years. Are
these men, Southern negroes? Yes, every ono
charcoal mark would look light on them. and
were born and reared and educated in Texas.
Sylvester, is light muatto. and his wife is
Ih.aN 0rh fF,fn
the largest plantation owner and heaviest
farmland taxpayer in the rich county OF Lamar
was light-colOred mulatto named Harvey. He
died a few weeks ago and left widow. who, will
be able 10 phil through. probably. as her hus-
band lett four large plantations. fine stock
farm, some city property in Paris and big bank
account BESIDES this he left her a snug little
insurance policy on his life for $lS.O00 George
George Hancock. deceased. is rich. Judge Han
cock educated hin, and gave him property equal
WAN to mat he i@Ts his sekn0wedssd
He has added to this until he is very rich. He
has dronpeId politics and attends strictly to
Austin are, wel!-to-do, and are al educated.
John Is a large real estate owner; had posi-
liable income from his property. His BROTHER
Henry is a BAPTIST preacher, and gives his
Cal Thompson. who was assassinated by
some negroes in Bastrop county last week. was
one OF the richest men in that county. He had
a large plantation Just above the great fine
stock farm of the Hon. Joseph ID. Sayers, Con-
gresham from the Tenth district. and owned
altogether seven big farms besides thousands
of cattle. horses. and sheep. and immense
pasture lands. All Of these people have be-
come rich in Texas. and they have the respect
and esteem OF all white people with whom
they deal as freely as does any other business
man. ,,..,,.,,,,, ,.,,,.,.., ,,,, ;.,..
arrived from Memphis, :" know some promi-
nent rich colored people. too. We have many
OF them in Tennessee. But think the
most interesting thing TO state Just now Is that
the first negro who was slave to take his
family on II general tour of Europe Just for the
pleasure and education OF the trip. either from
the North or from the South, was q Memphis
colored man named Robert {. Church. He has
one OF the finest residences in Memphis. and is
reputed 10 be worth nearly q quarter Of u mil
lion dollars. This is invested. mostly. so that
it brings IN steady income, too. he left
and took his wife. son. and two grown daugh-
ters They will do the whole OF Europe,
hs IN Gad lite Mr.
nture inside hangings. and DECORATIONS made
to order The news went around that It was
or course, the ladies' OF the upper ten circles
must see the inside OF that house. They must
not let it be sali that negro had actually out;
Of eXceliing N Tor generations. SO u peep must
be had inside of that mansion of Mr.. and
around. TOO. that Mrs Church was woman
OF superb taste, and that her house was a
ados emphs or tho more boderp Of hcm 1
determined 10 go there any way. They got IN
their carriages and Went around. Mrs. Church
saw them drive up and aliGht. and she answer
cd the bell herself. thinking they had come to
call on her. You should know that Mr.. Church
would pass for Il white man nearly anywhere.
and his wife would never he known as o negro
by any one. Well, when those ladies got IN
they were speechleSS at the -plendor that met
their eyes, in tie richly frescoed hall and tho
grand sweep OF stairway that stretched before
them. In moment one of them. recovering
herself, managed to stammer:
"'I-I-is t-h-i-s NJ VI Mrs. C-ChurCh
80 am Mrs Church said tho lady, with
dignltled air and a pleasant smile.
80 We Indies called To look at your house.
We have heard that II Is Just
She never got to finish: With fash Of fire
from her eyes Mrs. Church turned away with
sweep Of her hands and said wlLh whitening
irony:
"Ah. Excuse mo. ladies'. | bog your par
don. The servant will take pleasure In show
Ing you around, and size pressed an electric
button, waited until a neat looking Swede girl
answered it. told her to please show the ladies'
the house. and then malestlcalS retired TO her
boudoir
ladies' afterwurd. az course we never went