The Portland daily press., 1899-05-13
A TRUSTED NEGRO.
Story of the Co1ored "Watch-Dog" of
tho Georgia state Treasury.
Atlanta, Ga, May /.

Atlanta, Ga, May l..
The recent lynching of Sam Hose, near
Atlanta has caused much food for
thought among the more intelligent
citizens, white and colored, of this state.
This class generally deplores such actions
on the part of the whites, but the argu-
ment is used that so long as the blacks
persist in such misdeeds, just so long
will the lynohinGs continue. 1t must not
be supposed that the blacks are all
brutes or the whites all savages. Less
than per cent. of the Southern negroes
are of the lawless character of Sam Hose,
and the majority of the negroes are still
the trusted employees of the white men,
as they have beer for years
The ideas promulga ted by uniformed
newspaper writers are all wrong, so far
as the relationship between the races Is
concerned. There are thousands of
negroes who occupy the highest positions
of trust and respect among their white
neighbors. The education of the negro
has been his salvation. No other country
can show such history of quick ADJUST
ment between alien races as can be shown
by statistics in ths state of Georgia.
Educated negroes are never guilty of the
crimes that ara charged against some of
the brutal and Ignorant whites.
Here Is the story of u negro born on
plantation, who has been the watch
dog" of the Georgia Treasury for nearly
a quarter of IA century. His name is Petsr
McMichael, and he has passed, without
stain. through every state administra-
uion, since the Democrats came into
power in 1870.
Peter Is an ootoroon, his father having
been Shadrack McMichael, large planter
and u landhoider in Jasper County.
Shadraoh McMichael lost his wife some
years before the war. His house-girl was
oomely mulatto, and they lived together
as man and wife after the death Of his
wife. While they were not. and could
not, under the law, be legally welded, he
recognized Peter and his three sisters by
this girl as his own children. He pro-
posed to leave them s6, 900 each in his
will, and, in the meantime, sent them
all to school. They were all small during
the war, hut they managed to make the
best Of their opportunities, The old
man died about the close of the war, and
his estate was turned over to his son by
his legal wife, Shadrach McMiohael, jr.
The latter recognized the claims of his
half brothers and sisters, SO far as to
agree to the payment Of the 1900 which
1t had cost to give them their schooling,
but declined to abide by the provisions of
his fathers will.
Young Peter was consequently turned
loose upon his own resources. His sis
ters, who were older, married. Peter,
who was lad Of unusua. Intelligence,
was kept on the plantation as sort of
general factotum. He was trusted, as he
grew older, with looking after the great
wagon-t trains that drove to Madison and
other points on the Georgia Railroad to
dispose OF the cotton crop. He proved
himself perfectly trustworthy.
Finally, deciding to better his fortunes,
he came to this city and secured the place
OF page In the General Assembly where
he soon won the confidence and esteem of
the state-house officials. send for
Pete was the remark when anything of
particularly special nature was to be
transmitted. That was during the last
days of the reconstruction period Final
ly, in 1871. the Democrats came into
power, and James NJ. Smith, the "black.
smith Governor" was elected His at
tention had been attracted to Peter, and
he made him messenger In his office.
At the close of his term. after he had done
much service in handling the funds of
the state, under the Treasurer, Peter
was made messenger Of the Treasury.
Since that time, about quarter of q
century ago, he has held the same posi-
tion under each snccessive administration.
He has handled millions of dollars of the
state, and never has there been the least
discrepancy. Sometimes he has carried
to tbs various state Repositories as much
as $50, ,0c0 per day. during the busy season
of the payment of taxes. He has the con-
fidence and esteem, not only of the state
house officials, but of every Georgian who
ia in any way oonversant With the work.
ings Of the state machinery.
Peter is now little over forty years of
age He has a nice home of his own, and
has provided comfortable domioile for
his aged mother in this city.