The Colorado statesman., 1924-03-22
IF [ Had You Down
in Texas"
BY Jessie o. Thomas
or Associated Negro Press.)

a few nights ago, leaving New York
City at IL 80 over the New York Cen
tral en- route to Rochester, passengers
in one of the Pullman cars were
awakened by a controversy between
another passenger and a Pullman
porter Some misunderstanding arose
in connection with the handling of the
passengers baggage. The other pas
senger's attention was attracted to
this discord by the loud speaking of
the fellow-passenger who exclaimed
to the porter at the top of his voice,
Shut up If had you down in Texas,
| would swing you to a limb, cut off
your ears and take them for a souve-
mir" Without any further discussion,
it is clear to the reader as to the race
and nationality of the passenger in
6uestion as well as the geographic
boundry of his birth place.
The Constitution of the twenty-first
chronicles one of the most peculiar
horrible murders that have ever been
and especially as it seems to be a Sc
quel to a criminal escapade covering
a period of Il year. A young man by
the name of Frank Mcdowell, claim
ing to be directed by some invisible
spirit and actuated by some divine i'm
pulse at the command of a Jehovah"
killed his father and mother while
they slept on February 10, exactly one
year after the date that his two Sis
ters We're burned to death in their bed
rooms at Decatur, Ga An untiring eff
fort was made to connect the dis
charged maid (Negro) with the soak
ing with oil and setting on fire the
mattress of the bed where these young
women slept in Decatur. This wom-
an was taken through the third" de-
gree and perhaps the "thirty-third de-
gree" and made to testify that her hus-
band set this room on fire that burned
to death these girls. If this had oc-
CURED in many parts of this state, it
would not be surprising if the hus-
band of this discharged cook would
not have been down in Texas"
Young Mcdowell, brother of the two
unfortunate girls, now confesses that
it was he instead of the discharged
maid who planned the destruction of
his sisters for the same spirituals rea-
son that he murdered his mother and
father while they slept in st. Peters
burg, Fla, to which place they moved
shortly after the death of the girls.
1t now appears before the testi-
mOny of some of the legal minds em-
ployed in an effort to fasten the guilt
on one of four Negroes under suspi-
cion as well as statements from the
relatives of the family, that it was
pretty generally conceded at that time
that Frank knew something about the
burning to death of his two sisters.
wonder what Frank would do if he
had a Negro down in Texas?" On
the other hand, 1 wonder if Frank s
father ever had Negro down in
Texas?" 1 wonder if Franks grand |
father on either his fathers or moth |
ers side of the fence, ever had Ne
gro Down in Texas?" In other words, |
am afraid that some of the people
who have Negroes Down in Texas"
do not realize what influence this may
have on their children even down to
the third or fourth generation, in the
matter of twisting or warping their
mental selves so that they become
mentally depraved and thirsty for
blood. Psychologist might give some
interesting information on this ques-