The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-10

man who manages larger business inter-
ests than nine-te of the white men
of Topeka. and also is constantly ad-
ding to the business which she repre-
sents.
Miss Freeman is the daughter of John
Freeman, colored man who came to
Topeka from Canada many years ago,
and who has am assed a fortune here.
She lives with her father and mother
in a nice home at POI Jackson street,
and she has the entire management of
her fathers business interests. The es-
tate is said to be worth about $4,000
When John Freeman came to Topeka
a generation ago from Canada he was a
shoemaker cobbler. He worked at
his trade and saved his money. He had
three sons and one daughter. As soon
as the boys were large enough to work
they went at 1t, and their savings all
went into a common fund. They were
an economical, industrious family, and
they soon had considerable money laid
up. It was invested in real estate Then
they saved more and bought more 10
peka property. At last they bought a
ranch in Wabaunsee county, $40 acres.
All of this property has steadily it,
creased in value. There are houses ard
other buildings on The town lots, and all
the real estate brings IN a good in
come.
one of the boys lied and another went
east to Minneapolis to look after pro-
pe-ty which the family had accumula
E6Q IneHe ana IN INDIANA pOllS- 1NFO years
ago he was killed in a railroad aeci-
dent and the indianapolis and Chicago
property came under the same manage
ment as that here 81 Topeka. The third
son went to CalifoI mia a few years ago
and now has a fruit farm in that state.
The daughter, Hattie. graduated from
1 the Topeka high school, and as her faith
er became old she gradually came into
the management Of his property inter-
ests. Her father is now an extremely
old man and she runs his affairs all
alone She has ideas of her own and
IS not afraid to put them into practice
| One of them is that the best way to
! elevate her own race is to help them
earn a good living For that reason she
only employs colored labor on work
which colored men can possibly do
She looks after all the details of her
/ fathers estate herself. not trusting it to
an agent. She collects her own rents,
orders her own repairs, and determines
4 upon new investments
Very little is heard of this class Of
/ colOred people" said J. H. Childers in
! speaking of Miss Freeman. The color
/ ed people who are best known are the
ones who break into police court-the
! Crook Wright and Mary Wade class
/ and white people judge all colored peo-
/ pie by that class. There are many col
ored people who are just as successful
/ in their way as white people, but they
| are a quiet, unassuming class OF whom
| little is heard Probably very few white
/ people know much ABOUT Miss Freeman,
but she is an exceedingly bright woman.
If she wasn't she could not manage the
/ big property interests which she has
There is just as exclusive a set among
| the cOlored women of Topeka as there Is
| among the white women. Many of the
/ colored women are exceedingly bright
and well educated For instance. there
is Mrs. James H. Guy, who is q. gradu
| ate of Oberlfn college, one of the largest
| educational Institutions in the United
States.
The eo1ored people are learning more
and more to get into business for them
selves instead of always working for
somebody else You would be surprised
at the number of colOred men who are
d running business enterprises of their
own. When I ca ne to Topeka IS years
/ ago John Ferguson was a porter IN q
hotel He got a little money and start
ed little grocery store in South To