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Show I | THE ee ae + owe Written for TRE KEW TEV: ne RFVIEW solemnly he spoke ] and how character- istically did he give the negro version of the war of independence. It was the first time that |} had heard the birth of our liberty discussed from that point of view and | found it full of interest. And so here is the speech, almost word for word: “You niggers dat hasdun eatez much ez you kin hold an’ now ain‘t. got nothIn’ ter do truth dat how It was advertised, by written stuck on trees, by whose business it was out the country, by merchant, and even rider himself, would be Fourth appropriately Wilson’s Bend. notices of in Where cowld there be had his red, white and red cockade, no drum rumbled and no fife screamed. Indeed. when the country’s great atinck of indigestion took place, Wilson’s ichd was completely left out of the reckoning. It has been said, and with iyre or less truth, that the war was not my intention, however, time dis one busy lately dat I ain't ter ‘vestigate country one it.” time at night wuz an’ he powerful ‘presse. it w'ener man come home didn’t know whut wuz gwine take place fo’ mornin.’ Dis country wuz owned by de white folks at dat time jest de same ez now, but. bless yo’ life, de white folks wuz owned hy er king. Hole on now, I’m tellin’ that great indignation was then expressed by the leading citizen of the community. ‘*‘Why, confound’em all,” snid he, ‘‘what made ’em want to keep the thing so close fur? Jest had a rip‘nortin’ time and never let a feller now nothin’ about it. It’s human natur’, though. The older we git the closer we keep our affairs to ourselves.” is at ‘tellivent man ez you is, Unele Lon, an it do do me good ter see you. Well, not heard of until after it was over, and It wuz ‘pressed “Wall, why didn’t you Varn suthin ‘bout. it fo” you got busy?” “Wall. T jest tell you dat ‘fo’ er man gits busy he ain't got sense ernuff ter kere whuther he knowser thing ur not Howeber, Pse glad dat [has put it off till dis time “caze now Tse got er wise man ter teach me ™ The sperker bowed. “‘Tt's er monstus pleasure ter talk ter sieh er smart an amore hidden community than Wilcon’s Bend? No soldiers found their way into this neighborhood, no one enli. ted here, no recruiting officer came with country been so powerful July celebrated ter lissnn ter dis yere handin’® out, doan® know time. Does you know, Unele Lon?” he asked, nodding at an old man. “Lkaimtsay dat I does, sah, 'eaze T'se deputy sheriffs, to ride throughthe cross-roads by the circuit- that the dis but Use to tell of the characteristics of this peculiar community, nor to describe the habits of the people, vive in detail an neither account shall I of the cele- bration, but shall reproduce the speech of an old nevro made on that occasion. A newspaper had sent me to the mountuins to gather what facts [ could concorning the murder of a United States ranrshal who indisereetly had asked for a nivht’s lodging at the house of an illicit distiller. He was not only provided for overnight, but was given an apartment for all eternity. I arrived upon the scene of the celebration just before Big Alf got up to address the crowd. The white orators had made their speeches, ‘‘filled up” and were asleep in the shade. What an enormous fellow old Alf was, how OLD you. ALF DELIVERING Owned days de kine Sodarwuzee ¥ by » wus Se er HI8 ORATION. king; an’ higher white den folks an’ = in dem de ace . dar wuz |