The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-10-11
The Last Cargo Of Imported Slaves.
Probably the most ii,f .resting character

hereabouts is a negro man who was one
Of the cargo of the "WsndcFer," the last
slave ship to bring to this country load
ofcaptiyes from Africa. Lucius Williams,
as he was christened BY one of the young
ladies of the family iuto which he was
sold, or "UmwalIa," as ho was called 10
Africa, lives in a small hut on the out.
skirts of Hamburg, across the river from
here. Since freedom he has earned a
livelihood working gardens, saving wood
and whitewashing He vas little sur
prised wheu asked about his early life,
but talks we'll once be has begun, requir.
ing to be questioned frequently, however
AS Umwalla, he was born in Guinea,
according to his story, not far from Libe
ria. One day when he was about ten
years of age, he vas sert Ia bis aunt's to
carry her some pinders To plant When
he was going through the woods two
strange black men seized Lin and bound
his hands. He cried terribly and they
gagged him. They sold him to a native,
who took him to Liberia. There, for the
first time in his life, be saw a white
man, and he was. terribly frightened at
him.
Among bis people there were no Sun
DAYS. Some OF the men OF his tribe lad
two wives and some bad three. 1t vas
death to any one 10 slow any designs on
the wife of neighbor,
Umwalla was then taken to the Wan
derer, where large plumber of captiyes
had already been stored away In the hold.
The passage over WAS frarghs with untold
terrors to the young eavage. a storm
vas encountered, and for days the hold
was fastened up, and numbers of the
negroes died from sickness caused by the
foul air. There were 6 number Of fero-
cious men among the cargo who had to be
kept in chains.
when the Wandeter approached the
South Carolina coast she was sighted by
government beat and given chase.
During tho night she dropped anchor off
Pocatal;go, and the cargo of negro men
and women was debarket.
Umwalla, or as he was soon afterwards
called, Lucius was taken to Carolina
plantation near Beech Island, and put to,
work there.
Lucius is very fond off he white folks"
as be styles the family of his old master
and mistress, and frequently calls to see
them-walKing several miles to do so.
The style of punishment followed among
his tribe was to break the tulprit's
neck by sudden wrench from a forked
stick.
Lucius tells, in his quaint way the
interesting features of sla0ery. No negro
woman was permitted, however gorgeous
her toilet otherwise, to wear a veil or
gloves. Negro men, we're neither per.
mitted to carry a walking cane nor smoke
a cigar on the streets. They could not
remain away from their quarters after
o'clock at night without 8 permit from
their master.
Lucius says be is glad he was brought
to this country, as he has learned the way
to save his soul. His ancestors took no
account of Sundays Lncius has suffered
greatly from the cold: Essays many of
those who came over with him died OF
consumption.
He is not lonesome here, for on q
neighboring plantation-Caps Ben Ii'!.
mans place-are many negroes from his
old home, and they frequently meet and
converse iu African. They do not
attempt to impart tile language to their
children, he says and ofcourse all vestiges
fit, save what ths7 have engrafted on
the southern patois, must soon die out.
He was asked about the amusement Of
his folks at home, and said the dancing
here was very much like iii Africa, only
there they had war deocee, which were
marches with chanting He fays some
of the songs surg by the field bands THE
air) are very much like those of his
people, ard when iie hears several voices
singing together one of thoss Wild, weird
refrains his thoughts are carried across
the ocean to his home among the prlmi'
tive scene of bis youth.
Lucius was delighted with the picture
of himself, and opened. his eyes in
amazement at the crude executions fthe
artist, who caught d rather good likeness
of him while he was taking, showing
how he wears his goatee, plated after his
African ancestors crston.--Aagtsta
Chronicle.