Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-03-21

ON-
Boston relating TO the entertainment OF
negro at the Governors House, a
copy of which was published in the GA
zETTE yesterday, the Richmond DIS
patch says:
When Governor G'Ferrall was shown
the telegram at , o'clock "Wednesday
morning he said
Senator Darling, / cannot think,
made the statement contained in the
dispatch. | never had the slightest in
timation from human being that a
colored man was in the party. l talk
cd with no che from Wednesday, when
clerk from the railroad office came TO
me with message from Colonel Boy
kin that business committee OF the
Massachusetts, legislature would arrive
in Richmond the next evening from the
South and they would be glad to call
on me. ! replied; 'Vs?y well, will be
glad to receive them. | think it would
be more courteous to receive them at
the mansion than in my Office, aud will
fix O'Clock Friday as the hour. |
had no further communication with any
one on the subject, except | was IN
formed that the committee had arrived.
4 little before = o'clock on Friday |
went from my office 10 the mansion, my
private secretary, Mr. Chesterman, ac
companyirg me. lett Mr. Chester
man below, and went on to my room
above. Soon a carriage drove UP and
stopped, but no one got out.
Later three other carriages arrived.
The first carriage changed position, and
| did rot see the occupants alight.
Pretty soon my door man came up and
notified me that the gentlemen were i'll
the parlor. | went down with
Mrs. O'Fe-rall, and as we entered
the parlor we were introduced to
each member Of the committee,
winding up with the colored commit. e.
t9eman. Not until / reached Teamoh
did | know, nor had | the slightest
idea that one of the committee was a
colored man, and ] was greatly sur
prised and embarrassed, but | concealed
my embarrassment rs much as pos
sible. was acting in my official
capacity and the committee were call
ing in their official capacity, and could
not do otherwise than carry out the
programme.
Light refreshments had been pre-
pared and invited the committee to the
dining-room not thinking that Teamoh
would come. After the party got into
the dining-room | discovered Teamoh
and Mitchell with him. This embar-
rassed me still more, but l concluded
that as Teamoh was one Of the COM
mittee and Mitchell! their friend | could
not invite them to retire without
giving an affront to-the other members
of the committee, and in Difference to
the feelings of the latter, and because
could not do otherwise without being
rude to them, submitted, and Teamoh
and Mitchell remained and partook
with them of the refreshments.
If my embarrassment was not ap'
parent, 1 succeeded in most remark
able degree in concealing ii. Mrs.
O'Ferrall never spoke to Teamoh after
she was introduced to him, but out of
courtesy to Senator Darling and the
other gentlemen remained and con-
versed with them until they left the
parlor.
Senator Darling's statement that l
told him that knew Teamoh was in
the party is absolutely untrue, and |.
cAunot think he ever made it. If | had
told him any such thing he would GER
taioly not lave spoken apologetically
of Teamoh's presence at the mansion,
or have expressed himself as he did to
me at the penitentiary and on our
drive. He and the other gentlemen in
the carriage expressed their embarrass-
ment in having Teamoh with them,
and stated that they had made every
effort to shuttle him of, but he would
get back with them.
Il feel greatly aggrieved in this mat
ter, and that my desire to extend cour-
tesies to legislative committee of an
other State was taken advantage of,
and | was placed in q position to
which I would not have submitted for
moment if had not been acting in
an official capacity.
"Of course, Mrs. O'Ferrall did not
shake hands with the negro. When
she realized that Teamoh was color
ed man she bowed slightly, stepped
back, and did not speak to him."