The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-22
SANDWICH ISLAND SLAVERY.
An ImitatOr Of Baron Munchausen Relates
Some Very Startling Stories.
Wood River tTdaho) Times.

A man VINO recently came TO HaIey, ldano,
in search of employment, tells an extraordinary
story. His name is Henry Benedick a native of
West Stockholm, four miles from Potsdam, St.
Lawrence county, New York He is a hotel
waiter by occupation, thirty four years of age,
and well known to many Nevadians now in
Wood River.
In September, 1878, Mr.. Benedick went to San
Francisco from Bodie, to be treated for fever and
agRe. He had saved up $500 besides his fare and
expenses to San Francisco. A day or two later
he arrived at the Golden Gate and listened to a
man preaching in the open air on the city front,
near the Oakland ferry. Another man was cir
culating in the crowd, distributing religious
tracts, and extending a general invitation to
come and see him at his place. on Kearneystreet,
near Pine, as he might be able to put them in
the way of getting a job.
MI. Benedick took a tract, and accepted the
invitation. The next day he called at the place,
and found Sutton THAT was the tract distribu-
tors name) kept a large cigar, tobacco, and
fancy goods store. Mr.. Benedick was treated to
q good cigar, and said that he would like to get a
job as waiter in a hotel in a climate free from
fever and ague. Sutton said he had an order for
a few frst-class walters for the largest hotel in
Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. That the climate
was the finest in the world, the job good, wages
$40 a month in gold, board, lodging, clothes and
passage to and from San Francisco free. Sutton
further said If the job was not as represented
Benedick would be paid full from date and all
expenses until returned to San Francisco.
Two days later, Benedick called at Sutton's by
appointment, and accompanied him on board of
The oos1i,,o, uaazoI w n NFo&n.o .k1uu L. s.xa1
dueed him to the captain, telling that officer to
give him frst-class board and quarters, as be was
a frst-class passenger. Five or six other pass
engers were brought on board shortly thereafter,
and all were requested to 'go below to prepare
their quarters. The necessity for this was not
apparent, but after the vessel got out of port,
and the dozen Of passengers compared notes. it
was evident they had been sent below so they
would not have a chance to get acquainted with
one another before sailing. When they did
compare notes they found that no two of them
were hired for the same purpose. One was hired
as a waiter, another as a teamster, another as a
porter, a barber, a shoemaker, etc. The
fare was the same as that rationed out to the
sailors, and the passengers were half-starved
When the vessel had been out about fifteen
days the captain asked each passenger his name,
age, nativity, occupation, etc, and a few days
later the vessel cast anchor between two Sand
wich Islands, where the passengers were trans
feFred to another vessel which took them to the
island of How'll, 800 miles from Honolulu, where
they were registered at the custom-house as
twelve Portuguese laborers come to work on a
sugar plantation.
As they landed from tho vessel they stepped
into a regular stock corral, where they, found
several hundred men, women and children Of
verious nationalities already congregated. 1t
was evident that these had but Just
landed Others landed during the day;
and the next morning planters called
at the '.pen," and selected such hands as suited
them. The single girls and children win had
come with their parents were separated, and only
wives and husbands permitted to remain to-
gether. The girls were sent in one direction,
Notwithstanding their most heart-rending cries,
the sons another, husbands and wives another,
and the remaining lot in another,
Mr.. Benedick and twenty-nine others were
Consigned to Bishop & Jones' plantation,
which is known as the Missionary Plantat ion,
This is owned by the Rev. Mr.. Bishop and the
Rev. Mr.. Jones, two Methodist ministers welt
known in the island. These men went out there
as poor missionaries, a few years ago, but are
now enormously wealthy. Rev. Mr.. Bishop is
the leading banker of Honolulu, and employs a
dozen clerks in his clearinghouse alone, while
the Rev. Mr.. Jones still breaches the Gospel all
over the islands.
When Mr.. Benedick and his twenty-nine asso-
eiates arrived at the plantation they were con-
Quoted to a large building where between two
hundred and three hundred men, women and
children were congregated, and informed that
these would be their quarters. There was but
one room in the building, which was entirely
open, so that a person standing in any part of
the building could take in the whole room at a
glance, and all-men, women and children-slept
together, without bedding or coyering of any
kind. IF they preferred they could sleep out in
the open corral or stockade around the house
The climate being very mild, this can be done
with IMMUNITY; still many would have preferred
to have clothes to wear, but these
were difficult to obtain and enormous
1y expensive, as the labofers are allowed
only % cents for each full days work. while
under various pretenses, are so outragoeusly
enormous and frequent that all the laboreTs are
kept heavily in debt and unable to pay up,
even by working unremittingly for years.
Arrived at their quarters, the newcomers crew
told that they could rest two days and look
around. They would then be put to work in
fields. After resting a while, Benedick and
three others walked out of the corral" into the
fields. But they had not been out five minutes
when a horseman having a club in one hand and
q revolver in the other, and who had been
watching them all along, rode up, arrested
them, and took them before the justice of the
peace of the plantation, where they were fined
49, so each for ten days work. for leaving their
quarters without permission. One of them
paid his fine; two of the others, having no mon
ey, had the fine charged, while Benedick, who
was by this time more thoroughly alarmed than
he had ever been since leaving San Francisco,
protested against the treatment to which he, an
American citizen, was being subjected, and de-
manded his release. The justice, seemingly sur
prised, sent word to the oyerseer Of the planta-
ton. and in q few minutes a printed contract,
with all blanks filed, and binding Benedick to
labor on the islands for two years and to refund
all advances besides his passage money, by la
boring at % cents per day, was shown him III
contract was signed Henry Benedick,a his age
and nativity were correctly stated, the paper
was we'll executed and fulfilled every require
ment of law. 1t was dated at San Francisco,
and countersigned by the man Sutton, as agent
for WEIGH g. Co.
swore that his name had been forged to the pa
per, even wrote outshis name and had it COM
pared with the signature on the paper; but all to
no avail. The Justice of the peace informed him
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