The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-05-22
virtual Slavery in American Territory.

Virtual Slavery in American Territory.
More stories of Injustice and oppression on
the part Of the Navassa phosphate company,
and OF strikes and revets of the employees,
come from Navassa, where In 1889 the labor.
ers rev0ted and killed SIX officers of the com.
pany. The laborers are taken to Navassa
under contract to work definite length of
time, FORGETTING all their wages II for a siHgle
day they refuse to work; and when once on
the island they are In a state of practical
slavery. These labCrers are under martial
law, commanded by armed officers, who
shoot them down at any sign OF revolt and
they cannot escape from the island until the
company choose to release them. Just now
the situation Is so serious that the marines
from the kearsage are on shore to preserve
the peace, because the labOrers are threaten
ing the lives of the company's officers. Be-
cause OF this state Of affairs President Harr-
son has1commuted the sentences of the muir.
derers OF 1889 to life imprisonment. He says
further:
The bosses placed over them imposed fines
andS penalties without any sembiance of trial.
Ihese penalties extended to imprisonment and
even t. the cruel practice OF tricihg men up for
. s refusal to work. Escape was Impossible. l
nave, within few weeks, been compelled to
send war vessel to the island to Investigate
the complaints OF workman, who, by letter
complained to me that he was fOrcibly detained
beyond the time contracted for. A report upon
tne case has just been received, which finds that
| the complaint of this man OF an unjust detention
upon the island was true and shows discipline
maintained on the island to be that OF convict
| establishment. without Its comforts.
TRY DANA's sARsAPARILLAl
The outlook in Hayti
Three years ago, after long and bitterly
contested civil war. Hypp0lite was made
president Of the Haytian republic. Solomon
mad been OverthrOwn, and Legtime made
provisional president, and afterwaad elected
president bv the national assembly but Hyp-
polite, being at the head of the army sta
TONED 10 the northern provinces, finally de-
feated Legitime, drove him from the country
md caused himself to be proclaimed presi-
dent. Legitime left Hayti In September, 1889,
but his friends there have been active ever
since, and Hyppoite has not had peaceful
time; he has kept himself surrounded by
troops, ard has made no attempt to reconcile
opposing factions, or to carry out the reforms
promised when he took his Office. He now
finds himself where Solomon was In 1888,
surrounded by intrigue and threatened with
revolt. He has escaped from three attemp
to assassinate him, and has BEEN warned ~
be prepared for further attacks. Gen. Man.
ignat, friend and agent of Legitime, Is said
to he in the country organizing conspiracy
against him, land the president may be Obliged |
any day to face a revolutionary outbreak that |
may end in his overthrow.
DANA's SARsAPARILLA CURES
The Forest Fires.
The abundant rains which have lately fallen |
appear to have largely extinguished the for
est fires that have been raging in the north
west and the only danger now anticipated is
in the half-cnarred districts where the fire |
still shoulders In the stumps and underbrush.
The damage already done by these fires is
sufficiently large, however Il is estimated
Minnesota will reach somewhere from 3d.
DOC, 900 to S5,000.0O0, while hundreds of fam
lies are homeless. The territory burned over
s nearly half as large as all New England.
The fires in northern Pennsylvania are attrib.
tied to poor natives who start fires In the
woods to Increase the huckleberry pasturage.
Building operations in New York city are
gain verging toward state of complete
paralysis through labor troubles.
The grand jury at Denver, Col, has re.
urned four indictments In the Barnaby MUIR
Ter case. One of them Is against DR.. Graves,
nd he was arrested Tuesday.
Several Texas towns were visited bv de.
tructive cyclone Monday and great damage
vas done.
Twenty squares of business blocks and
DWELLINGS, of Muskegon, Mich, are in smol-
ering ruins. The total number of dwellings,
'urned was $50. The total loss Is 100000.
Many of the burned places have no Insurance
trends for accommodations. The fire started
It 6 80 O'Clock Saturday evening and swept
long until 1t reached scattered part of the
ty where the flames were got under centrol
The president urges the appointment of
aw officer to decide these controversies be-
ween the company and the men.
The we'll known banking house of Bur-
,eIl & Scranton and New Haven failed Tues
lay. The Davis Shoe Co. OF Lynn and Maine
las also assigned.
A fire at Jacksonville. Fla. early Tuesday
destroyed about half a million dol
ars worth of property. The Mohawk land
Clarke blocks were burned with their con-
ents, includingo, large quantity of tobacco In
bonded warehouse.
The people of the lower orders have re-
'olted against the authorities in Dutch Gui-
ma several serious conflicts with the insurg- |
nts have occurred. in which many persons |
we're wounded. and the situation Is constant.
y becoming more and more alarming.
The case of the Irish claimants for the late I
\. 4 Stewards millions, was knocked in the !
ead Friday. Judge Wallace decided the vital
aw point against them
The Jury in the case of Carrie Brown. vic
i'm of Jack the Ripper fame, rendered a {
erdict at New York Friday that she met her I
cath at the hands of Ben All, known as
Frenchy No. l."
Estela Morris, living on Colgrove avenue,
vas arrested at Indianapolis, Ind. Sunday
n the charge of poisoning her family and
lso an old man named Benz amin BeckleY.
7ho boarded with them. Estella is but IL
ears old, and has always borne an excellent
equation. She confesses the crime and says
be did 1t because Beckley, Supported by her !,
lotber was irving TO marry her. she says =
be didn't intend To kill anybody but him. c.
The principal business blocks in the town p
+ Lamonte, Mo-, IA miles west OF Sedalia. a
ere burned Sunday, the loss being S3o,OOO !,
he fire was started by gang of tramps who r
rOceeded 10 DOT the town as soon as the II
laze was well under way. A number of n
ouses were -ansacked and the citizens were Il
rror stricken. The explosion of 100 pounds e
blasting powder in a burning hardware
ore added to the confusion. The marshal q
nd an armed posse succeeded 10 putting the \
lieves to ght, capturing four OF them.
GENERAL VERMONT NEWS. \