The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-04-14
Ieadsa opth Carolina Daies nNewsandC Circulation

raised from childhood by my mother and
had slept every night in my mothers bed
room. | am sure that every member of
my fathers family would have risked his
life to protect her. And she would have
greatly preferred death to seeing misfor-
tune or disaster visit our family. My
youngest brothers. nurse, dying about ten
years after emancipation, made her will,
and left her little store of goods and
property, worth perhaps hundred dol
las, to her white nurseling, little master
Robert" A few days ago negro man was
pardoned from the State penitentiary in
North Carolina by the Governor. The fol-
lowing letter secured his pardon. 1t was
written by his former master and play
mate, q captain in the Confederate Army
and an ex-member of Congress, Demo-
cratic member Of the recent State Legis-
lature.
ITO His Excellency, Honorable Charles
B. Aycock, Governor of North Carolina.
Dear Sir: 1 respectfully and earn
estly petition you to pardon William
Alexander, negro convicted of burglary
in the year 1889 in Mecklenburg county.
William was born on my fathers plan
tation and is about fifty eight or fifty
nine years old, one or two years my Ju-
nior. l need only state that his father
was our coachman and his mother our
cook to show you my opportunity was
good for knowing him. He was my slave,
and his father and mother died on my
plantation William was not smart, or
to use plantation term, was less bright
than any of the young negroes on the
plantation. Knowing both of the negroes
connected with him in the burglary feel
no hesitation in assuring you that l
believe that they persuaded him to join
them. William has now served about
twelve years. This is an excessive pun
ishment for a negro of a low order OF in
telligence. If he came of a bad family,
| | would not ask his pardon. His family
is as good as any negro family in this
State. He is the only one that has ever
been indicted for crime. l could get 9TH
ers to sign a petition, but it would be a
favor for me, not him, for an ordinary
negro confined in the penitentiary for
twelve years is a forgotten man. Cover
nor | pray YOU to pardon William Alex
ander; and. il he will, he can return to
my plantation where the friend of his
| boyhood will give him home
Very respectfully,
IS B. ALEXANDER.
Raleigh. ~ c.. March 26, 1901.
The industrial relations of the races
| have also undergone great changes in the
| South though not so marked as the
| changes in social and personal relations
! Under slavery almost all the labor of the
| South was performed by the negroes, OF
4 bv the negroes and whites working side
/ Ion nIrf inc in ms l.
| factures and used little machinery. Its
/ demand for skilled labor was not large
| but what demand existed was supplied
| mainly by negroes. Negro carpenters
| plasterers. brick layers. blacksmiths
| wheelrights, painters, harness makers
| tanners, milIers, weavers. barrel makers
basket makers, shoe makers, chair max
ers, coachmen, sptnners, seamstresses
housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, laun-
! dresses, embroiderers, maids of all worl
/ could be found in every community anc
| frequently on a single plantation. Skilled
labor was more profitable than unskilled
and therefore every slave was made a:
| skilful as possible under slave system
The young negroes were brought up tt
labor from an early age. The smartes
girls were trained to domestic servic'
in it's various branches, and became prac
ticalIy members of the family, so far a.
| careful training was concerned. Many o
them could sew, knit, crochet, embroider
cut, fit and make garments, clean VI
house, wash and iron, spin and weave
even more skilfully than the mistress VIII
had taught them. All the garments tina
were in childhood were made by negroe
or by my mother, with the single eX
ception Of the hat. Negro lads wh
showed aptitude for trades were hire
out under a sort CT apprentice system, an
taught to be skilful as carpenters, ma
sons, smiths or the like. The negro arti
zans were very jealous OF their right
and stood upon their professional skill
and knowledge. / remember one day m
father who was a lawyer, offered som
suggestions to one of his slaves, falrl
good carpenter, who was building us
harm. The old negro heard him with i'll
concealed disgust, and replied, Loo
here. Master, you'se a first-rate lawyer
! no doubt, but you don't know notnln
tall 'Sout carpentering. You better 6
back to your law books The most accom-
plished housemaid, maid of all worl
, Iaundress, nurse, dining room seryan
in our household was a girl name
5 Emily, and the most accomplished man
f of-all-work, carpenter, coachman pos
f sum-hunter, fisherman, story-teller, bo
t amuser, was Emily's brother Andrew. The
/ had been given to my father in his yout
e by my grandfather and had attended hil
? to college, working in the dining room
5 pay for his education. They were pres
e ent at my fathers wedding and for twer
, ty years remained members of the house
: hold, exceedingly useful, and skilful; ant
e 1 may add, exceedingly privileged chal
acters. They far surpassed in effcient
q and versatility any white laborers in I'll
: county | remember Sunday the ian
g ily came home earlier than usual fro
t church, there being no service, on az
y count of the illness of the minister, {
: entering his bed room my father behe
t a strange and yet familiar looking neg
y arrayed in dress-sui standing in frol
S of the mirror, with arms akimbo, al
t swalIow-tails of the coat switching fro
0 side to side in token of pride and sati
e faction 1t was Emily, arrayed in n
u masters best suit, enjoying new SCI
e sation No punishment was inflicted
IF her Nor do / remember that any of II
st fathers slaves we're ever punished e
d cept such switching as was given q
children. on which occasions | was usual
Ie present a most unwilling participant al