The Osceola times., 1883-07-28
WITH RINGS on HER TOES.

A Madras Woman Who is Adorned with a
ProfusoA of Gold.
~ YNsun.
A Sun reporter climbed rope ladder
up the side ofthe Austrian bark Lea at
Martins stores, Brooklyn, and found
three men and a woman grouped near
the cabin. The woman had hardly seen
the reporters face over the rail when she
threw bright colored fabric over her
head 1t fell below her waist and when
she sat down il completely concealed her
person. The mems features were fine,
their color light brown, and their skin
glossy and soft, like satin. They wore
striped turbans.
"Have you any work for us, master ?"
one of them asked in very good English
and with very broad pronunciation of
the "a" in master"
"What can you do ?" T" t''
81 can clean the horse and drive him,
MASTER" said another. who had a narrow
line tattooed down his forehead to the
nose.
"And your asked the reporter ad-
dressing the others.
ave can make cigars, MASTER" one of
them replied twirling his fingers as if he
were tipping off Henry Clay. "Mv
brother has gone out to see if he can get
us work"
AT this point the bright fabric began to
move, and gradually a woman's head
emerged. She was darker than the men
in complexion, and her hair was jet
black. She looked frightened, and
seemed on the point OF covering her face
again. but one of the men reassured
her.
"Her husbands gone, MASTER" he said,
"and she doesn't like to have strangers
look at her when he's away"
Just then her feet protruded from her
loose pink calico wrapper. On each mid.
die toe was silver ring. As she threw
back the headgear still further gold and
Jewels in profusion glittered against her
dark skin. She was adorned after
fashion which is novel TO New York.
bellies. Fastened 70 one side Of her nose
was gold button, which looked as if it
might have. been put in like a stud.
On the other side was a gold button of
the same size with ruby in the centre
surrounded by spikes Of gold tipped with
pearls. The ear lobcs were decorated
with large gold rings. Smaller rings
were above them, both being surrounded
with gold shafts run through the shell
of the ears and terminating on either
side in gold knob. A chain of some
thirty gold disks, each little larger than
our 'five-dollar gold pieces, hung from
her neck. She did not seem to under,
stand English
whats show, masterw one of the
men asked.
The reporter explained the various fea-
lures of American shows to him.
You see master, ten dollars week
have been offered her to appear in
show, but in our country woman doesn't
like any man but her husband to see
her face"
These people are Madras coolies who
shared the bark's hold with five men
from the shipwrecked whaling schooner
Pilots Bride. The bark had come from
Cape Town.
Another passenger was Mr.. II. b.
Joreph, a diamond dealer in Cape Town.
He says that there is great suffering in
Cape Colony. The crops have failed in
many parts because there has been no
rain to speak of for three years. The
distress has been increased by an acci-
dent at the great diamond mine at Kim
berley, ABOUT 600 miles from Cape Town
and 400 miles from Natal. The mine
had been dug about $50 feet deep and
was about mile and three quarters in
circumference, when suddenly the soft
debris began to fall back so rapidly that
1000 tons of it fell back within twenty
four hours.
Eighteen months" said Mr. Joseph,
"snd f250,000 will be required to clean
out this mine, and you can estimate the
loss VIII en- l tell you that it yields annual
ly diamonds to the value of millions of
dollars. The worst of it is that the dis
aster has affected the value of other
diamond mine shares. Some shares
have fallen from $500 to ESQ, and one
mine has been sold by the s5eriff. The
result has been financial ruin to many
Ten leading merchants have committed
suicide on account of these troubles
among them Herman Wilcgroost and
Mr.. Schcuz, who was also a magistrate"
Captains.Se2 said that had he been
able to accommodate more passengers he
could have brought many more. Small
pox, drought and the diamond mine dis
aster had caused much distress and
many failures. and many people wanted
to leave.