The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-01-11
NEGRO SLAVERY. Z
soME TRACES oFlTsTlLLR REMAINING
How Ignorant Calorsd Men are Pressed into tho
S.1'lcs Of tho OIsses M.a-Tb.ir C,ssl u
TrcAtntht In the Dredging Fl.lia-Ths
S!esy Of q Native Afs!cas.

BALTIMORE, January l0,-A governmen
official at Washington declared yesterda,
to Star reporter that there Is regula
press gang In that city employed in kid
mapping colored men. who are taken to I'll,
oyster fields. He said: every It'll,
while you hear Of a coIored man euddenI,
Disappearing: Nothing Is heard from hin
Tor months, and his friends believe hit
dead. He isn't dead, but be might as vel
be. He Is down the bay at the oyster beds
and his lille is as hard as It was, perhaps, In
slave times. There is regular System
practiced in this city Of kidnapping these
men and sending them down the bay ia
work on oyster puugies, and there they are
treated In the most cruel manner. Now,
this Ia no ioke, and l mean what say.
One case has incidentally come to my no.
tice which may be taken as a sample Of
many others. The facts In the instance l
refer to are about as follows: a
now A coLoRRD MAN FOUND WORK.
A young colored man was walking along
the street in October, think, looking for
work. He was accosted by passer.by,
who asked him II he wanted a Job, and
upon receiving an affirmative answer, he
asked: "What kind Of work do you want?"
II want a j3b Of Whiting on the tabl d"
swell, now, that's lucky; there is steam
er l belong to lying at the Seventh street
wharf that needs walters, and l can assure
you q job. Come on, and I'll 60 down
with you" M. 1.0E,9sl'l
Upon arriving at the wharf they Of
course found that the steamer had lust
sailed for Baltimore. In order not to lose
such good place the steamboat man in
duced, the young colored fellow to 20 to
baltimore by train, 80 as to catch the boat
there. Al Baltimore, with the promise OF
meeting tho steamer, he was induced to 20
out in u small >boa.. He was taken to an
oyster boat out ia the river, and when once
on board he had no chance Of returning to
shore. He was taken down to tho bay to
the oyster bgde, and is now there, COM
PEELED by the most crnsl treatment to work
ut all houra, and In all iweather-sick or
well. The friends OF the young man only
recently learned his Whereabouts, and are
endeavoripg. to secure his release. He is
consumptive, aud it Ia feared he will not
stand the hard life till spring. as :.
THEIR TREATMENT IN THE OYSTER FIELD.
How did they lud out where he was ~
swell, III tell You. Another young
colored fellow Of this city, who was also
pressed into the oyter service, made up his
mind to escape from his captora, and he
promised his sick friend that If be sue.
ceeded in reaching Washington, he would
let his folks know his whereabouts. This
man did escape by jumping overheard and
swimming ashore. He succeeded in making
bis way up TO Washington, and upon ar
riviDg hero kept bis promise. He tells a
heartrending tale Of the cruel treatmen.
they receive at the oyster beds. The sick
man, he saye, is compelled TO work at the
windlats, when he is physically unable to
do stroke OF work. A refusal only brings
on blows. This is not the only man down
there, he says, who has been pressed into
the service by some cleverly-concocted
plan. Now, this is not fiction that have
been relating to yop; and if the matter is
properly investigated, much more than
what have told you will be discovered.
Make inquiries in Baltimore, !, md geo il
they don't acknowledge the existence Of a
pree, gang, but that they are unable to
break it up. OF course,.it is none Of my
official business, but l happened to htar
the story, an think steps should be taken
to liberate the poor fellow, and any others
who may be similarly situated" - MI