The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-10
The Experience Of Southern and
Western Lads Ill the Navy.
flashing the Lads to the Deck i'm q
STERN Boys Who Don't Like beans
and Negroes Attempts to Bs-
cape and How They
Resulted,
INaw York Rtar ]


talk with some of the Southern and Western
lads recently enlistnd hy order Ut Inrlntar,
Thompson. of the Navy Department. IN To
npuilHa tu the atIionr'H call hatdsnme htiah
young fellow, dressed ia white duck pailia
Ieons and Jacket and smatt sailor hat, can't
forward and anlnted Mr. Moore who intro
tltiped tile reporter.
.Cnme tn The upper deck and have seat.
Eaia young Cheathams The reporter. stop
allH painfully to save HE head from tile huge
uvprhanRing LEANS. made Ills way thera will
ssH much grace as the average land-lnbber Ii
aWlll you kindly tell me something ahn,,,
Your voyage here, aud how you like your how
IifeY' as4ra the reporter.
.'Uh, certainly" Haid the young man, ~ an
from Baton Rouge there were flsa of na frnnl
there: thy cousin came along with ma w
came ut The Warhnaatt. we stopped AT New
Orleans and Key West. we had an awfu
storm on the voyage here
HWura you nHa sick Mi
lawfully for three days. was up III thu
fffpnnatle with some other bpva when the
Ht9tn, begun. They lashed ny to keep ~ from
1Glllng about
'sWere the boys ffightenedY
s'Sune OF them WERE and some were toe
alex tp care what became of EN-. and the
sailors were frightened. too. aud the o1o III
had 70 work. Just like sailors. They took
IeHt d man and thfes boats overheard. The
man was picked Ut again. though"
.a.How do you Ike your treatment herew
f NnL VaEA WE'LL
sIan't your fare goodY
Pretty good We get enough to eat. They
EIys us fft'ah meat every other day. don't
like bean day very well
What Ia beam dayf' a.
"The day when VIZ don't got fIGal meat,
Sunday Ia always bean day.
"Dnn't you llka heanef"
mo, ] ate them on hoard the Waehuaett
until WAS Eirk Since then can eat them
i ate SOME just hsfnre hogan to grow sick i
never can eat anything after II has made mo
HInk.''
..'Whst else is there that you don't lke2"
sNtgGarR.
fare thereany among the hoysF"
Yes three OF four. and the worst of all
they have put n9gef teacher over ~. They
make ua iilesa With them. and sinn ham
from the South won't stand We ara not used
Dit. We have applied Tor our discharge. and
expect milne III u few daya.'
There ha is now. continued young Cheat
hum, pointing pontemptunusly To tall negro
boy In Uniform who stood with book In hs
hnnd. n group of sailor boya around him
"Hg's u nice fellow to teach white boys, isn't
doesn't he treat you we,lp'
AYeH, but he's 4 Niger"
rDo tho other boya object To 'nIEgsrs?'"
Yea the boya from st. Louis do; but the
Isl l,, i. from Chicago don't seem e mind Il
ssHave you male any protestP''
Have wei You ought u have been here
last night when they put nigger to sleep In
hammock right next to us: we ware Euing
b throw him out. but he ran screaming about
the deck calling for the officers. lie was
frightened nearly out VI hs Wits, hut aune ot
Tho officers came and we had to put up with
III. Wa went To the commanding officer about
the niEger tenoher. aud he told us we must
Study Under him Of pass an examination that
would carry It's above him. and II we didn't do
this We could 70 to prison. Id rather 70 TO
a prison than submit u y niger teaoher--it
wouldn't be such o disgrace. Ny cousin
passed the examination and Ia out of his way
but stuck Oh grammar and so must submit
or 40 to prison, aud would go there only
expect to got my discharge til 4 few days"
Have none of the boys attempted to ee-
Eyes, and two Of 'em got away. Inst sun
day ono OF the fellows went to the chapel III
citizens clothes, and after the services were
over he stepped on board the barge and went
aahore. nn hasn't been seen alnoc Then
another fellow escaped ut Key West, He got
sick uf the Job, and one night while we were
laying at the wharf he told me that he was
golng 70 run away We slept almost eide BY
goodbye. and crawIed out through the port
hole and got past the corporal OF thu guard,
4 reckon the corporal saw him. but ddn' try 10
I'D did not come back. Some If tho marines
are nice fellows, and II they SEE boys that are
homesick, and want to get away they don't
take much pains to stop EN-"
stHave you been aahete}'
| stNp,' aaid the boy, with d trempr Ill his
voice. tits hard wnen q fellow can't have his
liberty: but they won't Int y fellow Eo ashore
I until he's out OF debt, and Its pretty hard to
~ hst a ny v pay fns enr sor
charged us mighty htah on the Waehusett
Fora suit Ike this have on thay charged
~ 10 but here II would only cost 81 IS. The
officers were pretty rough on us ON the Wa
uhuaett, but here they treat ia we'll. wv ean
have private talks with the officers. but Lieut..
Peters, on tho Wachusett, wouldn't listen to
any Of VS.,
asYou ate anxious to get homer
"Yes. L can make more money at work for
my father. He owns sugar plantation, aud
the grinding season IL counting Oh when there
would be plenty of work, aud after tho sea-
son was over could W. ~ school We only
get 80 d month on board, aud there isn't |
inuch chance Of rieing. When we enlisted |
we thought that We coald yet u Ia midahip-
men; the papers said go. but we have found
out that WE could never vet 10 10 more than
q bo's'n in the navy. and what's d bo's'n
Only M old hack-the lowest place among
sem
A. tho reporter was leaving Officer Moore
necpsted the writer Reporters sometimes
come aboard" said he "and get hold OF some
Rood-ior-nothing, wha tells some outrageous
yarn, and we revise their accounts | think
Gheatham IL an honest and intelligent lad
we think gund deal pf him here, and would |
tell the TRUTH
He only objects 70 beans and "niggers, An
Eaid the reporter.
SWELL. he'll have to get used to them" said
the officer. "rhey're having an easy time VI
it here, but LET them get to sea and then they |
may have something ~ talk about Many III
them enlsted under false impression, think |
ing they would be made naval officers In n |
few months. The fact IL. none of them rar,
rise TO any such position without passing
Through the Naval Academy You know thev
were enlisted under the law passed at the
last Congress authorizing the Secretary of tho |
Navy to provide schoal VI seamanship FOR
100 boys. The object Of the law IL to provide |
American seamen for American merchant |
men, three-fourths of which are now manned
by Foreigners. The full quota has not yet
been obtained"
----aA &Ae----
A Cave That Tells 4 Tragic Stery.
IBulnee tTeSasl BuletinI
The wonderful cave recently discovered |