n industrial department to his school
and traveled over the state and secured the funds for the work. He
sent to New Orleans for a colored architect and contractor who drew
the plans and accepted the contract for erecting the building.

They decided to have colored men erect the building and gathered a
force for that purpose. The white brick-masons of Monroe heard of
this. They organized a mob, came to Cadeville and ordered the men
to quit work. They took charge of the work themselves, letting the
colored brick-masons act as hod carriers for them. They employed a
white man to supervise the work. The colored people knew that it meant
death to resist and they paid the men as though nothing unusual had
happened.

Belton had learned to observe and wait. These outrages sank like
molten lead into his heart, but he bore them all. The time for the
presidential election was drawing near and he arose in the chapel one
morning to lecture to the young men on their duty to vote.

One of the village girls told her father of Belton's speech. The old
man was shaving his face and had just shaved off one side of his beard
when his daughter told him. He did not stop to pull the towel from
around his neck nor to put down his razor. He rushed over to the house
where Belton boarded and burst into his room. Belton threw up his
hands in alarm at seeing this man come, razor in hand, towel around
his neck and beard half off and half on. The man sat down to catch
his breath. He began: "Mr. Piedmont, I learn that you are advising our
young men to vote. I am sure you don't know in what danger you stand.
I have come to give you the political history of this section of
Louisiana. The colored people of this region far outnumber the white
people, and years ago had absolute control of everything. The whites
of course did not tamely submit, but armed themselves to overthrow us.
We armed ourselves, and every night patrolled this road all night long
looking for the whites to come and attack us. My oldest brother is
a very cowardly and sycophantic man. The white people made a spy and
traitor out of him. When the people found out that there was treachery
in our ranks it demoralized them, and our organization went to pieces.

"We had not the authority nor disposition to kill a traitor, and
consequently we had no effective remedy against a betrayal. When the
news of our demoralized condition reached the whites it gave them
fresh courage, and they have domi