The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1885-08-15
BACK FROM LIBERIA.
[ From the Atlanta Constitution. !

| y
Of tho negroes who went to Liheri,
belonged 70 Major j. w. Warren OF tn,
Executive office, and was tho nurse o
his children. The craze for Librri:
did not captivate Juna, but it caugh
her husband, a skilful mechanic, wht
was free negro in slavery times, ant
had accumulated property.
| In the latter part of 1867 there was {
| very large emigration of negroes from
the cotton States to Liberia. "A party
of about fifty was made up in Mus
cogce and adjoining counties, of which
Hudson and his family We're prom.
inent members. The negroes W no com.
posed this colony were nearly all old
servants of well known Georgia fami-
lies. They reached Liberia safely, and
founded town which they named
torisville, in honor Of the well-knoWn
Georgia family. The history of the
colony is a sad one. Most of its men.
| bers died of the fever. Hudson pros.
percd and accumulated considerable
property. "A few months ago he died
His widow determined to return to
Georgia with her two children and
spend the remnant of her days among
her old friends. Yesterday she reached
Atlanta, and went at once to see "Mars
Joe' Warren at the Capitol, who gave
her cordial welcome. Juna Hudson
is woman of remarkable Intelligence,
and appears to be well educated. When
asked what she thought Of that country,
she said: 81 never liked it. 1t is Il
remarkably rich country and the eli
M at >.
know when have felt Il 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 acclimated, and l don't
think the climate ever agrees we'll with
anybody but the natives"
"1s the population growing"
"No, sir. l think not. The natives
may be increasing, hut there are fewer
American negroes there now than there
used to be. Nearly all of tho fifty that
went over in our party died. Some
came back. On the vessel that brought
me to New York were twenty one
emigrants returning to this country.
They generally get enough of Liberia
in six months"
"What inducements are offered to
settlers 2"
"Every family is given twenty-five
acres of land, and they can buy as
much more as they want for fifty cents
an acre. 1t is the richest land l ever
saw, too. l had a beautiful place with
many improvements. There were
10000 bearing coffee trees on il, besides
thousands of bananas and plantains.
1t was valued few years ago at SIS, 900,
Yet when l sold it to got money to
como back on, all l realized was about
5000. Ono reason of this was the
trouble with tho currency. Very little
money is circulated. People arc afraid
of the money because it is constantly
being deprcciatcd. Trading is done
almost altogether by barter. l could
take my coffee and get anything |
wanted. So with syrup or fruit. But
when my property was offered for sale
for gold l could hardly got anything for
it. The Legislature is trying now to
make tho money of the country good.
Crops arc bOuntiful, but every necessary
of life is high. Pork is thirty cents a
pound; beef twenty cents; ham fifty
cents, and good flour very high"
""hat about the Government >"
"1t is modelled after ours. All the
officers arc negroes, and there are a
good many politicians"
"Do the people generally seem TO he
happy ''
dwell, i 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."
"Nhat is the religion of the people 2"
"Among the cmigrants there arc the
various denominations VIC have hcrc.
The natives worship idolS.'
"Why don't they send missionaries
among thcm?'
"Thcy do, but ii is a hopeless task, |
think. Among the thousands of |
natives | saw while there, only three
had been civilized and Christianizcd. |
are scattered all over the |
and they find no trouble in |
getting crowds of the natives into their |
and schools. Many of these |
profess conversion, and are enrolled rs !
but almost invariably they |
go back to idolatry when they return to
their tribes. The missionary work in
Liberia sc ms to be making no pro-
greSs."
"You don't think the future of the
looks bright?"
"NO, sir The emigrants who have
gone there from this country as a rule
are not contcnted. Many Of them
come back, and many more would
come if they had the means. The
is not going to fill up with
intelligent American negroes, and /