St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-19
SYSTEMATIC KIDNAPPING.
Strange Story Of a Lad Who Was Entrap-
ped From New Orleans.
Taken to South America With Others
and Shamefully Abused.
A pitiful Tale.

NEW YORK, May 1S.-The Herald this
morning publishes a story from Key West,
Fla, which gives an account Of the kid
mapping of Edward Santa Rosa, youth Of
16 years, from New Orleans. Rosa relates
pitiful story. He states that last Septem
Der he was enticed on board vessel at New
Orleans, the captain offering to take him to
Key West. While talking to the captain
the vessel sailed, and he and fifteen others
who had also been entrapped were taken to
Puerto BaTrios Guatemala, by the steamer
Ella May. The boys diary shows the fol-
lowing entries: Wednesday, Oct. IS, ow-
ing to eating poor food and drinking brack-
ish water nearly all our party were sick.
Five were four days unable to get on deck.
We anchored in open harbor about one
fourth of mile from Glasgow, when Jim
O'Donald of Glasgow, of Irish descent
went ashore with the
CAPTAIN AND MATE
heard him call out, ''Here are my cattle,
when am to get my SO per head?" We
went ashore. O'Donald went up to the Of
fee OF j. P. Boncerron, the president of
the railroad company and received S670 for
the shipment of sixty-seven men. Boncer-
ron, although Kentuckian. spoke French
fuently. n. P. Day Of Chattanooga is
secretary. When I left New Orleans L had
$22 in my pocket. AS we landed Day sang
out: ''Hurrah! Look at the boys. There's
plenty of money there Dr. Boncerron
said to the soldiers: go to searching" The
soldiers were natives and spoke English. If
any of the party objected to being searched,
his money and arms were taken from him
by force And there was a tree near at
hand, and lash was shaken to show him
he would be
TIED UP AND WHIPPED.
AS we were brought ashore in small par
ties, those remaining on board did not know
what was in store for them until they were
forced to give up their property, and Presi-
dent Boncerron sat at table with box at
hand into which he dropped the money as
it was handed to him after being taken;
from us by the soldiers, as it was never in
tended we should earn enough to escape.
The work at Puerto Barrios was increased
in July, but during August and Septembe.
there were not so many men. Puerto Bar
rios is filling up with men, and O'Donal6
knew how to get them. figured up the
receipts of laborers up to Jan. IA, when
1 left: At work when
OUR PARTY ARRIVED,
about 800; our party, Sc; brought by the
Wanderer, 1871: brought by the BLANCHE
Henderson, 120;brought by the Ella Knight.
II. Total, CIT. At work when l left
about 200; to be accounted for, AIT; if a
laborer would not go to work he was denied
food. Men were kicked till they left sick
beds to go to work. The system was one
of torture, but life was cheap, the men only
costing SO each. It was President BON
cerron's habit to pay monthly visit from
the interior, riding a mule. If unable tb
come himself he sent an agent to Inspect
the work and report. The men wae
worked in gangs of ten, seventeen for
twenty, and whatever man was told to
do he was expected to do it. There we're
no strikes" allowed at Puerto Bartios.
There were no ministry, no church and 10
religious services of any kind while was
there