Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-02
Intoxicant~ and Arms Excluded.


To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Now that the separate coach is a legal
fact in Virginia, 1t may be interesting to
note some of its advantages and disadvan-
tages, as well as the demeanor of that
class who clamored loudest for the Jim
Crow car in that state, the result of its
operation. Ny observation is based upon
| two Satl rday and Sunday evening trips
over the Southern road in July. Every
coach was crowded on first trip, and the
white people had taken entire possession
of one Jim Crow" compartment in order
to get seats. This being the first coach
came to. and thinking it to be the only one
for people like myself, 1 remained, of
course. standing.
Finally the conductor came along and told
me / could get a seat in another coach,
which had not up to that time been cap
tured by the standing whites Soon after
we reached Virginia soil the newSboy came
to this car with a bundle of beer bottles
wrapped in newspaper, which he turned
over to a young white man who stood in
the doorway. smoking pipe This young
man soon Joined by another man, who
took the beer and put il in the water cooler.
The question arose. were the occupants of
that end Of the coach going to have clean
beer to drink or dirty water? held con-
ference with another colored man, whose
wife and baby were also present, and We
decided that the baby wanted neither beer
nor smoke, So my friend went for the con-
ductor, while ] took the young smoker in
hand and told him If he continued to smoke
there he would have to pay the babys fu-
neral expenses after he had stified him with
tobacco smoke: but he would not agree to
this, and sulked out of the car to the plat
form. Ny friend soon returned with the
conductor, who rolled up his sleeves and
plunged his arms down into the cooler.
pulled out the beer and-threw it overheard?
No: he handed 1t to the white man who
owned it, and they proceeded to enjoy them
selves il coach. so much that we
had to go again for the conductor and have
them put out, for they were bent on start
ing a row.
Ny next trip, July 2S. everything passed
off quietly until we pulled out from Man
assas. There were only two passengers in
our end of this coach-a school teacher from
the District of Columbia and myself Later
two white men, young man and an elder
one came staggering in under the influence
of LIQUOR took seats and proceeded to make
themselves very offensive with their smok-
ing and their general conduct. Tobacco
smoke makes me sick. when l am In the
cars especially, but II made me sicker to see
those two drunken rascals putting smoke in
the face of woman of my race Therefore /
demonstrated with them in gentlemanly
way, but on being told with an oath that
II was not any of my business / was COM
PEELED to hunt up the conductor again.
We love all humanity, and the seats of
our coaches, so far as We are concerned,
are heartily proffered to our white friends
who wish to ignore the law, but 1t must be
understood that the colored man will resent
any insult to his wife or other woman OF
and, consequently, white men will be ex-
pected to act gentlemanly when in colored
peoples cars. W. c. PAYNE
United States Naval Observatory.