Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?
THE LEOPARD'S SPOTS
A ROMANCE OF THE WHITE MAN'S BURDEN -- 1865-1900
BY
THOMAS DIXON, JR.
Illustrated by C. D. Williams
New York
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.
1902 Copyright, 1902,
by
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO.
All rights reserved.
Published, March 1, 1902.
TO
HARRIET SWEET-VOICED DAUGHTER OF THE
OLD FASHIONED SOUTH
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Historical Note
In answer to hundreds of letters, I wish to say that all the incidents need in Book I., which is properly the of my story, were selected from authentic records, or came within my personal knowledge.
The only serious liberty I have taken with history is to tone down the facts to make them credible in fiction. The village of "Hambright" is my birthplace, and is located near the center of "Military District No. 2," comprising the Carolinas, which were destroyed at States by an Act of Congress in 1867. It will be a century yet before people outside the South can be made to believe a literal statement of the history of those times.
I tried to write this book with the utmost restraint.
THOMAS DIXON, JR.
MAY, 9, 1902,
ELMINGTON MANOR,
DIXONDALE, VA.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"TWO THOUSAND MEN WENT MAD" . . . Frontispiece
"YOU THIEF!" . . . 76
THE HON. TIM SHELBY Portrait from life. . . . 88
"COME ON BOYS!" . . . 124
"I'LL KILL THE FIRST NIGGER THAT CROSSES THAT LINE" . . . 132
"A DAZZLING VISION OF BEAUTY" . . . 250
"THIS IS MY THRONE" . . . 270
TOM CAMP. Portrait from Life. . . . 378
I HAVE RESIGNED MY CHURCH -- TO KILL YOU" . . . 450
LEADING CHARACTERS OF THE STORY
Scene: The Foothills of North Carolina -- Boston -- New York
Time: From 1865 to 1900
CHARLES GASTON . . . Who dreams of a Governor's Mansion
SALLIE WORTH . . . A daughter of the old fashioned South
GEN. DANIEL WORTH . . . Her father
MRS. WORTH . . . Sallie's mother
THE REV. JOHN DURHAM . . . A preacher who threw his life away
MRS. DURHAM . . . Of the Southern Army that never surrendered
TOM CAMP . . . A one-legged Confederate soldier
FLORA . . . Tom's little daughter
SIMON LEGREE . . . Ex-slave driver and Reconstruction leader
ALLAN MCLEOD . . . A scalawag
HON. EVERETT LOWELL . . . Member of Congress from Boston
HELEN LOWELL . . . His daughter
MISS SUSAN WALKER . . . A maiden of Boston
MAJOR STUART DAMERON . . . Chief of the Ku Klux Klan
HOSS NORMAN . . . A dare-devil poor white man
NELSE . . . A black hero of the old regime
AUNT EVE . . . His wife -- "a respectable woman"
HON. TIM SHELBY . . . Political boss of the new era
HON. PETE SAWYER . . . Sold seven times, got the money once
GEORGE HARRIS, JR. . . . An educated Negro, son of Eliza
DICK . . . An unsolved riddle
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CONTENTS
BOOK I
Legree's Regime
I. A Hero Returns . . . 3
II. A Light Shining in Darkness . . . 19
III. Deepening Shadows . . . 30
IV. Mr. Lincoln's Dream . . . 34
V. The Old and the New Church . . . 38
VI. The Preacher and the Woman of Boston . . . 44
VII. The Heart of a Child . . . 52
VIII. An Experiment in Matrimony . . . 58
IX. A Master of Men . . . 63
X. The Man or Brute in Embryo . . . 72
XI. Simon Legree . . . 83
XII. Red Snow Drops . . . 93
XIII. Dick . . . 98
XIV. The Negro Uprising . . . 100
XV. The New Citizen King . . . 104
XVI. Legree Speaker of the House . . . 109
XVII. The Second Reign of Terror . . . 118
XVIII. The Red Flag of the Auctioneer . . . 130
XIX. The Rally of the Clansmen . . . 143
XX. How Civilization was Saved . . . 153
XXI. The Old and the New Negro . . . 163
XXII. The Danger of Playing with Fire . . . 165
XXIII. The Birth of a Scalawag . . . 171
XXIV. A Modern Miracle . . . 176
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BOOK II
Love's Dream
I. Blue Eyes and Black Hair . . . 187
II. The Voice of the Tempter . . . 193
III. Flora . . . 200
IV. The One Woman . . . 206
V. The Morning of Love . . . 213
VI. Beside Beautiful Waters . . . 221
VII. Dreams and Fears . . . 234
VIII. The Unsolved Riddle . . . 240
IX. The Rhythm of the Dance . . . 244
X. The Heart of a Villain . . . 256
XI. The Old, Old Story . . . 265
XII. The Music of the Mills . . . 277
XIII. The First Kiss . . . 282
XIV. A Mysterious Letter . . . 286
XV. A Blow in the Dark . . . 290
XVI. The Mystery of Pain . . . 301
XVII. Is God Omnipotent? . . . 306
XVIII. The Ways of Boston . . . 310
XIX. The Shadow of a Doubt . . . 317
XX. A New Lesson in Love . . . 320
XXI. Why the Preacher Threw His Life Away . . . 328
XXII. The Flesh and the Spirit . . . 337
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BOOK III
The Trial by Fire
I. A Growl Beneath the Earth . . . 349
II. Face to Face with Fate . . . 351
III. A White Lie . . . 361
IV. The Unspoken Terror . . . 364
V. A Thousand-Legged Beast . . . 372
VI. The Black Peril . . . 381
VII. Equality with a Reservation . . . 385
VIII. The New Simon Legree . . . 395
IX. The New America . . . 404
X. Another Declaration of Independence . . . 409
XI. The Heart of a Woman . . . 417
XII. The Splendor of Shameless Love . . . 423
XIII. A Speech That Made History . . . 431
XIV. The Red Shirts . . . 445
XV. The Higher Law . . . 447
XVI. The End of a Modern Villain . . . 455
XVII. Wedding Bells in the Governor's Mansion . . . 457
