The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-11
THENEoRo SAM 10.

7 AANS All 4 large measure UCltuQ upon tiAr
ownership and proper cultivation Of the
SOIL
The words brought back a memory of
the negro known as Sam 10. a resident of
the frontier Northwest. when mems pref
udices ran high against all human color.
save that OF white
Sam 10 came among these men when
their bitterness was at high tide. AL
though Fargo was resplendent in q ''Da-
kota dirt" boom; although Jimtown'
beckoned and Casselton, center of q crown
OF golden wheat, invited, Sam 10 thought
10 cast his lot in that extreme border line
where the wheat country merged into
that OF grass.
sam 10 selected Blue Duck. to which
some reference has been made in the
past, as his home. He came from 8iissis-
sippi, and had been born IN slavery Of a
black mother. HIS father was a white
| man Somehow. III the shadow and dark
ness OF general life in his native state, az
ter the war, he managed TO not only Sc
cure fair education, but also to accu-
mulate few hundred dollars.
| The money and more than ordinary in
! telligence he brought with him TO the
I new country, and under the national
! laws secured an exceptionally fine eighty
! acres OF land. His shack was promptly
! built. the ground broken and Sam 10
fairly started on the way 70 becoming a
| prosperous citizen.
Occasionally a cowboy would loosely
/ take a Aging shot at his shack, and once
a party Of them rode through his young
I grain with wild whoops, but Sam 10 had
| long since learned the lesson that it is
/ easier for right to meet might with a
smile than a scOwl.
/ The ''claim jumpers" came TO Blue
| Duck in due time, just the same as they
1 infested other sections of the frontier
Z r~r-s Lon
clever men. adventures from every part
OF the East and middle West, who were
/ looking only for the gain of today and
I had no thought of tomorrow. The unset
] tied state of land titles, the ignorance
or worse than that, OF many government
/ land officers, the absence OF organized
courts, gave them opportunity to abuse
and destroy the rights Of innumerable le-
I climate settlers.
/ They arrived in Blue Duck a considera-
! bic time before the advent of the railway,
and gave themselves to a careful survey
of the ground before making It plain
V hat their mission was. Certain of their
company rode over the new country
while others made frequent inquiry as 10
certain titles They were looking for pos
sible flaws or things that might be con-
sidered for the time as flaws. They also
moved among the American saloOn-keep-
| ers and store-keepers, and attempted to
incite prejudice against the many for
eigners arriving and taking land.
sam 10, as the then only negro land
owner Of the region, attracted their imme-
date attention, and they made open
! threats that If he did not abandon his
claim and Jump the country they would
run him down some night and take his
lie. Three of them did visit him late one
afternoon, saluting him as a id mig
ger" and informing him that it was 4
| white mans country and not for such
as him. Sam 10 (he never could explain
where he got that Nance, shivered under
his black skin, but told the men politely
his title was clear, and that ne would
defend it at any cost This in their opin-
ion was ''inpudence to gentlemen" and
IN Blue Duck that night they freely said
So and made their plans for burning his
shack and killing him if necessary.
Halvorson, Anderson, Jackson and near
ly all the leading men of Blue Duck cared
little for the claim jumpers, but they
cared less for a negro. The ancient lust
OF the white for power over the black
was as strong in their blood as It we'll
could be. They admitted the law-abfding
nature Of sam 10, his thriftiness. his
deceucy, but he was black. and if the
claim-jumpers sought trouble with him
they could not see why they should in
terfere. Their wives and children shared
y
much better citizen than many of their
white neighbors.
One person in Blue Duck although 81
lent as to his opinion. was for and with
sam 10, and that was Gentleman Ed
He is living today and is still gam
bier, but if ever God created a man with
a stronger sense of fair play, a better
knowledge of what constituted right and
wrong as between man and man, ire
spective Of color, creed or nationality. he
must have located him on some other
planet than this.
He knew that the tide of public senti-
ment in the town ran against Sam Jo
He knew as matters stood in those DAYS
that ciaim-jumper had many fictitious
rights which passed for genuine ones.
He was not in position at that time to
arouse the community TO his way Of
thinking, but the moment he knew OF the
hour that the negro was 10 be "raided"
he saddled his pony, slipped his Winches- /
ter in place and rode away in the dusk
10 Sam JOS shack.
I'm a blasted fool to NEEDLE" said
Ed to himself as he galloped down the
trail but I'll be more blasted before
see coon or anyone else get dirt while
m around. Blast the man that wants ali
the earth"
Negro and white man met at the door
of the shack. Sam JOS eyes were big !
with anxiety. He OWNED what was COM /
ing. but was Unarmed and defeuseless. J
Ed ran his pony down 70 the sod barn.
came back 10 the shack, gave his yellow I
mustache a jerk. and said:
sam 10. they're after your hide to- /
night, your shack and your land. They
say your titles bad. I don't care If it is /
niger or no niger, I'm with YOU. You
get inside lay down on the floor and keep /
quiet III meet them when they come,
and-don' t-yOu-worry -about-me."
sam 10 Strengthened up and laid
hand on Eds big shoulder.
Mister Ed said he. "as the Lord has
prompted you TO do for me. may I some
day DO for YOU
"Shucks," said Ed. and sat down on the
doorway, his rife across his lap.
Far into the night he heard the coming
o. the ciaim-jumpers, a dozen or more
riding for the life and land Of one black
man. 1t was their plan 70 spread and
surround the shack when they reached it.
but this they never carried OUT. for they
saw the open door and the figure Of
white man standing By it, the barrel or
his rife sweeping their front
I'm Gentleman Ed the figure said z
and you re a lot of dirty towards When
you get sam 10. you get ne Hear thate
1 we got sixteen pieces % lead FOR sour
hides and a barreifUll more Il that ain't
enough Now y0a right wheel ard raosey
right out q here and Blue Duck or III
begin shooting-strasght shooting. too.
Hear me2
They heard him. but one Of them reck-
.essly tried H. shift his gan. and Eds
spoke. one form went out ~ q saaHIa
and then another and third The resi-
fed hearing. though. the last words %
Gentleman -.