The Donaldsonville chief., 1914-03-28
LABOR EXODUS RESENTED.
Armed Planters from Lower Assump-
ton Disperse Crowd of Negroes
Assembled in DonaldsonyiIle De-
pot Awaiting Train.
pot Awaiting Ira

T AQOpL1ng QrdSC1c measures 10 pu
a stop to the work of the labo
agents who have been enticing larg
numbers of negro field hands froI
this section during the past seVera
weeks, a party of seven Or eigh
prominent sugar planters from bot
sides of Bayou Lafourche in lowe
Assumption parish, armed with rifle:
shotguns and pistols, appeared i
the Texas and Pacific passenger de
pot in this city just before the al
rival of the northbound passenge
train at $50 o'clock last Monda.
night and dispersed a crowd Of sev
en- negro families, numbering thirty
two men, women and children, Wh'
were awaiting to board the train, el
route to ST. Joseph, La, where the,
were to enter the employ of Mr.
Richardson.
Versions of the affair reported BY
eye-Witnesses are to the effect tha
the armed force invaded the negro
waiting room and, closing the dool
| behind them, violently attacked
with their weapons some of the ne
gro men therein assembled, striking
down several of the blacks. Pan
demonium ensued, and the frighten
ed negroes, in frantic effort tc
escape from the room, dived through
the windows and rushed helter skel
ter out Of every unguarded exit
Once outside they scattered in all
directions and hid themselves wher.
ever they could under and behind
buildings in the neighborhood, two
small children of one Of the fami'
lies not being located until daylight
the following morning, when they
were found crouching behind the Cas-
tagnos cane loader factory.
The luggage belonging to the emf
grants was forcibly removed from
the baggage truck by order of the
invaders, and, so the story goes, not
a negro was permitted to board the
train except one lone man who ex-
hibited return ticket to White
castle. After the train had passed
the planters withdrew from the de-
pot, making no attempt to further
molest the negroes or compel them
to return to the plantations from
which they had deserted. The .'at-
tacking party arrived at Donald
sonville in automobiles and return
ed to their homes, via the same meth
cd of transportation. No effort
was made by any of them to con-
ceal his identity, and bystanders
who recognized them say they We're
among the most prominent and in
fluential citizens of the lower AS
sumption neighborhood.
The party of negroes had been re-
cruited from the places of some of
these planters by a Donaldsonville
negro named Jim White, and were
met at the depot in this city by a
white agent, w. S. H. Wales, repre-
senting the Richardson planting in
terests. This man stated Tuesday
morning that no threats had been
made against him or violence offer
ed him by any Of the armed men
who appeared on the scene SO I'M
expectedly, and he declared it was
not his Intention to make any
trouble for anybody. With the as
sistance of local police officers he
succeeded in reassembling his force
of laborers Tuesday morning, all be-
ing accounted for except two men,
heads of families, who were still in
hiding. With the exception of
these two families, who followed as
soon as the missing men had been
located, the entire party left on the
1910 o'clock T. and P. train Tues
day morning for st. Joseph.
Labor agents have been very ac-
tive in this section for several weeks
past, and a large number of negro
families have been transported to
other sections of the state. At
first this movement was welcomed
by the planters, as there was a sur
plus of labor due to the suspension
Of operations on numerous sugar
but of late the exodus
has assumed serious proportions
and on some places the labor supply
has been depleted to such an ex-
tent as to bring about a critical sit
uation
A report of the disturbance created
in the depot by the armed party
has been forwarded to the division
Of the railroad COM
pany by the local agent, but it is
not likely that any action will be
taken in the matter, as it is the
policy of the railroad officials to per-
nit individual communities to handle
affairs of this kind as the judgment
and discretion of the citizens may
dictate. No complaints or charges
having been lodged with the munich
pal or parochia1 authorities, there
will be no official Investigation of
he affair, and it is generally con-
sidered the matter will be dropped.
New Rabbi for Jewish Congregation.
Rabbi Emanuel Sternheim, of |
ireenville, Miss, conducted services
1t Bikur Cholim Synagogue last Sun
lay night and delivered an eloquent |
discourse on the subject of Love-
Monday morning he addressed the |
tudents of the upper grades of |
he Donaldsonyille High School on
Character Training" pointing out
n a highly interesting and enter
aiming manner that the true object
'f education is to develope the moral
nd spiritual character of boys and
iris and train them to become use-
al and honorable citizens of the
World pahhi cfornha;,,, Loa haar