St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-12-08
MASSACHUSETTS SLAVERY

A dispatch from Ants"ke, Mass, to
tbs New York Herald of Nov. %, gives
the following narrative:
The sight of Il man chained hands and
feet, and paddock, d To the stat of a
wagon waiting 10 he sold ~ IA purc!ape,
ny Charles L. Parsons of Northampton.
Jie famous ,ratiicker in immigrant In
bur, caused huge sensation hers to
day.
Paranns keeps an employment br:reau
in Mort hampton, about nine miles from
here. He deals in foreign paupfr labor
,nly. He goes to New York about once
week and hires forty or fifty of the
most ignorant men women aud children
he can fiud, taking care that none Of
hose he hires can read or speak tn.
English language. He takes them home
aud sells them ont tn farmers, getting
from $40 ~ $50 for each man. The
farmers Use them as slaoes. working.
feeding and housing them just the same
IA they ds, tbs ir cattle.
At 8 O'Clock this morning Parsons
drove tn this city with one of these rau-
tr immigrants III Il wagon. His victim
was l,nnnd hands and feet with 6-fnni
chain, which was fastened NV a hiy pad
,uk 10 the seat Of ti,r wagon. Parsons
unile.i w in a side street. aud hitching
his horse to- a post 1T l,;s slave secured
here. while IL. vent. II il said. to seek n
| nrtiaser. At 10 o'clock Parsons had
not ,e,nsnpd, inh IA ihe mercnry was
only few degrees abase zern the sta We
was shivering f,nm cni. His conditions
was nnticpsl and sam.huay wentsover tn
The wagon tn invite him indoors. The
tears were frozen ON his face. A nair OF
,v+ralls, n shirt. a coat and an nlsl pair
of shoes made M his dress. II was Their
| fouad that he was chained. and the ru-
.irr quickly wrnf around that he was
| ane If Parsons slaves.
Chief of P lice Whitcnmh and an offi
rer were quickly on the scene. and the
chief was in the act af MASKING the s4a /,
nf the wagon when Parsons anreared
| and said Hold on. will unlock it," n
| the same time taking KEY from his
pncket and unlocking the paddock that
| secured the man.
"Are you Parsons z" inquired the
Chief.
"Yas. SIR" said Parsons.
| "DHl y"n chain this man T. further
| inquired the officer.
| Eyes, sir. did. He is mine" answer
ed Parsons.
"Y"n are prisoner. you scoundrel y
said the Chief.
THEN the inlienantcrowi that had as
samhl-d l@gan ~ make threats.
| "Lvncs hin, y "Takn him away from
| The police !" kill him T. and other anrh
EXPLANATIONS we're heard on everv side.
| Bnt the police hnstled him to the station
| md locked him mn safely. The people
thronrri around the nolice station ia
! crowds an,! il was a lncky circumstance
l H., f},s,% Itn v,rc%n tS.d ban.
| hind HI. bars The nah was ready for
/ lvreh law If they could only have got
/ their han,is on Parsons.
| Meanwhile the released slave was
eating n !nnrh that the notice had pre-
/ pared for him in The office He ate like
! a man who hadn't eaten ANYTHING for a
week. His eyes were dnll and snnk in
to liz head. His purple hands were
! swollen so az tn resemble n pair ut
4 having gloves, ard the marks of the
| iron chain we're plainly to be seen ~,
Liza trgs When asked his name he
| sl,enk his bend. ha, dea him pencil
! aid nosr hook, when he wrote in a
/ 'egi'.le hand his name and the place
from whence he came. 1t read: win
cent Latnecraztns. Snrvatsks. Maria
nalskego, Poland" He is about 90 years
| If age.
Inter man was found who conId
| talk tn the released slave. His atnrv Il
.la. he arrived in New York on Nav 8
| 1888 Next r1av be was engaged nv one
Of Parsons agents and taken to North
! hahn -tau H., WIS hired ont to farmer
and promised Sl9 a month. He never
received cent for wages and took his
chances I'm running awav week ago
| r.. asked lodgings in the Northampton
| police station Int next morning Par
sens came and claimed him. He work
ed around Parsons farm for week
| and when lie asked for wages Parsons
strnek him with his fiat in the face. He
knocked him down this morning and
chained him.
Parsons ia siesniaed all over the state
| He is the man who caused big sensa-
! ton four wears agn nv making iep water
| for lis lahnrers with the ice that was
hacked around the dead body nf his wife
| in caaket awaiting burial.
| Chief Whitrnmh handed Paranns a
warra uf this mnrUins charging him with
Illegally dataining a man. prisoner
and with nm asSanlt. A charge nj kid
nauing will, REV 10 sending HIN on
| nf the state against his will Ia nnw being
| made ont against him. The penalty n'
| this il fine of from, $1,000 to $4,000 OF
;mp,isnHmant from two to ten yasl-s
His case cames up in the police court m
the morning.
The story of Parsnnaf doing is already
we'll known to the readers of the Her
aid. During the investigation nf the
nannar labor commission. held in New
yark and Baaton \ few months agn. the
Herald published full account of Par
sons work.
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