Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1872-06-04

AN UNPARALLELED HORROR.
Five Hundred Human Beings Meet n Horrible
Death.
From the New York Herald ]

DeHtus
From the New York Herald
A catastrophe almost unparalleled
in horror, disclosing the gross cruel
ties of the Macao emigrant trade by
one last and most terrific demonstra-
ton, happened in the China seas last
May, and is recorded in Parlamen.
tary report just ordered by the House
of Commons to be printed. A yes
sci called the Don Juan, sailing un-
der the flag and with the authority
OF the Portuguese Government, set
sail on the 4th of May, with $50 COO
lies on board. These poor wretches,
it appears, were kidnapped and ship
Fed in the most shameful manner
Once on board this large multitude
was placed literally in prison PEN
ned on the main deck and fastened
down by three iron gratings, which
closed the matches, ten coolies at
time only being allowed to come on
deck. The ship sailed failed in fair
weather from Macao. On tile second
day of the voyage, as declared by
Herker, an Austrian seaman, the
captain selected twenty coolies and
put them in irons, with much brus
tality, as an example to the others.
On the third day a difficulty arose
about the food passed down to the
emigrants. The interpreter got am
CRY, and struck those who complain
ed with his cane, whereupon the
wretched coolies made dash at their
European jailors. The iron matches
were Immediately slammed back up
on them, and, when the poor crea~
lures beat upon the beams and planks
to get air; muskets were fred down
into TIE crowd. 1t then appears
that, in desperation, some few of the
coolies set fire TO store room for
ward, hoping no doubt to force the
crew to throw their prison OPEN
The sailors tried to pump water
down upon the seat of the confgra-
ton, but the frenzied men below
passed the hose out of the port holes,
SO that pumping became useless
Thea the fire spread beyond all con.
troll, and volumes of thick smoke roll
ed into the main, choking the mass
of coolies at the other end, who had
taken no part in the previous pro-
ceedings. Red tongues of flame and
suffocating clouds filled the ship be-
low matches, while the miserable
prisoners beat the iron grtaing, tore
at the fastenings of the deck, and
even endeavored TO get up to the air
through the ventlators. The port
holes, however, were fastened, the
headlights were too small to allow of
mans body passing, and the ven
tilators were barred, 50 that there
was no escape.
In two hours time the fire was es-
tablished on the main deck-which
means that scores of the Chinese had
already been roasted or smothered-
yet the crew never took a single
step towards saving the lives of the
imprisoned wretohes. They merely
lowered three boats on their own &C.
count, and pushed off from she burn
ing vessel, leaving all that mass of
human creatures pent up in a float
ing hell of fire and agony. The sea
was calm the matches might surely
have been opened at the last moment,
yet the Don Juan's captain and hands
showed off, while the ship blazed, and
while the coolies persisted inside with
frigbtfnl cries and screams The
scOundrel master and crew saved
their viIlainous lives junk picked
them up; and the same witness who
tells us this says, that when the
twenty Chinese in irons, were upon
the forecastle, broke away their fet-
ters and swan towards the Junk
they were pushed off into the sea to
drown. Meantime, in their awful
terror, the survivors of the six hun
dred and fifty-five below found some
means Of bursting the fore latch
Scores were by this time killed by
the flames or the smoke scores had
been trampled down in the frenzied
rush for lite to the upper deck
About a hundred in all at last
emerged from that Golgotha of an
guisb, and leaped at once into the
sea. A few managed to get hold of
spars and floating gear, and hung up
on these till some fishing boats pick
ed them up next morning. The ma
.jority were already MORALLY injured
when they escaped, or were drown
ed, or crushed by the falling chains
and spars Of the ship. But at least
five hundred were first scorched to
death, or choked and trampled dead,
before the Internal prison gate was
forced by the breaking open Of the
matches, which the captain and ere W
had so shamefuly left fast.