The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-11-18
HIS STORY OF SLAVERY
NEGRO RELATES A wIERD TALE OF
BONDAGE IN MISSISSIPPI.
Says Scores of Blacks Are Held in
Chains-Story Of His Escape-His Ig-
nOrance OF General Affairs.
Jacksonville News.

Jeffersonville News.
How much truth there is in story told
by colored man who says his only name
is Wade the reader is left to form his own
conclusions, but he narrated ii in a
straightforward way with great deal Of
earnestness. and asserted time and time
again that he was telling the truth. In
short, Wade claims to have been a slave
during his entire life. although born since
the emancipation proclamation was issued.
Accompanied by A Middleton, a colored
man who lives In this city, Wade came to
the News office this morning carrying with
him a slip of paper on which 1t was said
that he had just arrived from Grenada.
Miss, In a box car and needed assistance.
having been badly treated before leaving
the South
In many things Wade is grossly ignorant
or appeared TO be so, while in others he
was bright as any one. On being asked
his name he said it was Wade. He said
that was all of it, but his masters name
was Crowder, and he guessed he would
have to adopt that as his. For thirty
three years-the length of his life--George
Crowder. he said. had been his master and
would be yet If he had not run away
When told there was no such thing as
slavery Wade replied that there was down
In Mississippi and that Crowder had a cot
ton plantation ninety miles from Grenada
where he kept at least one hundred slaves
Some were old and feeble, while others
were young and spry. wade's wife is for
ty-five and was a slave before the war.
His mother was bought in North Carolina
WI Ton nj iS ST honda
You don't pretend to say that you
worked for Crowder thirty-three years and
did not know you were a free MANI! was
asked.
Yes sab I does" came the reply
Wade was asked if he ever heard of
there being war and said that he had.
Accidentally, he claimed, he heard visit
or talking TO his master about the Span
not the war meant he said he never heard
of any other. Asked if he knew who was
President he grinned and said it was
he was the only President he knew. In
curry was made il he ever heard of Nc
Kinley- and he replied that he had not and
tried to explain to him the duties of Presi-
dent Mckinley but Wade did not under
stand Among other things Middleton said
he had to look after was the money mat
rupted his informant by saying IL he had
much to take care of Crowder he
was kept pretty busy, as Grower Ts;e was the the
much for Middleton, who stopped the con-
versation to take laugh. He was asked
If he ever voted and said he did not know
what the queStioner meant, and was told
that he should have been here Nov. and
he would have found out to his financial
gain. Then he was asked If he could read
or write and he said he had never been
given an opportunity TO learn and could
not tell one letter from another All he
knew about writing, he said, was that
-l,4 IL. &a1 80 nnxv v,ln hn
would have to get one of Crowder's over
seers to write him out pass, for IL ne
went around without it patrol would get
him and give him whipping.
Wade said in thirty-three years he had
never drawn cent of money as wages.
Crowder kept him in food and clothing.
furnished him cabin to live in and few
articles of furniture. On Christmas all the
slaves were given rs cents apiece, and, as
Wade puts it, two bits in July. All of this
was spent in a store Crowder had on his
plantation, SO the money all went back to
him in the end. OF the one hundred slaves
Crowder is said to have not one of them
know they are free and entitled to vote,
and Wade says there are ,,, many other
places In Mississippi where like conditions
prevail. The negroes raise cotton and
from one years end to the other are close
ly guarded to see that they have no con-
versation with the outside world. In fact,
according to Wade's story, there is not
much outside world. all the negroes
where he came from are In the same fix.
1t is ninety miles to the nearest railroad.
and the country is isolated on account of
the bad roads.
The escape of Wade is about as interest
ing as the claim that he makes Of being
slave. Besides himself he had wife and
child. the latter being a girl of fourteen.
Among the other slaves was one known as
BILL" but Wade said he guessed his right
name was William and he has become
known bill" Williams. The latter has
wife and two children, one seven and
the other ten. Wade and Bill concluded
to run away and started one night with
their families and early the next morning
met a man named Davis who appears to
be a most mysterious individual and seems
to be at the head of an underground rail-
road If Wade's story is correct. Davis
told Wade and Bill that he was then on
the road South to assist just such people
as the runaways. and would see that they
got North. BY dint of much walking and
ing slaves finally reached Grenada. where
they saw the first railroad train, which
frightened them out of their wits. Then
Davis arranged for their transportation by
shipping them in a freight car, after pro-
viding them with food enough to last sew
eral days Over what road they went
Wade does not know, and the first place
he caught his bearings was at East st.
Louis, where Davis Unexpectedly turned
up again. Then they were shipped to In
dianapolis, Davis going ahead in passen-
ger train. This brings the story up to
Tuesday night. Again they were off in the
palace box car and landed in Jeffersonvile
Wednesday morning at $50 o'clock, Davis
arriving on passenger train short time
afterward Davis went to Louisville to see
the chief Wade said, but did not come
back Bill and his tribe got separated
from Wade and his outfit and finally Wade
and his wife, the latter taking the girl
with her, got mixed up In crowd of two
or three hundred people and Wade landed
on a corner by himself. There he met
Middleton, who was attracted by the
strange actions of the new conner from
Mississippi. Wade told Middleton things
looked funny on free soil TO him. as he
had never been there before. Middleton
laughed at such an idea and at last be-
came interested in Wade's story, finally
taking charge of him and escorting him to
tro Nouc off, 90 this morning