Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-03-17
THE u NEGRO: AND
,MANUMIssIoN

l
The Richmond Times-Dispatch IS
still publishing interesting clippings
from its files half century ago. II
contained the following yesterday.
| The negro has found OUT that free
dom lis. not a continuous holiday. inc
Virginia Africans who flocked INTO
Richmond last summer and fall by
hundreds and thousands have oeen
amusing, themselves during the past
winter with various agreeable oc-
equations ranging over every depart
ment Of human industry from hoat
cleaning to chicken stealing. But the
former is not now profitable beng
overdone, and the vigilant police have
put ban on the latter. All OF TINS
has had the effect to put the country
negroes out of profitable JOBS, and It
must be said that the most of them
have come to their senses. Some have
gene back to the country to seek en-
rloynlcnt OF the farms where they
have chance to make d showing TO:
themselves; some of the more vicious
kind have mysteriously disappeared.
A large portion of the balance may
be seen any morning in front of the
old African Church, on Broad Street,
begging to be "hired out" or given
work wild de white folks or any
thing else that will bring in ratIons
and a place to be protected from the
weather. Truly the conditions of the
country negro, who thought his first
privilege Of freedom was to rush &c
Richmond and be fed, is deplorable.
In the end Richmond people will have
to look after him. Certainly the
Freedmen's Bureau is not dong 1t.
At the beginning of the second year
of the war between the states negroes
who had been left on farms when
their owners went away with the
southern army began to flock into
Alexandria. They, too, supposed the
word freedom was synonym oil Idle
ness, and most of that generation
died with that notion in their heads.
The government had to provide shell
ter and food for this class, called then
"contrabands," q name used by Cen
eral Benjamin +. Butler, after a
number had made their way to his
camp. At that time an old plaster
mill long disused, was situated at
the foot Of Wilkes street, on the Site
of the Old Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road transfer slip, and this building
gas partitioned off into rooms for the
refugees, as was also brick building
used at the Hunter shipyard, which
stood on the east side OF Union street
between Wilkes and Wolfe, and eX-
tended over half a square OF ground.
Other buildings were also used as ne
gro quarters. The government pur
rs many as would work in the gangs
Of iaborers Of the quartcrmaster,s
and commissary departments. They
received twenty-five dollars Il month
and rations. Upon the first pay day
most OF the darkcys, who never pos
scssed so much money before, pur-
chased iiddlcs, banjocs and cheap
watches
In some cases, however. the more
thoughtful managed 10 save enough
money to construct humble wooden
homes, some of which arc standing
today in different sections Of the city.
At the close fthe war, and aftei
the f'rccdrncn's Bureau had gone out
Of existence as well as the Freedmcn's
Bank, il which the savings Of many
Of the colorcd race were lost, the re-
grocs had to look about for work, and
it was at This time that TINS snarcn
rom Il lay Of the period appealed to
them:
Away with Emancipation,
Give us back the old plantation,
It's the best place after all for the
negro.
Many. however. preferred to remain
in Alexandria and men and women
now here arc grandchildren Of darkeys
who came TO Alexandria from Mary
land and parts OF Virginia in 1862.
-U--