178. CLXXVIII.
MR. NASBY NURSES THE LABOR MOVEMENT
AT THE CORNERS.
Post Offis, Confedrit × Roads }
(wich is in the Stait uv Kentucky),
May 28, 1869.
The agitashen uv the question uv niggers labrin with white
men in Washington reached the Corners four weeks ago, and
perdoost, ez mite hev bin expectid, most profound feelin. Our
white artisans assembled to-wunst and passed resolooshens in
sympathy with their brethren in Washington, and urgin uv em
to hold out to the bitter end rather than compermise their
dignity by lowerin themselves to the level uv the greasy Afriken.
The meetin wuznt a large one, for we hev only five
mechanics uv the hawty Caucashen race at the Corners, but it
wuz enthoosiastic. Three uv the five hed bin at Bascom's four
days, hevin bin jist paid off by a new-comer, for a house they
hed repaired for him, and they wuz in a frame uv mind for
most anything that wuz eggscitin.
I directed the attenshun uv these men to the fact that a nigger
plasterer wuz even at that time employed in plasterin a
house between the Corners and Garrettstown, and I askt em
ef they wuz content to lay still and see an inferior race take
the bread out uv their mouths in that way? I implored em,
ez labrin men, to preserve the dignity uv labor. Shel niggers
invade yoor okkepashens?
They wuznt none uv em plasterers, but they replied, “Never!
Never!” and demanded, with the utmost promptitood, to be
showd the wretch, that they mite go for him. But I restraned
em till I hed organized em into a Free Labor Unyun, which
perhibited anybody from workin at anythin which didn't jine
it, and wich perhibitid niggers from jinin it. This preliminary
work accomplished, I remarkt, “Follow me!” They did it
with alacrity.
On reachin the house we halted, and there our eyes rested
onto a site wich blarsted em. There wuz a nigger, a full-blooded
nigger, with a cap onto him, and overalls, plasterin
away, whistlin and singin (sometimes one, sometimes another,
and then agin both to-wunst) Methodist hymns. And ever
and anon the unthinkin man of inferiority wood stop and execoot
a break-down, and laff to hisself, so that he could be
heard a mile. The disgustin wretch displayed his grovelin
nacher by drinkin water out uv a bucket wich he hed handy
by him.
We made short work uv it. We informed him that the
laborers uv the Corners hed organized a Union, and that no
one cood be permitted to work within its boundaries ceptin
members thereof.
“Berry well!” remarkt the Afrikin cuss, calmly puttin on a
dab uv mortar and smoothin it, “berry well! I'll jine the
Yoonyun.”
“But you can't. No nigger can be admitted.”
“Den I specks I shel hev to go on and work widout bein a
member. De ole woman and de babies must hab dar bread,
yoo know.”
Sich insolence cood not, uv course, be tolerated. We hed
stated the case to him calmly and dispassionately. We hed
informed him uv the laws we hed made, and this wretch deliberately
defied us, by insistin that he shood go on with his
work! Ther wuz but one course to take, and we took it. We
snaked the platform out from under him; we tore up his
mortar bed; we broke his trowel and other tools, and notified
him offishelly that any attempt at resoomin work would result
in lynchin uv him.
The next day we found that the nigger hed in trooth quit
plasterin, but hed found employment ez a striker in a blacksmith
shop. Uv course sich an outrage on the pure Caucashen
employed in that shop, wich his name wuz O'Toole, cood not
be permitted, and ez O'Toole refoosed to work with him, he
wuz discharged. The next day I notist him on the streets,
rather pale and haggard than otherwise, carryin home a shin
bone uv beef wich he hed bought. The next day after I observed
that he lookt better, and I diskivered that he hed found
employment at last on a turnpike road wich is bein built east
uv the town. Issaker Gavitt and me, the two champions uv
labor for this seckshun (ez we don't work we hev time to
attend to it), sejested to the noble Celts employed on the job
the hidjusnis uv compellin em to work on an ekality with a
nigger, and they struck agin it with the yoosual result. The
nigger wuz discharged. He made but one or two more efforts.
He undertook to git work at various places, but by this time
it wuz well enuff knowd that the citizens uv the Corners wuz
inflexibly opposed to the recognisin uv em in any capassity,
and he yeelded. He got very thin, and pale, and haggard, and
his large family likewise. It wuz evident that they wuznt
feelin very well at home. Notis the nateral result of freedom!
He ABSLOOTLY BEGGED! But uv course the Corners wood give
nothin to a nigger. Then the instinktiv nateral cussidness uv
the nigger — the infernal depravity wich is inherent into all
uv em — began to display itself. He demoralized rapidly, and
in a week became a most disgustin objick. He stole chickens
uv Deekin Pogram, leastways Deekin Pogram's chickens wuz
missin, and who should hev stole em but this nigger? He stole
corn uv Elder Pennebacker, and wuz finally detected takin a
ham from Bascom's smoke-house. There wuz no doubt ez to
his guilt; he wuz taken in the act, with the fatal ham in his
possession. He hed taken it home, and his wife wuz fryin
large slices uv it.
There cood be but one endin to sich a succession uv crimes.
The citizens were too much incensed to await the uncertain
ackshen uv the law, and they hung him at site. The Corners
will never tolerate a nigger theef in their midst, no how.
Uv course I improved the occasion. Ez his body wuz a
swingin in the air, I askt our people to behold the fruits of
Radicalism and Fanatycism. That nigger wuz wunst the happy
slave uv a happy owner; there wuz atween em a nateral relashen.
The nigger workt, and his owner eat, and thus wuz
fulfilled the entire dooties uv life. He wuz not hung then, for
he wuz worth too much money to hang. How hed it bin with
him sense? He demanded to be made a free man; he wuz
made a free man, and here he is. I told em that there wuz no
need uv sayin more; that body a danglin in the air, wich its
sole wuz a marchin on, wuz the most elokent sermon wich cood
be preacht.
The man whose house the nigger wuz a plasterin wuz in
town yesterday, tryin to get Caucashin plasterers to finish the
job; but ez ther ain't none uv em here, he isn't succeedin very
well. He probably won't get into his new quarters this fall.
I am not certain not become uv his family. There wuz a
nigger woman's body pulled out uv the dam a day or two afterwards,
wich somebody remarkt wuz the wife uv the deceast,
and Captain McPelter remarkt that when he went to the cabin
uv the deceest nigger to secoor his share of the furnitoor, that
two leadin niggers from Garrettstown were notist makin off
with the children. But there's no tellin whether there's any
trooth in these rumors or not. I think I shel go to Washington,
and put myself at the head uv the anti-nigger labor movement
now bein inogurated there.
Petroleum V. Nasby, P. M.
(wich is Postmaster).
