River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-09-16
New York World.

cook and steward on the bark J. w.
Page, Capen Jones, master, tradin' be-
tween here and the Gold Coast Now,
ON the line of the 'quator bout was this
chiefs kentry-the father of this young
man. 1t was an English colony, and
the people called themselves Fanteens.
This chief-his name was Albert Agger-
man, what his name was in his own
language | don't know-was over five
large towns There was about 10000
or $4,000 of his people, and he had a
standing army of 1000 soldiers. The
chiefs father was a colored Portuguese,
and his mother was native African.
Yessir And he was first cousin to the
King Of Dahomey Now, this young
mans mother what we is talkin' bout
was native Fantee, but by descent an
Ashantee Her fathers English name
was Dexter The chief was very rich
man. His kentry produced gold, dia-
monds, ebony and palm oil, and besides
he had Il great many cattle and horses.
But everythin' was subject to the gov
ernor of Cape Coast Castle"
"Were the chief and his people
Christians %
"Well they was made Christians, 50
as to colOnize them rs British subjects.
But they wasn't very good church
members. 1t was pretty hard, yo'
know, when Christians go to work and
sell sinners, like they did there, for the
sinners to become Christians
GLOW was it that young Albert was
brought to this country
"Yessir. Well you see, sir, as we lay
off DiXcove the cappen he wanted an
interpreter SO he could trade with the
natives. So he went to hotel-keeYer
and asked him if he could get him
young man to interpret. This was on
And the landlord said there was a
might do. That was Albert
How was it that he learned En-
glish q
His father sent him To Cape Coast
ed in the Castle, then he made a cruise
IN man-of-war, and after that was
thought sharpshootin'. His father paid
Lord Freeman, the governor of the
Castle, for his education. The English
government allows the natives five
years for study. and Albert studied
three years. When our capen met
him he was bout eighteen years old.
Yessir. The boy wanted to come to
America, and the chief, his father, was
glad to see him so active, and SO they
struck up bargain, the capen prom
ism to bring the boy back i'll ninety
days. Then one night there was Il
storm and we had to leave. We sailed
fo' Momovia Then the boy got sorry
and said he was going to swim to land,
and the nearest shore was fo'teen miles
| persuaded him not to, and we got to
Monrovia on August 25th, just twenty
one years ago to-day. That's the In
dependence Day in Liberia. Then we
sailed for America"
what did Prince Albert do during
the voyage ?"
"The capen made him wait on the
table. When we got to New York the
capen tole him he'd get him a berth as
cabin-boy ON brig goin' to Florida,
but | interfered and took him home
with me. He had made very handy
waiter on board ship, and he followed
that trade ashore. Then he learned to
be barber. When the war broke out
he became Commodore Mcade's body
servant. | was away myself during
the war, an when | came back met
Albert. He was then pickin' up jobs
along shore
During all these years had he tried
to get home?"
@Yessir." He went to the English
consul, but somehow he coulden do
notniu' for him. Then his father had
no way of sendin' him money or send
in any one to bring him back, although
he knew where Albert had gone to-"
"When did he begin to take an inter-
est in religion?'
He was convicted at the gamblin'
table. Yessir He was Il regular
sharper ut that business. He was
brought up to it. He learned it among
all the foreigners at Cape Coast Castle.
Gambhn' was thoroughly introduced
there to that innocent and ignorant
people. He joined the Concern Street
Baptist Church in 1862 and was mar
ried to Rosanna about the same time.
She had been Twin at service since
her fust husband died. She had son
bv him who is now a grown man in
Connecticut. Then Albert went on
working ut whatever he could do.
There were two children by this mar
riage. One of them died. The other,
a boy goin' on sixteen, is Twin with
me as my adopted son, like his father
was. His name is Arthur.
why did Prince Albert finally go
back to Africa"
"His father sent a messenger to Mr.
Powell, shippin' master in New York,
askin' 70 Albert to be found and sent
home. Mr.. Powell did'en make the
right inquiries and the messenger went
away. His father had wrote that there
was to be fight between the Fantees
and the Ashantees and he wanted Al
bert to come back and help him. Our
church was notified, but they did EN-
seem to make much stir. So he and
me went around ontwell we raised
money to pay his passage. Befo' this
he had studied the Gospel and had
preached a trial sermon. He started
To- home on the bark Jasper, January
n, 1868. He arrived at Monrovla and
then took an English steamer To Cape
Coast Castle There he found ms
uncle. who was merchant, and his
cousin. who was an English custom
house officer So yo' see by that he
was of good family in his own kentry.
The war between the Fantees and the
Ashantees was then goin' on and Albert
could not get to his father. So he be-
gan to preach to the Africans lie
preached 70 two years and III that
time wrote two letters to the chu Oh.
He said he had formed u little mission
chu'ch on the Gold Coast and had call
ed it Concord. He wanted the chu'c
to send me and missionary and n
ship loaded with articles that could be
traded off, and that if we did that near
~ half the big city would go to him
and be baptized In the same letter
he said his fathers main town had
been fired upon and burned by the
Ashantees and that his father had taken
to the bush. He said, too, that his
father had written to him when the
war was over and had asked him to 60
home and take his place"
''Do you know if Prince Albert went
home:"
"We never just heerd. There was a
letter said he had gone home and tax
en- the throne, but somehow these let.
tiers were never read right. They said
the writin' was bad, but / know Albert
eould write well y