Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1890-12-19

my hou HO uctuS 10 the lanu, ana
whatever Marks said must be obeyed.
He did not take on autocratic pow
ers until all necessary work had been
accomplished. Then he proceeded to
show himself in his true spirit. lie
was TO be boss and ider, while all
others worked and obcycd. His argu-
ments were TO go without dispute.
Had he not descended to trines the
people would have borne with him,
but by and by he wanted to dictate in
even the smallest things, and one day
there was an awful row between all
hands. Fists and clubs were used and
many were injured, and the result was
secession. Thirty persons withdrew
from the Marks government and set
up for themselves under the leadership
of man named Baker. They de-
manded half of everything, and the
Marks faction had to grant it or bring
on another fight. Thus, in three
months from landing in paradise"
we had state of affairs which would
have disgraced an African village.
Marks had treated me fairly well
up to the time of the split. Ny sym
pathies were with the other party, and
learning of this, he tied me to a tree
and whipped me until tainted away.
He then chained Inc to a log for
week, and when | was released he
forced me TO drudge from daylight to
dark. One day | ran away to the
north end of the island, and for two
weeks | kept clear of the men who
were hunting for me. lived on wild
fruits and roots, and was enjoying
myself immensely when caught. Marks
gavd me another beating, and was
now set to work with a chain and clog
attached to my right leg. There had
been no fighting between the two gov
ernments after the first clash, but the
truce was full of anxiety.
Marks was determined not to divide
the throne with anybody, and after
waiting about month in hopes to see
the Baker faction return to its ale
glance, he began to plan an aggressive
campaign. Under his direction raid
was made one afternoon on the houses
of the Baker faction, and five rifles
were secured. Each man in the colo
ny had rifle and more or less ammu-
milton, and the capture of these five
guns practically disabled five of the
faction. The men were ont in the
fields when the raid was made, and,
of course, their wives could make no
defence.
That evening Marks sent word to
the Bakeries that they must come in
and sign paper repudiating their
leader, or he would treat them as NAL
contents and dangerous persons.
They refused TO man and that night
l heard Marks planning with some of
his men TO commit murder. The sit
uation is one which has many times
existed. A lot of people go away by
themselves TO escape avarice and op-
preston and are invariably the vic
Tins of some of their own number.
Marks wanted the other half of the
money back. and he wanted the other
faction to humble itself. / heard
them planning that next day they
would ambush Baker and shoot him
down without warning, and it was
hoped the rest of the party would then
come in.
While Marks had made dog of me
and beaten me on the slightest excuse,
/ was not watched O. nights. The
chain and clog had also been removed.
At midnight on this night crept out
of my brush hut and went and warned
Baker of what was in store for him.
He warned all his adherents, and the
result was murder, just the same as if
| had let Marks carry out his plans.
Next forenoon, as one of our party,
named Redford, was skulking in the
woods to get shot at Baker, someone
put bullet into him, and child was
sent with a note TO say that our side
could bring in the body.
OF the thirty men, seventeen had
gone with Baker, but five of these
were without firearms. Marks had
lost man, but the extra guns male up
for it. After the killing both sides
declared war, and both were anxious
for further bloodshed. The women
and children kept to the houses, while
the men scattered over the island and
hunted for each other. In the course
of a week Marks lost four men killed
and two badly wounded, and the
Baker side lost one killed and two
wounded. While / lived with Marks,
it was because | was obliged to, and |
was therefore treated as a non- combat
ant. Any message between the lead
ers was carried by me.
About ten days after the first killing