The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-03-10
MORE wALDENsEs COMING.
Ono Thousand to Join tho Colony In the
Tennessee Mountains This Spring.


Ono Thousand to Join the Colony In the
Tennessee Mountains This Spring.
It is expected that more than 1000 Of
the Waldenses will emigrate to Nash
Vile, Tenn, this spring from their
former homes in Alpine valleys to join
the colony that established itself $50
strong near Morganton in 1898. There
ire about 25, 900 Of the Waldenses who
still live in the ''Vales Of the Vaudois
They occupy tract of country about Is
miles square in Piedmont. The leaders
Df the colonies in the Tennessee noun
tains say that by the year 1900 almost
the entire population of the Waldensian
villages in Europe will have emigrated
to this country.
There are three colonies of the Wal
denses in the two Americas--one in the
Argentine Republic, one in Uruguay
and the other in the Tennessee noun
tains, which are likely to be their perma-
nent home. The two colonies in South
America are small, are dissatisfied with
their location and are likely to come
here eventually. High taxes, ever in
creasing, their more than crowded con-
dition, and the enormous cost Of land
are some Of the causes of the removal Of
these people from their home in Europe.
The first colony that came to America
settled in Burke county, N. c., in the
summer Of 1898. Under the leadership
of DIR. Teofilo Cal and the Rev. G. A.
Iron they purchased several thousand
acres Of land and obtained a period of
20 years in which to pay for it Since
then they have succeeded far beyond
their expectations and have negotiated
for 10, 900 acres just across in Tennessee,
which will be filed by the newcomers.
They have also secured options on many
thousands of acres Of contiguous noun
tain lands, which will be purchased in
case the immigration warrants it.
Valdese is the principal town Of the
Waldenses, in the Tennessee mountains,
and is ten miles from Morganton. 1t is
situated ON the Western North Carolina
railroad and covers more than 40 acres
of ground, having doubled in population
and area since its foundation. The Wal
denses have no idlers among them, and
the colony is like beehive. They pro-
duce everything on their farm lands that
will grow successfully in that region.
When winter comes, the farmers work
in factories. The colony was corpora
tion, governed by nine directors, six Of
whom were Waldenses and three Ameri-
cans until last year, when the lands
were equally divided among the colo
nists. They have surplus of land which
is blocked off to newcomers. Each free
holder owns 100 acres of land and has
to pay his proportionate part of all debts
incurred by the community. Tanneries,
stone quarries, coal and mica mining,
farming, numbering and half a dozen
factories are carried on.
On Feb IL last there was great eel
ebration among the Waldenses. 1t was
their emancipation day and commence
rated the proclamation of Feb. IL, lS4S,
in which King Charles Albert granted
them the freedom for which they had
struggled for hundreds of years. In the
three years of their residence in Amer
lea they have had no lawsuits, no ar
rests and no complaints to civil authori'
ties among them. They will secure nat.
uralization papers this year