The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-11-13
BEDFORD. IA.

cans residing in this vicinity still live
and o and enjoy their existence
with a certain degree of semi-civil-
lied content. Rev. Ginning of Des
Moines preached for the Second Bap-
fist church last Sunday. Rev. Brown
of the A. M. e. church was prevent
ed from fulfilling his regular appoint
ment here on account of the death of
one of his members in Clarinda. .
Mr.. j. A. Ashford is visiting his broth
er in Colfax. Ia, and attending lodge
business Mrs. Baber of Galesburg
is visiting her neice, Miss Lulu Frank.
lin, and father. Mr.. Henry John
son and son, our rural mail carriers,
motored ver from Gravity with their
families to attend the social at the
Second Baptist church. l just returned
from a trip to Creston, Red Oak and
Clarinda, and l want to tell you read
ers of the Sun that my experience in
hunting accommodations at hotels in
Creston, but first will speak of some
of the people Of color whom | met.
Mr.. Chas. Beneau is still at the Sum-
NIT house, where he has been for 80
years. has nice property and is doing
well. Mr.. Newt Martin is still a
Creston fixture and suppose will be
until some charming lady induces him
to abandon bachelorhood II met the
Baldwin brothers, the largest and most
successful farmers of Southwestern
Iowa. The colored people of Red
Oak seemed to be doing pretty well;
work was plentiful and times seemed
to be prosperous despite the war scare
and the democratic administration.
Red Oak is situated on the G. B. &
Q. main line, located in the western
edge of the famous blue grass region
of Southwest Iowa, drawing its inspir-
alton, its stimulus, it's life from the
soil interspersed with schools and
churches (white). 1t is a beautiful
little city of 1000 in habitants. There
are about 20 Negro families residing
there, but they have no church, So
cial or political organization of any
kind. No hall, building or places of
meeting should they be obliged to
congregate on important matters. .
Nhl L Cdll GNtIldIi, COIluuClOI VI all
up-to-date music store, counts among
his patrons some of the prominent peo-
pie of Red Oak. Oscar Conner con-
ducts a fine t~onsorial emporium just
off the square. Mr.. Chappelle is still
holding down the Johnson hotel. Most
of the people own or are buying their
homes .... Clarinda rests quietly on
the Nodaway river, western home of
the state insane asylum, and also
western border of the district desig-
mated by the stand pat element of
Iowa petitions Chat is before their
political death) as the reservation, be-
cause they could always count on this
congressional district to supply any
deficiency they needed to carry state
elections. Clarinda is populated with
more colored people than any town
in Southwestern Iowa. They have
two churches, and under the able man
agement of Rev. Brown of the A. NJ.
E. and Rev. Mitchell of the Baptist
they seem to be doing nicely. Sew
eral of the colored men are conduct
ing business enterprises and a great
number own their homes. Creston is
located in Union county, division of
the Q. railroad, with machine shops
and round houses located there. 1t
is naturally a railroad town, conse-
hquently her population is largely for
eigners. The Negro element are of
small ONE as there are not a doz-
en- families. / arrived here about 8
p. m. and heard that the hotels would
not keep colored people, and l want
ed to find out for myself. Just after
leaving the station 1 met my friend
Mr.. Martin and told my predicament,
and he invited me to go to his home
for the night, but l told him l had
to catch the early train and would
rather stay near the depot. Well, he
told me he did not know whether the
hotels would keep me or not, but for
me to go to a place about two blocks
north and l would find the Cottage
hotel. l might find lodging there. ]
| found the place, but as it was In
dergoing repairs had a very good ex-
cuse. Then / went just across the
street to another hotel; was met with
a very polite and sorrowful landlord
telling me all of his rooms were full,
so I thought / would try the Summit
House, the best hotel in the city, but
on my way l happened to meet Chas.
Burneau, who has been connected
with this institution for years. He
told me it would be useless to apply
there as he knew they would not &C
commodate me, but told me to go to
the Highland Inn-that he knew they
used to keep colored people. Well,
ii went and was met by very versa
tile and charming landlady, and she
was oh, so sorry, that every room in
the house wal full, but she had a
friend just three doors north who ran
a large rooming house; she knew ]
could get a room there. l went and
found her friends place. There was
no Ii ght in the lower hall, but a dim
light burning upstairs. l rang the
bell and was answered by a boy Ia
or Is years old from the head of the
stairs. I asked him if / could gel
a room there. He said certainly
come right up. When I assembled the
stairs where the light informed him
of my color he hardly knew what tt
say. He told me he was very sorry
but they couldn't keep colored PEG
pie. l asked him why was that. He
said the hotels had all agreed mo-
IN keen cO1orad naonIe and fhaN