This Week in Texas Methodist History Oct 1

Rev. A. E. P. Albert Narrowly Avoids Jail (or worse) on Segregated Rail Car

The Rev. Dr. A. E. P. Albert was the editor of the Southwester which was the official newspaper for the African American churches of the MEC in the South.  His offices were in New Orleans.   As part of his duties, he came to Houston in December 1891 to cover the annual session of the Texas Annual Conferenced of the MEC.  The conference itself was fairly routine, but the train ride home was not.   The last day of the conference was December 7th, 1891  

He planned to return to New Orleans on the 5:30 p.m. train and wanted a sleeper.  Knowing that ticket agents often refused to sell sleeping berths to African Americans, by giving the excuse that they were all sold out, Albert went to the train station at noon---well before the train would have filled up.   The agent was reluctant but finally sold Albert a first-class ticket and a berth ticket.   When the connecting train arrived from Galveston, Albert presented his two tickets to the sleeping car attendant G. H Hodgson.  

Hodgson was also reluctant to honor the tickets since there was a Texas law mandating separate cars for the two races.  There was no sleeping car for African Americans.   Hodgson eventually assigned Albert to a lower berth and then things got ugly.  The white passengers complained to the train conductor, and a mob of them went to the sleeping car and demanded that Albert leave.  

The brave pastor stood his ground---he pointed out that he had the proper ticket and intended to ride in the berth to which he had been assigned.   The conductor deputized the largest most thuglike of the mob to confront Albert and throw him off the train.   Albert again stood his ground.   The mob then decided to telegraph the sheriff at Beaumont to meet the train and arrest Albert for violating Texas law.   

Hodgson then began a passionate plea for them not to do so.  He pointed out that Albert was a dignified, courteous man who had caused no trouble, and that the segregation law was often skirted.   In the end the mob decided not to send the telegram and Albert made it home to New Orleans without further incident.

Naturally he wrote about his experience in his newspaper.  At the end of the article, he made a plea---he said let us raise at least $5000 for legal expenses and have someone be arrested on purpose to test the constitutionality of the law.  

The following June, 1892, another group of African Americans did just that---Homer Plessy committed the act of civil disobedience by riding in a white railroad car and was arrested.  His case eventually went to the U. S.  Supreme court where the doctrine of separate but equal was enshrined in U. S. law.   That precedent stood for a half century until overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.