University of Virginia Library

106. CVI.
THE WORKINGS OF THE FREEDMEN'S BUREAU. —
A REPORT.

[1] In accordance with yoor esteemed request, dated the 25th,
and received this morning, I to-wunst proceeded to make enquiry
ez to the workin uv the Freedmen's Burow, and the condishun
uv the Afrikin citizens uv Amerikin descent in this
vicinity. The fact that a Ablishnist still holds the Post Orfice
at the Corners (wich place, by the way, I hev been solicited to
accept), interfered materially with the biziness I hed in hand.
I to-wunst tooted the horn, ez is the custom when we hev
religious servis, and called my congregashun together. They
come runnin in from the different groceries; and here another
difficulty ensood. The grosery keepers wanted to know what
we wuz a going to hev meetin on week days for? They wuz
willin to shut up durin meetin time on Sundays, ez they respected
the church, and it give em time to sweep out the terbacker,
et settry; but they'd be d—d ef they wuz a goin to
hev the people pulled away from their nourishment on week
days. I succeeded in pacifyin em, and went in at wunst examinin
the leadin citizens. Their testimony is ez follows: —

Captain Skelper wuz a nigger owner afore the war, and
durin the late fratrisidle struggle wuz a captain in the confedrit
servis. Wuz with Ginral Forest at Fort Pillow. Hez hed much
experience with niggers. Bleeves em to be adapted to the
climit uv Kentucky, and much more able to stand the hot sun

than the whites. When they wuz slaves, never knowed em to
refooze to work; know they alluz did work, becoz he generally
stood over em with a nigger whip. Since they hev bin free,
hez notist a change; not much uv a change, ontil the Nigger
Burow wuz establisht. Before that they'd take sich wages ez
yoo chose to give em; since then the d—d heathen will stand
out bout ez the white men do, and won't work at all onless
yoo meet their views, wich made a heap uv trouble, and materially
retarded the development uv the country. The Burow
hed corrupted the female niggers; ez they hed all bin legally
married by the Chaplins to the men they'd lived with, and
wuz so sot on livin with em, that there's no yoose uv yoor tryin
to get a house wench unless yoo took her husband also. His
wife wuz now doin degradin work at home for want uv help.
Strongly urged the abrogashen uv the Burow, and the removal
uv the Abolishn Postmaster at the Corners.

Deacon McGrath wuz convinst in his own mind that the
Afrikin wuz now out uv his normal speer, and that the infernal
Burow wuz at the bottom uv it. The nigger, afore the Burow
come around, wuz docile and easily controlled. His boy Joe
wuz wunst a model nigger. He'd get up every mornin at 4
A. M. (wich means in the mornin), and work every day till after
dark. Ez soon ez he wuz emancipated, ez they called it, and
the Burow come, I told him to get up, one mornin; and he told
me, impudently, that he'd concluded he woodent. I undertook
to chastise him with a fence stake, whereupon he sailed in, and
whaled me; and the Burow, to which I applied for redress, larft
in my face. He left, and is now draggin out a miserable existence
in Ohio, on the beggarly pittance uv two dollars a day, and
my farm is runnin to weeds. He conclooded by givin it ez his
solemn opinion that he never cood be reconciled to the Government
so long ez the Burow wuz tolerated, and that Ablishnist
held the Post Orfis at the Corners.

Gineral Dinges considered the Burow a inkubus upon the
State. It interfered between master and servant. Cood git
along better ef the nigger wuz left to the nateral laws wich
regulates capital and labor. Tried to keep his niggers, and did
keep em the past summer till after the crop wuz in, and then
tried to settle with em for four dollars a month, with sich deductions

for food, sickness, and broken tools, et settry, ez wuz
just. Brought the niggers, all uv em, in my debt, and generously
proposed to let em work it out choppin cord wood doorin
the winter. Hauled me up afore the Burow, and wuz forst to
pay em each $15 per month. Consider the Burow ez all that
stands in the way uv rekonstruction, though the removal uv
the Ablishun Postmaster at the Corners and the appintment uv
a sound constooshnel Dimekrat wood grately assist in conciliatin
the Kentucky mind.

I tried to get some nigger testimony, but cood elicit nothing
worth while. One nigger, who spends the heft uv his time at
the Corners, wuz opposed to the Burow becoz it stopt rations
on him. And Lucy, a octoroon, who formerly belonged to, and
still resides with, Elder Gavitt (who is now absent ez a delegate
to a Southern religious convention at Louisville), testified
that the Burow “wuz no grate shakes,” becoz bein ez the Elder
wuz a widower, and the father uv all her children, and bein
she's a free woman, she askt the agent to make the Elder marry
her, and he woodn't do it. But sich evidence is irrelevent, and
I didn't consider it worth while botherin yoor Exslency with
it. Both, however, strongly insisted on the removal uv the
Ablishun Postmaster at the Corners.

Abslum Pettus wuz convinst the Burow wuz agin the prosperity
uv the State, and wuz underminin the moral and physikle
welfare uv the nigger. It made him impudent. Hed sum uv
em workin for him, and notist at noons and nites he'd find em
with a spellin-book and a reader. Didn't bleeve in readin.
Coodent read hisself, but hed a cousin wunst who learned; but
ez soon ez he cood read he moved off to Injeanny, quit the
Democrisy, and become a loathsum Ablishnist. Heerd he wuz
killed in the war, and served him rite. Wanted to know what
we wood do when the niggers cood all read. Sposed we'd hev
to 'lect em to offis, ez the people alluz selected sich, when they
cood find em. Didn't bleeve in nigger equality, and wuz in
favor uv imediate change in the post orfice at the Corners.

Captain McSlather thought things hed cum to a sweet old
pass, when a man coodn't lather a nigger without bein hauled
up afore a Burow.

Kurnel Pelter thought ef yoor Exslency cood witness the

corrupshen that eggsisted in the Burow, yoo'd make short work
uv it. Why, he whipped a nigger hand more than he ought,
perhaps, and he died uv the injuries. It wuz a aggravatin case.
The nigger wuz sassy, and it cost three hundred and sixteen
dollars to pervide for his family. That infamous Burow made
me pay for their rashens all winter. He asked, indignantly, ef
this wuz or wuz not a free kentry into wich such things wuz
permitted. And the Ablishen Postmaster at the Corners approved
the tyranikle action. He demanded his removal.

I conceive it to be onnecessary to submit further testimony.
I know not what luck yoor other commissioners may hev met
with in takin testimony on this subjick; but in this vicinity
there can't be no doubt that there can't be that love for the
Government, without wich free instooshens won't flourish to
any alarmin extent, ontil this monster is squelched. The testimony
is unanimous, and them ez I hev examined are representative
men.

You may hev notist, also, the singler unanimity with wich
they all bore testimony to the necessity uv a change in the
Post Orfis at the Corners. I endorse all they say on this question,
considerin that that change is ez necessary in the grate
work uv pacifyin and conciliation ez is the removal uv the Burow.
In case a change is made, I would say, for your guidance,
that I hev been warmly solicited by my friends to accept the
position, and to pacify em, hev at last yielded a reluctant consent.
The fact that I never served in the Confederate army
may be an objection; but, to offset that, I voted for Vallandygum
twice.

Ef possible, send me a pardon at the same time yoo send me
my commission ez Post Master; for, if the Post Offis don't pay,
I may want to run for some other office, in wich event that
document would be essential to my success.

With sentiments uv the most profound respek,