The sun., 1897-12-05
TALES OF SOUTHERN LIFE.
soME STRANGE EXPERIENCES OF a
NEGRO UNDERriKER.
ru.pey That Inspires Fear-A NeEre In Africa
the Boy Bcnt Double by HiS Crime-A
vx,ue s,,ssionnry-Tho Bishop ana hts
mia ,V,ster-Jockoy Dawson's Charities.

uxhtte Stissionnry-Tho Bishop ana TITS
! Old Mnster-JOckey Dnwson's Charities.
J,cuaoSyIlI.E, Dec. 2.--Tho nnmo printed over
| the sbop door is just Nazareth no more.
Dpring the yellow fcycr epidemic Of 1883 there
I ,,.aa a ncriod when scarcely a. white face was
I seen on tho srcets when Jacksonville inn
nressed ono MS an African city taken up by genii
! and act down in America. Tho sudden sight Of
! ,h,s name standing alone on broad white sur
! y,cc brings the same sensation of strangcnoss
| and unroality. A second glance shows the cof-
| fins inside all of tho cheapest material and rud-
cat make. but fancfully arranged in the front OF
| tho sbon and in the show windows as the rarost
| and choicest of goods.
"a Hebrew undertaking establishment" Z" tho
visitor asks still confused.
mo; the name misloads you. The proprietor
is negro. who finds market among tho poor
est Of his race He is also ono of tho characters
| of the town. Come in and see him." and tho
VISITORS guide lod tho way in and greeted the
proprietor with: "Howdy, Nazareth: busy, as
| usualf'
"Yassir; Cotter keep hump'n ef want gravy
ON my hominy. Wum doan crawl in do wood.
pocker bill"
He is small, wiry and skinny; is quito black
and wears largo hoop earrings Oriental as
his name.
Trade pretty brisk T.
Hits a whimplin, boss; hits whimplin'.
Daid man gottcr ho house t stay in Same ez do
libin. en- Ole Mars Def knock putty offen."
Isn't undertaking rather n queer business
for q colored person don't suppose there's
another such establishment in the South"
~ doan reckon dey is. boss, but coffin ain no
mo- 4 me dan q tub l ain skyahed, kase my
marser wuZ unnertaker en- raise me right in
de shop. j sleep unner dc counter evy night.
on in cole weddah line coffin wild my blanket
en- sleep wahn. Wen we 20 out dc business We
staht hotel.keepn en- advertise baff in all de
bedrooms. Marser line do lctf.ober cofiins wild
zinc en- put one in each room Yassir. he dono
dat. Heap o time he halter tex um out, but it
advertise dc hotel SO he clean run ober.
"'Tis cu'ous dough, how skyahed colorcd pco.
pie is NV anything consarn'n dc daid. You sec
dis pile o. copper.ccntses Dey all come off
corpses eyes. l CANT Pt nobody { TEX um
way, dough l hab stannn' invite T. dc colorcd
public. Dey play policy de numbers, but
has t read um; dcy woan tech um. En- yit you
see dey's some dollahs en- fifty.ccntses wat dey
w'itc frien's gle um t. put on do eyes,"
"What shall you do with the money
He laughed silently, yet with all his being.
Use gwine left it t dc chu 'ch boss. done
gin it out dat Use gwinc left it t dc chuch wat
suit me de bcss. Dey tuhn me out o Harmony
church kase woan frow in TO de pastures silk
silk hats SO l go fuss t. one chu 'ch en- den t
nurr. en- dey dat skyahed O. me doy try t pray
me out. Wen dey pass de hat dey miss my
bench kase l mout put in daid man penny"
YES. suppose that pile is safe enough; but
what about your money drawer2 notice your
shop Is open whether you are in it or not"
He shows two collins behind the rear door, in
which reposed two lop- cared hounds.
Il call um Watch en- Prey" he explains, with
another Deep still laugh. "Watchn nose out
dc slickess t'ief wat ebcr yarn a rope line. en-
Prey n fotch um to he knees en- hole um tel
come. No. boss; my money drawer ain in no
danger"
Are your collins ali one pricci"
IL Noss,r', with dignity; "pey is free grades
line wild black calnbric. Dey ain wlff much, en- en-
l ain AK much. i has dc trade wat dc white
nnnertaksss UNI er;aks wonn bolder wild Heap time
dey daid. SO come in wild de cheap coffin. Dey
ain kick at de cheapness so dey cain kick at
full body gwine lay down in"
You have. no doubt, learned something of
human nature T. and could tell interesting stories
Ionse =. mighty right, boss; know de yuk
ub wild wife folks. Dey's LAX fcas; dc vey time
you t'ink yousc got UNI dcy is dc furress OIL
49, assir; Gu GUS tings do happen. wuz stud
din bout Possum John dis ve'y mawnin'-a
sign dat you M4z comm, I, ak bout UNI. He lub
hunt um; Dey wuz braid en- meat t. um. en-
Soes en- ,bacea, too; kase he could sell um all t
lib all by heseff wild he wife One day he gii
mad Wid her EN- kill her. en-. er you blecbe me.
he, ne XII ~ her same way he slaughter possums1
her YARNS tel tel @ hor neck break didden come
DE coffin in de corner is 70 Mister FiImm.
,ry, one O. dem Liberia fools, wat cain .unner.
country en- w'ite mems bettah t. lib wild dan
savages. Dere wnz no wuk t do, but T. grub
land % en- no market TO crops nohow; But he did
dey guv UNI wuz nifty milo fun any house. DE
fuss prsson ,iS;o he meet wpz an Arkansas colored
slave Nv lot o dem po'. ignunt heathcn. One
wHz fann'n him wild big leaf, en- nurr wuz
Some wuZ fotchn um game. some mo- come
araEg n IN cane vans, berries en- c0coanuts,, en-
sartnly got it down fine. En- n Fiumm'ry W foum' "n4
out wat big country Affyky is wy, Of dc
%tS mems 3 had onS settle n Afyky stdder
disherc Fiurdy all t muffin. De circus mex a
pow,tn!l big show. but dey halter 20 t Affyky
DE biGgess crank eber cotflncd was an
iAiabamy niggah wat sell his fahm en- he mulo
on dc fift' March He lay roun' chawn' fine
t6aec@ i h,l en- drink m fine whiskey waitn TO Ga.
6oa 66olt % Siow d ne hobn: He ain mex dat money
murd d,rers en- rascallions in dc pentenshy
wouldn' do muffin but sing en- shout. kqsc evy
How How people kin humbug deyseif! r. lss n L
dem afnn de de good place place Is plumb crowded wild dem
groqp' some'rs else fo' de good people. Some NV
pmm m bleehe heaben WIZ at Macon; some say, No,
hit wuz IN New York; but dc highl 'arnt mig.
gahs tell um hit wuz dess bovo de clouds.
cludes cNcusingly.
Nov, Nazareth, says the guide banteringly.
blood to brag about yourself"
Me. Mist6ri" with a look of horror. "De
Lawd fo,gib you TO- say'n'it Itank Him dat
me en- all mine is good. honess black MuIlat-
tah got no kin, no country, He bawn into
worl wey dey ain no place p'pared TO him. no.
body shoes ready To- him Z step in. Hit ain so
bad desc days,w'en dc mpllattahs is gedder up
IN dc towns wild dcy chu ches en- s'cieties en- calf
ddeyseif de 'stocracy nv de colored population
But lib in slavery time. On sec nuff n mex so
much trouble en- confusion ez dis new race
CONN, in. De mnllattah's marser len he daddy,
wuZ shame Nv him; he nanny WIZ half shame
NY him en- half skyahed NV him. l dunno
Wien hate On scorn him dc mOstess; he daddy's
wife wife. or he mammys black husban'. A
man's nm wife hab one w'ite chile. en- she neber
biamo'p her. no mon he blame dc deer fo' ben'
killed; but know how it huht. Dat boy wuz
n In