The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-03-09
EX"Siave Pension Sche me

E=x-siave Pension Sche me
Greouville News:
The Negroes of Greonvillo ar,
lnccnSed over what they donounc,
rs the swindling operations of ;
muiattO who was hero this wccl
calling himself W. NJ. Anderson, OF
Anderson county, Sellers post
"'ilce, who claimed to represent
ih" "EH.SIavrs Pension Assocja-
tion,' tho head olllcc OF which, ac-
@rrdlnE t" papers which hc cxhi-
bIl"d here, IS in Madison, Arkan-
$NS, from which town It weekly
paper labeled "Thc EX. Slaves AS
SHm"ly,' giving information about
lho association, IS published.
Anderson, who from all accounts
appears 10 ho Il slick article, was
III Grecnvlllo a few days ago. Last
tuesday might by permission of
the officers of the church he held Il
mooting in the Mt. Zion colorcd
bHpnst church and organized a
branch of tho association. \. NJ
Arnold, q shoe maker of Buncombo
street, IS ono Of the officers who
gave the use Of the church for the
meeting and ho attended the gath
"rng. lie says the attendance
was about Twenty-Five. Anderson,
Arnold says, had a petition which
ho wanted tho Negroes to pay 25
cents each for the privilege of sign
ing. ANdcrson represented that
i" had been put out in the terrific
ry by the head ollicc in Arkansas
and that the 25-cent fee was for
his expenses. In addition to this
lee each sl&'nor was to pay 10 cents
a month tor ten months. 1t was
III" "bi9ct Of the head association
t" secure $4,000 signers and thus
set $50, Geo to put through con-
grcas Il bill TO pension all the ex-
slaves Of tho South. In answer
to questions from Arnold. Ander-
son SAID that only sigLcrs Of the
petition would get pensions, and
ali those who did sign would be
certain TO get them. The Den-
slons were to como in Il lump at
first, and then be paid steadily by
the month, The first installmsnts
would range from $500 to $50, &C.
cordlng To tho age Of the ex-slave,
and after that the monthly pay
m"His t. Tie pensioners would be
Hnuut tho Same us are now paid to
| uInN soldiers. Anderson, Ar
n"'j sNN~. told thom that bill to
;hlH effect had already bocn intro
IU"od IN congress.
Arnold told Anderson at the
meeting if ii Was the Intention OF
the GoT>fnnirht to pass such Il
b}ii II was pr"pnstrrous to ask the
poor Negroes to contribute their
- and 10 cent pieces TO secure the
passage, and pointed out the in us
tie" O! paying pensions to only Tie
30 ,O00 who signed the petitions
throughout the country. Andcr-
son c"uIu u"t give Il satisfactory
answer 10 lhis explosion of logic
and Arnol left thn meeting in dis
guat after seven siHnors had been
Secured to the prpcr.
Anderson. it is Understood. has
now left the city, and without car
rylug out his promise to have the
pror"elinWs cfthat meeting printed
IN Enu GrncIVi!Ie News.
About a year ago tins county
was visited by q man calling him.
self Capt. y. J. Rutherford,
"ho, it is SAID, collected several
hundred dollars.
Among the aigncrs Tuesday
ni:ht trc William Wright, Calvin
Ward, John Davis, B. W. Hughes
and others. Hughes says meet
ing Of thc members is to bo held
III about two weeks under direction
from hnN N"rSon and that at that
m" tn" tn" Grr>nvillc :ranch of
!hr n~Srrl"iiom will ho fully organ
l%o0. iiuGncS is q brlcvcr in Am
dnr"on Nnu does not want il known
~ Wv W / '.SI " litll we ilttNl nlttI-
my is TO be held. lie has a COPY
Of tie "rX-slavea asscmhlv.n but
refuses TO allow it out of his
hands.
+. H. Holloway, Il we'll educated
ami very Intelligent cOlorod clter
carried Of tins clty, who has had
som" experience with Anderson and
Rutherford makes the following
statements:
'lt seoms almost incredible that
men who are supposed TO have
somo common sense are allowing
themselves to DO taken in by the
so-cal!ed "rx-slave pension Frauds
which IS now going tho rounds of
Urls community. Thcrc Sncms to
be PARTIAL craze on tho subject
and 1t has reached such a pitch
That halt shonld be caIlcd To- if,
"Iho scheme is now bcing worked
A