The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-01-15
Bill Hrp'S Letfer
written for The constitutional

i have always cOntenutu thdt Ssh5
little things was the besettng SIN Oh .hs
negro and was a race trait ana ina.
cheating In trade was a race trait IN
Jevs and Gentiles We white folks do
not call It cheating, but say ne got lhs
advantage or he got the best OF 'he par
gain. but this advantage is generahy got
by deception suppression Oh inc u 1tn-
The negro smooths his sin over ny CO...
ing 1T taking things-just as our cook
once said to me when com aa 80 ID
her stealing lard and Hour ana r.0e -
such things: MIR. MAYOR, uOh IiIiH
you miss what L takes Wel' uiuii.
very much for she never TOOK hiuen q.
a time. but 1t annoyed me ior ne
think she was fooling me when she W'SnI
But that same negro would SIT up an
night with a sick MEMBER OF inc Ie'4y
and was always good ana nm rarely
children. Now the white man I0toty
steals anything and the negro as Iarely
cheats you in trade. BEFORE tne clviI
war the negroes most frequeht crime "as
stealing chickens and ne got 50 eAPe
I'm that business that a law was pasSSo
making ii a penal ofense Tor any Nouy
to buy chickens from negro even lLo1 ~,
he had raised them IN MS own yaiu' 10
could buy foot mats and prooilS anu
baskets but we must not Duy chuShSns.
Law no law. he continued MS ihluntshS
vocation. and if the commahdnleh ma. ld1
said thou shalt not covet tiny nelsh-
boris chickens il would have Deen al INC
same to him. First coVet ana lheh SteaA
was part of his religion. L was roinindt-
ing about this because DOuSnL TUX hsy
Yesterday from a negro for very low
price and / wondered where ne got IL.
didn't question him. for didn't want 70
hurt his feelings. When / was in Nortn
Carolina a friend told me about an on
darky who was on trial for steaAng =
turkey and the proof was POSITIVE, anu
yet he did not seem 10 be alarmed; i1iS
lawyer was discouraged and sald. Ohc.e
Jack it looks like they have got you
mo. dey aint. Mas John; dey amt got
me yet and dey amt aSwlne 10 get ne
Tell you how it is. Mas John- lie Jeuee
seten UP dar was my young master when
de war broke out and not gwlne 10 sehd
me to de pen. No. sir; he amt. ne al
done forget wha / know" But Mas Jonn
had lost confidence, for he knew that the
Judge would do his duty and execute the
law. In a short time the trall was over
and the judge asked Uncle JACK II
he had anything to say IN eXtehudtioA
of his crime. The old gray-headed man
got up with a erunt and looking aIo1Il0
upon the spectators and then AT the Jues5
said: Muffin much, Mas Judge, nuIlh
much ONLY dis YOU know all about dat
old war which we all got whoOped anu
you haint forgot how ! went oud VIZ
you to de army for you was cappeh 10
old master told me to go long ana tahe
keer of vO-u and you knows ! did 10
very bes' | could Cor four mighty long
years and how one time you got Wouioe1
and | staid by you onteN you was We.
again and how anOder time you took
the measles and me, too, and stay
by YOU and nus you and how anoueI
time dem yankees cOtch me and 1 got
away in de night and come back to you
and how sometimes you get out OF money
and out of sumfen To eat all at lie same
time and you call me up and say, Jack'
YOU mus go out fOragln ana get US
sumfin and l go out late In de night
and bring you chickens and rostin ears
and one time / bring YOU a turkey, and
you nebcr ak NE muffin about whar
got him and you never Civ me any money
to buy him, did you. Mas Jedge. You
call ii foragin' den. didn't you. Mas Jedge.
and If il was fOraglng den how CUE II
10 be stealth now
BY this time the courtroom was con
vulsed with laughter and the judge could
not conceal his emotion. for his recol-
lection OF the old darkyS faithfulness
was revived afreSh. RE wiped his brow
and his eyes. and said: MIR. Sheriff, ad-
jCurn court. Uncle Jack. 1 viii pay for
that turkey, but YOU must not DO so any
more. When YOU need anything you must
come 10 me. I haven't forgot YOU"
1t is amazing TO lead our penitentiary
reports where we learn that there arc
over 300 negroes in the state and county
Chaingangs who are there for stealing
of some kind. Most Of them are Of the
new issue VINO We're never in slavery and
majority have advanced under 1reeC0TG
from simple larceny 10 burglary. Chick
ems are too small game for the modern
darky. One of my farm hands was sent
there for two years. and was disguised
with his associates and said. Il tell You
what. boss. dar is some mean folks IN
de changing. Fact is. dar is some folks
Just as mean in dar dar IS Outen dar."
War will make white folks steal and
Judge DoOley believed that mean whisky
would. The old-time lawyer used to tell
/ how he was broke of taking too much
when he was on the bench of the North
ern circuit. man by name Of Sterrett
Kept dirty saloon near the hotel and he
| judge patrOnized him every morning be-
fore breakfast and by court time was
pretty mellow. One cold morning the
| mischievOus lawyers borrowed half dozen
silver spoons from the landlady of the
| hotel and slipped them into the judges
| overcoat pocket. He never discovered
| them until court adjourned for dinner
/ and was dreadfully puzzled and perplex-
| ed. He recognized the spoons. for they
| had MS landladyS mark and were ancient
heirlOoms in her family. He sent for he~
| to come to his room and gave them back
WIN apJect apology and said u mus
| have been Sterrett's whisky that done g.
| 1t Sohered him up and made him very
| serious all the afternoon. Next morning
| a 'trii4ng fellow was put on trial for
| stealing package Of pOcketknives from
| a store i'm town. He was easily convictad
and the judge asked him if he had any
thing to say for himself f'Nof-7fri"
/ Judge" said he. ''on,y that / was drink
/ ing an don't remember about il " The
/ Judge leaned forward and said, "Yourg
| man. where did you get your liquor
| At Sterrets. said he. discharge him.
| Mr. Sheriff-discharge him, I am perfect
~ aware that Sterrett's whisky viii make
ANYBODY steal"
1
/ the civil war. but sometimes We We're
| sOrely tempted and fell Sometimes We
| got awful tired of salt meat and longeI
Tor change of diet. | remember tna-
/ when we camDed near Orange courthouse
/ there was a lovely little shote that took
/ up where our horses were tetherd. II be
| lonSed TO a cross old man who lived on q
| hill nearby and Major Aver rode IN there
| one evening and tried TO buy IL. The old
| man refused N an iusOIent manner. for
he was a union man and was Md be-
/ cause our army had campcd on his lam
| and was cutting his timber. Captain
Cothran was good shot with a pistol
/ and was proud of his skill, and SO the
| next evening Major Aver bet him a quar-
1 ter that he couldn't shoot that pigs eve
/ out. He took the bet and won. and or
/ faithful servant Tip dressed and baked e,
| and we Toasted. The old man came
proving around every day hunting for
| that pig and it was harder to lie out OF
| II than II was to steal Il. But the morn
/ Ing we broke camp we sent Tip up there
| and paid the old woman two dollars and
quieted our conscience. A fat shote was
| almost irresistible. One time George
| burnett and Tom Aver killed one I'M
/ der similar circumstances and sent
/ quarter to our mess The old man miss
| ed his hog in due time. and when he in
/ quired of uBrnett if they had seen Il
around. Burnett whispered to him that
/ Captain StillwelFs mess had fresh pig for
dinner yesterday but he mustent tell who
/ told hrI- J belonged to Sulwells mess
| and the first thing we knew Colonel
| Ieiser had US summoned before him to De
n