The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-19
WANTS LOOKING INTO
AN AMERlC AN YOUTH KIDNAPPED
AND SHAMEFULLY TREATED.
He Tolls Story That, II True, Should
Make Somebody Feel the Power
of Uncle Sans Good
Right Arm.

New York, May 49, The Herald pub
fishes story from Key West Fla, which
gives an account OF the kidnapping of Ed
ward Santa Rosa, youth of IL year, from
New Orleans Rosa relates ptiful story,
which, il true, would call for full investi
cation by our government Rosa states
that last September he was enticed on board
a yes el, the captain of which offered to take
him to Key Wet,
While he was talking with the captain,
the vessel sailed, and he and sixty-six others
who had been also entrapped were carried
to Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, by the
steamer Ella Knight
Young Rosa says: we arrived at..Puerto
Barrios, in Guatemala, about shutdown Of
Wednesday, Oct. 8, after voyage Of
little over six days. Owing to eating
poor food and drinking brackish water,
nearly all of our party were sick, and five
were for four days unable to get on deck
Altogether the passage was very disagree
able one. We anchored in the open harbor
about quarter of mile from shore, when
Jim ODonald, of Glasgow, Scotland (of
Irish descent the man who-entrapped me at
New Orleans, along with the captain
and mate, went ashore, where
| heard him call out: "Here are my cattle, fol-
which am to get $40 per head" We were
| landed in small boats and counted, where
upon O'Donald went up to the Office of J. p
Bousierron, the president of the railroad
company, and received $3.50 for this ship
ment of sixty-seven men Bouserron
througha Kentuckian, spoke French fiuently
| N. B. Day, Of Chattanooga, Tenn, is vic
president.
| When left New Orleans had $22 in my
pocket. As we were landing, Mr.. Day SUM
out: "Hurrahl look at the boysi There
plenty of money there" Mr. Bousierrol
| said to the soldiers; go to searching.
The sold iers were native blacks, and spok
English and gwere under the command of
tall white man. If any of our party oh
jected to being searched, his none.
and arms were taken from him by force
and there was a tree near at hand, and
lash was shaken to show him that he woul
be tied up and whipped. As we wer
brought ashore in small parties those re
naming on board did not know what wa
in store for them until they, too, wer
forced to give up their property. Pres
dent Bousierron sat at table with a DO
at hand, into which he dropped the none
as it was passed to him by the so
diers after taking it from our party. As
was never intended the workmen shoul
ever earn and be paid enough to get ava
from Puerto Barrios, they were at one
robbed of what money they brought wit
them, in order that that door of escap
might also be closed against them W
were then put to work on the railway.
/ figure up the following receipts {
laborers up to Jan. IA, when | left: A
work when our party arrived, about 30
Our party, per Ella Knight, 81; brought b
Wanderer, l73; brought by Blanche Her
derson, 100; brought by Ella Knight, L
: total, 677 At work when / left, about 20
to be accounted for, Az If laborer woul
; not 90 out to work, he was denied food. Me
were kicked till they left sick beds to r
turn to work. The system was one of to
ture, but life was cheap. The men onl
cost the company $40 each. It was Pres
dent Bousierron'S habit to pay us a MONTH
. visit in the interior, riding mule. If III
. able to come himself, he sent his agent
: inspect the work and report. The me
!, worked in gangs of ten or twenty, al
whatever a m an was told to do he was e
pected to do. There were no STRIKES" 6
lowed at Puerto Barrios There was l
ministry, no church, nor no religious ser'
ices of any kind while | was there
The hospital was an old ragged tent, i
Il tested with lizards, gnats and mosquito
Quinine was the great remedy in sicknes
$ and the men were stuffed with it. One po
e Frenchman became Eighty with it and q,
l. | to the woods to die in the marshes of t
1 nj a
il There was no burial ground. Whsn ms
died be was wrapped in a blanket al
IS a hole was dug in place most convenieu
i, and the body put away without any Ger
70 mony The woods and mountains abo
Of Puerto Barrios became so full of exposed
he caying bodies that the place must for
K season be a more than usually unhealt
le place to live in.
he Rosa says that he made
T. escape last January, and has just landed
g. this country.