The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-02-25
Rittmunh 8ispatrt.
SATURDAY MORNING. FEB Is. 1850.

s~- - =
SATURDAY MORNIN0....... FEB. Is. 1884,
RI. cA,~ese Cselie frade-Less Of the FIsra
rem.le With $50 Coolies en- Beard.
,.,,er nom China to the N. Y. Journal Of
1.,mmerce. gives the particulars Of the late
.,r.ck Of the American ship Flora Temple,
nth $50 Coolies ON board, every one OF whom
arowued The vessel laid on Macao and
Tow. In her cargo The Coolies were cheated,
,nx.,~,ed. or stolen, and either taken directly
"a ,hs shtp or else confined in the barracoons
in Macao till the ship was ready to sail for
Havana-ths Grey numbering fifty. and the
Coolies eight hundred and Gf.y. The letter con-
iinues:
Leaving Macao October sth Saturday. the
deceived and stolen Coolies soon learned their
cruel destiny, and rs all injured and betrayed
men would do, resolved to attempt oavert II,
however desperate the chances They mad no
arms, and therefore had TO struggle with every
disad Iva tage in the Abort Of recovering tne'r
liberty. rarity collected on the deck on ues-
day morning, before the shorA OF tnei' o~n
loved country had forever deAppeareo from
their eyes, ana rushing upon the guaIo, SIN
gle Individual. a fight ensued, in which the
guard was killed ~ 80
In the meantime the captain, johnson, hear
inr the noise hurried upon deck win ms re-
~n1v.r and his brother and an Englishman
interested in the kidnapping with MN, Dotn al
40 armed with revolvers, who discharged nall
a.dozen rounds into the coolies, VINO Were mus
driven back. and defeated in their attempt to
racover their liberty. How many were killed
and wounded, it is for the interest OF the KID
manners not to tell, and the dead also tell no
tales Nor can they tel the cruei treatment
,h.v recsi we'd b. fore they were driven to this
desnerate act-treatment, as they well knew,
which was only a foret2ste OF what AWARDED
them Nor do the officers OF the snip or the
Enrlishman on board, who was trading in
stolen human flesh, inform the world o. IN"
course they took toward these miserable, de-
ceiyed and helpless men. when they were over
,,nwered and dafea ted in their most Jusuf1abla
.,,an,nts 10 assert their liberty. But friend
,nfarms me that they were driven below deck,
and ned there like feions almost without
light and air, and where. crowded together SO
large a number in so narrow space, the
greater part must inevitably have persisted in
the long middle passage. Think OF $50 human
beings, all full grown men, pressed into TINS
contracted, rayless, airiess dungeon, IN which
vana all the long way overtime China Sea, the
Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic!
On the following Friday, Oct IA, while SAIL
ing over the China Sea, at7a O'Clock IN the
evening. the vessel struck upon reef which
is not laid down in the charts gale OF wlnd
in the meantime blowing, and the sea running
high Every effort was MADE 10 save 'ne SNIP
by the officers and crew the poor coolies,
batteusd down beneath the decks, being al
lowed no chance 10 aid in saving the snip or
themselves. Although the yards were "praced
mrs, slightly, and then, soon after, several
times with "A tremendous crash, the breakers
running alongside very high. Pieces OF her
,imbers and planking hoated up on her port
side and after some more heavy thumps she
remained apparently immovabie. Inc water
rapidly increased IN the hold till II reached
the "between decks where the $50 coolies
were confined While this was going on IN
deed. almost Immediately after the ship first
struck, the officers and crew very naturally
became afraid of the coolies for the treatment
they had received, and the Captain ordered the
boats TO be lowered, not TO save the coolies, IN
whole or in part, but to preserve himself and
crew. These boats, even under favorable cir
cumstau were not more than sufficient for
the officers and crew, showing that no pro-
vision had been made for the poor coolies in
case or disaster.
The boats passed safely through the break
ers leaving the ship almost without motion,
all her masts standing, her back broken and
the sea making a clear breach over her star
board quarter When the boats left the ship
and steered away without making one effort
TO save the $50 coolies, or allowing them to do
anything to save themselves, with their last
look toward the ship, they saw that the coolies
had escaped from their prison through doors
which the conclusion had made for them. and
stood clustering together helpless and de-
spairing, upon the decks, and gazing upon the
abyss which was opening its jaws to receive
them. My friend assures me that he knows
these poor creatures were completely mpris-
oned all the night these terrible occurrences
were going on, the matches being "ba ttened
down" and made as secure as Jail-door I'M
der lock and bars
The ship was three hundred miles from land
when it struck, and after fourteen days OF toll
and struggle one of the boats only succeeded
in reaching Towron, in Cochin China the
three other boats were never heard Of Here
the French fleet was lying, and the Admiral
at once invited the Captain and MS Doats crew
on board one of his ships, and besides, at re-
quest, sent one of his vessels to the fatal scene
of the disaster, where some OF the wreck was
Ia be seen, but not = single eoohe. Every one
OF the eighf hundred and ftty had persisted!