The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-07-01
THIRD EDITION.
a RES1ARKAnr.E MAN.

A Brief sisotch OF Captain William ID.
nfatthcws-Ono Of the Most Noted
cclarcd Men In tho United States.
3 The REPunIIoAN was favored yester-
day With O visit by Captain William ID.
Matthews. OF Leayenworth, Kansas, who
Is now In this city attending TO bust
ness connected with the F.and A. A. Y.
Nelson's, of which hs Is the head in the
United States. The Captain was boz n
on the Eastern Shore OF Maryland, DC
tober 25th, 1897. His father, Joseph
Matthews, was q full blooded African.
and his mother was the half white
daughter of Noah White, Frenchman
who owned her mother. and was the
father Of six OF her children.
Captain Matthew'S father was farm-
or, and he, with 15 brothers and sisters,
was raised on his farm In Maryland.
He never attended school day In his
life, but Notwithstanding that fact, no
is man OF fair education. When he
was rs years Of ago no left the Eastern
ehore and shipped on board a vessel at
Baltimore. He followed the sea until
1854, when he bought vessel and
cruised In the Chesapeake bay and Po-
tomnc river. until law was passed by
the Legislature OF Maryland which
prohibited a colored man being cap
tain OF a vessel. He was consequently
obliged TO sell his vessel, and In 1856
he removed TO Kansas, where the
great fight for freedom, which ealmi
mated Ave years later In the rebellion,
was already In progress.
In Leavenworth he opened large
Getting house, which was well patron
lied, and no was In fair way to make
fortune. At that time fugitive slaves
who were risking their lives to escape
tyranicRl task masters, were contin
ually coming In. and Captain Mathews
feeling that 1t was his duty to assis
them 10y every means al his command
closed his restaurant and turned his
lBrge house into an nsylum for runa
way slaves. In this work he was ably
assisted by John Brown one of tn,
drSt martyrs OF the great conspiracy
At one time he had one hundred slave.
seereted in his house, everyone Of
whom were safely landed where the,
could be free. He Of course was fire.
quently In trouble through hls labor
for the slaves and has been held II
100000 bail for interfering with U. s
Marshals.
Wher the rebellion broke out Cap
tain Matthews offered to raise n com
pany OF colored men In defence of TIL,
old iiag, but his offer was not accept
cd until August, 1862, when he not on
ly raised q company, but also brough
In 200ex-slaves to help form a regiment
Matthews WAS captain of Company d
but although the regiment was form
ed, such was the feeling against col
cred troops, that IL was months beforl
u was mustered in During this time
although the mon were not under pay,
they did good service on the Kansa
border. When at last the order CAM
TO muster tho regiment, the matte
was so arraigned that all tho coloreC
officers were replaced by white men
A bill has however been recently pass
Cd by Congress which allows Captain
Matthews full pay for his month";
saryico.
In 1858 he was made police office
IN Leavenworth, and thus enjoys til,
distinction of being the first coloreC
policeman In the United States. II,
was nDxt appointed on the provost
marshafs staff, and afterwards EN-
pleyed by Massachusetts to recruit
Tor her colored regiments, work Ii
which he was wonderfully successful
As tho opposition to colored soldiers
hnd died out, Captain Matthews OF
ganized q battery, which did excellen
karvice.
Since the war Captain Matthews ha
resided In Leavenworth, where 70
some time he held the Office OF Justlc
81 the Peace. As tho first man OF col
on to receive a commission In til,
army he has place In history.