Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-03-08

| UOAIAT. Wuuo bpcuui . tAouS"hNc ~
educate and upliit tina negro children
Of this generation. NOT y penny goes TO
an institution that net only deserves
assistance as . public charity, but
demands the recognition Of the white
people who should net forget the ten
der affection OF those who have gone
before us for the unfelfish loyalty OF
the old nanny" who would have
laid down her life for those she SO
faithfully and so tendsrly served.
When the manhood Of the south
was called to take UP arms In defense
Of country and principles. the women
and children were left at home with
no guardians except the slaves whose
own freadom was at stake. How loyal
were those slaves to their trust Is a
part OF the war history OF the south.
Amids: scenes OF sorrow and in days
Istry 81 the devoted nanny" that
brought comfort into homes made
desolaie by the merci!ess fiat OF pitt
less war.
| There are only few of them left,
now that the story OF the war is writ.
ten or the pages Of history dated half
century ago. Whether these few
remaining relics Of slavery shall 60
suffering to their graves or shall pass
into sternal freedom in comfort and
with q benediction for those they
servei on earth, remains with peo-
pie Who can pay debt OF gratitude
in recognition Of a faithfu!ness and
Loyalty that should not 80 unre.
warded.
/ visited the Carter Home for Old
Peol lie and found the place well kept.
considering the slender means which
are available for its maintenance. 1t
Ia IL charge OF Laura Houston, a most
wort ~ colored woman. who Is well
know and respected by many white
people In the city. She not only takes
care Of the old people in her charge.
but Uses every dollar Of her own
monty to defray expenses. She earns
a small salary from the Friendship
Baptist church. every penny OF which
goes 70 the home.
Fos nineteen years the institution
has Aeen maintained by the church
and ~ small contributions. The city
for eeveral years donated 500
month, but this allowance has now
been entirely cut of.
write. ore Is, according to what seems
authent.: records. one hundred and
fifteen Fears old. The others are
ninety, eighty-two severty-five and
sixty ynars Of age, respectively.
Scarcely able to walk and tottering
feebly with a staff in her hands, her
eyes White from blindness and her
face ,hriveled like mummys, Ma
ria Johnson slowly made her way to
the entrance of the home for her pho
togrsaph to be taken.
"Hsw old are you. Aunt Maria? |
askei her, and she replied In qua
vericg voice:
"1e las time I heerd Of marster
put hit down was when he cum home
FROM de wah. an den I was sixty eight
y'a:s oh age"
This would make the ancient NAM
my about one hundred and fifteen
years old. and she looks it.
when asked where she came from
shs replied. "Ol Ferginny." Maria
wss owned before the war by James
Dc WIDEN, who had large plantation
near Richmond. Just before the close
of the war she was brought to Geor-
gia probably with the refugees who
were flying from the advancing en-
envy, and taking with them as much
OF their slave property as possible. At
the close of the war she was left In
Athens and so was far from her old
slave home and from those who
might have cared for her. A few
years ago she became one OF the dere-
licts Of human fate, and 80 found her
way into the Carter home.
Next came Patsy Green to have her
picture made, and as she hobbled
through the doorway she screened her
eyes from the sun with her hand and
exclaimed:
DE OF oman is monty nigh blin'
or Patsy Green hain't berry far frum
de crossin' OBJ de ribber."
Patsy told me she was ninety years
of age. Her master before the war
was DR.. George X. Hamilton Of De
Kalb county. Georgia. Her old folks,
she said, have all passed away, and II
she had not found place in the Car
ter home she would have been with
out any place to go.
| Emma Foster, another Of the old
teammates" in the home. said she was
eighty.two years Of age. and her old
"marster" was H. E. Sier. who owned
before the war a plantation In Holmes
county. Mississippi.
Jemima Stokes, who was the slave
OF William Spears. whose plantation
was near La Grange, Co., said she was
seventy-five years of age. and five
years ago was q destitute old pauper
without a helping hand in the world
until a kind lady sent her to the Car
ter home.
Leila Key. who says she Is sixty
years of age, was slave on planta.
ton near Newman, Ga. AS her mind
Is not strong she cannot recall the
! name of her former master"
VI selected these five old women to
show that there are such people In
the south today who deserve tender
ministration in their old age, and that
the one home given them demands the
recognition Of the white people. If
this institution had more means at
its command 1t could take care Of
many more old negroes than 1t does.