“Not the Most Peaceful People on Earth” Abe Weston

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by Kristine Schmucker, Archivist/Curator

People of Harvey County

Abe Weston, Jr was a character that kept the police, courts and newspapers on their toes for several years in the late 1890s. He frequently appears in the Police Reports in the Newton Kansan for anything from a knife fight to drunk and disorderly. At one point the editor of the Newton Kansan dryly observed that Westons were “not the most peaceful people on earth.” (21 October 1897) In addition, his interaction with the “White Caps” help tell the story of a little-known organization in Harvey County.

Idlewild, Kentucky to Harvey County, Kansas

Abe Weston, Sr was born a slave, probably around 1819 in Kentucky.**** His final owner, and possibly only, was Col. Elijah Sebree. The plantation home of Col. Sebree still stands near Trenton, Ky. Built in 1830, the property is called Idlewild. Sebree was a prominent landowner, tobacco and cotton trader, coal mine owner and railroad builder.

In 1880, a group of thirty-one former slaves from Col Sebree’s planation came to Harvey County, Ks. Among them was Abe Weston, his wife Mariah, and children Frank (4), Stephen (8), John (17) Matilda (13) and Abe Jr (10). Abe Weston, Sr died in 1902 at the age of 83. In his obituary, there is no mention of his wife, only his five children. Not much more can be gleaned from the newspapers about him.

Abe Weston Jr was born in 1870 in Kentucky and came to Kansas with his family in 1880. At some point he married a woman named Florence who went by the nickname Flossie.

In 1888, Abe Weston, Jr begins to appear in various newspaper notices. In January 1888, Abe Weston, 18, was involved in organizing a baseball team along with O.L. Boyd, C. Colman, John Roston, Wm Richman, Chas Fox John McClain, A.J. Tandy, W.A. Brown and Mike Vance. (Newton Daily Republican 27 January 1888).

He was involved in a disturbance in 1888, when he was arrested and appeared before Judge Spooner. His fine was $7.50 and costs. (Newton Daily Republican, 19 October 1888) For five years all was quiet, however, in 1893, both he and his wife appeared in Police Court. Abe was convicted of disturbing the peace. He paid his fine of $5. Mrs. Abe Weston also appeared but her charges were “dismissed on account of the incompetency of the complaining witness.”  (Newton Daily Republican, 23 December 1893)

More Sinned Against than Sinning’

The Weston family often had squabbles among themselves that led to injury and an appearance in court. The October 21, 1897 Kansan reported difficulty between Abe and his wife Florence, brother Frank and Klan Rossiter ending in Florence being beaten. The next morning, Mrs. Florence Weston “swore out a warrant” for Abe’s arrest, along with Frank and Rossiter. Abe disappeared. Frank Weston and Rossiter appeared before Police Judge von der Heiden who “after gravely surveying the belligerents through his judicial specs, concluded that Flossie was more ‘sinned against than sinning’ and let her go.” He fined both Frank Weston and Rossiter $5 and costs. (Newton Kansan 21 October 1897)

At that time, the Newton Daily Republican described Abe Weston as “a colored citizen of Newton, ever ready to fight the first man who looks crossed-eyed at him.”  (Newton Kansan 21 October 1897)

Perhaps the gravest incident involved some “difficulty in the alley back of Murphy Bros restaurant . . . in which Weston cut (Nate) Rickman with a knife quite severely.” (Newton Kansan 24 December 1896) According to Weston’s statement at the preliminary hearing “Rickman had stayed with Mrs. Weston the night before and that he went around to talk to him about in a gentlemanly way.” According to Weston, Rickman started the fight. (Newton Daily Republican 17 December 1896)

According to Rickman, Weston called him out in the alley regarding Mrs. Weston. Rickman could not abide by the names Weston was calling him, so he struck Weston who then came at him with a knife. He then went after his gun and shot at Weston. Rickman pleaded guilty to assaulting Weston and paid the fines. Weston was sentenced to jail.

Abe Weston released from jail with several others on April 15, 1897 (Newton Kansan, 15 April 1897)“on the condition they behave themselves.”

“Knocked from the Top of a Moving Train”

One of the last times Abe Weston appears in the Newton papers is in February 1900. According to the newspaper, Weston suffered a serious train accident while on the job as a porter for the Santa Fe. Part of his job was to “climb to the top of the blind baggage car” to look for bums “who usually jump the train when it is well down in the yards going east.”  As train passed the 2nd street viaduct, “Weston, forgetful of the danger over head, sat in an upright position, and was knocked from the top of the moving train.”  He fell to the tracks resulting in a broken leg and “hurting himself about the head. . . the physicians in charge stated nothing serious would result.” (Evening Kansan Republican, 27 February 1900). After this accident, he must have moved from Newton. In his father’s 1901 obituary it lists his residence as Kansas City. Hopefully to lead a more peaceful life.

Perhaps the most interesting is that Abe Weston was quoted, verbatim, in the Evening Kansan Republican. In the fall of 1896, Weston was involved in some activities that caught the attention of a little-known group in Harvey County – the White Caps.

“We Will be Here Tonight!”

On April 4, 1896, Abe Weston issued a challenge to the White Caps in response to their warning to leave town.  He told the editor of the Newton Kansan to “say to them d–d white caps to come on. We will be here tonight.”

Weston then gave the reporter a notice from the “black caps” which the paper printed verbatim.

“A few years ago on Easte 3 Street by the coal yard thair live a colord lady she had 2 little children & their was a white Man lives in thus city tride to forse Mrs. Harries the colored lady to lay with him. in the Mean time came in Bob Walace & the white Man let her alone. why is it you did not white cap him? Because he was white. those Boys did Not force those girls. -Black Caps”

What was the reason for this challenge? At the end of January 1896, there was an incident that was upsetting to many in the Newton community. According to reports, for several weeks a group of young men “occupied” rooms in a building “within a stone’s throw of the Santa Fe station.” It was observed “that there were supposedly respectable white girls enamored with colored young men of the city; that these girls and young men had been in the habit of going together and that to all appearance were in love with one another.”  Everything came to a head one weekend when they held a “high carnival until the following Monday night. Refreshments were provided in abundance, including liquid beverages and after dinner cigarettes. It is to be presumed that the four couples let joy be unconfined and made the weekend ring with their hilarity.” 

This event came to the notice of people who were “appalled. . . Notices were accordingly drawn up in true White Cap style, signed in red ink, supposed to be blood, and profusely decorated with gruesome skulls and cross bones.” The four young men were warned that they would be tarred and feathered if they did not leave town. They did leave town.

As long as they stayed away, all would be well. The editor noted that the White Cap organization “has taken upon itself the purification of the town so far as these scandalous proceeding are concerned.” On April 3, 1896, two of the young men returned to Newton. The White Caps notified them “to seek other climes or take the consequences, which will probably be tar and feathers or a rope neck tie.” (Evening Kansan Republican 3 April 1896)

The next day, Abe Weston issued the challenge on behalf of the “black caps” that was printed in the paper.

Newton Daily Republican, 4 April 1896

From the newspapers nothing more was reported. On April 8 a small note appeared on the front page “it seems the White Cappers got scared by the Black Cappers and took the white feather.”  Noting more could be found about this incident.

Evening Kansan Republican, 8 April 1896

Abe Weston died in 1930 in Kansas City, MO. His occupation is listed as train porter.

Who Were the White Caps?

In his statement to the paper, Weston reminds people of an incident that happened a few years ago to a Black woman and wondered where the White Caps were then? He was right in asking the question.

Find out more about this group and their activities in Harvey County in our next post.

**Based on the 1880 U.S. Census his birth date would be 1832.

The Hours of Service are Barbarously Long: Pullman Porters vs Santa Fe Railroad

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by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Aarchivist/Curator

On July 28, 2001, Ed Rawlins, a man thought to be the oldest porter in Newton, Ks, died. His death marked the end of an era in Newton’s railroad history. For forty years, 1934-1974, he worked for the Santa Fe Railroad as a porter. A job that he quietly did day after day, along with many other black men, with no hope of advancement. Rawlins was also part of a landmark Civil Rights case to fight this discrimination.

The Hours of Service are Barbarously Long”

Railroad porter was a profession of status in the black community and a ubiquitous part of traveling on the railroad for about 100 years. Following the Civil War, traveling on the railroad gained in popularity and people began to demand services. Like Fred Harvey with his Harvey Girls and Harvey Houses, where excellence was demanded, George Pullman pioneered excellent service in the luxurious sleeper cars. These “palace cars” included everything one could find in a good hotel – comfortable beds, air conditioning, and even chandeliers. Gourmet meals were served and travelers were pampered. Pullman needed one more thing, people willing to provide the service and do sometimes menial work without complaint.

Pullman discovered the perfect work force to maintain this elegance – ex-slaves.  Although the job was held in high regard in the black community, in reality the Pullman porter was one of the most exploited jobs in the country in the mid-20th century.  Porters worked very long hours for low pay and performed tasks that most unskilled white workers would not.

Porters were expected to be at the beck and call of the passengers. They often worked 20-hour shifts with only three to four hours of sleep in between. There was also a certain amount of unpaid prep work they were expected to complete. One observer noted that “the hours of service are barbarously long.” (Berman) In addition, they paid for their own food and supplied their own uniforms.

A survey conducted March 1934-February 1935, illustrated the poor pay. Those conducting the study discovered that the annual income of all porters in the survey was $880. The weekly income was $16.02. In comparison, the average weekly wage of all workers in manufacturing industries in the US in 1934 was $19.12, with wages reaching $23.19 in New York. (Berman)

In a particularly demeaning twist, porters were often addressed as “George,” and not their real names, reflecting their employers first name. A practice begun during slavery when slaves were known by the first name of their owner. (5 Things)

There were positives to the job. Porters traveled all over the U.S. They learned to know wealthy, influential people and what was going on in the larger world. They brought this information home with them to share in their churches and communities.

At its peak, the Pullman Company was the largest single employer of black men in the United States — employing 20,000. (5 things)

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters

In 1925, with the help of a prominent labor rights advocate, A. Philip Randolph, the porters were able to begin the process of unionizing. There was resistance from the Pullman Company and even black community members, but they persisted. After a decade, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was established becoming “the first African-American labor union to successfully broker a collective bargaining agreement with a major corporation.” (5 Things)

The Pullman porters in the 1920s laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement by forming the first black labor union. In the 1960s, the union gave leadership, money and venues to the civil rights movement and the struggle of the porters for equal opportunities. (Seeking)

By the 1960s one thing was glaringly evident, even though they were qualified, black porters were never promoted to better positions.

“I was qualified to do the work. They just didn’t let me do it.”

Joe Sears was a quiet, mild-mannered man who faithfully and diligently worked for the Santa Fe. He had started his career with the Santa Fe in 1936 at the lowest level of employment – the chair-car attendant. He was promoted to porter. He took the necessary classes and passed tests required for a promotion to brakeman in 1936 hoping to move to a better paying position. Over the years, Sears learned every job on the train and often trained those who became porters, brakemen, firemen, conductors and engineers. He applied for promotions to brakeman over the years but was always refused. He was told “You can’t become a brakeman until your skin changes color.” (Roe)

In August 1965, Sears returned home from his normal Chicago-to-Kansas City run and was watching TV when news of the Watts Riots broke. Sears later recalled that he “knew those people on that TV screen. He shared their years of being invisible and beaten down. He shared their anger.” He continued, “I leaped up otta my chair – I’ll never forget it – I said, ‘If I was there, I’d burn some of ’em too!'” Sears recalled his frustration at never getting a promotion, noting “his bosses refused to promote him, ‘They never argued about the fact that I was qualified to do the work. They just didn’t let me do it, that’s all.'” (Roe)

“Charging racial discrimination”

The next morning, he again applied for the brakeman’s job and was denied. The age limit was 35, he was 53. Sears also had learned about the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that made discrimination against the law and people were encouraged to report it. On March 8, 1966, Joe Sears drove to Topeka to the Commission on Civil Rights and filed a complaint against Santa Fe and the United Transportation Union and began a 27 yearlong battle for compensation. (Roe)

October 7, 1972, Sears was notified by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that he was entitled to sue the railroad and the union under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. On November 1, 1972, lawyer Terry Paup filed suit in the US District Court Wichita to stop AT&SF and the United Transportation Union from discriminating against blacks and to collect damages. A class action lawsuit on behalf of Sears and 72 other black porters employed by Santa Fe Railroad was filed.

On August 25, 1975, Joe Sears, the last Santa Fe porter, retired. Sears had worked for the Santa Fe for 39 years. He never received a promotion. His fight with the Santa Fe was not over.

On December 1, 1982, Sears and “all other persons similarly situated” won their case. The decision was then appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver in March 1984.

Finally, in December 1993, 27 years after the first filing, the Sears and 273 other men received their money. The court awarded $24.5 million to 273 current and former railroad employees. Seventy-three were former train porters and 200 former chair-car attendants.  They successfully sued their employer, Santa Fe Railway and the United Transportation Union, “charging racial discrimination and seeking damages commensurate with the wages they lost by being barred from white-only jobs.” (Roe)

Among the seventy-three porters were three men from Newton, Ed Rawlins, Baylon Thaw, Sr, and Ray Wagner.

Newton Men

 

Edward W. “Ed” Rawlins

Ed Rawlins was born in Hutchinson on April 16, 1909, and attended grade school at Sterling. After graduating from Sterling High School in 1929, he attended Pittsburg State University studying business. He also learned the craft of upholstery and refinishing furniture. He married Mary M. Landrum in February 1935.  They were married for 66 years. In his adult life, he attended Halls Chapel AME Church in Newton, Ks and at the time of his death, he was the oldest member. Rawlins was active in the church at all levels serving as trustee, lay president, and singing in the choir. He was also active in the community as a member of the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge, No 27 and working as a Newton Police Reserve for many years. He worked for the Santa Fe for 40 years as a porter with no chance of advancement. Rawlins was awarded $123,031.57 with interest earned from 1982-1984 the total amount $140255.99.

Rawlins died on July 28, 2001.

Baylon Kirkpatrick Thaw Sr.

Baylon Thaw was born April 10, 1916, to Harry and Georganna White Thaw. His siblings included Booker T., Jack A., Harold A., and Georganna C. Thaw Gray. His half siblings included Omine and William Beard. He grew up in Harvey County and married Monterie L. (Cox) Thaw. They had one son, Baylon Thaw, Jr. In 1950, the Thaw family moved to Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri. Thaw worked for the Interstate Transportation Railroad Station as a porter. He died 7 September 1972. In 1993, his portion of the settlement was $131,162.64 with interest the total came to $149,252.41.

Ray Wagner

Ray Wagner was born June 3, 1893. He was awarded $33,931.31 with interest $38,681.69.  (Lewis to Byrd) Wagner died in April 1981.

Sources

“The Only Colored Boy Ever Graduated From the High School”: Lee O . Frame

Posted on by hchm-curator

by Kristine Schmucker, Archivist/Curator

Note on language:

Unfortunately, in 1905, and for too long after, Black people were referred to as “colored” and “boy.” Today, we find this offensive. For this article, I only used the words when they were in a direct quote. It helps us get an accurate picture of the time period, how different people groups were viewed and how harmful it was.

My hope with this article is to highlight the accomplishments of one man as the first Black man to graduate from Newton High School and what he did later in life. His life gives us a view into the Black community at a time that is hard to get a picture of because so much space is given to white people.  I hope by telling his story we get a glimpse of life in Harvey County that we do not often see. It is not my intention to trigger anyone or be offensive. I am open to dialog about how to use historical language in modern day articles. Reach me at curator@hchm.org. -Kris

The NHS Graduating Class of 1905

In the May 22, 1905 issue of the Evening Kansan Republican, the Newton High graduating class of 1905 was introduced. Among the twenty-one graduates was “Lee Frame, a colored boy, the only colored boy ever graduated from the high school, his studious habits having enabled him to rank well in his scholarship.”  (Evening Kansan Republican, 22 May 1905)

Evening Kansan Republican, 22 May 1905

First Black Male to Graduate from NHS

From this article, it would seem that Lee Ora Frame was the first Black male to graduate from Newton High School. The first Black woman to graduate was Mabel Hillman in 1900.

Lee O. Frame was a life long resident of Harvey County. Born March 26, 1884 to Silas and Tennessee Anderson Frame.  His father Silas Frame, “was a well respected colored citizen,” who ran a dairy for a number of years. The family owned land in Highland Township, Harvey County and in Sedgwick County. In addition to Lee, they had five other children – John, Ida, Nellie, Bessie and Jeff.

“The Swellest Event”

Lee graduated from Newton High in 1905 and worked for a time for the Postal Office. In 1909, the I.R.A. Club held “the swellest event that ever occurred in Newton among the colored people.”  There were sixty-four members present for the banquet held at 505 1/2 Main. Among those involved in the program was Mr. L.O. Frame performing a vocal solo.

“Hosts Most Successfully”

The January 1, 1908 issue of the Evening Kansan Republican listed a number of “Open Houses” on New Years’ Day. Those hosting an open house included Messres S. Frame and L. Frame at their home on E 12th. The point of the event seemed to be that the men acted as host and the women were the ones entertained. The article ended with “the gentlemen had many of the gentler sex to entertain, but did the part of hosts most successfully.  All the names listed were members of the Black community in Harvey County.

“His Preferred Occupation, Farming”

On May 4, 1911, Lee Frame married Eva C. Beckham at the home of his parents. Eva was described as “an orphan … a lady of refinement and culture.” She had previous been living in Wichita with relatives. After marriage, Lee undertook “his preferred occupation, farming.” The newlyweds lived on E 11th Street in Newton.

Marriage License, Lee O. Frame & Eva Beckham, May 4, 1911.

Frame was active in the community as a member of the Newton Negro Business League and member of the Rising Sun Masonic Lodge, Newton, Ks. In 1912, Frame gave a speech at the Negro Business League, “Results of a Good Business.” Throughout his life he worked as a farmer, real estate broker and bondsman.

Frame had six children. Kathyrn J. Price Frame was his second wife. He married a third time April 2, 1932, to Nannie Anderson. His WW2 Draft Registration Card, 1942, gives details of Frame’s physical appearance. He was 6’3″, weighed 246 pounds, black skin and eyes.

Lee Ora Frame died January 2, 1964 at the age of 75 in his home at 301 E. 12th, Newton. He was survived by his wife, Nannie, three sons and two daughters and one step-daughter. He had 18 grandchildren and 14 step grandchildren.

Sources

  • Evening Kansan Republican: 22 May 1905, 3 January 1908, 21 May 1909, 5 May 1911, 1912.
  • Marriage License, Lee O. Frame & Eva Beckham, May 4, 1911, Marriage License Collection, Harvey County Historical Museum & Archives, Newton, Ks.
  • U.S WW II Draft Cards, 1942, Lee Ira Frame, Family Search.org.
  • Lee O. Frame, Find A Grave, includes Obituary.
  • U.S. Census: 1910, 1920, 1930.
  • Kansas Census: 1895.
  • Newton City Directories: 1911 – 1960.