The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-09
THE RACES IN INDIANA
Many Towns Where the Negroes
Are Few in Number.
BIncl< Republic on the Michigan
Line Under the Rule of Black Peo-
pie-Some Sections of the HOosier
Stute Which Are Dominated by
the Unurittcn LAW of Exclusion.


ties assumes an interesting phase. 1t fall
TO attract general attention because The
policy of exclusion Of negroes that is prac
ticed by many towns and a few countie!
eliminates sensational clashes. The claim
is made by the people of Washington
County that there is not a negro in the
county. There is but one in Crawford
County, just south of here, and he is blind
and infirm. In most of thesc southern In
diana counties. right across the river from
where the negro grows in all the luxury
of my old Kentucky home" the scarcity
of the negro is something surprising to
the man from central Indiana who finds
| them at home great factor in political
affairs, holding the balance of power by
! reason of their numbers.
From 1857 to 1868 negroes began coming
to Washington County in great numbers,
and formed q settlement known as Mig
gertown. Some prospered beyond all ex-
pectatiCns. They built a church and q
| school, and several noted colored men
came from the colony, among them the
| eloquent James Roberts, who stumped
! Tennessee for Grant and became q noted
| politician. In the church they were ad-
! dressed by Henry R. Revels, who later
went to the United States Senate, and was
| the first of his race to be seated in that
body. One of the members. of the colony
| was John Williams who had accumulated
100 acres Of land and Loco five-franc pieces
| of gold, which he believed. was the only
safe currency. One night he was MUIR
dered. The money disappeared. 1t was
found that he had made provision in his
will for the education of the blacks, and
5000 OF his estate went to fund for the
education OF the colored children of In
diana. Several shocking deeds committed
in the county shortly after that were at
tributed to the negroes and they were
subjected to attacks. and Aleck White. a
devout man, was killed while going home
from the colored church. Terror reigned,
and when they were ordered to sell their
farms and get out. they lost no time in
doing SO. 1t is claimed that since 1866
there has not been colored resident.
Several people attempted to keep colored
servants. the last being q Mr.. Bayne and
Mr.. Smedley. but notice was served on
them, and they helped their negroes
across the county line In short order.
Old blind and deaf Uncle Arch Alton is
the only negro in Crawford County. He
was brought In by his present employers
when he was their slave apd, with his
brother. who died some years ago, was to-
Grated only because both OF them were
blind and were otherwise incapaci;ated.
The two negroes were compelled by the
people OF the county, however, to remain
near their homes. Leavenworth, the old
county seat, located down on the Ohio, is
known from New Orleans to Pittsburg as
the greatest snti-negro town on the Ohio
River steamboat runs. Ohio River cap
tains for years have disciplined their ne
groes by threatening to put them off at
Leavenworth. The river negroes become
very tame as the boat nears the landir &,
and they do not venture beyond the gang
plank for fear of being left behind. Wren
captains adopt this method OF discipline
the negro can be heard pleading in about
these words: Fob Gods sake, Mistah Cap
tain, doan; oh. doan leave me behind at
Leavenworth." Several have been left be-
hind when they became unruly, and that
accounts for the terror. II is claimed that
several negroes were killed in L.avenyorth
many years ago, and others have been
fastened out Of town. Some years ago a
negro of the independent northern school
arrived in Leavenworth, bringing with him
a barber outfit. He quietly opened shop,
and when he was called on the next morn
ing and informed of the unwritten law Of
the county against negro settlers and was
given twenty-four hours In which to get
out OF town with his property, he took is
sue on the proposition and discussed pro-
visions of the constitutional section re.a-
tive TO the equality of all men, the four
teenth amendment, and the emancipation
proclamation.
His argument was not convincing and he
refused to go. He mysteriously disap-
peared the next night Nothing was heard
of him again, but it was stated that his
barber chair was found a week later at
shallow place three miles down the Ohio,
and his hat and cot were also picked up
further down stream. Leavenworth people
refuse to talk about the incident In May |
1899, negro moved over into Crawford
County from Perry. He stayed two days
and then moved out. He was not modest
ed, all of which shows that the people of
Crawford County have reduced the ex-
clusion process to humane and scien-
tific" system. Only the children of Craw-
ford County that have been down to the
wharfboat. or out of the county. have seen |
negro. The conditions that prevail In |
the two counties exist to a less noticeable |
degree in several other southern Indiana |
counties.
Perhaps the most remarkable race
problem section falling under the obsery- !
ance of 1ndianans is north of Elkhart on !
the Michigan line. 1t is a township that |
is coloniZed by negroes TO the exclusion |
of whites. The township Is ruled BY |
negroes, descended from the central figures |
in the great Michigan riots OF 1S49, when |
nine fugitive slaves, owned in Bourbon |
County, Kentucky, were rescued from their |
white pursuers by the abolitionists These |
negroes were the property of Henry Clay.
and it is believed that the Michigan cpl |
sode contributed no little bit to the infu-
ences that precipitated the war. In all the |
Northern States there lie not a township |
which has similar distinction. 1t is a |
Liberia all In itself-a little black repub-
lie, covering thirty-six miles of as fine
land as can be found in the United States.
Negroes have filled the township offices,
conducted educational matters, handled
the mails in the postoffice, and carried on
public Improvements In an intelligent and
manner. The government has
been economical and good. and all ques-
lions have been fairly considered Some
astounding Republican majorities have
been rolled up, and more than one Con-
gresham has owed his election to the 10y
atty of the black colony. Many of the
negroes have become wealthy and Gull
tured
One of the most interesting sociological
found in Indiana, in study
ing the negro question, centres around the
old aboitlonist town of Fountain City.
Wayne County, the headquarters of Levi
Cofin's underground railroad system and
the point from which he operated 1t. In
the ante-bellum days and some time there
after the aboiitionists gathered at tina,
point a great colony of negroes of a higher
caste and attempted to give them foot
hold. They put them on farms, provided
them with homes and placed them in the
way of becoming substantial citizens. So
prominent did the community become that |
the eminent Bishop Quinn made 1t the seat
Of his church government. church was
erected just across the stream from Foun-