Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-09-20
DIED FOR LOVE OF 'LINDY.
Dick Was the Only Darkey on Record
Who Ever Committed Suicide.


We had got down to the benedictine
and brandy, and the colonel was VOL
uble with that charming abandon which
breaks his hab.tual reserve when he has
dined well!
We had been discussing suic.de-grim
matter for digestion. The colonel gave
us his attention with many a commen-
tary Hum, hum; then he got in at q
convenient gap:
Did you evan heah NV niggah COM
m.ttin suicide?"
None of us could say we hal.
Its cu'ous enough, but in all ma OK
pe-unce on ma plantation l nevah
knew NV but one case, and that n!ggah
you kin laugh If you want-went 10
Judgment for love NV uh woman. Not
even thu black folks get away fun
that.
you all remembah when cotton was
high and when niggahs was many, down
along thu rivah? / had uh hand on ma
place called Big Dick. As uh specimen
nv manhood ne stood all by hisse'f six
feet high, shoulders on uh dead line.
neck jumpin out NV 'em like hlckry
saplin. chest sprung up till il bulged his
Sundr shirt, and mltscled-like uh
race hoss. Dick could swim with uh
sack NV she,led con onto his shoulder,
fox tr0t down tub thu landin', drap bis
lead. come cl.mbin' back up thu bank
and nevah lost IN beat in thu Black
Eyed Rabbit Much NV uh niggah
was Dick.
"Hs had uh gal named Lindy-one Nv
thu house nlggahs in thu neigbbor-
hood, NV thu kind that works Amt
many Nv that kind, so l mention ii. Dick
got to spendin' his night round Lindy's
do insted Nv loafin' on thu landin'. |
become cog2iZant Nv thu affaih. and told
Dick tub &c; married. Dicl1 was w.ilin',
and TO boot. and so was Indy, but they
had some sense-Which white folks
don't a.lus have bout such things-and
thu money question stopped EN-.
Indy didn't have It: Dick 1idn't, and,
tn tell thu truth. | liln't myself. Dick
come tuh me for advice, and IN thu end
Indy went down thu river tn the Ar
kansaw cotton fields. whah thu wages
run high. and Dick stayed home. work.
in. hadh on thu cor ieyee. loadin' boats,
doin' Jobs Nv ferryin', and all sorts CT
things. sayin' all thu tine like uh lone
widow. When he heard fun her by
word NV mouth. Indy was llftin' uh
lot nv cotton down White rivah way AID
Coin' considerable saVin' herself.
"Niggahs are peculiar 'boUt workin'
and uh good deal NO peculiar bout
savin'. None nv 'em be said tub hank
or after work under any circumstances,
but when it's tub be done, and thah's
any sort Nv reward at thu end nv il,
yo' mistah niggah kin get buster than
nh houn dog on nh hot trail. Just tell
HIM he kin 60 ishin' when he's done
his Job. and ne ,iptoes drought it. That
was Big Dick when he wanted Indy.
Fvah Steamboat cap'n on the rivah
knew him as nh good hand, and wlen
Thu whistle said. 'Landin', Dick was al
lus waitin' at thu wharf and swung IN
with tau roustabouts, packin' con or
rollin' cotton. singin' Ny Lula Gal with
uh voice that reached up tub thu sky.
"Bare headed. barefooted. shirt opsn
tub thu vast. brown skin shinin' with
thu cords cross his breast and in his
+hroa, Dustin up underneath; then he
was uh sight. Sometimes I'd go down
tub thu landin' III call on ma cap'n friend
and watch thu loadn'. Dick would
come steppin' along with 200 pounds
Nv gram on his shoulder, shufflin' his
feet 70 thu tine Nv thu loadin' tune, and
grimm confidentially at me as be passed.
When thu sack went down Dicks big
voice would break into thu chorus like
this:
Knows whut yCuse uh think,n'
Packin' in thu con,
Honey's whu, yOuse drinkin'
Packin' in thu con.
Waitin' fab 70 true love.
Lis'nin' fab yo blue dove,
How uh niggah do shove,
Pack.n' in thu con.
That's nh good ole rivah tune, and
Dick could make it hum.
"One hot day in thu fall Dicks trouble
come. Thu Silvah Cloud was layin' at
thu wharf takin On grain .StanGin on
Nh s;ringer talkin' tub thu ocaPn he
remarked thu suck at thu end nv the
wharf YOU nevah saw IN suck in thu
Mississippi you don't know what nh
lot of watah can do when 1t gets 10
wnirlin'-uh big suck will take uh boat
pile. pull It ont Nv thu cuTr nj. stick II
up Oh end. set Il spinnln' Ike nh top,
and then swallow i, quicker than enc
can bat an eye-uh II sslss-ppi suck Is
nh thing you wan. 10 go away around.
This one was dom brs ness when thu
cap'n pointed 10 It thirty feet away.
Lookin' at g thing Ike that amt on
couragin' tuh talk, whsn thar was q
break n thu work line behind us; some
fast words and Dick came runnin' down
I'M bank tub me-. saw his eyes, and
Rig Dick was Crazy Dick-thah vas
knots in his threat and his Big breast
was rlsln' and fallin' like uh boat swell
he was wuss than any tiger in pain.
MAS Tom. Lindys gone.
leone whah?'
I'm thar shoo,in q bog arm to'des
thu sky, an I'm gwne. too. Fh-n ne
swung round and started down thu
wharf. s.ngin':
Knows what youse uh tninkin',
Pactin' in thu con,
Eonev's what yousa drinkin'-
"'stop him | yelled. Thu niggahs
wouldn't move: they had nh spell on. J
took nh step or Two; Dick waved me
"'Good by. niggahs;, good by 'ap'n;
good by. Mas Tom
Waitin' for yo' true love,
Lis-nin fan yo' blue dove.
"He went fset first into ihe suck-
down and up agaln. still singin'; hat
his body shown above the watah; It
grabbed MIN. swung him around. drag
oc1 HIM m thu middle, gave him uh
turn played top with him tossed him,
and them closed It's trembln' lips ovah