The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-07-30
Reporter Disguised
Finds ''Red-Necks"
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person here nor has there been.
Here is the story told by a plain
black woman who lives not far from
the court house. She is far and away
the most intelligent individual ! met
here.
"You see, Reverend" she said, at
is cotton chopping time and the
buckra he no chop cotton. For the
last two wears they paid six-bits the
day for chopin; that is, they prom
! ised. but few of 'em paid in full
anybody who worked for them.
"This year they are offering so
cents a day for men and 40 cents a
day for women to chop cotton and
you must find your own grub.
Ralph Gray. hard working black
man, lived just down the road there.
He own the little shanty where he
was killed and has been refusing to
let his girls and wife go work where
he was not wanted.
''In fact, since they been paying so
poorly he has been going over the
line in Georgia with his family and
leaving the boy at home to care for
the pigs and chickens and cows.
Last Monday Sheriff Young told
Ralph that he and his family was
wanted to chop cotton on his farm.
You see. the sheriff and the judge
and all the men up town there in
Dadeville is all farmers, but none of
'em works on their farms; they gets
the work done bv fraudine the col
ored people out of their labor TheS
lock our men up on trumped up
charges, and place fine against 'em
and then farm them out to the diff
ferent farmers to work it out: but
the boys and men has left around
here. so they amt enough to do much
in that way any longer"
Here | asked about the meeting
which was being held Thursday night
when the trouble started. She said:
eyes, sir. I'm comm to that if you
let me. Ralph he spoke to my old
man about what the sheriff had told
! him. He said he asked the sheriff if
he didn't think the work was worth
more than so cents a day around
here when the big farmers over in
Georgia were paving dollar and a
half and two dollars for the same.
And the sheriff he told Ralph that
the white folks was not going to
stand for Negroes setting prices of
labor in Tallapoosa County.
$50 Ralph he invited all the men
and boys around to meet down at the
church Wednesday night and they
voted to not work for less than two
dollars a dav for the men and dol
lar and half day for women folks.
"The white folks was eavesdrop-
ping the meeting and come in and
threw guns on the men and broke up
the meeting. This was Wednesday
night.
Thursday word come to US that
they was organizing the white folks
to come out and whip Ralph Gray
and the leaders of the meetino. There
was no meeting going on Thursday
night. They come out, the white
, folks did. looking for certain colored
men to beat 'em up. Ralph GRAY had
his ~shot gun and was ready. When
they turned into his lane he halted
them and the white folks began the
shooting, and Ralph shot it out with
them.
"You see, Ralph lived on his own
place, tended to his own business,
, was respected. and the white folks
here in Dadeville don't like a black
man who holds up for himself and
keeps his gals out of reach of the
white men.
"Thev shot Ralph all to pieces, but
he lived for hours. NV old man and
ne STAYED there with his family and
him until he died. He told us that
when he asked who it is turnin' into
, the lane that the sheriff said it was
the high sheriff looking for that
/ L \
Ralph told us he answered. We'll.
: here / am what do you want?' and
the answer was cunshots and he shot
I; back with the only two shells he had
4 in his gun and was too badly wound
I ed to reload"
"What about the Communist lead
ers that have been working here
among your colored folks" ! asked
my old man is one of the LEADER
Il and is deacon in the church and he
saws they never has come this way
a although the white folks have beer
Il inquiring about them for a long time
; We amt never seen no communist
:, workers. and only heard about then
> when the scared white folks come
. around irving to make people say
Il thew seen 'em when they hain't."
Il What this good woman has said
i SQUARES with all the side-stepping my
n white inquisitors have made.
n Ask white man in Dadeville wher
:. the communists were there and hi!
is answer is: "These here niggers won
tell US lest when they be around"
If the Federal government would
/ look into it. with Federal AGENTS from
the north, thew would find that fou
deeds are being done and humble
black men are being done to dealt
here in this neck of the woods. be
cause thew want pay for their labor
incidentally. poor whites who hav'
not had chicken and pbrk chops fo
long time are sitting before full
tables today filling up off the loo
taken from the Negro homes afte
the men have been nut in ieil. to b.
kept there until whites can fix I'D tn
=. fines against them and then fix u
contracts between county and farme
q for the labor of these nnfortunat
blacks whose onlv sin Is living on tn
rim of the Black Belt in Alabam
and raising some food and a fe,
chickens and pigs which the poo
whites envy.
Here is the region where peonag
is in fun flower and one wonder
where is President Hoover? and VIII
he lots it grow and prosper.
White reporters estimate that so
colored farm workers attended Weo
nesdav's meeting and that 500 white