The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-10-21

A Baltimore Lawyer Writes a Letter
About His Prospecting Tour Through
Eastern North Carolina and What He
Saw
Charlotte Observer.)

The following self-explanatory let
ter has been received by Mr.. Jno. If.
Julian, chairman Of the Rowan demo-
cratic executive committee, from Hon.
G. Fred Ausland, a lawyer with offices
at Baltimore and Cambridge, Md:
Cambridge. Md, October 10, '9S.
John NJ. Julian, Esq, Salisbury, N. c.:
Dear Sir: Last August a Swedish
gentleman and myself made a trip
through eastern North Carolina with
the object in view of making said state
our home. That we meant business is
easily proved by correspondence with
private parties, Industrial agents and
railroad companies previous to our
trip; we even had rates for our house.
hold furniture. At one time / contem-
plated moving without making any
personal investigation, as from all de-
ScriptiVe matter received by me every
thing seemed inviting. The gentleman
with me represented q large capital
which he intended to invest, and it was
mainly through his influence that l
did not leap in the dark, but came on
an investigating tour. l am thankful
for it now!
Our first experience was one day
SPS"N CT Nit'A ~ ~ IN OPS'SN
our eyes to something rotten under the
surface, as the town, to be such a rail-
road centre, seemed to be at least thir-
ty years behind the times. / made in
quiries and soOn found that negroes,
in a great measure, were in municipal
power. Yes, ever the old darkey who
served us at the table in the station
hotel belonged to the city council. In
this place, for the first time in my life,
/ had the experience of mailing a let
ter at a ~postoffice managed by a negro
postmaster. That a town cannot ad-
vance with an unprogressive race as a
factor in it's community is plain
enough.
Our next stay at Wilson, which we
found a very pretty town, had also
a gloom yer it, which seemed to hang
as a dark curtain yer the town and
it's citizens, though we were told that
this is quite an educational centre and
a large place. The sights that met our
eyes all along the route to Whining
ton were something so desOlate that
I al never forget them. Thousands of
acres of land lying idle as a great des-
ert, with a few scrubby pines growing
over them only waiting for settlers to
redeem them, but with no settlers COM
ing as long as they know that negroes
hold the positions they now occupy.
Those lands could be easily sold to
thrifty German and Scandinavian fam
lilies, who would make them flourish
as a garden. But my advice to them
now is, stay away"
Arrived at Wilmington, we stopped
at the Atlantic cafe, with Messrs.
Gieschen Bros, and were very COM
fortably located for making Observa-
lions without being observed. We went
around the town sight seeing and
found it a most beautiful place and
it's white population charming. We ad-
dressed a few cOlored men and, in
general, received very curt replies. One
even went so far as to tell us that be-
fore 1--WE were many days older in
Wilmington we would know some
thing" 1 walked away wondering what
the negro meant.
After having seen Wilmington We
wanted to take a sea bath, and were
advised to TAX the train to Ocean
View. We had a delightful bath in the
grand ocean surf, but also an expert
ence that stands very prominently in
my memory, viz: A burly negro nearly
choked a white policeman to death,
fighting several white men and fright
ening women and children. This af-
fray made the impression on me that
the police power was not powerful
enough to provide protection and that
these human brutes could not be con-
trolled but would do as they pleased.
Sunday we spent a very pleasant
day with members of the Hanover Club
at Carolina beach. We o found
upon investigation that the negro DOM
over the whites in the eastern
section Of the state. No n suspected
that we had come to the state with the
intention Of making it u home,
therefore, we freely received whatever
we sought. With the
.-~ I1l -at~nI xrn nnn
ID it would be useless to try and in
duce white people to settle the lands
in eastern North Carolina. We saw
many negro policemen in Wilmington. |
Long ago / made. up my mind that L
did not want protection from a race |
few white men and no white wo- !
men can trust. |
When l returned to my home / re- |
a letter from an acquaintance !
in South Carolina, who told me that
had been up to his farm in North
Carolina, and that he and his wife
would like to go back n live on the
farm, but could never do so as long as |
North Carolina politics ARE as rotten
as they are"
When North Carolina shall have a |
legislature with courage to frame such |
as will insure white supremacy |
| may again think of returning to
YOUR beautiful state and try to estab-
fish the sea resort town on the Bruins |
wick county coast for our friends l n
the great northwest, who do not like
to travel way down to the gulf, on ac-
DUN of distance, yellow fever. etc,
a climate equally desirable, With
out those disadvantages and
be found in your state. Our dream
Of a Florida at the mouth of the Cape |
fear river will have to remain\a dream
as long as you have what l consider
worse than yellow fever-negfoes
your Legislature n
nal bodies. Yours very truly,
G.. FRED AUSLAND. |