CHAPTER III.
The Meeting In The Wigwam.
Three months have passed since the events narrated in the preceedingchapters. Chill winds are heralding the approach of winter. Wilmingtonis three months nearer its doom. Political warriors are buckling ontheir armour for the final struggle on the 8th of November which mustresult in complete victory for white supremacy, or indefinate bondage toNegro Domination (?)
Far out on Dry Pond in an old meeting house known as the Wigwam, theWhite Supremacy League has gathered. The old hall is poorly lighted butit is easy for the observer to see the look of grim determination on thefaces of all present. It is a representative gathering. There is theJew, the German, Irishman, Bourbon Aristocrat and "poor bocra." Thedeacon, the minister of the gospel, the thug and murderer. No onelooking upon this strangely assorted gathering in a Southern communitywould for a moment question its significance. Only when politics and therace question are being discussed is such a gathering possible in theSouth. There is a loud rap: the hum of voices ceases. The individual whogives the signal stands at a small table at the end of the long narrowhall. One hand rests upon the table, with the other he nervously toyswith a gavel. He is a tall, lean, lank, ungainly chap, whose cheek bonesas prominent as an Indian's seem to be on the eve of pushing through hissallow skin. A pair of restless black eyes, set far apart, areapparently at times hidden by the scowls that occasionally wrinkle hisforehead. His gray hair hangs in thick mats about his shoulders.
Teck Pervis had served in the war of secession under General Whiting,and was one of the many demoralized stragglers, who swept before theadvancing tide of the Union troops scampered through the swamps andmarshes after the fall of Fort Fisher, to find refuge in Wilmington.During the Reconstruction period and many years following, he, with suchcharacters as Sap Grant, Neal Simonds, Henry Sallins, Watson and others,made nights hideous on Dry Pond by their brawls and frolics. Inintroducing Teck Pervis to the reader, I wish to briefly call attentionto that peculiar class in the South known as the "Poor Whites." Alwaysan ignorant dependent, entirely different in every respect from thedescendants of the Huguenots, Celt and Cavaliers that make up theSouth's best people; the origin of this being, who since the war hasbeen such a prominent figure in the political uprisings and racetroubles, and so on, is worthy of consideration. In the early centuriesthe English Government made of America what in later years Australiabecame--_a dumping ground for criminals_. Men and women of the MotherCountry guilty of petty thefts and other misdemeanors were sent toAmerica, bound out to a responsible person to be owned by said personuntil the expiration of sentence imposed, a stipulated sum of moneybeing paid to the Crown for the services of the convict. At theexpiration of their term of servitude these subjects were given limitedcitizenship, but were never allowed to be upon equality with those whoonce owned them. These indentured slaves and their descendants werealways considered with contempt by the upper classes. The advance ofAmerican civilization, the tide of progress has arisen and swept overthis indolent creature who remains the same stupid, lazy, ignoramus.
In Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,North and South Carolina, and throughout the entire South are legion ofthis people, some of whom could not be taught the rudiments ofarithmetic. When African slavery became established in America, whiteslavery was then tried in Australia where the treatment was so severethat thousands of them fled to the woods to become as wild in manyinstances as the natives. As the introduction of African slavery causedthe indentured slave to depreciate in value as bond men, they wereconverted into overseers, patrolmen, Negro drivers to look for and toreturn runaway Negroes to their masters. They were licensed to break upNegro frolics, whip the men, and ravish the women. But in the main thepoor white subsisted by hunting and fishing. To him work was degrading,and only for "niggers" to do. A squatter upon the property of others,his sole belongings consisted of fishing tackle, guns, a house full ofchildren, and a yard full of dogs. In Virginia, North and South Carolinahe is known as "Poor Bocra," "Poor Tackie." In Georgia and Florida it's"Cracker," and there are few readers of current literature who are notfamiliar with that class of whites known as Clay Eaters of Alabama andMississippi. Looked down upon by the upper classes, the poor whitebefore the war was simply a tool for designing politicians. When warbetween the North and South became iminent, the poor white increased invalue; for the aristocrat was adverse to being a common private. So theysought the poor white, appealed to his patriotism, pictured to him thewrongs heaped upon the South, and the righteousness of slavery. Theydrew glowing pictures of the Southern army's invasion of the North tothrash the Yankees, and pardon them in Faneuil Hall. The South freed,was to open her markets to the world. Her wealth was to be untold, whilegrass would grow on the sidewalks of Northern cities. Every poor whitewho shouldered a gun was to be elevated out of serfdom, be given fortyacres of land, a "nigger" and a mule. Enthused by these glowingpromises, the Southern poor white shouldered his gun and waded in: andno one reviewing the history of that immortal struggle would for amoment question the bravery of the Southern soldiers. They fought likedemons. They invaded the North. They made the world wonder atGettysburg.
Here Mississippi flushed with pride Met Pennsylvania's deadly tide And Georgia's rash and gallant ride Was checked by New York's chivalry.
Here Alabama's rebel yell Rang through the valleys down to hell But Maine's decisive shot and shell Cut short the dreadful revelry.
But the South's victorious armies did not reach Faneuil Hall. The aircastles, the hopes of Southern prosperity and the poor whites elevationand wealth were blasted, when two years after that gallant dash atGettysburg, that ragged, starved, wretched host surrendered atAppomattox. The blasted hopes of the poor white caused him to driftfurther away from the aristocrat who had fooled him into a foolhardy anddisastrous struggle. Land was cheap but he hadn't the money to buy it,and the aristocrat didn't have the "nigger" and the mule to give him. Hegrew lukewarm politically, got his rod and went a fishing. But with theNegro freed and enfranchised, and the Northern politician on thepremises, the vote of the poor white became indispensible to the formerSouthern ruler who wished to hold his own politically. So a new battlecry was made, viz:--"Negro Domination," "Social Equality." But solukewarm had the poor white become, that his song had to be sung withpertinacious fervor to make him do more than pause to listen.
"_Do you want niggers to marry your daughters? Do you want niggers tosit in school beside your children? Do you want niggers on the juriestrying white men? If you don't want such dreadful calamities to befallthe South, go to the polls and do your duty!_" "What'd he say? Niggerser marryin our darters? Niggers in skule wid we uns? Thet aint er gointer du! Le' me see thet ticket!"
The Southern poor white has never had much of a hankering after "booklarning." He's better than the "nigger" and that's all he cares to know.To be white means license to trample upon the rights of others. Thecat's paw--the tool of the aristocrat, he stands ready always, to do thedirty work of lynching, burning and intimidation. Traveling South,especially on the East Coast, the train conductor only has to say to thecolored passenger in a first class car but once that he must get out. Ifthe passenger refuses, the conductor need not waste words; a telegram toJessup or Way Cross, Ga., or Bartow Junction in Florida will calltogether a crowd of crackers, large enough to put the engine off thetrack if necessary. Like the dog in the manger, unable to pay for afirst class ride himself, the poor white squats about railroad stationsand waits for the opportunity to eject some prosperous Negro. I haveknown as many as two hundred to swarm around a train to put off onefrail woman not over ninety pounds in weight.
This is the creature that is held up continually before the Negro ashis superior--an assertion that will ever be met with strong resistance.For while the Negro was a slave he is not a descendant of criminals.
"Gentermen," said Teck Pervis, "whils we air waitin fur ther kernul andother big uns ter errive, as cheerman uv the Dry Pond White Supr
eemacyLeeg, I wish ter keep this here meet'n warm by makin' er few brokenremarks"--"Go ahead Teck, give us a speech" came from more than a dozenthroats; "I wanter say jes here" he continued "thet ther white folks uvWilmington, North Caliny hav tuk and stood nigger biggitty andhifullutin carryins on with moe patience then eny folks on top side erthis green yerth" (Laughter and applause). "We po uns have jes layed erroun an slep till Mr. Nigger has trotted so fur er hed that I am fearedwe wont be able ter over take him." (Laughter). "They air in betterhouses then we po white uns, thur chilan air er wearin better cloes aner gittin moe larnin then our'n. An gentermen surs jes tackle eny erthem little uns er'n an they'd surprise yer; why they kin spit latinfaster then er terbacky worm kin spit terbacky. (Laughter). Who givether nigger ther stick ter break our heads? _Who done it I say?_ Yourich white uns, thets who;" "But we'll do it no longer," said a voicefrom the audience. "We uns hepped yer ter fite yer battles," continuedTeck, "an when thet war was ended, we did'n git ther nigger an mule yerpromised, but we uns did' n kick powerful hard agin yer bekase yer did'nhev em ter giv us." (Laughter). "But you uns could er giv we uns therwurk instid uv givin it ter good fur nuthin nigger bekase we po uns hevvoted yer ticket rite er long an kep yer in office--
"I see ther kurnels on hand' so I giv way fur im," and Teck Pervisadvanced to where the Colonel had paused to remove his overcoat. "Whatsthe matter with the Colonel? He's all right!" was uttered with a ringthat shook the old wigwam. The Colonel, escorted by Teck Pervis,leisurely strutted to the centre of the hall. The Colonel had seen thetime when he would have scorned the idea of being introduced to anaudience by a low white. "Oh vain boast! who can control his fate?" Heis now as poor as the poorest indentured slave, seeking to feed at thepublic crib by appealing to the passions and prejudices of the masses.
"Gentlemen," says he, "it is needless for me to ask you to night whetheror not you believe that the Anglo-Saxon race was ordained by God to rulethe world. It is needless for me to say that the Anglo-Saxon proposes tocarry out God's decree to the letter. (Applause). When God made man, heplaced him over every other living creature to rule and govern, and thatman was a white man. (Applause). When God said to man 'Have dominionover the beasts of the field,' He meant to include inferior races. Theseinferior races are to be kept in subjection by their superiors, andwherever and whenever they assume to dominate their superiors we arejustified by our Creator in using every means available to put themdown. The white people of North Carolina, the curled darlings of God'sfavor have by their long suffering gotten into such a state ofsubjection that it is time to act. (Applause). Wherever the Saxon hasplanted his foot, he has been a civilizer. He came to America, drove outthe savage and made it the greatest nation on the face of the earth,(applause) and he has the right to govern it in its entirety from thehumblest official to the executive head of the nation, (prolongedapplause). We have for years been dominated by semi-civilizedbarbarians, flattered into the belief that they are as good as whitepeople by unprincipalled Yankee carpet-baggers who have profited bytheir ignorance. Emboldened by the leniency of their superiors, Negroeshave become unbearable. The government is corrupt, and so bold has theNegro become that the virtue of our women has been assailed by thatblack rascal, the editor of _The Record_--(cries of Kill him! Burn thescoundrel!) The snake is not to be scorched this time: we are going tomake a clean sweep, and permanently restore white man's government. Ourfriends in other sections of the State, and even in adjoining States arein sympathy with us, and are willing to come in and help us," etc.
But why weary the reader with the Colonel's firey harangue? Althoughthere is no foundation for such incendiary language the reader will soonsee just how much misery it wrought upon a defenseless people. Fannedinto fury by the rehearsing of imaginary wrongs by gifted tongues, themob when once started astonished its leaders, who quailed and lookedaghast at the hellish work they had inaugurated.