Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-11-29
The Uprising in Santa Cruz,

The Uprising in Santa Cruz
The following extract from private
letter, written by lady in Santa Cruz,
to friend in this city, gives some idea
of the causes and results of the recent
insurrection of negroes in that island:
"You doubtless have heard of the
fearful visitation to our beautiful but
most unfortunate island. All, me! how
often have | thought some dreadful re-
suit would come of the way most of us
have lived here. Of course, as you well
know, we ladies have not much in our
power. We saw and knew that things
were not as they should be; that the
people were far worse off than when
they were real slaves But what could
we dop Absolutely nothing.
"You know what a state things were
in before you left The planters were
almost bankrupt. For years they have
been living on bureau" money, given
them by the Government, and believe
at last most of the estates were in this
way mortgaged up to their full value. At
all events, the bureau refused to make
any more advances. This brought
matters almost to standstill.
"Then the labor act was done away
with and the laborers were supposed to
work for their keep alone. You re-
member what sort of keep it was.
Rotten herring and sour corn meal. l
do not wonder that the poor creatures
at length made up their minds that
their position could not be worse. Miss
s. overheard them saying one night
that if the labor act was done away
with they would burn all before them
Well, they have kept their word, for
out of the ninety estates we have only
seven left. The whole island is black
ened ruin, with the exception of Chris
tiansted and its immediate neighbor-
hood.
"The taking away of the soldiers
and dismantling of the fort at Freder-
icksted hastened the end. The special
police, on whom so much depended,
surrection. One man, a special police
man on an estate about the centre of
the island, was the chief worker in the
whole affair. When caught he had a
paper in his pocket with the whole
plan, and the names of all his officers
on it. He, along with nearly two hun
! dred others, was executed. Poor souls!
feel sorry for them. You know how
badly they were treated, ,-frst-clas la
borers only getting, in the good times.
twenty cents a day, and second-class
ten cents. If it had not been for their
bits of provision ground and the pigs
and poultry they used to raise and car
ry to the market on Saturdays, L do not
know how they would have lived; and
the sick were taken care of while they
were slaves, but after emancipation the
sick houses all fell to pieces, for they
were not used. Sick people stayed in
their houses. Such houses!-close stone
places, like prisons, with neither sun
shine nor air in them; or, if very ill,
they got a DOCTORS certificate and went
in town to the hospital. Then the old
people, past work, poor creatures, glad
to make themselves clothing out of old
bags, begged from the storekeepers in
town. And the fearful sickness they
had among them-leprosy, elephantia-
sis and many others unknown in cold
climates.
"Besides all this misery, the negroes
were often ill-treated by the planters.
know cases where their money was
stopped by the managers most uniustly
and cases where negro boys were whip
ped to death-one because the horst
which his master had engaged for 9
race fell and cut his knees. He hac
the wretched boy held down over {
heap of megass and he himself-i
white man-whipped the boy to death
He was punished by fine of $500
This was generally spoken of as very
severe, and many people said it wa
wrong to fine the man such large
sum for such small offense. In an
other case the man got off by leaving
the island.
"You know also how the planters il
many cases lived-houses full of serv
| ants, dinners of four or five courses
wine and cigars of the best quality
That such state of affairs could no
last, anyone with one particle of com
mon sense might have known.
"Our beautiful island, will it ever re
cover from this blowp What is to be
: come of the hundreds of women an,
+ children left homeless and destitute
$ One white planter lost his life. He wa
1 murdered by the negroes. Some G
!, the Danish soldiers were also killed b
: the infuriated negroes. Their reveng
r has been complete and dreadful one
5 ~ believe some of the negroe
: wished to leave the island when the Ia
e bor act was abolished, but their passe
) were refused by the planters. You are
of course, aware that a laborer cannC
e leave an estate without pass from tn
If manager. If he is caught in town
st on another estate he is arrested an
, punished. 1t would have been wise
,, to have let them go, for such a cours
f. might have saved our poor island. 1
), think of the beautiful homes destroye
II by the ignorant creatures in their ma
Is despair!
" "What pity we did not take war;
ii ing by the loud complaints the peop
a. have so often uttered. have SET
Or them myself, when pay-night came al
there was no money for them, walkir