Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-05-19
AMERICANS KIDNAPPED.
Sixty geyen Men Carried Prom the
United Bates 10 Guatemala and
Bold Into Heryitude.
An Appalling Tale Of Name Inbumanity
10 Man Modern Slave Trade on
This Side Of the Atlantic.

NEW YORK May lo--The Herald
this morning publishes n story from
Key West, Fla, which gives an ac'
count OF the kidnapping Of Edward
Santa Rpsa, youth OF sixteen years,
from New Orleans. Rosa relates a
pitiiul story, which, II true, would
call for full investigation by our
government. Rosa States that
last September ut New Or
leans he was entlced on board
vessel, the captain Of which offered
30 take him 10 Key West. While he
was talking with the captain the ves-
sci sailed, and he and sixty others who
had also been entrspped were carried
to Puerto BArrios. Guatemala, by the
steamer Ella knight.
1--WE arrived, +" says Rosa, AT Puerto
Barrios In Guatemala about sun.
down OF Wednesday, October 8,
after "A voyage OF little
over eight days. Owing 10 the eating
poor food and the drinking bracklsh
water nearly all the party were sick.
Five were for four days unable 10 get
on DICK. altogether the passage was
yery dlsagfeeahle one. We anchored
In the open harbor about quarter OF
mile from the shore, when Jim
O'Donald of Glasgow, Scotland, OF
Irish descent, the man who entTappod
me al New Orleans, along with the
captain aud the man went ashore,
when heard him call out
Here arc my cattle, for which ] am to
get $40 per head. We Were landed IN
small boats and counted, whereupon
O'Donald went up TO the officer, J. p.
Bouscarren, president of the railroad
company, aud received $3.50 for this
SHIPMENT Of slxty.seven men. Bous.
carren, though Kentuoklan, spoke
French iluenty. n. b. Day OF Chat
tauooga, Tenn, ia vioe-president.
"Wben | left New Orleans had
So In my pocket, AZ we were land
ing the mate sang out, 'Hurrah, look
at the boya. There Is plenty OF money
there
"Bouscarreu said to the soldiers.
Go TO searching
"The soldiers were native blacks
and spoke English, aud were under
the command OF tall white man,
II any of our party objected TO
be searched hts money aud arms
were taken from him by violence, and
there was u tree near at hand and "A
lash wHs taken 10 show him that he
would be tied up aud whipped. As we
were brought ashore In small parties. |
those remaining on board utd not |
know what was In store for them until |
they, too, were forced 20 give up their |
property. President BouscarFen sat |
at table with "a box at hand into |
which lac dropped tho money ms IL |
wRA passed to him by our party
IA ~ WAS never Intended that the
workmen should ever earn and be
paid money enough to get away from
Puerto Barrios, they were at once
robbed OF what money they had
brought with them, In order that the
door of escape might he closed against
them. Work AZ Puerto Barrios whs
commenced, but during August aud
september there were not many
mon secured, In October they
kNh W NV NAlNlt fuIDlltN,
New Orleans waa filling up with peo.
pie and O'DonNld aud Stallinga knew
how TO get them to Puerto Barrios. L
figured the following reports of la.
horera up to January lith, when /
LEFT; Az work when our party arrived
about 800, our party per the Elba
Knight W, brought by the Wan
dorer ia, brought by the
Blanche Henderson 100, brought
by the Elba knight IL; total 87T az
work. When LEI, about two hun.
dred were To he accounted for out of
the GU. liza laborer would not NO out
10 work he was denied food. The men
were kicked TIL they left their sick
beds 10 return to work. The men only
cost the company $40 each. IL was
President Bouscarren's habit 10 paw us
monthly visit from the interior rid
Ing amula, lfunahle 90 come he sent his
agent to inspect tho.work and report.
The men were worked In gangs OF ten,
seventeen and twenty, Whatever a
man WAS told to do, he was expected
To do. There Were no 'sttlkers' allowed
at Puerto Barrlos. There were no
ministers, charohea, religious services
OF any kind while was there,
The hospital WAS an old, ragged
tent infested with li21ards, gnats and
mosquitoes Quinine was the general
remedy Ia sickness, and the men were
stuffed with IL, One poor Frenchman
became Eighty with II and He'd to the
woods to die In the marshes OF San
Francisco, five miles away, There
were no burial grounds. When a man
died he was wrapped in a blanket and
hole was dug o n The slot meet c,p.
Venieut and the body put away with.
out any ceremony The woods and
mountainside about Puerto Barrios
became so full ot exsosed decaylng
bodies that the place must for n season
be a more than usually unhealthy
place TO live Inn
Rosa rays he made his escape last
January and has just landed In this
country.