Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-03-25
PASS FOR WHITE PEOPLE.
Some Attempts to Escape From the
Negro Race.

nowadays" said an educated cOlored
man, a mulatto. 1t refers to persons
with cOlOred blood i'm them who really
do pass for white. There are more of
these persons scattered all over the
United States, chiefly i'm the northern
states of course, than white people
have any idea Of.
"A majority of the persons with col
Ored blood in their veins who pass for
white are women. They are OctOroons
for the most part. Some of them have
even less colored blood in them than
octorOons. Nine out of ten of them are
well educated. All have tried to make
the separation between themselves and
the race with which they grew up
complete.
Educated cOlOred people are glad to
see member of their race-a person
who is nominally of their race, that is
successfully passing for white, but it
is different with the more ignorant
colored people. The latter are jealous
of the person formerly associated with
their race who succeeds in passing for
white, and when they come accidental
ly upon such a person they are often
inclined to be a bit ugly. The lowest
among them will seek to bleed by
matchmaking methods a person thus
accidentally discovered. The other
will often attempt to expose such a
person out of hand.
Il know of shocking case of this
kind that occurred only two years ago
in San Francisco. There are few COL
ored persons I'm San Francisco. That
Is why a handsome and wholesome
looking octoroon girl born and reared
in Memphis went to San Francisco to
pass for white. She was a proficient
stenographer and was employed in the
office of a well known San Francisco
attorney.
She was a good, self-respecting wo-
man. All that she asked of the world
was the privilege of being allowed to
make her living, of being let alone.
Her skin was as white as any white
PERSONS. Her features were Of the
classical type.
There wasn't a chance in 10000 that
any white person in San Francisco
would ever have suspected her of hav-
ing one-eighth colored blood in her
veins; but colored people, you see. have
ways Of their own to determine such a
thing Certain infallible signs, visible
only to the eye Of colored person or
to the eye of one who has lived long
years in the southern states, will re-
veal the individual with colOred blood.
These signs have to do with the finger
nails, certain markings of the eyes and
so on.
"One day about two years ago this
young octoroon woman was riding in
a San Francisco street car An intox-
icated man of my race mulatto Pull
man car porter, entered the car and
took a seat next to her. He examined
her furtively out of the tail of his
VI eye i'SShliy i' pNooh ~
try to nirt with her.
Alarmed and fearful Of what was
coming the girl started to leave the
car The Pullman porter laid a detain-
ing hand on her arm and leered at
her.
Don't you go, honey he said TO
her, so that everybody in the car could
hear him. You're a Niger just like l
am and you know it,
Then white man in the car
knocked the Pullman porter fiat in the
aisle and the girl got off and made her
escape: but that experience made San
Francisco impossible for her. Do you
know where she is now? In China.
She is a stcnographer in the office Of
a Chinese shipping firm in Shanghai.
She will not be bothered there.
Il hate to acknowledge that such
meanneSs exists among members OF my
race but there is no lodging the fact.
There are thousands, tens Of thou
sands of them who would pull the per-
son passing for white back to where
they originated.
Il knew an octOrOon man who was
i'm business as haberdasher in Gin
cinnati for some years. He was son
of a quadroOn who was prominent In
the politics Of a southern state during
the days of reconstruction. He was a
handsome, athletic fellow with regular
features. a fair skin and light brown
hair.
When his father and all of the 9TH
cr members Of his immediate family
died he decided to quit the south for
the north and pass for white. He
started haberdashery on one of the
main streets of Cincinnati and pros
pered. He made no attempt to marry
a white woman. All that he desired
was To be let alone.
But some members of the race with
which he had grown up found him out
and began to batten upon him. He
paid them for their silence for num-
Der of years. Their demands became
eXorbitant. When he rebelled against
impOverishing himself to satisfy these
demands they began to act Familiarity
with him in the presence of his white
friends, thus causing the latter to Won
der.
His wOrriment over the situation
brought on decline. From big,
athletic man he fell into consumption.
He shot himself. His story didn't come
out when he committed suicide. His
self obstruction was attributed solely
to depression over his disease: but he
wouldn't have fallen into consumption,
| am sure. if he hadn't been worried
for years by blackmailers.
"The great majority of tn" persons
who seek to pass for white succeed in
so doing | know of many curious IN
stances of this sort of thing.
I'm large city Of the middle west
there is an octOroon girl employed as
head buyer for the most important
millinery establishment in the city.
This girl has IL dazzling white skin. big
blue eyes and golden hair. She is ac-
cumpiShcd, has charming manners.
She is not married. nor will she ever
marry.