The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1911-10-19
THE "NIGGER
TEACHER"
By WALTER B. HENDRICKS
Copyright BY American Press AssO-
citation. lsll-

] Oult n1Acu CltAAcl u A4luAl1a
during a visit TO that state in 1865.
WAL. yes. l reckon var hyal
about that time"
do you remember Cyrus Wander
veerr
Reckon I do remember Cyrus Van
deveer. Nobody who was hyar when
be was hyar n forgit him. reckon"
do they remember him kindly OF
unkindlyY
They remember him mighty kind
" about the time he went away. but
when be first came down hyar they
didn't take to him at all"
What changed them7 Tell me all
about it.
'.wen. sub. Cyrus vandeveer was
one Of them abolitionists that didn't
know enough to let the southern peo-
pie alone to do what they liked with
their niggers. At that time we didn't
want our slaves to know too much. TO
II they did we would lose our property.
vandeveer set up a school TO the
blacks. Some Of our most influential
citizens went to him and protested.
BE said that be believed II TO be his
duty to teach 'em. and be proposed to
60 on with the wo'k.
They went away and consulted. but
they didn't say anything mo- to Van
deveer. who continued teachin' the mig
gers That was just befO' the wah.
and we was all gittin' mighty hot
down hyar. Finally one night Vande-
veers schoolhouse was observed TO be
on fab The darkies ran TO buckets
to put water on il. but the COMMITTEES
stopped 'em. teIlin' 'em they couldn't
put on any water. Co'se the niggers
was mighty cut up about this. and II
made a heap O. trouble among 'em.
The schoOlhouss burned to the ground.
and there was nothing left but a few
eharred umbers- Vandeveer wasn't
nigh He had gone TO see a sick darky
that had been one Of his scholars and
didn't get back TIL his schoolhouse was
burned to ashes
That was a very dry season. there
not having been any rain 70 months
After the .fiah everybody went to bed
The wind rose. and-well. some s'pose
II carried a spark. and some s'pose the
spark got lodged In the shingles Of
the roof when the schoolhouse was
burning. Anyhow. about II o'clock
there was an ALAN O. Cab at Cunnel
Woodbridge's house. The cunneI was
playin' a game O. draw at MajO' Atwa-
ters with Captain Sykes. Cunnel
Thorpe and several other influential
eitizens They had burned the school
house and afterward gone to Majo'
Atwater's TO a julep and a game o
guards. Cunnel Woodbridge stated up
when somebody rushed In and tole him
his house was afah. sayin' be had left |
his little gal tina alone. The cunnel |
was a widower. with this little daugh
ter. about twelve years old
BY the time the polka party got to the
house the downstairs was burnin'. and
nobody could get upstairs Little Mary
Woodbridge ran to a windO' and. see
IN her father below by the light o.
the danes. stretched out her ans to
him and cried out:
:. Papa. save me-
Il was lookin' myself at the cunnel.
and I neva' saw such an expression
Of agony on a mans face 10 my life.
No one could get up to the child, TO
everything below was a6ah.
Just then a man come along and
took In the situation He was that
cursed niger teacher. he was young
and active as a cat There was a
-usty lightning rod IN a corner Of the
house runnin' up right to the window
gha' the gal was. vandeveer be TUX
lold OF II and Skinned up 70 the win
low and reached out an arm The gal
uk hold Of 1t and swung down beside
be aboIitionist. who held on to the
cd with the other hand
WAL. there be was. He couldn't
ONE down hand Ovah hand with only
ne hand. and be couldn't hold on
ong. Anyhow, It was gittin' hotter
II the while. and be and the gal would
urn to death. But he hung on. While
e was tina the room VIVA the child
ad been burst into a dame. II looked
s II both Of 'em must perish when
Ome one come with ladder and. put
m 1t up to EN-. Cy dropped Mary on to
and she got down Then Cy fol-
WED her.
You just orter seen Cunnel Wood
ridge when be got bis daughter from
le man whose schoolhouse be had
elped to burn And his burnin' the
.hOolbouse was what burned mis- own
ouse. and II It hadn't been for Cy
andeveer would a. burned Mary.
he cunnel couldn't look the niger
acher In the face. He Just put out
3 hand and said nothin'.
That was the night befo' Fo't Sum
T was nred on. and the next mawnin'
hen they looked To- Cyrus Vandeveer :
, want no wha' to be found. They
ckoned he'd 1t out to the moth TO
ybt the south"
What's become Of Mary Wood