The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1907-08-23
Continued from Page p

north, especially women, are amazed |
midst of SO much poverty and dirt.
Yet amidst it all the southern negro |
share cropper" is the happest mortal
OH the face of the earth. He is as
sured of plenty of corn pone and
bacon, and for fuel all he has to do
is to step outside his door and get all
the wood he wants. AS for clothing,
they don't need much in summer, and
in winter the cast-offs of the white
folks suffice.
There is no politics in the race
problem down south. The negro must
keep the place appointed by the
whites. On the trains the negro must
be content with the Jim Grow" car,
which is just as good as any except
the Pullmans. He must flock into his
own waiting room at the depots. In
the street cars he has to "seat from
the rear end of the car while the
whites seat from the forward end of
| the car At the baseball grounds
| there is "co1ored section" in both
g:andstand and bleachers. When the
circus comes a scolored section" is
roped off, and woe betide the black
man who tries to seat himself among
the whites.
| At Benson, the junction between
Little Rock and Hot Springs, there
are several lunch rooms. At one of
them we took breakfast on the way
home. The negro patrons had to take
q rear room. While we were eating
a negro man came in and asked if
he could get breakfast.
Yes, in the rear room,'' said the
proprietor. Take off your hat
| ''Ill take off my hat when I get
into began the negro looking
beligerent.
Take off that hat!'' shouted the
proprietor, reaching for a heavy
bowl "Take it off Immediately!
The negro removed his hat and
quietly walked into the dining room
set apart for his race.
! We've got to make 'em keep their
place." said the proprietor in an apol-
ogetic tone, 'or they'll soon crowd us
to the wall"
Nearly all of the railroad section
hands in Arkansas and other states
south are negroes. Most OF the loco
motive firemen are negroes. In his
southern home the negro is a great
character study, and the days visit
among the black people will be re-
membered as one Of the greatest ex-
periences Of a memorable week.
This letter came precious near
never being written, all because of a
railroad wreck. The writer and his
wife left Hot Springs last Friday
morning, catching Iron Mountain
train No. at Benson for st. Louis
The train was three hours late. We
should have arrived at ST. Louis at
l7:40 p. m. that day, but it was 2:3O
a.
the big union station. Two miles
south of Jefferson Barracks, and four
teen miles from st. Louis, the double
track begins. Our train, in taking the
Unbound track met with disaster. As
near as can be determined the wheels
of the tender rode the switch point"
and derailed the engine, mail coach
and baggage car. The bre3;ling. OF
the coupling between the n,ail coach
ahead and baggage car irameIiat-iy
behind it was all that saved the en-
tire train from being wrecked. AS it
was the train, which was going about
twenty miles an hour, stopped inside
OF two car lengths. The mai. coach
turned almost square across tile track
and hung lettering over twenty
foot embankment. The baggage car
was off the rails, but all the coaches
remained on But the engine turned
completely over, rolled down the en-
bankment and crushed Engineer
Pratt to DEATH The poor fellow
never knew what hurt him. Fireman
Buster jumped and escaped with
some severe bruises and cuts The
porter of the combination car also
jumped and was badly used up. No
one else was hurt, and it was several
minutes before any of the passengers
knew what had happened Assist
ance was sent from ST. Louis, the
track soon repaired, and at 1:3O in
the morning we were started again.
But we left the body of the dead en-
gineer still crushed beneath his en-
CINE. In the baggage car was the
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