The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-28
EDITORS OBSERVATIONS.

Fairfield was our next stop. Her,
lives about eighty colored citizens
They have one church, the A. M. E.
pastored by Rev. Hubbard, who live.
in Mt. Pleasant and has charge of tht
A. M. E. church there also. He is 6
fine preacher, honest Christian man
we'll liked in both towns and his worl
is having good effect. He is ably as
sisted by his good wife. Mr.. San
Sakyes and wife were out last Sunday
automobile riding with Mr.. and Mrs
G. w. Coalson in their car. Wher
turning a corner within three miles OF
Fairfield the wheel broke and the cal
turned over on the passengers, pain
fully and severely hurting the two
women and the two men were not hurt
hardly at all. The ladies are still ir
bed, but improving. T. w. Price has
moved to the home that he has bought
3O6 E. Hampstead. Mr.. E Greenup is
doing well. He owns a nice property
Mr.. and Mrs. I. Dabner have got theil
new beautiful home completed. 1t is
a credit to our race. Dan F. Detwillel
is still working at the Leggett hotel
Mr.. P. McGill is running first class
tailor shop and pantatroium and shin
ing parlor. He is doing we'll. John B
Crawford and Mr.. Quinn are doing
we'll. Our next stop was in the city
of Mt. Pleasant, the home of one of
elemosinary institutions. We find
about 800 colored people living here
Nearly every family owns their own
home. They are old citizens and in
proportion to their population have
graduated more colored children from
the high school than any other town or
city in Iowa. There are two churches
the Baptist and the A. M. E. The
former is pastored by Rev. Thomas
and the latter by Rev. Hubbard, both
splendid Christian gentlemen, and
each doing as we'll as could be expect
ed. The Burnaughs, Messrs. NJ, Ralph
and Harry B., are all doing we'll. The
last two named are at present work.
ing in Des Moines at their trade, brick
and cement. Eugene Patterson is still
working at the Y. M. C. A. building.
Mrs. Harriet Smith, a pioneer and a
veteran church worker, is we'll and
hale at her remarkable old age. She
is treasurer of the Iowa Nebraska
State Baptist association. M. C. Pick
ell is working in the feed mill as a
miller. John w Harrison, E. n. Reeser
and John Greenup are living on their
truck farms and have good crops. Clay
Reed is also farming and teaming and
has fine crop this year. Mr.. G. F.
Foster is working at the same place.
J. w. Fidler is in the barber business,
also is Mr.. S. McCracken and son. Mr..
L. Bradford and w. N. Wicks are sub
stantial citizens.
We next found rest or rather work
in Burlington, a city of about 10000,
located on the bosom of the Father of
Waters. Here dwells about 400 COL
ored people, with two churches. the
Baptist (no minister), and the A. M.
E., with Rev. John H. Bell as pastor.
He was away to conference. Mr.. and
Mrs. J. E. Johnson are living in their
valuable property on TIA Spruce
street. They are having lots of i'm
provements, cement sidewalks, etc.
Mr.. Johnson is in his office as chirop-
odist, while his wife is busily engaged
in her painting and writing music. She
has great talent and ability in both
of these arts. John L. Brooks has quit
the culinary art and is working at his
former trade, that Of plastering. John
R. Johnson still owns his truck farm
on West Barrett street. He has a
splendid crop of all kinds of vege
tables. They are canning and pre-
serving an immense quantity of fruit
gathered from their farm. Mr.. Henry
Moore has lost his wife recently. Mrs.
Josie Bland has taken to her better
half in the person of Mr.. Wilson. They
are still running the rooming house.
Geo. H. Laws, Jr., is also running a
rooming house at SOB Washington
street. Mrs. Eva Jackson, Emma
Early and T. H. Tailor are living at
he same places. w. NJ. Ragland is
the veteran porter at the Delano hotel.
He has been here for the past twen-
ty-fve years. He is nice man to
meet and owns nice place. Mr.. Peter
King still lives at the beautiful mod
orn un-to-date home on Leibnick
street. Mr.. King and one son are out
in California spending the summer
there. They will return home this
week. Mr.. C. Weaver, James Ray and
Aaron Hughes are good, hard working
citizens. Mr.. Scott Jones is one of the
finest citizens here, yet the least
known. He lives at 100 S. Four
>enth street and works at one of the
hotels. He has a fine family. Mrs.
Katie Bayard, who is very sick, is i'm