Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-01-11
Treatment Of Negroes In the North.

A correspondent of the New York
Tribune, writing to that paper about
thestreatment of negroes in Southern
Indiana, gives some Significant detail
showing the prevalent public sentl-
ment. He says:
The prejudice dates back to the close
of the Civil war, and had its origin in
the comm Of negroes to Indiana and
competing in farm work. This com
petition led to strong feeling against
the negroes, and also against the men
who gave them employment. The for
mer were often driven away, and the
latter had their barns and hayracka
burned, their machinery broken and
notices posted on their fences warning
them against further employment OF
negro labor. The result OF these
tactics soon deprived the negroes OF
farm work, and many Of them were
forced into the smaller towns and
cities.
Robberles soon became nightly oc-
currence, and every man who suffered
loss by such depredations charged it to
the negroes. In Perry, Pike, Spencer,
Warwick, Dubois and other counties
the people rose against the negroes and
drove them from the counties Many
of them were whipped, some of them
simply ordered away, but all terrOrlzed
and whenever a negro appeared he WAS
waited upon by a committee of citi-
zens and ordered to leave. So great
was the fear these methods engender-
ed that negroes gave the counties
wide berth, and for many years there
was only one negro in Perry county,
and he was blind and deaf from old
age.
In Pike county few families were
permitted to remain, but in Harrison
not a negro eacaped the order to go,
while in Crawford only one remained
after the cleaning out, as it is jocular-
ly referred to. In time. however, the
negroes began to return; in Spencer
county better disposition was shown.
and number settled around Rockport,
Grandview, Troy and other towns and
secured employment without mOlesta-
tion.
The people of Crawford county never
relented, and to this day the advent
of negro in the county is followed at
once by a summary order to 60.
The lynching of the two negroes at
Rockport and of the third at Boones-
vile was the elimination of this pre-
judice, and the State authorities do
not know where it will end. The
Iynchings have been followed By other
acts that may well raise a doubt as to
the safety of colored people in the Ohio
river counties. On Monday the citi-
zens of Troy Enterprise and Grand
view, all villages of Spencer county,
held meetings had formally determined
to rid the places of their colored pop
ulatiou. The history of the last four
or five years was reviewed, and all the
petty thieving and the more pronounc-
ed stealing was laid at the negro's
door. From the town halls commit
tees went to the negro settlements and
gave the orders to move. Many. ter
rorized by the lynching and the open
threats against the race, had already
fed, and on Monday there were skiff-
loads of negroes constantly passing
over to the kentucky shore to escape
the supposed wrath to come. As the
day wore away the exodus became
more pronounced. and many did not
dare remain in their homes over night
for fear that they would be taken out
and hanged before morning. OF course
these fears were groundless, but they
evidence the terror felt by the negroes.
and it is possible if the order to leave
the county is not complied with many
will be severely handled.