The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-08-19
THEN AND NOW
roriginal-l

IL
On the evening of my arrival stroiled
out toward the negro quarters. There,
seated on box, was white headed
darky smoking a pipe.
is there much prejudice against
| northern people hereabout, uncleY" l
asked.
mo, ma'am." replied the darky,
taking his pipe out OF his mouth. Dis
place neber been berry hot 'ginst moth
ern people sence few yeahs befo' de
| wah. 1t was hot befo' dat, dough-
What caused the changer"
"Mr. Archibald caused de change. 1t
| war in de autumn OBJ 1860. Mr. Lincum
war runnin' fo' president in de norf,
| an Mr.. Breckenridge war runnin' TO-
de same offs in de souf. Times war
mighty hot. Young Mr.. Archibald
come down hyar frum one OBJ de big
no'thern colleges fo' to tutor He war
a fine young feliah. mighty fond OBJ
rowin' an runnin' an all so'ts OBJ
| sportin'. AT first all de gentlemen an
ladies TUX a desp'ate hkin' to him.
Dere wasn't nothin' at all de matter
wild him 'cept one ting. He didn't
hab no mo- sense dan to tex q little
schulehouse an gin to teach de mig
| gahs, free.
| Fun dat time all de people change
| right roun'. Ell de niggahs know as
| much as dere marsters, how yo' gwine
keep 'em slabes. | lax to know? A
committee went to Mr.. Archibald an,
| reasoned wild him, but he war de OBJ
stnatest man yo' eber see an pre-
sisted in reasonin' back wild de fust
| gentlemen in de souf. Yo' see, some
OBJ de fust gentlemen didn't know any
too much demselves, an it wasn't to
be 'spected dat dey gwine to let dere
own niggahs know a heap. Dey Jis'
stop reasonin' wild dat young fellah am
went away.
Dat night I war settin' with Lie
Uize war my wife: she daid nowD
whar could see de schulehouse, an I
says: Lize, yo' see dat light ober dart
Ii dat de moon risin'?
HUH Moon risin' in de westl
OATS fab in de schulehouse roof
"At fust it war no bigger'n q candle:
den 1t grewed an growed till de whole
schulehouse war a-burnin'. BY de Hight
could see de fust citizens standin,
roun'. Dey war instergrated by Owen
| Wetherbee, who nbed near de echule-
house. He war a-talkin' toSem, a-shak-
in he finger an argufyin'. I got up
an went whar l could hear, an \
hearn him tell 'em to go an burn de
little house whar de teacher libed BIZ
hissek eber sence he got unpopular.
Dey started of an burned de house.
but Mr.. Archibald didn't happen to
be dar. Lucky fo' him, fo' t'hk deg
put him In an burn him too. When
de fab war low, dey went to de tavern
an set roun' drinkin'
"Marse Wetherbee's house war right
In de track OBJ de win blowin' fab
FUN de schulehouse, an while de gen.
tlemen war burnin' Mr.. Archibald's
house Marse Wetherbee's war a-ketch-
en- fab its own self. I seen it, an
goes to de tave'n, an I says, 'Marse
Wetherebee, yo' house is burnin'.'
"He jis' turned white as my ha'r, TO-
he war a widower wild one leetle chile
wot hadn't no mudder to tex keer OBJ
it, an he done it hisself 'cept when he
war burnin' other peoples houses an
celebratin'. He runned out OBJ de tave,n,
de udders benin him, an goes to he
house. De fab was a-comin' out OBJ de
roof an smoke out OBJ some OBJ de win
ders. Marse Wetherbee SIS stood an
wrung he hands, cryin', My leetle boy!
'Dere wasn't none OBJ dem fust cld-
zens OBJ de souf wot war young am
strong 'nuff fo' to git up on de outside
OBJ de house to de room whar de chile
slep', fo' de fab an smoke KEEP 'em
FUN de stairs. an dey glib i'm up foi
lost. All OBJ a sudden Mr. Archibald
come runnin' up, an jis' den curly
head 'peared at de winder, an we
could heah de little boy cryin'. Mr..
Archibald max a rush fo' de stairs,
but de flames druv him back. Den he
come out, an, seein' tree wild de
branches growin' near de winder, he
shins up lax monkey an walks out
on branch. When he git far as he
kin, he begin to teeter, den jump q
long way an catch ON de winder sill
an pull hisself up by he arms an In
nudder minute was in de room. He
tex up de boy, an. tossin' blanket
often de bed to de men below, dey held
it between 'em, an Mr. Archibald
jis' pitched de little boy right into it
Soon as dey set him ON de groun' he
say mighty mad:
Pop, wot yo' leabe me all lone fo'
to burn up fo'Y
mir. Archibald was jis' climbin' out
en- de winder when sumpin-de coal
oil tank, ! reckon-sploded an de room
be was in bust into flames. He
jumped into de blanket, but he war
burned orful.
"By de time Mr.. Archibald git well
dere war a new house ready fo' him
TO lib in an de money, too, wot de
| schulehouse had cost him De spring
oh 1861 war comm on, an de wah war
a-comin' ON too. Dere wasn't gwine
fo' be any teachin' OBJ de niggahs till
it war all obah, an den dere was
gwine to be a heap. Mr.. Archibald
didn't hab to skulk away an go norf
LAX other no'thern men. When he
went away, all de fust citizens OBJ de
place glib him a recepshun an tell him
eff he stay an fight fo' de souf dey,
raise rigemint fo' him. But he tell
'em he gwine to fight fo' de Union an
de freedom OBJ de blacks.
"One day dis place war susprised by
a Yankee critter company. De fust
lpusson l saw war Mr.. Archibald. Dey
called him Major Archibald. He didn't
do no harm to de fust citizens OBJ de
souf wot be foun' in town, an he chen
to Mr.. Wetherbee''