The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-07-10
DETROIT PAPER GIVES
ACCOUNT NEGRO EXODUS
RECITES THE STORY OF JERRY,
WHO SOUGHT AN ELDoRA-
DO; FOUND PURGAToRY.
HARD LUCK OF A GEORGIA
NEGRO WHO WENT UP NORTH

Preceded Him in Horrible Condi-
ton. Victims of Wiles of Employ
ment Agencies.
The following clipping from the
Detroit News shows clearly the trou-
bles the negroes are running Into
when they go in search of the pot of
gold at the end of the Northern rain
bow.
The article in question, headed
"Seeks Eldorado; Finds Purgatory,"
is so good it is printed below in full.
The subhead to the story is, Gerry
Isn't Getting So a Day, Nor Living
at the Ponchatrain. The article in
full follows:
Jerry Cartwright came to De-
troit from Georgia. He lived in a
slab house in the pines not far from
Waycross, in Pierce county; he own
ed three coon dogs and a yellow mule
named jimmy, and on the rear of his
ten-acre farm there were-and are
four peacan trees. He is two shades
lighter than ink and he can tell
Equality folks as far as he can see
them. By the same token he has a
supreme contempt for white trash,
and when he gets to heaven if he
doesn't find old Col Tooze Preston
sitting at the right hand of Abraham
or in the immediate vicinity of the
golden throne he is going to be
mighty surprised and disappointed.
Jerry is middling old and little
bent from toting Gavin sacks and
running a cross-cut saw through the
middle Of yellow pine logs. His 20
acres didn't keep him busy all the
time, especially after Tom, his oldest
boy, grew up. Folks that have lived
down in Georgia or anywhere along
the Central or Eastern South know
hundreds of old chaps like Jerry and
they them too.
Friend of Houn' Dawgs.
Jerry is shiftless and admits that
he is 'natchal bawn liah,' and the
watermelons that graced his table on
the nights of chilling dinners did not
grow on the vines of his landed es-
tates. But, lawsey massey, Jerry
would go limping barefoot to help out
his white friends and sit up all night
to nurse a club-footed houn' dawg
or ailing colt, and he never trified
with gin.
HE was fairly happy and con-
tented down there in Pierce county,
and he was a right smart way to-
ward being made deacon in the
Ebernezer Baptist church (Southe-
ern). A white man appeared down
there about a month ago with a pic
ture of the Hotel Pontchartrain and
a scrapbook of newspaper clippings
that told about motor factories pay
ing SIS day, regardless or race, ma
tionality or previous condition of SER
vitude. The hotel, he explained, was
boarding house for colored gentle
men, Jerry doesn't know yet who
sent that man down there among the
pines, but he would like to know. So
would several scores of other Detroit
negroes.
OFF to Eldorado.
"The white man passed on, but not
until he had left direction as to rail
roads and steamboat lines and hazy,
if warm colored picture of a great
city waiting in strained Impotence
for Jerry and his kindred to come
and get S. day for sweeping up odd
corners of automobile factories. Jer-
ry sold his ten acres and his mule
and gave his hound dogs to his broth
er-in-law and packed up a few quarts
of pecan nuts from last years bear
ing and a hairtop trunk with every
thing from new overalls to a bit of
red flannel for the rheumatic and
'miseries' in the back. He landed in
Detroit with his wife and four chill
dren two weeks ago.
"Well,by gracious, if old Major
Waterfeld down in Georgia ever
knew what happened to faithful old
Jerry he would take down the long
squirrel rife from behind the turkey
wings over the fireplace and come up
North a-gunning-he certainly
would.
"There is no use of going into de-