Winfield Mixed Marriage

Arkansas City Republican, September 18, 1886.

Winfield has another sensation. One of her belles fell in love with a negro barber and when her folks remonstrated with her about her folly, she attempted to cut her throat with a razor. Per associations she seemed to have adopted one of the chief characteristics of the negro race, namely the use of the razor.

Arkansas City Republican, September 25, 1886.

[MORE JOTTINGS...FROM MONDAY=S DAILY.]

MARRIED. The social circles of Winfield are being greatly improved. A marriage in Ahigh life@ occurred there one day last week. Our readers will remember our mention of the Amash@ the colored barber, C. Alwell, had made on Lizzie Huffman, one of the reigning belles of the hub. Lizzie was so badly infatuated that she would rather die than go through life without her mascot. The marriage ceremony was performed by the colored minister of that city, after which the couple went to Eureka on the bridal tour. Considerable indignation was expressed by the whole population, but many of the colored folks thought it all right and so expressed themselves.

Arkansas City Republican, September 25, 1886.

The marriage of the white girl to the colored man at Winfield led to several revelations. The Visitor says: AWe know that at least five other white girls who are either nor or have been residents of this city within the last few weeks have been seen on the streets at night with none but negro escorts--promenading the streets arm in arm with them.@ A reading of the journals printed in Winfield would cause the outsider to think their girls were color blind and preferred negro society to white.

Arkansas City Republican, September 25, 1886.

Commenting upon the marriage of the young white girl to the mulatto at Winfield, the Visitor says: AGreat God, just think of it. Winfield with all her boasted morality, her magnificent churches and her healthy church influences, her general record as a town of goody, goody sort, marries two of her fair and respectable daughters to darkies, and has two or three others well on the same road! Just think of it! Not even immoral Wichita or wild and wicked Dodge City or the town of Caldwell in their worst days, when whiskey ruled and harlots and dance houses plied their trade in open day, can show such a record as this.@