The Republican courier., 1900-01-20
FRED. DOUGLASS RuINDIRU
Although a Slave, Was Not
a Negro.
1t is Now Known that He had
No Negro Blood.

A short time before Mr.. Douglass
died | went out to his house in I'm
iontown to meet party of old
friends from the north, writes Caro-
line Ell. Dali to the Springfield Re
publican. Mrs. Douglass and the
ladies had gone out into the
grounds, and | was left alone in the
modest parlor with her husband. Op-
pOsite us, on the wall, hung rude
portrait in oil, which | had not OBJ
served before
"WhOm does that represent 2" |
asked. at is not well painted, but
it is certainly a likeness of some
bodyr
'It was meant for me when |
was 80 years old" answered my
friend.
"Why !" I exclaimed, "it is the
portrait of an Omaha p
NATURALLY enough" he replied.
"What do you mean, FrederickW
/ went on. II have often wanted to
ask you about your parents. |
know you were the son Of a white
master Was there in the white
blood he gave you anything to ac
count for your own power, especial
ly for your marvellous command of
language" 2"
NO." he said, calmly; "when [
went back to the plantation in
1873 [ looked into the matter thor
oughly There was nothing cred
liable on that side.'
"To what, then, do you attribute
twas it a direct gift-from heav-
en-or from whom did you inherit
it?"
"From my Indian grandmother.
She was a full-blOoded Potomac
Indian of unusual powers, and
greatly respected on the planta~
ton. She had one child by her
white master, and that child was
my mother. After that she mar
ried free negro and had several
children, but I never knew one of
them. She had nice little cot
tage of her own and had the care
Of all the pickaninnles.
"And your mother? What be-
came of her? Your father was a
white man, she was a white and
Indian half breed; where does the
negro blood come in?"
$50 far as | know" he said, Il
have not a drop in my veins, but of
course my children have"
"Think of your autObiograph-
| les" | said. "Not one of them
tells the truth; you ought to put
this in print
"It would not please my people" J"
he said; "and it is not of the least
consequence. | was just as much
a slave as any of them; that was
the only important thing. Of
course, all those books we're print
ed before | knew the truth"
"What sort Of a woman was
your mother?'
II do not know. All | remem-
Der of her is a pair Of big eyes
swimming in tears. She was sold
away before ! could remember, to
a plantation six miles off | never
saw her but once. She walked
those six miles after dark one night
and back again before morning
just to look at me as | lay asleep.
| opened my eyes and saw her
; After the war | could not find
her"
) After Frederick's death l made
: this statement in print, and was
surprised to find that what he said
| was true. His cOlOred friends die
J. not like it.
f When | first came to Washing
: ton to live | went to Georgetown
/. its western suburb, which was ever
then a hotbed of secession. | want
ed to win the regard of the people
but soon found it was impossible
| was known as an abolitionist.
had been once there in 1912. Tbs
different quarters Of Washington
q in 1878 had different reception
days. Georgetown people received
Il on Tuesday. For various reason
e | thought it best to receive Ol
+ Monday. In the most inclemen
l. winter ever knew here, after
e deep snow fall, the thermOmete
4 fell below zero on the hill for fiji
E, teen days, and the sleighing laste'
e for six weeks. For the first tim
e in modern history, which mean
le since the war, sleds appeared a
'e Christmas presents for the boys
$, and New Years day fell on Mon
y day. OF course many gentleme
II were among my callers. Frederic
1f Douglass came out with a magnit
ID cent pair of horses and a stylis
sleigh. The drift opposite my doc