The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-11
From the Mew York Herald.

/
The bark Mon-ouia, Capt. Richardson.
which arrived from Liberia last weeek.
having left Monrovia September 81.
brought eighteen colorcd passengers.
They we're part of the ill-started ship
load OF emigrants which left Charleston,
3. O., for the Liberian Republic on Eas.
ter Sunday 1878, in the bark Azor. AS
soon as the returning pilgrims arrived in
Now York they were transferred to the
cars and started ct once for their old
homes in South Carolina. Yesterday
Capt; Richardson gave reporter many
details OF their long story Of suffering
and unhappiness, only the opening chap
ters of which have been published in this
country. The returning party included
three families and several single adults.
Iheir friends in this country sent them
back to their old homes. They say
there's not one of the Asor's party that
would not gladly come back if they could
raise funds for their journey. 4 more
discontented, miserable lot of people
can hardly be imagined than those un-
| fortunates, who have found many more
graves than homes in the young colored
republic. :.
1t will be remembered that Of the $40
exodists who started on the Asor twenty
nine died for lack of proper provision
for their health and comfort before they
reached Monrovia. Some thirty or fcrtv
have been able to return to this country.
OF the three hundred and over remain
ing there are now only about sixty per.
sons alive. The climatic fever, which
| attacks all strangers in the country. is
seldom fatal if the patient has proper
treatment and is fairly supplied with the
essentials of comfort. But these poor
! wretches were most of them paupers
when they landed in Liberia. They had
no food, shelter nor medicine, except
what was inadequately doled out by the
government or by the poor settlers Of
Monrovia. The result is that they have
perished BY scores until only remnant
OF the band remains. The survivors are
now Injured to the climate, and the most
OF them are at last Selfsupporting.
the scantiest subsistence.
Their troubles have been so incessant
and overpowering that they have had no
| strength nor means to carry out the plans
with which they left America. They ex-
pected to go in Bapora, settlement on
the st. Paul's River, some twenty miles
IN the interior, where they hoped to
open up small coffee farms. But when
they reached Monrovia they found them
selves through mismanagement and
probable criminality Of the agents who
had them in charge, wholly dependent
upon the charity of the Liberians.
and they have not been able to stir out
side of Monrovia, although the residents
of the capital would gladly have been rid
OF them long ago. The emigrants charge
that the Exodus Association of the South
shamefully swindled them, and, Justly
or not, they lay most of their misfortunes
at the door of the concern. They say
that every passenger of the Asor paid be-
side his or her passage money, provisions
Tor months voyage, and for six months
provisions after landing in Liberia. The
money was paid to the association be-
tore the emigrants embarked at Charles
Ton, and they still show receipts for it.
When they landed at Nonrovia the
provisions were distributed, and there
was found to be only o scant three yeeks'
supply. The unfortunate strangers. in
a far-of land, have been too poor and
mlserab. to. trumpet their wrongs or to
make Investigation, and none has been at
tempted by their friends on this side of
the. water. But they claim that there
has been foul play somewhere, and that
their money has been misappropriated.
They woro promised shelter for sig
months, and they had paid for six
months food. By that time they ex-
pected to have worn out the i'll effects of
the climate, accustomed themselves to
the surroundings and found come steady
means of support. Instead of this they
were thrown in the bad season of the
year., upon the charity of the residents,
who had only few days notice of their
coming, and who have well-nigh sup
ported them eve: since, not without
grumbling loudly on account of the irk-
someness of the burden. The Azor'a
party landed at Monrovia in the begin
ming, OF the rainy season. No shelter
had been prepared for them, and so the
three hundred and forty. odd souls were
of necessity crowded into a lot of diIapida-
ted and abandoned houses near the beach.
The Liberian Government, contrary to its
practice, took some measures for their
relief, and some money was taken from
tho treasury to buy them food and medi-
clnes. The only aid which the Govern
ment, as rule, extends to immigrants is
to give twenty-five acres OF land to the
heed of every family, and to eTsTy fr,n,t
adult ten acres. Capt Richardson saws
:his tsovernn,ent grant hss oeen &c :.ost
Immigrants of no advantage whatever,
as it takes some capital to improve the
land, and very few of the new comers
nave money enough to buy implements
With which to develop the smallest coffee
farm. ,f
Capt. Richardson says that Immigrants
fresh from this country have little or no
chance of employment in Monrovia.
tour-fifths &C :he resident populace are
iaborers themselves, and the town has no
need to import manual labor. Besides
this, the Kroos, native tribe, who. the
Captain Gays, lack only civilization to
make them much sharper and moro en-
terprising and prosperous than the aver
age Of their imported brethren, will work
we'll for shilling day. which ia loss
tnen the American negro, with two or
three to provide for, requires. The
American emigrants havo not been able
70 go to the country, and the able. bodied
among them have supplied no element of
strength that the town needed. Thara
were very few artisans in their number.
and the most were drawn from the com.
monest ranks of Southern field hands.
They have done nothing to identify them
with the country or the interests of its
people, and the only hope they cherish
Is that some happy chance will ena-
bic them to como back to America.
There are qnite number nf women and
children, widowed and orphaned who are
stlil dependent for the little they have