_St. Helena Island, Sept. 25._ With the dry weather of July and the
wet weather now, with the worm, we shall lose a third sure of our
crop, if not more.
The negroes on the island are very quiet--all absorbed in a scheme of
establishing a "St. Helena Protective Union Store," J. Smallwood,
President. They have got the frame out and on the ground. I have a
great deal of curiosity to see the working of the thing, for they
never did succeed in the North among intelligent white people. If they
can read and write, or _keep a Union Store, I think they ought to have
the right of suffrage_.
Nearly all the Secesh are back in Beaufort, confidently expecting that
they will get their land back in season to plant next year.
All the Georgians will go back this fall, but all the people
Fuller[186] _took_ with him (excuse me, I should say _went_ with him)
will return here in a few weeks. Fuller hasn't any cotton this year,
only corn and potatoes. When he returned from here he told them the
people down here were very poor and in miserable condition;
nevertheless, they seem willing to come down and share the misery of
freedom to staying up there with Fuller in comfort. At the time he was
here, 17th of June, he never had said a word to the people with him
that they were free, and did not until they made a plan among
themselves to go up to him in a body and make him tell them. Then
Fuller took the old driver one side and told him he wanted him and all
the people to stay with him and plant another year, and wanted him to
use his influence to persuade the people to stay. So next morning he
called them all up and had them stand on his right hand, and as he
called their names he wanted those who were willing to stay with him
another year to step over to his left hand. So he commenced with Old
Gib, the driver (January's father). He turned right round and walked
towards the negro quarters. Fuller says, "Why, Gib, you will stay,
won't you?" "No, Sir." Then he went through the whole list, and every
one marched straight home and none to his left hand, much to his
disgust.
The next extract reports E. S. P.'s final decision as to the
price for which he should offer land to the negroes.