Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-02-04
The Wanderers Africans Travelling
West.


A correspondent Of the Marion, fAla.) Com
naontceaith, writing from Montgomery, (Ala.,,
says
was carried through tBrown's speculator
house,, tso callcd) on Perry street. Ia house
10 the back lot were huddled together thirty
eight native (Congo) Africans! Don't sbudder
ond sag the 'slnoral sentiments of Christendom
condcasn the traffic." But it ia a fact; | have
seen the Africans And it is fact-,hey were
Africans
tound them jabbering, in cultural sounds,
somethiDg-l could not comprehend what
They we're nearly all apparently in good health,
rat, sleek and greasy. ln the party were some
hVe orsix men, two or three women, four or five
girls, and the rest boys, or what might be CALI
cd youngsters" They were each clad in COM
mon kersey pants and roundabout, over which
they wore heavy blanket, Women and oil
were thus dressed. None had shoes for the .ea-
son that they could not walk in them, in fact.
they could scarcely walk at all, having been
contined aud crowded so close on shipboard.
Most of them we're very pert ard iiyely.
laughing aud talking 10 their native tongue.
and pointing at and jabbering about everything
that particularly attracted th cir attention. Some
of them had very singularly shaped craniuus
they almost battle description. One nearly
square, one had convex face, and another
sort OF double coneave convex head: but most
OF them had good heads, large fat noses, big
mouths, frnEt teeth knocked OUT, rather small
ears, and quite small hands and feet. Some of
them we're good looking, but others shoekingly
ugly; some where what might be yulgarly call
ed sspuH or hog jawed. | noticed one, a man
who had very high check bones and several scars
on his face, and appeared very intelligent. lie
was tsbig chief" no doubt, in his OWL country.
was much surprised at one thing; they repeat.
ed precisely every word said to them l asked
one, aWhere did you come froms'' and he pro-
pounded the same interrocatory to me, but of
course without knowing the meaning, and in
like manner many other things.
Not being able to walk, they were carried in
wegsc, frRm the railroad depot to Browns,
and thence BY wagon TO the st. Nicholas saw
strong old farmers and sober sided merchants
gazing at the sable creatures, some of them hay
ing, no doubt, holy horror at such sight.
The negroes were well skilled in pantonime,
aud some Of them gave uumistakable signs that
they wanted "some:hing to drink''-putting
both hands to their mouths and throwing their
heads back.
The thirty-eight Africans brought here we're
the share as / learned, in the venture of eiti-
zen OF New Orleans, and that they cost him,
delivered at Savannah, fifty dollars each-only
nineteen hundred dollars for thIty-eight Afr-
cans, sound and able-bodied negroes They
were 10 charge of a Mr.. Brodnax, who was car
rying them to New Orleans
said above that the negroes were "all well.''
So they are, as well as could be expected; but,
as might be conjectured, they were mostly suf-
fering much from disorders incident to acclma-
ton.
For sometime the Africans could not be in
duced to go on board the boat, and seemed
much frightened at the smoke, &c. Doubtless
they had perfect horror of travelling on wa
ter again, after having so recently endured
long and crowded sea voyage. The manner
in which they were finally induced to go on is
worthy of notice. The mate tried every means
to get them on board, but to no effect. Final
ly, he concerted plan with big black Ala
bama negro. He tried to get him to 60 on
board, but ae resolutely refused, when the mate
laid him down on the gangway plank and bit
him four or five substantial licks with his pom
derous leather strap, when the said Alabama
negro got up, yelling awfully, and went straight
on board, beekoniDg to the Africans to follow.
And they did follow, to the amusement, and a
mid the cheers of the crowd.