The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-03
The Ship Heath's Cargo
of "Blackbirds."
TALE OF SAILOR PROLLMAN.
NameieSS Cruelties to the Poor
Island Slaves.
Disease and Death Below the Patches
of the Trader Craft-Brutali-
ties at Queensland.


colonies has much TO answer for to human
ity.
When rumors of American shipowners
engaging in slave traffic with Central
America were extant all highlands press
denounced slave-trading in pithiy worded
editorials and heaped abuse on the Govern
ment of the United Statos for allowing
human beings to be bought and sold under
cover of the stars and stripes.
But in the record of the Heath is history
of cruelty, treachery and murder apparently
sanctioned by. or at a0y rate carried on
under the very eyes OF colonial Govern
ment.
Prior to the voyage of the Heath to the
Island Of Duon the SLAYER Hopeful had
| Dlackened the annals of the sea by SwooD-
ing down upon the helpless natives OF Hill
! WOW and alluring them TO worse than death.
The history of the Hopeful'S cruise is
| 1lled with heartless crueities and baselesS
murders, amply testified to by hall dozen
| witnesses.
THE attention of the home Government
of England" says Mr.. Prollman, should
be called to investigate the state OF affairs
in Queensland to-day and to end traffic
second only Tor atrOcous mlsdeeds TO the
| Russian penal system.
The Heath sailed with the full intention
of taking to the Queensland planters cargo
of 500 blacks" said the speaker.
PROMISES of gold galore and assurances
| UI UblHS TetuEutu 10 ID6lT uatIVe laDu IL
| Queensland was not as they expected,
| lured the unhappy Yretches aboard, where
| they were penned beneath the matches, for
hidden the freedom of the decks and the
blessings of fresh air.
NV oluntary recruiting Is the misnOmer
under which the business OF the Heath was
known to outside circles, but lot one single
islander knew of what he did, nor the misery
that was in store for him, when he agreed TO
60 away on her.
| ha Of ha
was used as q prison for the confinement of
those inclined to be fractions. For the least
| INSTRUMENTATION the poor natives were con-
fined in this place for hours and even days
| at n time without food.
'The regular rations for the 'blackh birds, ,
which were served in immense tin basins,
consisted of rice, haIdtack and water doled
| out twice day.
When the vessel was ten days out from
the Islands provisions ran low and rations
were cut down so that actual starvation
| confronted the poor vretcheS.
THE first mate of the Heath was brute
OF the lowest caste and lost no opportunity
to numerically abuse any native guilty Of
the slightest mutiny.
Fifteen days out seven Of the blackbi
died, 10 all appearances, OF starvation.
Third Mate Grim ordered the bodies
thrown overheard without ceremony, when
they were deyoured by sharks which fol
lowed greedily in our wake.
Myself and seaman named Baker con-
cluded that we had struck more than we
had batgained for aud began mild protest
against further OutTages.
"For this Baker was put in irons and
was tied down 10 the deck for twelve hours.
The sun was extremely hot and l suffered
aR0nies from thirst
"a short while after this occurred half
dozen natives, more courageous than the
| rest, attempted to kill Mate Grim.
The captain armed most OF the crew,
who stood by him, with the exception of
Baker and myseif-for blood money in pro-
fusion was promised-and marched upon
tie rebellious islanders, shot three of then
down in cold blood. trlced the ringeaders
to the mastS and ordered the matches closed
down thenceforth on the rest of the misera-
| bic five hundred.
fined blacks. There were women among
them and these were subjected to all man
ner Of iDdignities By the ships rutfian crew.
THE air in the hold was foul and stag
nant. The strong crushed the weak in en-
deayors TO get close to any aperture through
which the breath of heaven might be in
hailed.
''At night doleful cries filed the ship and
mOurnfully drifted across the calm ocean.
l could not sleep, for my thoughts we're al
ways on tine unhappy sufferers struggliu 9
for air beneath the decks.
During Gains the stencil which arose
from the hatchways was something awful,
and al times | felt inclined to lump over
board to end my miseries.
ION nearing Queensland the blackbirds
were permitted TO come on deck again, but
were guarded at the point of rifles.
Half dozen dead bodies were removed
and the hold ceansed. Some of these bodies
were in an advanced stage of decomposition.
All we're thrown overheard without any re-
gard for burial ceremonies.
Armed guards paced the deck night aud
day, and flOggiug was the order if a native
was at all rebellious.
Orders to shoot down the first biackblrd
who resisted were giVeD by the captain.
1.-THE Heath stopped at Townsville,
Queensland and landed twenty-six of the
natives for the Pioneer plantation, an i'm
mense affair owned by corporation.
Part OF this number escaped during the
night, dozen or more making the seashore
seized boat and tried to put TO sea. These
men, twelve in all, were rrcaptured by The
Queensland custom-house launch.
"Irackers were put on the trail of the
fugitiVes by land, and after a days search
nearly all we're captured. Two remained in
the bush and died Of starvation.
Eat another port two natives jumped
overheard aud tried to swim ashore. One
of them was retaken and the other was
drowned.
AT Queensland the Heeth's human cargo
was herded like cattle, driven into pens and
sold TO planters. who paid from $50 to $50 a
head for strong men.
'The pay which these poor deluded slaves
are supposed to get amounts to about So a
month. They are charged shilliugs a
week for food, which leaves them balance
of about shllllngs or 81 at the end Of the
month.
should a slave be so fortunate as to ever
reach the isands again he will probably
have about $50 10 show for his three years
OF toll and unheard-of haTdships.
Some few fall into good hands and are
properly treated, but the majority OF them
are driven away to the interior, and it is
safe to say that not more than one-third of
them ever see their island homes again.
Disease and labor SOON kills them and
they are buried In unknown graves, leaving
nothing but the memory of their once happy
existence in their native land to be treas
ured by their people at home.
"Oue incident related by Mr. Prollman Is
that of the time when the Heath was at
DuOr. A woman and her two daughters
went on board to examine some cloth
offered for sale by the captain. These in
| nOceuts were pushed into the deckhouse
and kidnapped bodily, the commander going
ashore the next morning to inform the
woman's husband that his wife and daugh-
tiers had agreed to GO with the ship to
| Queensland.
grief at what he thought was cruel deser-
ton and pleaded pitiously for the restor-
alton of his family.
"Ths disgraeclul voyage of the Heath, I"
continued Mr.. Prollman, "roused popular
sentiment against the slave-dealers and for
awhile the Illicit traffickers were exceedingly
cautious. But again the traffic is being re-
vved with all Its horrors and the stories Of
the strength which it is gaining are met
with careless indifference by the Queens
land authorities"
Rev. Mr., Lantell, the well-known mission
airy of New Zealand, writing from Adelaide
relative to the 0utrages perpetrated by
slavers In the South Seas states that the
trade Is increasing Of late. In his letter Rev.
Mr.. Lantrell says:
"The English home Government does
not appear to wish to take any steps in the
matter. preferring 10 allow her colonies to
attend to their own business"
Mr. Prolman stated that vessel flying
the American flag had only recently gone to
the Islands for a cargo of black birds for
Central American plantations. Unfortu.
nately the gentleman does not know her