The Omaha guide., 1947-03-22
|NAACP PROVIDES AID
TO RUNAWAY SLAVE"

Ell Paso, Texas, March II. Elizabeth
Coker did not know why she was "giv-
en- away" When she was eight years
old, she knew, she had been left with a
white family, the P. r. Franklins in
Ell Paso. She scrubbed and mopped
and cleaned the house at lila East Rio
Grande Street all day. She never re-
eeived any money. She wore canvass
shoes n the cheapest kind of cloth
ing. She was never inside a church,
she never saw any kind of entertain
ment whatsoever.
In 1888, when Elizabeth was ten
years old, Mrs. Franklin had her charg
ed in Ell Paso Court with insanity. DR..
A. w. Branch of Ell Paso testified that
Mrs. Franklin had told him the girl
would come walking across the floor
and suddenly turn around and say Let
me alone, get away from here and no
one would be there" Obviously of IN
sound mind, said the doctor.
Mrs. Franklin testified: Il go@ her
through a colored preacher here in
town. She lived with a family in New
Mexico and they were so mean he ask
ed if | would take her. We got attach
ed to the youngster and she was appar-
emily so smart, but she gradually be-
gar to fail. For three nights she laugh
ed n talked all night long. When
she woul catch me looking at her she
would cry and last night she sang and
danced all night, that is, moved her
body as if dancing
Elizabeth Coker was committed to the
insane asylum at Austin. Three years
later, Mrs. Franklin went to Austin.
brought the girl back to Ell Paso and
put her back to work.
When the Franklins built their home
on Buena Vista drive, Elizabeth was
forced to carry rock and dig bitches
for the foundation all day from 6 a. IN.
At night she worked in the house to
10 30 or IL p. m. h slept in the chic
ken roost. On Sundays Mrs. Franklin
took her to apartment houses whisA the
Franklins owned and she scrubbed and
polished floors all day without lunch
unless the tenants gave her something
to eat.
Once Elizabeth carried an empty ce-
ment sack into the house and a little
cement sifted to the floor. Mrs. Fran
Kiln tried to hit her with a stick, but
the girl lodged. Mrs. Franklin told
her husband about it when he came
home. He slapped the girl and he and
another man pushed her down the eel
lar stairs, hurting her back. They
kept her there until the police arrived.
The police took her to Jail for six
weeks. Mrs. Franklin went to the jail
brought her home and put her back to
work.
The first ray of light that had ever
penetrated into Elizabeth COker's mis-
cradle life came in January of this
year, when the girl was around nine
teen. Mr.. and Mrs. w. S. Thompson,
who lived in the Franklin's apartment
house at 330S North Piedras Street.
learned from the girl that she had
never been paid for her work, had new
er been to school or to town, and they
asked her if she would run away and
live with them. She said she would.
Elizabeth had come out to the road a
bout a quarter of a mile from the
house. They picked her up and took
her with them.
Informed of the situation by the
Thompsons. the Ell Paso branch NAACP
engaged the services of Attorney 81. T.
Faulk, who gathered evidence and urn
ed it over to the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation. The FBI is now investi-
eating.