The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-05
The Escape of Anderson Hixon

ing midsummer midnight. A black night in
which the sand roads, pine tracts and gray, barren
fields were swallowed up. Occasionally mutter-
ing of distinct thunder ominousy broke the stiffness
From thicket came the musical hum of insects
The odor of cape jasmine was rich upon the air
DcIsie Hixon leaned from her window to get
a freer breath, her heavy body palpitated with the
heat. Mosquitoes swarmed in and out and settled
upon her. She needed them not. She was talking
to herself in low, musical voice. Use tole" she
said that my boy mus leave Red City, Use tole that
my Anderson my baby, mus go away he'll be
killed! Use tole that my Anderson, my baby, mus
leave his father an mother an go away he'll
be ynched Use tole that he mus go away OF he'll
have toe die! Use tole he mus go away from Red
City and never come back mol! But l. his mother
l remembers hearin' the voice of that Court. !,
members hearin' the voice of that Court say, "Not
guilty! Not guilty! Anderson Hixon Of the crime
accused. An remembers how I cried when
heard that voice of the Court. How l laughed TO
Joy when l heard the voice Of that Court a-sayin
Not Guiltyp An l remembers how glad was my
heart when my boy walked out of that Court, free
"An' Use tole that he mus go away; Use
tole that the citizens of Red City demands my An
dersons goin' awayl They say he can't live among
them mo-" Delsie folded her arms across her
broad bosom and leaned farther out on the window
sill. She continued to talk in a low musical voice
"But, /, his mother say that the Lar have pro-
nounced my Anderson, free! The court have pro-
nounced him Not Guilty! an J, his mother say
he shall not go away but he shall live whar he
chooses an that's right shere at home"
Delse paused and drew back from the window
Suddenly red snake leaped from the threaten
ing clouds and writhed across their backness;
long, muffled followed. STILL the mosquitoes
sang in the thicket
Delsie again rested her broad bosom or the sill
and went in her low, musical voice. 81 remem-
bers Slavery Days ! remembers when war a very
I'll chile an lived with my mother on the plantation
7 doan remembers no father I expects that my
massa war my father. / remembers the whippns
the black folks had, / remembers the death blows
the runaways got, an the long hunts after them
that hid in the swamps / can the dogs
a-runnin hard with their red tongues hangin out
Of their mouths, an their lank sides heavn'; /
can hear their long, deep bay, an their snapn' an
snarlin' when they had foun' the po negro. sees
tOe-night the slave what runs past my mothers
cabin, jess a-stoppin long huff to get a drink of
water while my mother steps outside into his tracks
to thro' off the dogs That slave man a-bearn his
iii brother his breast, all beedin' ana-dyin!
can all this now an the dogs, the bloodhounds
comm faster and faster.
81 knows of the awfulness of the Slavery days. my
mother tells me ALL Of the degradation, the unrest,
the rebelous feelin's that made a runaway shoot
hissef rather than toe be taken back. Then the
prayers our peoples prays toe God an how he
seemed toe have mercy. The lies we had toe tell
toe scape the lash, an the stealins had toe do
toe keep from starvin when it might have been
better toe have starved" Desie stopped. Another
fiery snake leaped from the clouds, another pro-
ongcd roar broke the stiffness! Delsie thrust her
hand out into the night there was no rain upon it.
She went on; / remembers the day when that word
came that made free and women, and free, i'll
chillen of the black slaves. / remembers that day
WELL how them mems and womens an ill chlins
war a-crowdin roun' each other cryin' TO Joy, am
a shoutin' Yves free! wes free! Glory gloryl
Yves free! We's free! An remembers SEEM the
masses a-scowlin' black an how they goes out an
shoots themself's a cussin' mad, like the towards
they war. Then mseries come after that free
word, an still mo-; the black peoples atryin to get
toe the North, womin an iii chil-lins sufferin' as
If God had forgotten them. Then better days begin
to come, they say up north that the black mus
have the right TO vote TO- things, toe say what he
wants at the ballot box, / remembers my husband
a-votin TO the first time just how he feared TO
hisself! How the white folks laughed when the
black folks voted, an how those votes did not count
70 much.
Then, long while after those "free" days, my An
derson boy came to Hixon an me. Yves happy TO-
q while, but 1t seems that wes not free we
thOt we war. But said if Anderson can go to
school his mother win work and wash TO the rich,