Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-01-28

not"
One of the greatest calamities,
seemingly, that has fallen to our
share was the advent OF the
Asiatic Cholera of 1849. So
severe was the disease and so
great was the alarm that it is
believed that many persons were
frightened into a state of collaps
and some we're buried before it
was ascertained whether they
were dead or not. In the city of
Cincinnati for many days all
business was suspended except
burying the dead and there could
be no conveyances seen on the
streets only those carrying the
dead away to the grave yards.
AS bad as this condition was it
had its attending blessing, for
many painting slave seeking to
be free, braved the danger of'con-
tracing cholera, prefering death
to further experience as a slave.
Perhaps none came through the
city but very many escaped
through the country and they
could then pass without fear of
being pursued SO great was the
dread of that fatal disease by the
white people. Let us here note
one remarkable fact, viz; No
slave was ever refused admission
into the house of one of those
staunch abolitionists through
fear of cholera or any other dis
ease and we believe that no one
ever contracted the disease from
that source. Those brave men
and women who assisted in this
humane work feared nothing but
went forth in their work with
that entire confidence in the
right that always emboldened
them to action.
Here again is shown the power
of mind over matter and also the
fact that these persons were far
above the idea of rewards for
their work but did right because
it was right. One of their num-
Der on being told that if he would
quit the work he could have any
Office within the state, replied
mot for any Office in the world"
There is no office that can honor
such a man.
In Grant county, Indiana,
few miles south of Marion, the
county seat, there has been for
great many years large colored
settle ment. One of the pioneers
of that neighborhood was an &C.
centric old darkie, but a good
man, who if he had never been a
slave came from where slavery
existed and was richly endowed
with the southern darby bronze.
He was a man of sterling good
sense but his language would
make a dog laugh. When the
old man was getting pretty we'll
along in years and his eyesight
was rather dim, Mrs. Pickett's
brother was in the darby settle
ment and he and old Pleasant
Weaver Chat was the old darkies
name) were walking along just
in the twilight when they heard
something that sounded strange
and the old man wanted to know
what is dat butten butten
buttene he head agin rail"
This tickled Mr.. Pemberton,
who had a good laugh and said
to the old man, at might be
spirit rapping," who said "trau
don't tell me dat spirits don't
bump their heads against rails
to get through de fence" 1t
was a rabbit trying to crawl
through crack in the fence that
was rather to small. On another
occasion in an earlier day when
deer were plenty the old man got
out his old fuzee and at a dis
tance of five or six rods banged
away at a deer and missed it.
He said he was so close to it that
the bullet did not have time to
get to goin straight.
One old eX-slave that | was
acquainted with was telling his
experience in deer shooting.
! When he got in good earnest his
eyes stuck out till you could al
most hang your hat on them.
He wound up by saying that he
SHOT a deer once and when de
gun cracked de deer Jump 20 feet
annually
Near our home in Howard
county, Indiana, where we lived
after leaving the place where
was born and partly raised, there
was a settlement of colored PEG
pie formerly from North Carolina