The daily gazette., 1878-06-24
CHARLESTON. S. G.. June 2I

CHARLESTON, S. c., June 2I.
Two of the men who went TO Brazil to
work on the projected railroads for
which Messrs. p. T. Collins & Co., of
Philadelphia, are the contractors, arriv-
ed in Charleston to-day, and gave a pitt
full account of their own hardships and |
sufferings and of the condition of their
unfortunate companions. Their names |
are George O'RourKe and Michael |
Judge. They made an agreement with |
Collins & Co. to work at Sanaton, in
Brazil. They were to be paid S1.50 a
day and receive full rations of good,
wholesome food. With 453 others they
sailed from Philadelphia in the City of
Richmond, on February the 14th.
Among the number were many of the
survivors from the Metropolis, which
was bound for Brazil with railroad ha nds
They had good passage and were well
treated. The distance from the mouth
of the Amazon up the Madeira River
to San Anton is about eighteen hundred
miles. Arrived at san Anton ON March
%, the laborers found that no quarters
whatever had been provided for them.
1t rained every day, and they had no
shelter except such as they could make
for themselves They were put to work
discharging railroad iron, but many were
too much protrated by the voyage to be
capable of great exertion. Another
trouble was for the want of cooks. None
were provided by the contractors and
the men were unable to cook for them
selves. Their rations We're hard tack
were told that huts. would be put up for
them when the steamer had been dis
charged, but in the meantime they were
pinched with hunger and worn out by
exposure to the elements.
ASKING FOR FOOD.
On the third day after their arrival the
men determined to speak to Mr.. Collins
They told him they could not work un-
less they were given good food, well
cooked His answer was that "they
were a set of -, and If they did not 20
to wsrk at once he would arm fifty OF
his own men and drive them into the
} river" O'Rourke himself afterward ap.
pealed to Collins for food but received
in reply pistol shot, the ball passing
close to his head. The assistant surgeon
y on the City of Richmond now took ;
e shot at ORourke, and missed. A thirt
u shot was fired by some one with no ct
II
!, for raw salt ham O'Rourke walked away
He says that Captain Kelly, of the Cit,
of r. chmond, and number of the crev
. . saw the whole occurrence and can testif
to the truth of this account. The new
of the firing reached the Brazilian Cor
. mandante, who demanded that the pist(
of Collins be given to him. MIR. Collin
z now intervened, and the Commandat
was persuaded to go aboard the Ricl
- mond, where he was so well taken cal
Vi of by Collins that he made no further el
lpostulations.
THE COLLINS LEGION.
The island of San Anton was as qui
as a tropical midday, but Collins seen
to have grown alarmed. He called fl
his engineers and overseers and armt
them with rifles, and put guard at Il
storehouse. At the same time the cool
were ordered to suspend operations, al
all that the men got for supper was son
lhalf-cooked salt meat. The next NOR
Cs ling the men had no breakfast. Soon II
Collins legion and some Brazilian Sc
diers appeared who surrounded a tumb
down hut, where most of the men wei
M By order of Collins, a man named Hogi
called for O'Rourke, who came out al
was Immediately arrested and put
irons. In vain he asked what he h;
done. Judge was arrested in the san
way. They were first put into the stor
for three days. While the prisone
were In the storehouse pen of railro;
iron had been built. 1t was nothing b
a small square, without root OF al
kind, and with no openings other tn;
tho interstices between the bars. In
this the prisoners, nine in all, we
thrust They were :-O'Rourke al
Judge, three other mechanics and fol
Italians. In the pen they remained eig
days exposed to the heat of the su
which made them almo.t crazy in {
middle of the day. Their food was pok
through the bars of their cage. 1t W;
as NAV be imagined, a place unfit t
hogs to live in. Meantime party
the men outside had become so despera
that they left San Anton and struck o
n A for Bolivia. Half of the number " e
never heard from again.
SECOND IMPRISONMENT.
The prisoners in the pen, including
Rourke and Judge, were now put abOa
of the City of Richmond and taken
Manous, far down the Madeira Riv
4 Here they were put in prison and Ike
there for forty eight hours. phe Braz
Liam authorities could find no char
against them and put them on asteam,
u. with a guard to be taken back to )
Us Autop. There Collins, finding hims
in trouble with the local government
:. account of his violence, agreed to
- the fare of O'Reurke and Judge back
~ Manous. At Manous, half starving, til
remained three days, and there were
L lowed to make their way TO Para.
this place they saw Mr.. Gone, the Am
lean consul. who could do nothing
them, but who knew OF the clrcu
stances of their arrest and confineme
Mr.. Cone told them that something m
be done, as Americans were censta
coming down the river half starved !
half naked. He said that he had writ
to Washington on the subject.
. FELL IN WITH AN AMERICAN CAPITAL
, O'Rourke and Judge fell In with q
NJ tain Harris, of the brig Dillwln, ao
to start for Bull River, South Caroh
:. who gave them berth to that pc
's where they arrived on the 18th, ate
run of thirty-three days. AS O'Roul
-. and Judge were about to leave San /
, ton the last time their companions, "
had left Philadelphia with them and
Wed them their chance OF returni
came down to the rivers bank and