The Portland daily press., 1896-04-04

V1vOrSs
ioned at Mcpherson Barracks, near At
lanta, writes a correspondent of the New
York Sun, is Major Henry Romeyn.
He is observing and studious, and
while ON the Gulf coast he investigated
the history of the last cargo of Africans
shipped from their native land to the
United States, the story of their arrival,
the secret burning of the vessel, the
efforts Of the authorities to apprehend
and punish the offenders against the law
which declared the traffic in slaves to be
piracy. punishable with death, and the
present condition of the surviving Afri-
cans In their little settlement near Mo.
writer by Major Romeyn, is as follows
Among the passengers of the Roger b.
1aney, Capt. Timothy Meaher, plying
between Mobile and Montgomery, Ala, /,
in April, 1858, were number of North
ern gentlemen returning to their homes
after winter spent in the South. The
trip occupied several days, and as might
have been expected. the slavery question
was fruitful theme of discussion
Capt. Meaher, though born at Gardiner,
Me-, had removed when a mere lad to the
Gulf States, and accumulated Equite a
fortune for those days. large part Of
which was invested in "ohattels" en-
ployed on his half dozen steamboats,, on
cotton plantations in the interior of the
State, and In numbering among the pine
and cypress lands near the coast Of
course he
WAS A DEFENDER
of the "institution, and in reply to the
expressed belief of one of his passengers
that with the supply by Importation from
Africa cut off, and any further sprsad
in the Territories prohibited, the thing
vas doomed, he declared that, despite the
stringent measures taken by most of the
civilized powers to prevent the traffic
across the sea, it could be carried on suo-
cessfully still. Disbelief being expressed
by his opponent, he offered to wager any
amount of money that he would import a
cargo in less than two years, and no one
be hanged for it.
He was not man to be daunted by
difficulties or deferred by danger. Hav-
ing uttered his boast he prepared to make
1t good, and proceeded to sound some Of
his friends in whom he thought he could
rely upon the subject of market for a
cargo. He found but little trouble in en-
gaging places for one hund red slaves or
more, and decided to hold about thirty
for his own use. The next thing was a
suitable vessel. Preferring to build rath-
er than buy, as likely to attract less at
tention. he engaged the services of a
Canadian shipwright, and the keel of the
schooner Clotilde, of 327 tons, was laid
in the Mobile River, short distance
above the city. She was built with view
to speed, and was declared by her builder
to be the fastest vessel ever constructed
In Gulf waters. Work was pushed on her,
and In November she was ready for sea.
Lying where she did, her loading attract
ed no attention. When she cleared "for
ST. Thomas and q market,n ostensibly
with a cargo Of lumber, the ground tier
of her cargo was composed Of filled water
casks, topped with barrels of meal, farina,
grits. and salt meats, with a covering of
lumber sufficient to hide from casual in
speotion all below 1t and to make tenn
porasy decks and partitions for slowing
the exported live cargo. Duplicate papers
were prepared for use on the African
coast If
OVERHAULED BY CRUISERS,
also Others making fictitious transfer
OF the vessel at Loande0a, on that shore.
For capital ON which to trade, she car
ried ninety casks of rum, twenty cases of
cotton cloths, and about sig, 900 in gold.
Her builder went in her as supercargo,
and none of her Grew, picked up at ran
dom in the city, knew of her destination
till at sea, and even then most of them
supposed they were on legal trading
voyage. Caught in a terrific storm, which
cams near sending all to tire bottom, the
Captain was forced to put into Porto
Praya in the Azores to rapair damages,
bnt was soon under way, and in forty
days from the date of sailing was off
Loando. This port was too closely
the fictitious change of ownership was
gone through with, and the vessel sailed
for Whyda, on the Guinea coast, north
and west Of the mouths of the Niger
This was the seaport, if port it could be
called, where his sable Majesty, the
King of Dahomey, bartered his surplus
subjects, together with such of his neigh
bors as he could lay hands upon, for what
had become necessities of life-rum.
guns, cottons, and small articles for the
personal adornment Of himself and his
numerous household. Its anchorage was
really An open roadstead, exposed to heavy
winds and seas, and tho Clotilde was
obliged to drop her anchor nearly two
miles from shore, and depend for com
munication entirely upon native boats
and boatmen. The barracoons, where
were stored the live merchandise of the
dark potentate, were built about five
miles inland, to he safe from the fire of
cruisers and casual observation.
Soaroelv had the va sseI dropned her an