Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-08-23

There are two. people who know
They are, my broken-hearted daugh-
ter and-I. Her life lies in ruins
about her. The, knowledge is bitter
in my heart because mine is the sin
and mine must forever be the secret
knowledge that, as I sowed the wind,
so 1 and my children and my chill
dren's children, perhaps, must reap
the whirlwind:
am q man of sixty. I was born
just after the Civil War, of free-born
parentage The free Negroes r. those
days formed class practically apart
from the great masses of their own
folk. This was partly the result of
laws passed by certain states to pre-
vent what they considered menace
to the morale of their bond servants
and partly by a disposition on the
part of the freedmen themselves.
These latter considered themselves on
plane several steps sabove their
brothers who were in bondage.
My father had accumulated what,
i'll those days was considered great
= wealth for Negro. The gre. t am
!. bition of all people of color at that
time was to gain an education. Few
schools were open to them, however.
! was cent to one Of these few.
In the large city where the school
to which was sent was located, there
was large Negro population. When
was not in school associated free
~ and happily with my own people.
Their social life was Of necessity
somewhat limited. The church was
the one center of wholesome social
activity. For the rest, there were
questionable pleasures in still more
questionable society.
Like most young men OF my day
and time, drew very definite line
between the two. But I reserved to
myself the right to cross that line
at will, only STIMULATING Saat my
women folk and their associates re-
main very definitely and clearly
within the pale. The moral code OF
those days was, in much greater de-
gree than now, man-made code;
and as there were double standards
of conduct, there were double stand
ards of life for men and women.
In common with the other young
fellows whose blood flowed warm
with youth, frequently sought com
partnership with young women out
side of the pale.
There was one place in particular
1 that was the mecca for the wild COM
'panions with whom sought to break
the monotony of my life as a stu
dent with more money than was good
for me and less interest in my studies
than would have had if had been
compelled to earn my way. The
place was q ramShackle frame house
that stood across the. street from the
Union station at the rear of one
of the more pretentious brick build
ings that frorted it. This house
was sort of boarding house for
railroad porters and janitors of the
nearby buildings.
1t served also as restaurant fire.
quented by Negro passengers who
could not obtain service from the
regular places patronizec by the gen.
eral travelling public. Frequently, per-
SON: who were compelled to stay over
between trains would rent one of the
squalid, poorly furnished rooms for
a nominal sum. The income from
these rooms was but the least of the
questionable means of procuring
money to which the proprietor, G big
brown, brutal-faced man, resorted.
Gambling games were always in
progress in some of the many rooms
Of the old building. Drinks were
procured and served from the back
entrance to the saloon facing the
street. A percentage Of the sales
waJ the remuneration of Brownie"
the owner and operator of the dive.
Z en- the girls who frequented this
house of sin were very beautiful.
One night after having attended a
social function ct little Methodist
church to and from which had es-
corted the, girl who, was later to be-
come my wife, decided to round out
the evening with gambliES and
drinking bout at Brownies.
Ordinarily. I Weuid have chosen