The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-07-11
"NEGRo ONLY" TOWN HELD NO
TERROR FOR c. E. ELLIS.
Railroad Agent at Verdark, Ok, Over
came the Disadvantage of Break
ing Into Village Where
white Men Are Not
Allowed"

Muskogee, Ok, June z3.-Five years
ago there was a sign pasted conspic-
dark, a negro settlement six miles
north of Muskogee, which read:
White man, let not the sun go down
on you here!" Time and C. E. Ellis
have changed all that and the story of
me tanning of wild and vicious Ne
gro settlement. and getting rich while
doiht' it, is nearly a romance.
Five years atsb G. e. Ellis made ap-
plioation to the Missouri Kansas &
Texas Railroad for job. There were
two places open, one at Verdark and
one at a small station near Parsons,
Kas. Ellis was working in Louisiana
and had never heard of either place.
He was given his choice and selected
Verdark. The railroad sent him a
pass to Muskogee and here he first
learned what he was to confront.
No One Stopped But Railroad Agent.
No white man stopped at Verdark,"
the sign read. He passed on through
ANO man PdGoCh lhlOu6l thC lCSiOh
surrounding unless he was we'll arm
ed, unless he was a stranger. The
Negroes were the former slaves of
aristocratic Indians and, after being
freed, they seized the land of their
former masters and since the Civil
War, had been in practical control of
a large area of which the Verdark
settlement was the center.
They resented the intrusion of
whites in any way and ordinarily ran
things with high hand. The only
white man who ever remained in the
place longer than a few minutes was
the railroad agent He scarcely ever
left the station building, always went
armed and numerous bullet holes In
the building testified to the situation.
He Couldn't Buy "slx-shooter."
When Ellis arrived in Muskogee, a
railroad official came here personally
and checked him into the new Office,
The old agent tipped Ellis off to what
he might expect and pointed to the
six-shooter he always carried. Ellis
had neither a gun nor money to buy
one, nor did he have money enough to
get out of the place. so he remained.
He resigned by wire on the day he
drew his first pay check, however, and
the answer was to stick on the job un-
til relieved. No relief was sent. A
few months later he resigned again,
with the same result.
The Vardark situation was a knotty
problem to the Katy" railroad and
when they got an agent there they
kept him as long as he would stay.
Ellis Made EN- Be Friendly.
Ellis lived, ate and slept In the sta
tion building. His first move was to
get a negro of the better element ap-
pointed as village postmaster. This
was followed by advice on planting
and cuitivating crops. Ellis was a nat
ural agriculturalist. A new vista
opened before the railroad agent. He
extended his activities in making
friends with the Negroes.
He had no security except faith
However it soon became known that
the better Negroes who had received
help would make it mighty uncomfort
able for any other Negro who did moi
repay Ellis. They knew their friend
and did not propose to have him i'm
posed upon. He had the community
sentiment back Of him and his debtors
had to pay or they had to leave the
settlement.
Now He's Married and Happy.
Then Ellis began to branch out He
bought small piece Of land and pui
Negro tenant on it. He married
verdark was redeemed. Ellis took his
wife there to cozy little home ant
she was welcomed almost as an ole
time Southern mistress among hel