The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-08-15

plOyS n dozen clerks IN his banking
house alone, while the Rev. Mr..
Jones still breaches the gospel all
over the islands.
When Mr.. Benedick and his TWEEN
ty-nine associates arrived at the
plantation they were conducted to q
large building where between 200
and 800 men, woman and small child
rem were congergated, and inform d
that these would he their quarters.
There was but ono room in the build
ing, which was cntirly open, so that
person standing in any part of the
building could take in the whole
room at glance, and altman, wo-
men and children-slept together,
without bedding or covering of any
kind. If they preferred they would
sleep out in the open corral or
stoekade around the house. The
climate being very mild, this can be
done with impunity; still many
would have preferred to have clothes
to wear, but these were difficult to
obtain, and enormously expensive,
as the laborers are allowed only 20
cents for each full days work, while
fines for the most trivial offences,
and dockages under various preten-
SEES, are 50 outrageously enormous
and frequent that all the laborers
are kept heavily in debt, and unable
to pay up, even by working unremit-
ingly for years.
Arrived at their quarters, the new
corners were told that they could
rest for two days and look around.
They would then be put to work in
the filds. After resting awhile, Be-
nedick and three others walked out
of the corral into the fields. But
they had not been out five mintes
when horseman having a club in
one hand and a revolver in the other,
and who hab deem watching them
all along, rode up, arrested them
and took them before a justice of
the peace of the plantation, where
they were fined $3.50 each Cor ten
days worll) for leaving their quar-
tiers without permission. One of
them paid his fine two of the others,
having no money had the fine
charged while Benedick, who was
by this time more thoroughly alarm
ed then he had ever been since leav-
ing San francisco, protested against
the treatment to which he, an Amer
ican citizen, was being subjected, and
demanded his rele Sc. The justice,
seemingly surprised, send word TO
the overseer of the plantation, and
in few minutes printed contract,
with all blanks filed, and binding
Benedick to labor on the islands for
two years and to refund all advan-
ces besides his passage money, by
laboring at 20 cents per day, was
shown him. The contract was
signed by Henry Benedick" his
age and nativity were correctly
stated, the paper was well executed
and fulfilled every requirement of
law. 1t was dated at San Francis
co, and countersigned by the man
Sutton as agent for WEIGH & Co.
Benedick protested, pleaded,
threatened, swore that his name
had been forged to the paper, even
wrote his name and had it compared
with the signature on the paper; but
all to no avail. The justice of the
peace informed him that, under the
law he would be compelled to find
the man who forged the name. As
Benedick could not do that then
and there, he was compelled to su y
nit. The Monday following he and
his companions were led out to a
canefield, where a boss showed them
their task or the quantity of work
they would be required to do that
day. They were perfectly green, of
course, and although they worked
hard, when quitting time came the
boss informed them that they would
be allowed only quarter day for
that full days work. Besides each
of them had been fined once (S2. SOY
for using tobacco while at work-so
that that they owed the masters 103
days work more than before going
TO work in the morning. At the
quarters they received one week S
rations of raw fish and rice-which
is all they got to eat-and which
each laborer had to cook for him
self or herself out of working hours.
These rations are taken to the
plantation in wagons once a week,
and distributed at the rate of ID
pounds of fish and half a pound OF
rice per laborer per day. This is
all they get, besides being allowed
one dollars worth of tobacco pei
month, which they can only use
when at quarters after working
hours. At the end of the first
month Benedick was informed that
he had worked "a days having
put in much over time-but that
he was Sl33 in debt, besides the cost