The Indianapolis journal., 1885-05-26
INHUMANITY In GUATEMALA.
Incredible Atrocities Said to Have Been Per-
petratcd Upon American Iaborers.

petratcd Upon American Lab0rer5
VIcKsBURG, Miss, May 25.-James Early, an
intelligent young Mississippian of about twenty
i've years of age who formerly resided at Bates
vile, Miss, where he long time was deputy
sheriff, and who about three years ago came to
Vicksburg and worked on the Vcksburg,
Shreveport & Pacific railroad and afterwards on
the government work on Wilson's Point, re-
turned few days since from Guatemala, where
he had been induced to go by labor agents and
seductive advertisements last summer. A
correspondent had an interview with him last
evening, when the question of maltreatment of
the laborers who had been taken to Puertos
Barrios. up, when he said: II left Vicks-
burg in September last to go to Puertos Barrios,
republic of Guatemala to work for
! Messrs. Shay, Cornice IL Co.. on the
Puertos, Barrios & Guatemala City rail
| road. l landed there October q, in the
rainy season, and went to work grading track,
and graded up to Jan. 23 when / went with the
iron gang and worked there until February. At
New Orleans met man by the name of Parkery
who had an Office on Front street, near Claus
man, who was the labor agent for Shay, Cornice
q Go. In company with 169 others signed a
contract with them to work at So per day. We
were to pay $9transportation out Of our first pay
and we were to pay So. so per week for board
| upon our arrival at the work We sailed on the
| steamer Ella knight.
| When we landed we were put ashore in the
| night while it was raining, and had no camps or
! place to 60 into In the rain the next day we
! put up some poles on forks and covered them
| with menacca leaves, and these constituted our
! shelter. 1t continued to rain for about two
months. 1t would rain for an hour and the sun
| wAU mt of we al WED
to stop for the rain, but kept on in the mud and
| slush l was soon taken with fever which
| would lay me up for day. When the fever was
on ME could not eat, but the following day al
| ways had ravenous appetite. They issued
| meal tickets to the workmen when the meals
were ready, and we could get nothing to eat with
out ticket
The day after was first sick went to the
| time e-keeper, who gave out meal tickets and
| asked him for ticket. He looked over list of
| those who who worked the day previous. and
| said: You did not work yesterday mo,
was sick" "Well," said Re, ''we feed no one
here but those who work. get out of here and go
to work and we will feed you" was unable to
| work, and had to 60 to the thickets and get
some fruit to stay my hunger until 1 could re-
cuperate enough to go to work | worked
twenty two days and had done $1l. 90 worth of
| station work Days when l was unable to put
| In full day | went to the time keeper and
asked him how stood, when he told me that
my passage was $l3 90; that my board was $4 80
| company $l50. | told him 1 thought he was
m istaken, and asked him for an itemized state
He said: II will give you an itemized state
ment" Then turning to a drawer he took out
pistol. and presenting it at me, said: Il will
| give you an itemized account with this
| soon afterwards, in company with six others,
| procured small sail boat and in the night we
| escaped and made way to Belize, British
| Honduras from there we were sent home in the
same ship went in. Of the l60 who
went over with me there were not more than
| ninety left when l escaped. For time they
| died at the rate of seven or eight a day. Two
companions of mine died, and they were stripped
| OF their clothing and buried without cofins in
nude state, and within an hour | saw their
clothing displayed in the commissary for sale,
and saw the same disposed of on account to some
of the men. Men who were unable to work, and
not sick in bed, were forced by soldiers to go to
work, and when the works if they refused to
work they were arrested on some trivial charge
and placed in stocks. Very few Americans were
put iii the stocks but the Germans were often
thus punished.
number of the men ran away and attempted
to escape but they had charges put against them,
and the barefooted soldiers arrested them as
convicts and brought them back, when heavy
fines were put against them in every instance.
Some of the men appealed to Mr.. Sarg, the
American consul at Livingston, about nine miles
from where we were at work He said he could
do nothing for US. The consul at British Hon
duraS, in company with some ladies, heard of
our condition, and he came to see for himself.
Afterwards he reported the matter and the
United States man-ofwar Swatara went over
| and brought the Americans away. had left,
however, before the arrival, and only heard this
from of the boys who came over on her,
| and who are now in the Charity Hospital in New
Orleans My feet have been swollen ever since
worked in the rain last fall, and / do not think
| will ever regain my health. / did not get
dime or a stitch of clothing for my work while
there.
The story of this young mans maltreatment
is credited, and the sentiment is that the GOV
ernment should take the matter in hand and
punish the offenders