Meanness.

 - On last Friday, two colored barbers, of this city, McCracken and Davis, accompanied by the sister of the latter, came to the “city” of Burlington from Galesburg, Ill. On arriving at Burlington, they went to the depot of the B. & M. R.R. to take the train for this city. They purchased their tickets and were getting aboard the train when they were stopped by the brakesman who said that Miss Davis could not go into the car with white ladies and that she must go into the other car which was filled with men. The brother of the girl claimed the right to put her in the ladies car and would not allow her to ride in any other on that train. The brakesman said he was acting under orders from conductor Hitchcock. Mr. H. was appealed to and his answer was that she could not ride in the ladies car and there was no use talking about it. The party refused to come up on the train, but waited until evening and came up with another conductor. While waiting in Burlington, one of the boys went to see Mr. Perkins, Superintendent of the road, who said that the conductor did not act under orders. We give the facts in this case as they were given us, and we consider such conduct to be the quint-essence of double-distilled meanness. We think a lady, who purchases a first-class ticket on a railroad, if she is colored, has a right to the same privileges as any other lady. The little contemptible democratic prejudices against color will not win in loyal, liberty-loving Iowa. We have a “free pass” over the B. & M. R.R., but it don’t prevent us from saying what we think about the company or the action of any of its employees.

(“Mount Pleasant Journal”, May 17, 1867, page 4)

Resource provided by Henry County Heritage Trust, Mount Pleasant, Iowa; transcription done by Liam Christensen, University of Northern Iowa Public History Field Experience Class, Spring 2025.

Contributed to Henry County IAGenWeb, April 2025.