Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-01-05
EXTRACTS FROM THE AUTO.
BIOGRAPHY OF
lane GREY SWISSHEIM
First Newspaper Woman Of
Minnesota.
A Remarkable Woman Of Ante.
belium Days-1915-1e65
\ sAlp T |'.,i1I X.
4 q = For Labor

~ sSsfsBSs Ss44 49, IiMH X.
E. g For Labor
2s24.
To woman in Louisville.
work lire disgrace, and one
Sabbath four ofs 10 sat suffering from
thirst, with the pump across the
street, when I learned that for me to
60 1or pitcher OF water, would be so
great disgrace to the house as to
demand my instant expulsion.
grew tired doing nothing. NV hus-
bands business did not prosper. and
| went to dressmaker and asked for
work. She was a New England wom-
an, and after some shrewd questions
exclaimed:
my dear child, 20 home to vour
mother! What does your husband
mean! Does he not know you would
De 1nsulted at every step il you work
for a living? Go home-go home to
your mother!"
l was homesick, and the kindness of
the voice and eyes made me CRY, I
told her l could not leave NV hus-
band.
Then let him support you, or send
you nome until he can! I have seen
too many like you go to destruction
here. Go home"
l said that could never go to de-
struction, but she interrupted me:
you know nothing about it. You
are a mere baby. They all thought
as you do. Go home to your mother!"
but l never can go to destruction!
No evil can befall me, for He that
keepeth Israel slumbers not nor
sleeps"
| She concluded to give me work, but
said:
II will send it by servant. Don't
you come here"
l never thrust my anti-slavery opin-
ions on any one, but every South
erner inquired concerning them, and
gave true answers. There were
many boarders in the house and one
evening when there were eighteen
men in the parlor, these questions
brought on warm discussion, when
one said:
you had better take care how Won
talk, or we will give you a coat of tar
and feathers"
suit, and a. Mississippi planter. who
seemed to realize the situation. said
gently:
, Indeed, madam, it is not safe for
!. you to talk as you do.''
When reminded of constitutional
guarantees for freedom of speech, and
his enjoyment of it in my native
State, he replied:
mere IS no danger in PENNSYLVANIA
from freedom OF speech, but If people
were allowed to- talk as you do here
1t would overthrow our institutions. .
There were mObs in the air. The
mayor closed Sunday school, on the
: ground that in it slaves were laugh,
, . to read. The teacher, New England
2 woman, denied the charge, and claim
ed that only free children had been
taught, while slaves were orally in.
structed to obey their masters, as gooc
Presbyter1ans, who hoped to escap<
the worm that never dies. Her de-
fense failed. but seemed to establish
the right Of free colored people to {
y knowledge of the alphabet, but there
y was no school for them, and though,
5 to establish one
Ell Jerry Wade, the Gault House bar
J. Der, was mulatto, who had bough
j. himself and family, and acquired con
, siderable real estate. In the back o
one OF his houses, lived his son will
a wife and little daughter. We rentet
the front, and mother sent me fur
n1ture. This was highly genteel, To-
1t gave us the appearance of owning
slaves, and Olivia, young Wade's wife
represented herself as my slave, t.
bring her and her child security A
free negro, she labored under MAN.
disadvantages, SO begged me to CLAIM
her.
In this house l started my school
= and there were no lack of pupils who's,
n parents were able and willing to pa.
, for the tuition, but ruffians stood be
! fore the house and hooted at the mig
ger school" Threatening letters wer,
a sent me, and Wade was notified tina
=. his house would be burned or sacked
o Q if he permitted it's use for such pur
= pose. In one day my pupils were al
withdrawn.
After this, l began to make cOrSets
> TT: was. joy to fit the superb form
!: IOf Kentucky women, and my art-lov,
. found employment in it but my hus
band did not succeed, and went dow
8 the river.
. A man came to see if could Civ,
work to his half-sister, for whose sup
Z port he could not fully provide. Sh,
was Fitzhugh,-a first Virginia fam
lily. Her father had died, leaving
bankrupt estate. She had Learned
dressmaking, and had come with hin
to Louisville to find work, but she wa
l, young and beautiful, and he dare no
+ put her into a shop, but thought
n might protect her, so she came to liv
with me-
/. One evening an old and wealth,
citizen called about work was doinI
for his wife, became interested in me
as stranger who had seen little o
Louisville, and rendered the use o
his theatre-box and carriage to tn
young lady and myself: l declined
with thanks. When he had takel
leave, Miss Fitzhugh sprang to he
feet, and with burning cheeks an
flashing eyes, demanded to know if
knew that the man had insulted u
both. did not know, but she did
and would tell Edward, who shoul
cowhide him publicly. told her tina
if Edward attempted that, he woul'
probably lose his life, and we woul
certainly be dragged into a polio
court. Even II we had been insulted
it only proved that the old man tho
we we're like himself-that we wer
told in the Psalms that wicked mel
thought God was like themselves, an
did approve their sin, and he did no
have them cowhided. After a me
ment's reflection she sat down, ez
claiming:
"Well, you are the strangest won
lon ovor 1id