The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-02-02
WHITE SLAVERY.
SIX FRENCHMEN DISCOVERED IN A
STATE OF SERFOOM.
The Assistant Attorney General Reports
the Result of His Ipvestiga gations In tho
Phosphate Fields-The Italians are Vol

tant Attorney General Buchanan has
returned from Colleton County and has
made his report to the Governor as to
the condition Of six French phosphate
miners illegally restrained of their liber-
ty at the Horse Shoe Mines. Mr.. Buch-
anan's report fully confirms the state.
ments already made as 10 the inhuman
treatment given these wOrkmen. His
report is a very interesting account of
the way laborers are obtained and how
they are treated. His mission resulted
in no arrest, but the reason therefore Is
fully explained. The following Is the
report.
Hon. B. II. Tillman, Governor Of South
Carolina.
DER SIR: In obedience to your in
structions, investigated the complaints
of ill treatment referred to in the letter
of acting Consul General Maxine During
and upon the persons of certain French
subjects in the Horse Shoe Phosphate
Mines near Ashepoo, Colleton County.
Alter making pretty searching in
vestigation OF the matter, beg leave to
report:
| l found at the said mines Blk French
men engaged as laborers whose names
and place of nationality are as follows:
Trarler Duel of Lille. France; Honal
Dufactcan Of Paris; Henry Jura Savoy,
Jules Vernier,; Paris; Felix Daur Borge;
! Ferdinand Desverges, Cherbourg.
Through one of them as interpreter, 1
talked with all of them. They claimed
to have been fraudulcntly induced to
come to South Carolina, having con-
tracted to work on railroad IN III orida,
and knowing nothing Of the country,
thought they were there for that pur-
pose until shown the work on their ar.
rival at the mine. They complained Of
getting insufficient food, being cursed
and driven to work, and being restrained
Of their liberty. They also say that the
last man in authority over them was
constantly threatening them. That draw
ing his shotgun upon his immediate
squad, composed in part of the French.
men, ior some alleged disobedlence of
orders, he discharged the contents of
small shot in the crowd, ~ounding slight
ly four Italians. think these charges
substantially true.
L find that an Italian employment
bureau OF New y ork city, operated from
ii Varick place and 81 Mulberry street,
was largely instrup' enta; in perpetrating
this fraud on the unsuspectlng French
men. 1t seems TO be the custom Of the
owners of the NINE to contract with
some one firm or company tor their
labOrers, such firm being restricted to no
particular race, the only cond tiOn be-
ing that the men shall be able bodied
and strong. Such firm collects these
men up into convenient squads brought
together by SUB con .ractOr, who js al
| lowed q commission for every man
turned over to the bureau. A recent
arrival OF a foreign tongue would be
solicited by fellow countryman in his
own language. Thus we find at the
mines nine tenths of the men unable to
make themselves understood IN the Eng
lish lapguage-and these FrencAmeu
were no exception. In fact, it is not
much use tor an Italian TO learn the
language for they live separate AMI dis
tinct from all others. They have chief
for each squad who seems to do all the
business, advance them, keep their ac-
counts and make them trade at the
Italian store. They live to themselves,
for themselves, some balf mile from all
outsiders, and no one knows anything
of their life or their existence, except
|
several chiefs or sub-contractors stand
to each other and they are convinced
that as long as any of their men owe
them cent he may be kept there and
restrained OF his liberty.
| They claim that the representative OF
their government has told each one of
their men that he cannot leave their
employ 80 long as he ls in debt. These
sub. contractors, of course, are not very
particular about the comfort or health Of
their men. Their main Object is TO make
them pay as high as possible for what
they eat or drink and wear. They are
paid by the amount Of dirt removed from
a pit--so much foot.
These Frenchmen certainly have net
been paid anything since their arrival at
the mines. their Italian chief having SO
peculiarly kept his books that they have
always been IN debt TO him. They have
protested to him only to be cursed and
and threatened. Out Of the twenty. three
who arrived on December 4 only six re-
main, the others having escaped from
their chiet. They say tn 1t The Italian
who fired at them has run of and re-
turned to New York. Their principal
cause of compliant being their virtual
imprisonment for an alleged debt, ! ex.
planned the law to them, told them they
could not be held against their consent.
They exhibited the liveliest evidences Of
joy. They left the pits and wolld not
listen to any delay, however short, for
the purpose OF lodging or furLhering any
prose cuLlon for their past injuries. Al
ter they lett | advised them TO commun-
lcate at once with the consul at Char.
lesion.
The chief contractor or head man,
one Antonio GalOssi, claiming that
these men could not leave until their
debts were paid, boarded the train TO-,
Charleston to have an audinnce with the
Italian consul, under whose advice he
claimed to have acted in keeping these
Frenchmen at the mines.
1t will be noticed that foreigner ua,
able to speak English in this camp
might as well he in Italy as Tar as any
reliet ls concerned, unless he reaches
the ear of his consul, for however harsh.
ly he may be treated he cannot COmmun
lcate it to any one. A native might
| thenprsI, hni Il 10