Document text
a.
FORS A
Circumstanois of Interview
nAllt OF—,0141,:tra Rub ilson
Dan Nov. 21-22.
ADDRES
11f1 W. Front
suutc? N. Platte I.e/roas
1. Name and address of informant R. L. Johnston 2. Platte
of Gilbert 3arber OM*
2. Date and time of interview Nov. 21. *on.
3. Thiele of interview darber op
4. Use and address of peron, it any, *ho put you in toueb
with informant
6. Name and addressof oprion, if any acoompany you
6. -seizoription of room, house, surroundillgs, eta.
P
MI Nip Air
FORM 13
iarsonal istory of Informant
OF
WOIkra.1‘
Rub z L. Wilson
Nov 2122s/Rewrite Jan 21
Dti.T4
N.M., AND A
ADDRIS R raront N. ';:latte Nebr.
SUBJECT
N. Flatte liscroes
L. Johnston N. Aatte iebr.
'oilbert barber Shop
1. Ancestry Negro
2. Place and dAe of birth Ainsas 189
3. Family
4. Places lived in, with dates 4aneas 126i71-1883 oame to Omaha,
1971a me to g. ilatte 1,ebr.
b. Lduostion, with dates Educated in 4ansas and Omaha
E. OooK.Wons and a000mplishments, with .f..etes Oocu:ied se janitor and
boot black in small barber shop.
7. 6peci.1 skills and interests 3esms sincerely irterested in his
pcoplos well fare and future. ()fiats a simple p!AlosoThy
conoerninF moral uplift and general wellfare.
8. Community and rTlijious aotivitios Seems to 'revs a broad and sound
understanding of this towns colored people.
V. Description of informant Is bleak, bald head frin4e4 u4th grey.
Very self important 17. talk and wirriare. -says and impressive
mistaken vocabulary.
ILI. Other :,oints ilined in interview. Upon the ocoassi.n of
Landon* presidential campaign visit to our city, this nerro
waited upon the speakers very elaboratly wit l- a .A.tobr of toe
water. !ieeause of deformity in chest hips the man walks
like a pouter -pigeon. This and his. air of se1P-esteem made him
more important appearinOhan the vittth rowrnors and speakers,
or even the brass bands. The negro realy stole the show.
Nevertheless he strisss me ao a rather intelligent and well
seasoned negro. his stepson is habitually criminal.
C
Text of Interview (Unedited).-
ZZAki,
Rub* L. Wilson
R L4' Front
Yov. 21-42 su,acT N. ilatte -,eiroem
hD ELSZ, CAi 4
R. H. JohnFton
-r. Johnston informed me tire were 29 colored men and women and
ohildren living in our town.
As Xar as le t'lowr the earliest negro livin•- here was the
i.111 family- who ce in the 160 a he believe. .11 was employed
iere an janitor In the bur. and W48 a resected and de7- ndable character.
Le wroked lere 7 -any years und 6ied and is burled !ore. wco is stil
livinr 'rere and also a stc dau7hter whom I shall oontect au soon as
positilao.
'Nr. Johnston 07:lained thot the wrqption problem existtd here
in the types and oonthtirns of rental dwellirr's available here to the
oclored people. 14: said Lowe c!in he Gottf-n by col 'red people and
those if bt:I
rented by a white -erkon would rent for ueverul dollars
less and there never adoltional improvements such as scre,ms end
window class ect. ihe huses de not :1-etend to moderniems nor would
owners ever renova:o or rapair them before renting them to
nerroes.
he tells e of two col.Ted iotlioru 01 younr- dectijters how are
livini with _.0 ions or stroi -0 men. he also told e 01 a youn-
colored couple whot, have asoertained to or :lost res,lectable
rtvutatii.m. r. and opkIns. r. okns has worked in this
town 10 or 12 re arri also be contacted ab soon 11 possible.
no.
2
This 6ablAth past, r. Johnston tells me, saw the organization af
t negro ,4jsi;: n by a iitv. brawn, a graduate of ati 1 lheolooical
-7-
College of :lashville, Tenn. He re7,orted that 19 oity:,agroes are now
aftilliated in th Irittss ovezent which is "Endavonrinr with the
heli) of the Christian people to raise the moral standard of the %err°
populatcn, cAd all we ask is work for oul%AvcIt 30 that we micht
help ourselves."
dr..Jehnston declared the new minister to be wurkin for no church
dory sayinr he too wantld work and would sup: ort himself by workin s
he hopes to arranre for his people to do.
hall built by the zaptist minister here several ycaru aco and
since squired by tho ministerial aosociaticn for use of the Z.alvation
;.rmy and :;rirth 41de Recreation has been made available to the negro
miszlon throuch the efforts of key. Houston of the -hriatian Church
here and :I -Ts. Von k;leavel also lturature and eon books.
r. Johnston porsof;ally, is tho stop ftther of oor toyt's most
notorious young 1;egro, a boy uho apjear to be around 14 and who f.s
u1ober to W. ":›nuoball" is well known to the police and better
4nown to the state institutions. rte is popular with a certain element
of ti0V6 because he is a clown and beeauae he is so vor atile and well
ex7 rianood. Le is now in trouble of stealim- bond. he has stolen
ari 17Ade of pin4 undelfiear, coal, chickens a d i. short is u
dangerous and habitual c.iminals