THE BETTER WE KNOW US ..
RALEIGH-When Henry
Worth retires from the
N.C.Supreme Court as
Chief Messenger at the end
of May, he will take with
him 38 years of memories.
Since February 1938, when
he signed on with the Court
he has worked with eight
Chief Justices.
Xs Chief Messenger,
Henry Worth had to see to
it that the details of the
Court s operation ran
smoothly. Every time the
Court sat to hear legal ar
guments, he made sure the
Court Room was in readi
ness, and he freed the Jus
tices from many details so
they could concentrate on
their work. Visitors to the
Court found him ready to
direct them. Over the years
he has carried many an opi
nion in the highly confiden
tial drafting state from one
Justice to another, and he
was always the soul of dis
cretion. In the early days.
much of his time was
spent assisting the Justices
in a more personal way.
particularly over the week
ends when they would hire
him to drive them to speak
ing engagements or for out
of town jaunts.
Mr. Worth recently re
minisced about his years
with the Court, the
first one I worked for was
Chief Justice Walter P.
Stacy 1925-1951). He
appeared a little bit stern
but Ifound him to be one of
the nicest men in the world
People did not socialize
with him loo much. But he
was very interesting and he
sometimes used baseball
expressions in his opinions.
He was well-rounded but
most people didn 't stay
around him long enough to
Jind out.
"W.A.Devin II95I-I954)
was from Oxford" Mr.
Worth said, he was a fine
man, and we used to so on
some trips. He loved to
drive and I would be asked
to go along because he
wanted company.I had a
sister living in Baltimore
and we 'd arrive in town Fri
day afternoon and I would
meet him Sunday morning
to drive back to Raleigh.
Prior to joining the Court,
Worth attended Shaw Uni
versity from 1930 to 1933,
working on a Bachelor 's de
gree in chemistry. When
school was not in session he
worked for Mrs.E.G.Bird
song on West Morgan St.
in Raleigh, as a parttime
butlerJ'or20 months. Need-
ing fulltime employment,
he went with the Odd Fel
lows Building for several
years where he kept the
furnace and was general
handyman. Under the old
WPA he took some busi
ness administration cours
es. He married Rosa Mae
Hinton and had three sons,
all of whom are graduates
of AST University,
In 1967, Mr. Worth s first
wife died. He is now marr
ied to Louise H.Peppers.
The Court aside, he has had
a very busy life. During
World War II he was in the
army, reaching the rank of
Corporal and Acting Pla
toon Sergeant.He sen>ed
from July 1943 until Nov
ember 1945. He is a stew
ard at St. Paul’s AME
Church, and is a member of
Phi Beta Sigma, a college
fraternity. He was presi
dent of the PTA at St.Moni
ca's School in Raleigh. He
also belongs to the Raleigh
Safety Club, a charitable
organization.
"17/ still be doing some
thing. even though I am re
tired, " the Raleigh native
said. "I've never been one
of those sitting down' per
sons. I'll be working in the
vard and someone will ask
me to help them for an
hour or so. "
THE TRIBUNAL AID
A VIABLE, VALID REQUIREMENT
RESPONDING TO
BLACK NORTH CAROLINA
VOLUME in, NO. 49
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12,1976 $5.00 PER YEAR
zstents
MEMBER:
North Carolina Black Publishers Association —, North Carolina Press Association, Inc.
— ——■ 4
BICENTENNIAL
BLACK HISrORV
“Lost-Strayed-flr Stolen ”
The 1976 Editions of THE TRIBUNAL AID
will be dedicated to Americans bicentennial
Celebration, with emphasis on contributions
our Race has made in the making of America,
from birth to the present. >
In 1976 there should not be a need to lift
these contributions from isolated sources. Our
past should be interwoven into the fabric of
our civilization, because we are, except for the
Indian, America's oldest ethnic minority.
We have helped malie America what it was,
and what it is, since the founding of Virginia.
We have been a factor in many major issues in
our history. There have been many misdeeds
against us, yet we have been able to live
through them and fight back. This is living
proof of our history.
Our role in the making of America is neither
well known or correctly known. Many positive’
contributions have escaped historians and.
have not found their way into the pages of
Fay Ashe, Black History Editor
many history books.
We will strive to give readers. Black and
white, many little-known facts about our past
and it is hoped that a proper perspective of our
history will be of value to persons who may
believe that as Black People we have an
unworthy past; and hence, no strong claims to
all rights of other Americans.
THE AGE OF REFORM 1820-1860
Black histoiy In the Western Hemiaphere mo»t
probably begins with the discovery of the New World
by Christopher Colnmbns tat 1942. Blacks are known to
have participated meanlngfnlly In a number of later
explorations made by Enropeans In various parts of Ae
United States and Spanish America. Facts such aa
these at once fashion a new dimension for Black history
within the mainstream of American history. Inasmuch
as one of the primary purposes of this feature is to
record some historical achievements of the Black, it
becomes most important to offer the reader
chronological accounts through which he can
conveniently familiarize himself with the bioad sweep
of American Black history. The years covered here are
1492-1954.
1818;C0NNECT1CUT
Disfranchisement of
Negroes in this state.
ty and longer residence
requirements for Negroes.
1822:CHARLESTON, S.C.
1818:PHILADELPHIA
Betrayal of the Denmark
Vesev conspiracy, one of
Free Neg,„,form,he '".'’rS
Pennsylvania Augustine
Society - "for the education
of people of colour."
1819:ALABAMA
cord. Vesey and 36 of his
collaborators are hanged,
while an additional 130
Negroes and four whites
are arrested.
Alabama enters the Union
as a slave state, although
its constitution provides the
legislature with the power
to abolish slavery and com
pensate slaveowners. Other vote,
liberal measures include ju
ry trials for slaves figuring
in crimes above petty lar
ceny, and penalties for
malicious killing of slaves.
1822:RHODE ISLAND
The state constitution of
Rhode Island deprives free
Negroes of the right to
1825:MARYLAND
I820:WASHINGTON,D.C.
The Missouri Compromise
provides for Missouri’s
entry into the Union as a
slave state, and Maine's
entry as a free state. There
are thus 12 slave and 12
free states in the United
States. All teritory north of j
36 • 30' is declared free; all j
territory south of that line
open to slavery.
1820; NEW YORK CITY
The Mayflower of Liberia"
sails for the west coast of
Africa (Sierra Leone) with
86 Negroes on board.
1821; NEW YORK CITY
Founding of the African
Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, with James Varick
as its first bishop.
1821:NEW YORK
Thte State Constitutional
Convention alters the vot
ing requirements of the
1777 N.Y. Convention by
establishing higher proper-
♦ •
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Drotning, Phillip T. A
Guide to Negro History in
America New York: Dou
bleday and Company, 1968
Katz, William Loren
Eyewitness: The Negro in
Josiah Henson, prototype
for the original "Uncle
Tom," leads a group of
slaves to freedom in Ken
tucky. Henson later crosses
the border into Canada,
and becomes leader of a
community of ex-slaves in
oresent-dav Ohio.
r
Many Black and White phi
losophers, writers, orators,
ministers and editors spoke
out for justice for all people
who were mistreated or de
nied the common rights of
humanity.
In America this era inclu
ded HORACE MANN’S
campaign for public schools
and DORETHEA DIX’S
fight for understanding and
help for those in jails and
insane asylums. SAMUEL
G.HOUSE sought to prove
that the deaf, dumb and
blind could be educated.
SUSAN B.ANTHONY and
ELIZABETH CADY STAN
TON battled for equal
rights for women.
Black leaders such as
FREDERICK DOUGLASS
and SOJURNER TRUTH
fought for increased educa
tion, universal peace and
women’s rights. In 1831
when WILLIAM LLOYD
GARRISON began to pub
lish his famous LIBERA
TOR, he found his main
support came from Black
abolotionists. Rich Blacks
contributed money, Black
newsboys sold the papers
on the streets and three
quarters of his readers
were Black. Garrison be
came the first of his race to
look at the Blackproblem
from a Black point of view.
Levi Coffin, an Indiana
Quaker and banker, began
using his Newport home to
hide runaways. Coffin was
soon called The President
of the Underground Rail
road."
The "railroad" developed
its own language. The
"trains" were the
farm wagons that could
conceal and carry a number
of fugitives. The "tracks"
were the back roads which
were used to escape the
slave catchers. The "sta
tions" were the homes
where the fugitives were
fed and cared for as they
moved from station to
station. The "conductors"
were the fearless men and
women of both races who
led the slaves toward free
dom and the "passengers"
were the slaves who dared
to break for liberty.
Passengers paid no fare
and conductors received no
pay-
This strange railroad had
many ways of moving
slaves. Twenty-eighty sla
ves walked in a funeral
procession from Kentucky
to Ohio. Thomas Garrett, a
gentle old white Quaker
and Samuel Burris, a young
free Black, ran a station in
the slave state of Delaware
during the 1840’s. Garrett
paid out a fortune in court
fines for his crime of aiding
fugitives. Burris was cap
tured and punished by be
ing auctioned off as a slave.
No one knew that the high
est bidder was sent by
Thomas Garrett to buy him
and return him to free
dom.
iHisforical Landmarksl
Of Black America J
No more substantial testimony to the role of the Black
in the growth and development of America can be
found than the numerous historical landmarks in
various regions of the country which are associated with
Black Americana. Many of these—like the Alamo and
Bunker Hill-are not conventionally known as sites
involving chapters of Negro history.
wourth is known to have
had something of a reputa
tion as a teller of tall tales.
GROTON HEIGHTS;
FORT GRISWOLD STATE
PARK
PUEBLO
EL PUEBLO MUSEUM
905 S.PRAIRIE AVENUE
The El Pueblo Museum
houses a replica of the
Gantt-Blackwell Fort which
Jim Beckwourth. Negro ex
plorer. scout and tra
der, claimed to have foun
ded in 1842. The validity of Freeman was the Negro or-
the claim has not been esta- derly of the American co-
blished. inasmuch as Beck- mmander. Colonel William
Ledvard who was forced to
* . , Kj d:« surrender the fort to super-
America New York; Pitt-gri-
man Publishing Corpora-officer who accepted
tion 1967 the surrender behaved ig-
Ploski, Harry A. Phe nobly, however. Ledyard
Kaiser Ernest The Nearo "'as first induced to give up
Kaiser, hrnest Ibe ^ ^^ord and then run
Alamanac New York. Bel- with his own wea-
luether Company continued on p«e 2
Harriet Tubman
conducted some three
hundred slaves to free
dom on the Under
ground Railroad.
new freedom.
showrs former slaves facmg their
photograph
Brady s
Mathew
Levi Coffin's house in Wayn County, Indiana, was a major Underground Railroad station.
1776 Honoring America's Bicentennial 1976
XaOOCBBBBCXaOOQOOCW