Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1906-03-01
A Letter from the South.

A Letter from the South.
Sunday, Feb. 25, '06.-Dear
Folks: Well here we are in New
Orleans after a most delightful
trip up the river. On the re-
turn trip the boat was crowded,
as it was the Mardi Gras spe-
cial. One thing | have discov-
cred about the south and that
is they are very inhuman
toward the negroes, especially
the roustabouts on the steam
ers. They are the negroes who
do all the hard work, such as
carrying all the freight off and
putting it on. One night on
our return trip we took on 5000
sacks oil cotton seed and the
roustabouts had to carry it all
on the boat. Each trip takes,
about forty negroes and they
are paid about $50 a month but
they certainly do earn their
money. The mates on the boat
We're so horribly cross. I don't
believe we heard one of them
speak a pleasant word to the
roustabouts; only swear at
them. They had quite a bad
accident below Natchez coming
down theriv The boat made
a landing and the roustabouts
were carrying a monstrous steel
stump puller on the boat when
it fell. and it looked like about
a dozen had been killed, but
they found only three had been
injured. The mate, instead of
going and helping the injured
men, hit two or three Of the
remaining negroes over the
head with his cane. Maybe
you think some of the women
weren't going to mob the mate.
They finally brought the men
on the boat and the last we saw
of two of them they were
shooting craps. But everyone
down here says it is absolutely
impossible to rule the roust-
abouts kindly, but just as soon
as they are afraid of the mate
they work fine. | should think
anyone would be afraid of the
mate as he is absolutely the
icrossest man | ever did see. |
told the captain about it and he
said he would try and get me a
job running them awhile and
see how much improvement |
could make. | never knew be-
fore that all the seed from the
cotton is saved and sent to Italy
and Cuba and the fake olive
oil is made from it. Then after
they make the oil they use the
remaining skin for cattle food,
which they say is especially fine
for fattening them, so it is no
wonder that-a the owners of
these cotton plantations are SO
wealthy. Thew get three prices
for the one product. The ne
groes on the boat were paid
Saturday noon and about ten
minutes later they were all
down on the lower deck shoot
ing craps, and when we arrived
at the pier Saturday evening
over half of them didn't have a
cent. We had quite an ANUS
ing experience after we came
off the boat. But Twill explain
about the street car system
here before | go any farther.
Everything is in "Belts." You
take a car at one corner and
eventually you arrive at the
place where you started from.
After we came off the boat we
decided to take a car home as
it was only six blocks and that
way we could get to the house
in time for supper. So we got
on a car and we waited and
waited and finally discovered
that we were on the wrong car
and after a two hours ride
around the city we came back
where we started from and got
off and walked the six blocks
and arrived here thoroughly
Disguised with New Orleans
street cars and everything else.
This morning we went to the
First Presbyterian church,
which is a beautiful structure
of oro,, ,+opn Tho cipfriror woo