Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-09-04
AN AFRICAN SL.AVE.f.
Pedro Blanco, the Greatest of tho old
Timers, and His Establishment.

on the west coast Of Africa, Just north
of Liberia, says great many traces yet
exist of the large establishments main
tanned by Pedro Blanco, when he was
making his enormous fortune in the
slave trade, fifty years ago. The story
of Pedro Blanco Is remarkable one
OF the hundreds of men who for three
centuries engaged in the African slave
trade, the Spaniard, Pedro Blanco tow
cred above them all in the extent and
success of his operations
Pedro Blanco was a man of educa-
ton. He was born at Malaga, Spain,
of good family, and had excellent adj
vantages in his youth. He chose, how
ever to embark in disreputable busi-
ness because he saw in it the prospects
| of great fortune At first he COM
manded slave ship running from West
Africa to the West Indies, where he sold
his slaves. After few years he estab-
lished himself in Africa, at the mouth
of the Gallipas river, for the purpose of
accumulating the cargoes there which
his fleet of slave vessels were to carry to
all parts of the West Indies and the
/ South American coast In 1886 Capt.
Canot visited Pedro Blanco and wrote
the best description of his establish
ment that we have. 1t was written,
! however, in the blunt style of q sailor,
and undoubtedly he omitted a great
many interesting details
He said that as he entered the river,
and pushed upward among the many
islands, he was astonished at the great
pains the Spaniards had taken to avoid
being surprised by cruisers, which were
constantly on the alert to capture slav-
ing vessels. He saw at least twenty
watch towers made of high piles pro-
tected against sun and rain and en-.
abling the watchmen to observe the sea
at height of from sixty to one hun
dred feet above the ground A number
of these watch towers were fixed in
lofty trees. Each watchman had a
powerful spyglass, with which he was
constantly sweeping the horizon. Then
there were other towers extending into
the interior, within signaling distance
of one another. Upon the appearance
in the offing of hostile sail, the news
was telegraphed by signals in few
minutes from the coast for miles into
the interior, and thus Pedro Blanco and
his agents were instantly informed that
there was danger in the air Then
there was great hustling of the hun
dreds of slaves who filled the great
traders barracoons, or slave sheds, into
the mangrove swamps, or off into the
Jungle, where there was not one chance
in hundred that their presence would
be detected. If the vessel sent a few
boat loads of men ashore they found
nothing in the sheds except balls of
harmless merchandise, and Pedro Blan-
co was ready to receive them with the
blandest of smiles and an apparently
very hearty welcome, assuring them
that he was glad to receive visits from
people of his own color, that he tad
quit shaving for living, and was now
in legitimate commerce, and he hoped
that they would come tosee him often,
At that very time he would probably
have 1900 or 5000 slaves out in the
swamps. The slave chasers could find
no proof of his nefarious business, and
off they would go to seek their prey in
other directions,
In similar way the news was oh
municated from post to post of Blanco's
establishment whenever one of his lit
tie vessels returned from the western
world for a fresh cargo. 1t would lie
at anchor off the coast, take on little
Indiarubber, cocoanut oil and other ar
ticles of legitimate commerce, and wait
for some dark night when nothing had
been seen or heard of any cruiser, and
then it would rapidly fill its hold with
the poor wretches, who were tied TO-
gether in the barracoons, and off il
would start for America. Pedro Blanco
was extremely fortunate. Now and
then he lost slave vessel, but the most
of his cargoes of black people reached
the western world in safety and were sold
at great profit to the traders there. lie
could afford to lose an occasional vessel,
for the profits on a single cargo that
safely reached America amounted to a
small fortune.
Each of his slave depots on the is.
lands was in charge of'an agent. Upon
one of these islands near the mouth of
the river, Blanco had his business head
quarters, but he resided miles up the
river upon another island, where, for a
long time, his sister shared with him
his business cares. There he lived in
all the luxury of a semi barbaric prince.
Further up the river, upon another is
land, was his seraglio, in which were
his wives, who, after the custom of the
tribes in that neighborhood, had each a
separate dwelling He built on the is
lads twelve large slave barracks or
barracoons, each of which generally
contained from one hundred to
five hundred slaves. The walls
of these barracks were made of double
row of thick piles, driven five feet into
the ground and fastened together with
strap iron. The roofs were of poles,
with palm leaf thatch, which kept the
barracks comparative dry and cool.
Each of the barracoons was guarded
by three or four Spaniards or Portu-
guese.
Capt Canot described Pedro Blanco
as sunburned little man, who, for fif
teen years, had not left the mouth of the
Gallinas river, and received with the
most bounteous hospitality every white
man who came his way. In 1889 Pedro
Blanco gave up the business, and re
tired to Havana with his fortune, said
to have amounted to several millions
of francs.
This famous slave dealer was known
for long time as the Rothschild ot
West Africa, and his paper was current
and accepted in the money marts oi
Europe. The king of the slave trader;
lived many years to enjoy his ill-gotter