The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-08-11
THEY WERE SLAVES
Tho Sea Islands Of the South Now
In Possession Of Negroes.
White Planters OF Former Days Have Al-
most Entirely Dlsappeared-Shift-
leesness and SQualor of the
Present Inhabitants.


little fringe of islands that thickly en-
broider the line from Charleston to
Savannah Here the stately, pictur-
esque palmetto hourishes in all its
glory. Ferns of wondrous varieties
and countless species thrive immensely
in thesa1lnvinm of hollow and ravine.
These sea islands cover large terri
tory. They lie very near together,
separated only by narrow lagoons.
Those lying between Savannah and
Port Royal are not SO large nor SEEM
tnglyso fertile as those between Port
Royal and Charleston. The land here
recuperates itself wonderfully from
year to year. and produces the finest
cotton and.the highest priced in the
world. The plant is rich and silken,
being used only for the finest kind Of
cotton goods, and when carefully gath
cred brings fifty to sixty cents per
pound, and when carelessly gathered
never less than twenty-five cents
These ere very high prices for cotton,
and the thrifty planter who owns from
ten to fifty acres of land is sometimes
xeryweu to do, but thrift is not one Of
the shining characteristics OF the island
ers, andlnany of them are very poor in,
deed.
In by-gone times, says the Philadel-
phia Times, stately mansions. the homes
of planters, who were in their small
way feudal. lords, dotted these islands.
But the families have almost disap-
peared, and most of the lordly man
sions stand dismantied and ruined,
wrecked and torn by the frequent
storms that sweep with such pitiless
fury at times over this charming spot.
And in consequence negroes form the
bulk Of the population, and they are
negroes Of a Eerypeculiar kind-of the
true slave type of African, the unadul-
terated descendants of ancestors
brought from the dark continent years
ngo, but still retaining their many
forms of speech or lingo used by the
half-ciEiiized ancestors.
+. Theyare Interpretations to an alb
surd degree The .deyilish art of
witchcraft is believed to be possessed
by old cnpnesi. who have fingered out
their days to an Incredible length OF
time. The holy dance, TOO, ispracticed
in all its widest and most grotes1ue |
abandon. .1!heysare gentle, unobtrusive
and friendly, patient and suncomplafn-. |
Ing when storms come witt, little warn
ing and turn the smiling paradisical
Field and gardens into windswept,
lwave-wnshed opens of;desolations.
With the exception of here and there
> dismantled nznss&on the houses have
small pretentions 80 architectural dis
similarity. They lire the one-room,
primitive aogssdairs common through
put thBsouth, .overshadowed by luxuri-
Dus grpwthsf of traiiing vines and
masses of palmettoA Pigs, children
Ind cl,ickens swarm over the puncheon
hoorseli, nnrebnaeed, the children as
lnnoccut Of conventional clothing as
the young Of the lower animals, with
whom they squabble for possession of
stray bitSsOf corn cake ortpther edibles.
It 10 q, common sighttto see small
wallowing in the soft
white sanGsbeneath the scorching rays
pf 4ropieal sun, totally devoid Of
clothing of any sort except necklace
pf racle's feet, lizards claws and cats
Teeth, for theS newborn babe may not
have cotton cloth enough to be
bwaddled in, but' it win have in readi-
pess this most necessary necklace as a
preventive against spells of all sorts,
Including witchcraft, the evil eye or q
hoodoo of any sort. Then, too, the
mole claws are supposed to impart
some bene6cent influence, which causes
The teeth of the infant to grow with
put pain or danger to the babe. Ere
nuently the ebony little cupids are
adorned with necklace, bracelets and
snklets of these repulsive articles, and
were it not for such articles of civilian
lion as are always seen about negro
cabin one might well fancy ones self
In the very heart OF the wilds of the
BARK continent. One meets very few
white faces among the sea islanders,
and, what is rarer still, yellow or
mulatto negro is not a very common
blight, as in other places where the
40 IL Oh A. |