The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1904-06-23

Confederate Veterans Broke Down So
| efal Barrier
Asheville Register.
At the Confederate reunion. held
at Nashville, Tenn, during tn.
week, some negroes were entertained
at dinner with the white people
The following account OF the affair
taken from the Nashville American
Of the 18th inst, will make very
interesting reading:
"About noon Tuesday, while the
veterans were being fed, scene was
enacted that illustrates better than
anything else could the fact that the
veterans have gathered a reunion
without reserve.
with the outpouring throng
came two old darkies, clad in gray
uniform, and wearing Confederate
badges. They were both old men,
and assisted their feeble steps with
sticks. AS they came down the
long aisles they looked searchingly
about, and finally halted at the end,
apparently having failed to find
what they sought. There were sew.
eral vacant places, and one of them
touched an old veteran on the arm
and said: Excuse me, mister, but
is there a place here for colored
men,
''The old soldier turned around,
saw the dark faces looking at him,
ran his eye quickly over the gray
uniforms. and blurted out:
"'No, stree, they amt, but by
G.! if you all amt good enough
to eat with white folks | amt goin'
to eat no moan myself. You all
eat right here by me, and if any
white man makes fuss I'll take
care of him.
ga dozen old 'rebs,' attracted by
the talk, turned around and Joined
with the first veteran. The old
darkies were made to eat while their
white friends busted themselves by
shouting to the walters such COM
mands as:
"'Ob, you waiter! Give these
men all they can eat where's
the coffee boy at?' Here, give these
1arkies some coffee, and get 'em
some buttermilk.' Give them dar-
kies plenty to eat, boys, an if there
amt enough to go round, leave me
put STEAD o. them.'
cit was little thing, yet it was
'ouching beyond expression. The
Did negroes showed their apprecia-
ion, and the elder one. Geu. Pratt, |
,aid:
"'I was with the oath Alabama,
m my master was my captain. We
ought through mos of the war, an |
When he was dead wouldn't b'lieve |
t, an [ call at him four or five
lines, an shook him, but he was
no dead. I kept right on with the
.rmy, an l tell you all Pm prouder
hat l was a 'Federate soldier than
am bout anything else [ ever did
n my life. I knowed what the
var Was bout cause my master told
ne, an I didn't have to 90. NV
olks an my people was on one side
n the Yankees was on luther, an
jes took up fur my own people,"
The other old darkey, Geo. Boyn-
on, came all the way from Dallas,
'exas. He served in a Dalton, Ga,
ompany, and few years ago moved
D the Lone Star State. Like Pratt,
% glories in the cause for which he |
ought, and the tears stood in his
yes at the treatment accorded him.
G. r. Boulware, a one-armed vet
ran from BROOKLYN, Ala, was an
Id soldier who did not approve at
IL Of the elimination of the race
roblem for the time being, no mat
'r whether elimination occurred at
ne White House or at Confederate
[otel. When he saw a negro eat
lg across the table from him, he
llled an officer and told the latterl
put the darkey out. When the
Ulcer did not comply, Mr.. Boul-
are took his departure from the