Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-07-21

age In the Sandwich IsIands~1ao-.,1''r
Traffic In Human Flesh.
The schooner Emma Claudina. which
arrived IN San Francisco a few davs
since from the Sandwich islands.
brought over two fugitive contract
slaves from the Hitchcock plantation
on Hilo, and reporter went the rounds
OF the sailor boarding houses TO learn
OF their whereabouts from the crew of
the vessel. It was comparatively easy
10 md the crew, but il was much more
uilncult To draw from them any infor-
nation concerning the stowaways, for
they labored under the apprehension
that the fugitives might be arrested and
sent back TO slavery i'm the Hawaiian
Kingdom. The reporter finally sue
ceeded I'm convincing them that there
was no treaty providing for the extra
dition of fugitive slaves from the
Hawaiian islands, and sailor of the
Emma Claudina was prevailed upon TO
take him to the stopping place of the
escapes. The two men were found at
ffhe Arizona hotel, No. Is CLAY street.
where they had been provided with
lodgings by several members of the
crew, who had taken pity upon their
forlorn condition. The two escapes
proved TO be Henry Ratzhorn, of Chris
z tiana, Norway, and Emil Anderson. of
Drammen, Norway. They are both
young men, just entering into the full
vigor of manhood, with frank and open
countenances, bronzed by a tropical
sun; hands as hard as rocks, and show
ing in all their movements that their
lot had been one of hard labor and toll.
oh 10 II.
lish, and told so straightforward a story
in the simple language at their COM
mand as to dissolve at once all doubts
concerning its truthfulness. The sail
ors who befriended them, and to whom,
in fact, they owe their liberation, are
likewise Norwegians, who are also well
acquainted with the condition of their
enslaved countrymen in the kingdom
of kalakaua, and who pride themselves
upon having done good deed.
Ratzhorn and Anderson were induced
TO leave their native land by Captain
Christopher L'Orange, notorious agent
of the Hawaiian board of immigration.
This man travelled through the villages
of Norway making contracts on behalf
eof Kalakaua's government. He offered
the unsuspecting people free passage to
the islands and promised them work at
the rate of 50 n month during three
years. He experienced no difficulty in
inducing the people TO leave their ma
tive land, and the cargo of the bark
Beta, mentioned heretofore, was the
one which, among $50 souls, included
Ratzhorn and Anderson. The voyage
lasted $50 days, on account of which
the rations had To- be cut down, the emf
grants enduring much hardship. The
vessel arrived at NAOMI about seventeen
months ago, and its living freight was
received by L'Orange, the agent, who
had divided the human chattel before
hand. One by one the new arrivals
were taken into the ships cabin, when
L'Orange and the contracting planters
decided their fate and future abode. A
piece of cloth, bearing the particular
planters sign, was affixed to each mans
arm and each woman's breast, and
when the whole cargo had been thus di-
vided, they were driven of to shore and
To slavery. Ratzhorn and Anderson
were taken 20 Hilo and put To work on
the Hitchcock plantation with hun
dred others from the same ship. Their
cabins, which were wide, stable-like
structures, containing tiers of hunks
and no furniture whatever, were as
gned TO them, when they made them
lives "a comfortable rs possible with
the little bedding which they had saved
from the Beta. When they asked for a
little straw, in order to make a mat
tress for themselves, it was brought and
sold TO them; although their contract
with the government agent promised
them board and lodging.
The same contract called for twenty
six days service of ten hours each
month, at the rate of 80. Consequent
" on the following morning at o o'clock
the new arrivals, under the charge of
a Kanaka overseer, started out for the
field of their labor, which was reached
after n march of six miles over a steep
lava road. Here the Kanaka overseer
assigned 20 each bondman n certain
portion of the sugar-cane field, which
was to constitute days work. When
the sun sank in the west RatZborn found
that he had, despite his willing applica-
ton, accomplished but one-half of his
task, and when the Kanaka recalled
him from his work to drive him to his
lodging he was informed that that par
ticular days work counted but for one
half of contract day, and brought on
" proportionate amount of pay. Ar
irving ut the sheds which served them
as resting-places for the night. they
were given their evening meal, consist
ing of n piece of salt fish and ''poy,"
after which they were left to themselves
10 compare their present cherries and
hopeless lot with the pleasanter memo
ries of the past. The same routine was
gone through with from day to day.
The Kanaka overseers, however, grew
more exacting as time went on. They
used their fists and their boots on those
who did not do their work quickly and
well enough, and within few weeks
the new arrivals discovered that they
were the slaves of brutal and exacting
masters. Their food consisted of salt
meat and salt fish and ''poy" on six
days of the week. Fresh beef was Civ
en- TO them once week, but vegetables
never. During the sixteen months,
Ratzborn and Anderson remained in