Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1927-05-28
Escaped Flood Refugee
Tells Pitiful Story

During the past week number OF
escaped refugees from the flood zone
arrived in the Twin Cities. We useo
the term ESCAPED" because it is
known fact that the only way a
Negro can leave the flood zone now
is to run away as did the slaves be-
fore go" The real conditions of the
flood sufferers, especially the Negro
refugees is not being told in full by
the daily press. A Herald reporter
interviewed one of the colored men
who was fortunate enough to escape
from Northern Louisiana. This IN
schooled man is of high native intel
ligence. He told vivid story of the
untold suffering and abuse that the
Negroes of his section of the delta
country have undergone.
With the quiet and lovely patois of
the Louisianan, he spoke regretfully
of his flight because he left most o.
his relatives behind. The town closest
to the plantation on which this mar
toiled under the notorious peonage
system is Lake Providence, right or
the banks of the Mississippi. This
little city and the surrounding coun
try were completely inundated by the
flood. The refugees were piled in
box cars and shipped to higher
ground, after which the box cars be
came their homes. Each of the plan
tation owners was assigned one o.
more box cars where his rs werc
quartered. Men, women and children
victims of the rivers mighty wrath
The most pitiful part of this mans
story is that the white nationa'
guardsmen who are sworn to protec
the life and property of the citizens
of this country have daily carried on
even during the height of the fooC
turmoil, most vicious campaign O.
rape against the defenseless coloreC
women while their husbands, sweet
hearts and sons have stood by help
less. He said that the people in this
section of the country were well fed
but they bemoaned the fact that il
would take the rest of their natura
lives to pay for the food issued tt
them. The plantation owners already
having informed them that 'his gro
ceries" must be paid for despite the
tons of food that the red cross anl
other agencies have been sending
into the river zone. He told Of the
CONSUMPTION of all the Negro men fol-
levee work. Despite the evenly divid-
ed population in this district the col,
ored men are the only ones called
upon to do the heavy work, every
white man seen has a pistol or a pick
and the job of overseer.
The man who related the story is
thirty years old, had never seen &
Negro newspaper until he came tc
Minnesota. A negro doctor or lave
was unheard of by him. He remem.
OClo OChiS lolSSu W "lIlICSS JIG Ic-l
ring and feathering of a Negro
caught with a Chicago Defender
Space prevents telling mores of the
pitiful things told the reporter. A
northside business man employed this
nan who it appears is a STEADY worker
and should make good citizen.
Editors NoteNT-,,2is story is told n.,'
for the purpose of arousing feeling
but to tell the truth to the colored
and white people of these cities about
certain conditions in the stricken
southland. White newspapers with
but few exceptions never fail to tell
the worst about the Negro and We
feel duty bound to tell the whole
world about the conduct OF the Louisi-
ana National guards.