The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-07-08
NEGRO LIFE I'm MISSISSIPPI.

NEGku LlEE IN MibOiNNlpF1
.;i,srsias letter From the Sunny
South.
The subjuined letter vas written to.
the Shenandoah uowal Sentinel by a
former resident Of that town.
Nuldon, Miss, April IT. thought
perhaps 1T would be amusing To the
readers of The Sentinel to hear about
some of the fanny things that happen
among the black folks of our neigh
borhood, SO will tell you about their
great exhibition which marks the
close OF a term OF school. Exhibition
dav is looked forward too by both old
and young negroes as the greatest
event IL their lives, and 1 think my
self that it is great, so 1 manage to go
to d few that are neal home. The
colored country schools will all be
closed by the middle of this month.
One which 1 will tell you about closed
last Saturday with the proper cerc-
monies and a large crowd of proud
parents n happy children.
The teacher rents a bass drum and a
snare drum from the music store and
appoints two of the best musicians to
furnish music for the day and night.
1t always takes that long to so
through with the program. I have
never cen darkey who could listen
to the music Of drums and keep still.
They may be very old, crippled or very
religious, but that music they simply
can't resist and sooner or later they
fall in line with the school children
and march, cut capers and shines such
as only colored people can. But they
draw the line on dancing, for most all
colored people belong to church.
Exhibition day means lots of good
things to eat. Each family cooks up
all the good things they can and takes
it to the school house where it is
spread out on the ground in fine style
and after the grand march, which
lasts about all forenoon, they line up
aroundsthe grub and what they do to
it Is a plenty. Right after dinner the
big base ball game starts, usually be-
tween a selected nine from two of the
big plantations and they most always
put up a tip top good game. After
the ball game the exercises in the
school house begin, and right here let
me say they are good2not excelled by
white children for variety, delivery or
length of speech. They have dia-
lognes and love to dress upto look the
partthey play and have lots of song
with now and then a genuine old ne
gro stump speech bv some of the
brightest boys who seem to delight in
initiating some old backwoods black
man. Now / will tell you a funny
thing that happened last Saturday at
the exhibition about one and o%ne-half
miles northwest Of our place. One
bail team and their friends from the
Evans plantation went in three wag-
ons, the other team and their friends
filed upltwo wagons from the Sykes
plantation. All the wagons were left
pretty well back from the ball ground.
The game was called and started off
with a snap, for they all felt stout.
AT the end of the second inning they
got into a fuss, and the way those
negroes scattered for their Wagons
wal a sight and when they came back
it was more interesting than eyer. 1t
looked like every one had a gun hid
den inSthose wagons-shot guns, rifles
and muskets Of every sort and fashion.
One little hump back negro came out
Of the brush with IN old pistol about
three feet long hunting the umpire.
About that time the postmaster Of
Muldon. who had gone out to see the
game, SAID to a friend, s'It's time for
me to take a tree and he got behind
the biggest one that was handy, and
as 0 as the row stopped a little he
made for his horse andg away. No
one was killed. All's we'll that ends
well. Next Saturday is exhibition
day at our school. II there is any fun.
] may tell you about 1t also.
Geo. O. Brewer.
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