The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-23

The Experience of an Intelligent Georgia
Negroes in Parkway Africa
Atlanta Constitution.

Negroes in Parkway Africa.
Atlanta Constitution.
Yesterday Juna Hudson arrived in Atlanta,
after an absence of over seventeen years from
Georgia. She was one of the negroes who went
to Liberia soon after the close of the war. She
belonged to Major j. W. Warren OF the execu-
tive Office and was the nurse OF his children.
Tie craze for Liberia did not captivate Juna,
but il caught her husband, a skilful mechanic,
who was free negro IN slavery times and had
accumulated a considerable property.
II the latter part of 1867 there was a very
large emigration of negroes from the cotton
States to Liberia. PARTY of about fifty was
made up in Muscogee ard adjoining coun
ties, of which Hudson and his family
were prominent members. The negroes
who composed this colony were nearly
all old servants Of wel!-known Georgia families
They reached Liberia safely and founded a town
which they named Fortsville in honor Of the
well known Georgia family. The history of the
colony is a sad one. Most Of its members died
Of the fever Hudson prospered and accumU-
lated considerable property A few months ago
he died. His widow determined to return 70
Georgia with her two children and spend the
remnant of her days among her old friends. She
sailed in a schooner for New York on the 9th Of
May and was sixty days at sea. Yesterday she
reached Atlanta, and went at once to see MARS
Joe" Warren at the capitol, who gave her q cor
dial welcome. Juna Hudson is woman of re
1narkable intelligence, and appears to
be we'll educated. She is q light
! mulatto, though her friends say
seventeen years in Liberia have made her a
shade darker than she used to be- When asked
what she thought of that country, she said: Il
never liked it. 1t is a remarkably rich country,
and the climate is generally agreeable, ] don't
know when have felt day as hot as this The
trouble is with the fever, which never fails to
attack settlers and is very fatal. 1t takes two
years at least to become accllmated, and don't
think the climate agrees well with any
body but the natives"
lis the population growinc!'
''No, sir ! think not. The natives may be
| increasing butthere are fewer American negroes
there now than there used 10 be. Nearly all of
the fifty that went over in party died. Some
came back On the vessel that brought me to
New York were twenty ernigrants returning
to this country. They generally get enough Of
Liberia in six months"
what inducements are offered to settlers?"
Every family is given twenty-five acres Of
land, and they can buy as much more as they
want for fifty cents acre. 1t is the richest
land | ever saw, too. / had a beautiful place
with many improvements. There were r. 600
bearing coffee trees on it, besides thousands Of
bananas and plantains 1t was valued a few
years ago at S. 900 Yet when | sold it to get
money to come back on all | realized was about
5000 One reason of this the trouble with
the currency. Very little money is circulated.
People are afraid of the money because it is con-
stanty being deprecated. Trading is done
almost altogether by barter. | could take my
syrup or fruit But when my property was
offered for sale for gold | could hardly get any
thing for it. The legislature is trying now to
make the money Of the country good. Crops
Pork is thirty cents pound beef twenty cents;
ham fifty cents, and good flour very high"
What about the government?
cit is modelled after ours. All the officers are
negroes and there are a good many politicians
DO the people generally seem to be happy?7
''Well, | suppose So The natives are happy
in their way but l don't think the country
would satisfy those who had been raised in
Georgia"
What is the religion Of the people,"
among the emigrants there are the various
denominations we have here. The natives wor-
ship idols"
why don't they send missionaries among
them?"
'.Thoy do, but it is a hopeless task, I think.
Among the thousands of natives l saw while
there, only three had been civilized and chris
TANNED. Missionaries are scattered all over the
country and they find no trouble in
churches and schools Many Of these profess
conversion, and are enrolled as Christians, but
almost invariably they 60 back to idolatry when
they return to their tribes. The missionary
work in Liberia seems to be making no progress. :"
you don't think the future of the country
looks bright!"
mo, sir. The emigrants who have gone there
from this country, as rule, are not contented.
Many OF them come back, and many more would
come if they had the means. The country is not
going to fiji up with intelligent American negroes,
and | don't believe the natives will ever be made
into good citizens. They are ignorant and brutal
They are happy when they can come down from
the forests loaded with fruits to sell in the towns
and then go back to their miserable huts."
The woman thus conyersed, giving evidence of
close and intelligent observation, and expressing
herself unusually well. She will go to Twicgs
county in a few days. She wants to educate her
two children in this Christian country, which she
says is henceforth their home and hers.