The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1906-08-18
BY F. HoPKINsoN SMITH.

Copyright 1906 by Joseph B. Bowles.)
1t was on the Limited, 1920 night
express out of Louisville, bound south
to Nashville and beyond.
l had lower Four.
When l entered the sleeper the por-
ter was making up the berths, the
passengers sitting about in each 9TH
er's way until their beds were ready.
I laid my bag on an empty seat,
threw my overcoat over it's back and
foot of my nose. There was man
behind it, but he was too intent on
its columns to be aware of my pres
ence.
Suddenly the mans fingers frightened
on the edges of 1.-The paper: He was
still: read 1n.;;eht irel ysunconscious that
my knees were within two inches of
his own.
Then I heard this exclamation:
cts a damned outraged"
My curiosity got the better Of me-
cOughed.
The paper dropped instantly.
my dear sir" he said, bending for
ward courteously and laying his hand
on my wrist, II owe you an apology
had no idea anyone was opposite
me-"
He was. IS, if day; gray, with
bushy eyebrows, piercing brown eyes,
heavy wel1-trimmed mustache, strong
chin and nose, with fine determined
lines about the mouth. A man in per-
feet health, his full throat Drowned
with many weathers showing above a
low collar caught together by loose
black cravat-a handsome, rather
dashing sort of man for one so DID,
II say it is a shame, SIR" he con-
tinued, 1.-The way they are lynching
the negroes around here. Have you
read the Extra?" passing it over to
Another this morning at Cramp-
town. It's an Internal outrage, sir!"
had'read the Extra" with all it's
sickening details, and so handed it
back to him.
Il quite agree with you," I said;
but this man was a brute''
mo doubt of it, sir. We've got
brutal negroes among us, just as we've
got brutal white men. But that's no
reason why we should hang them
without a trial; we still owe them that
justice. When we dealt fairly with
them there was never any such trou-
Bile. There we're hundreds of planta-
tons in the south during the. war
where the only men left were negroes,
We trusted our wives and children to
them; and yet, such outrages as these
were unheard of and absolutely i'm
possible. I don't expect you to agree
with me, of course: but. tell you, sir,
the greatest injustice the north ever
did the slave was in robbing him of
his home"
Were you a slave owner?' I asked,
not wishing to dispute the point.
mo, sir; but my father was lie
had so of them on our plantation He
never whipped one of them, and he
wouldn't let anybody else strike them,
either. There wasn't one Of them that
wouldn't have come back If we had
had g place to put him. The old ones
are: all dead now, thank God!-all ex-
cept old Aleck; he's around yet"
Zone of your fathers old slaves, did
you say" ~
eyes; carried me about on his back
when was so high" land he measured
the distance with his. hand. "Aleck
and were boys together: was about
eight and he about Is when my father
got him. .. 49, :s->: ".= W. ~
My companion paused, drumming ON
the leather covering OF his chair. :.
/ II was a little fellow then, running
around barefooted, but. s. remember
meeting Aleck Just as IF it: were yes
terday. He was holding the horse
while my father \: and th E i oyerseer
stood talking on one side 3 eyi'were
planning Isl his work al al d where BE