The Newport miner. [volume] (Newport, Wash.) 1899-current, 1912-02-29
lust Cause
For Forbidding Wedding
By OSCAR cox

JUST U6lOIG LAc CIVIL Wal OAOnS o0S
there was colored man living on
plantation in Tennessee called Court
ney ST. Leger. This aristocratic name
seems so out of place for a negro
slave that word Of explanation Is nee
essary. 1t had been derived from Colo
mel st. Leger, who had owned the man
in Louisiana, and a previous master
named Courtney, for at that time ne
groes took their names from their
owners.
Now, Courtney had had wife on the
Courtney plantation, and from her he
had been divorced by the fact only
that he had been sold to Colonel ST.
Leger. While under the colonels own
ership he had married another wife,
and few years later he had been sold
to a Mr.. Harland of Tennessee. Not
long after he had been bought by Mr..
HarIand he concluded to take a wife
from among the women owned by that
gentleman.
Susan Clarke, whose name had come
to her from former master, had been
bought in New Orleans. How many
husbands she had had would not have
been known on the Harland plantation
had it not been that Pete Lefevre, one
of her fellow slaves in Tennessee, and
his wife Phoebe had been bought at
the same time with her and knew of
at least two that she had had under
different ownerships.
Courtney and Susan concluded to
blot out their remem brances Of past
connubial bliss and trials by taking
each other for lawful partners. Mis-
sey Harland, as they called their mis-
tress, was a good woman and would
like to have stemmed the current of
such marriages among her slaves, but
the system Of slavery was not condu-
sive to squeamishness on the subject,
and she was obliged to take the situa-
ton as she found 1t. So long as couples
were sold apart there were to be found
cases wherein q strict regard for the
letter Of the divine institution Of mar
rage was not observed. So when per-
mission to marry was handed In at the
manor house it was granted. The we'd
ding took place in an Episcopal church.
The rector was colored, and the wed
ding guests were also people of color.
The pair marched up the aisle to the
chancel, the groom with a magnolia in
his buttonhole, the bride in a white
muslin gown given her by her mis-
tress. The ceremony went on glibly
till that part of the service was reach
ed in which the clergyman says:
If any man can show just cause why
they may not lawfully be joined together
let him now speak or forever after hold
his peace.
Then Pete Lefevre arose from among
| the wedding guests and said:
81 know why Court st. Leger
shouldn't marry Sue Clarke. Fust off,
Pete. he got three wives areddy. and
| Sue, she got two husbans | knows on
and
The remarks were interrupted by
| Uncle Ben Parker. who arose with
a threatening look on his face. The
| bride, the groom, the clergyman and
guests all changed their astonished
| glances from Pete to Uncle Ben.
"Wha TO yo' mis'able Louisiana mig
ger yo' cum hyar fo' t. max distub-
ance in de house OBJ de Lord? Yo'
shut up dat red and black mouf O
yourn or dis hyar congregation gwine
to put yo outr'
"How can | be asked to show just
| hu 10
fully be jined togedder and yo' say yo'
| gwine put me out eff do?''
| Ben scratched his head. looked like
bull just about to lift a rail fence
with his horns and finally said:
dat part O de ceremony want
meant TO niggers at ALL 1t war meant
TO- white folks
"You's all wrong" said Nose Tucker,
coming into the fray. white folks
dom pay no mo- 'tention to dat dan
niggers. De finest people an de rich
est people in de worl' hab de mos hus-
| bands and wives"
How dey do 't?' asked Uncle Ben.
''By divo'ce-jist as easy as fallin'
off'n a creased log. But dem kind O.
weddin's TAX money. OATS de reason
de richer dey air de easier it air to
swap husban's and wives"
''Bredderin'," said the parson, look
| ing benignly over his spectacles, "you's
all gwine wrong. De Lord amt no
suspecter oh pussons. He hab de same
law fo' de white man and de niger.
| It's de INTERROGATION wha' mak's de
| difference. De white man interfrets
de word accordin' to his possessions,
| de niger accordin' to his necessities
De INTERROGATION in dis case is dat it
is all right TO Pete to show just cause
why dis marriage sha'n't TAX place,
but accordin' to de INTERROGATION Court
and Sue lfbin' under de auction ham
| rnar de Lord amt ox5inn To hold ,or,o