The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-18
tchapter x1I.. continued.l
rhe Union League Organizes.

ChApter ALL, COutAuucurA
The Union League Organizes.
Gabriel waited until all sounds had died
away. and then. with a brief goodnight TO
Tasma It'd, he opened the closet door,
slipped out. and was soon on his way
home. But before ne was out OF the
dark grove, some one went fitting by
HMM fact, he thought he saw two fig-
ures dimly outlined in the darkness; yet
he was not sure-and presently he thought
he heard hooking laugh, which sound
ed very much as IL 1t had issued from
the lips Of Nan Darlington. But ne was
not cure that he heard the laugh. and
how, he asked himself, could he imagine
that 1t was Nan Dorrington's even II he
had heard It? He told himself confident
tally that he was dwelling idiot.
AS Gabriel went along he soon forgot
his momentary impressions as to the two
figures in the dark and the laugh that
had seemed to come floating back to him.
The suave and well-modulated voice OF
Mr.. Hotchkiss rang in his ears. Boylike.
he never paused to consider the motives
or the Interior purpose of the speaker
Gabriel knew, of course, that there was
no intention on the part OF the whites
TO re-enslave the negroes; he knew that
there was not even a desire to DO So
He knew; too that there were many in
cendiary hints in the address-hlnts that
were illuminated and emphasized more
by the infections of the speakers voice
than by the words in which they were
conveyed. In spite of the fact that he
resented these hints as keeniy as possi-
BILE. he could see the plausibility of the
speakers argument in so far as 1t APP
pealed to the childish fears apd doubts
ID, 30
thing could be depended on, he thought
to promote spirit of incendiarism
among the negroes such an address would
be the thing.
If Gabriel had attended some Of the
later meetings of the league he would
have discovered that the address he had
heard was a milk-and-water AFFAIR, COM
pared with some of the harangues that
were made to the negroes in the old
school house.
All that Gabriel had heard was duly
reported to Meriwether Clopton. and to
Mr.. Sanders. and in a very short time
all the whites in the community became
aware of the fact that the negroes were
taking lessons of race hatred and in
cendiarism, and as a natural result,
Hotchkiss became marked man. his
comings and goings We're all noted, so
much SO that he soon found it convent
ent as well as comfortable to make his
headquarters in the country, at the home
of Judge Mahlon Butts, whose Union
principles had carried him into the Re-
publican Party. The Judge lived mile
and half from the corporation line, and
Mr.. Hotchkiss' explanations for moving
there was that the exercise to be found
in walking back and forth was necessary
to his health.
Uncle Plato was very much surprised
the next day to be called into the house
where Mr.. Sanders was sitting with Mer-
fwether Clopton and Miss Sarah in order
that they might shake hands with him.
II want to shake your hand, Plato"
said his old master. I've always thought
q great" deal Of you, but / think more of
you today than ever before"
"And you must shake hands with me,
Plato" remarked Sarah Clopton.
well, sence shakin' hans is comm
more into fashion these days. reckon
you'll have to shake wi me- declared
Mr.. Sanders.
II declar' ter gracious dupner whedder
you all is maxim fun er me or not!' ex-
claimed Uncle Plato. But sump'n sholy
must a happened kaze des now when
j wuz downtown, Mr.. Alfred called me
IN his sto' an low, Plato. when you wan
ter buy anything. DIES come right in,
money or no money. kaze yo' credit des
ez good in here ez de best man in town.
! dunner what done come over eve'y-
body" He went away laughing.
Nevertheless Uncle Plato was more seri-
ously affected by the schemes of Mr..
Hotchlkiss than any other inhabitant of
Shady Dale. He had been a leader in
the Rev. Jeremiah's church, and up to
the organization of the Union League,
had welded an influence among the ne
groes second only to that OF the Rev.
jeremiah himself. But now all was
changed. He soon found that he would
have to resign his deaconship, for those
whom he regarded as his spiritual breth-
rem were now his enemies-at any rate
they were no longer his friends.
Uncle Plato and his wife felt very
keenly the awkward position in which
they were placed by the increasing pref
udice Of the rest Of the negroes. They
were both sociable in their natures but
now they were practically cut of from
all association with those who had been
their friends. 1t was real sacrifice they
had to make. On the other hand, who
shall say that their firmness in this mat
ter was not the means Of preventing, at
least in Shady Dale, many of the mis-
fortunes that fell to the lot Of the negroes
elsewhere? There can hardly be doubt
that their attitude, firm and yet modest,
had a restraining influence on some of
the more reckless negroes. who, under
the earnest but dangerous teachings of
HotchlSiss and his feIlow-workers, would
otherwise have been led into excuses
which would have called for bloody re-
prtsals.