The age-herald., 1899-03-24
Have Appealed to United States
 Commissioner for Relief.
STRANDED IN JERSEY CITY
Hold international Navigation Society of this City Responsible for Their Con- dition-Society was not Ready
 to Transport Them.

10 appear lo Us To- eponsible themselves for their sad plight which they claim was brought about through the failure of the International l Migration society of this city to carry out it's contract.
 The officers of the Migration society could not be seen yesterday as the office of the society i nthe Simon building was closed | when Age-Herald reporter called, but 1 the following story from the New York Sun throws some light on the matter: The suns Story
 Two western colored farmers, the Rev. w. G. Hawes and his brother, Sam Hawes,
 of Zion, near Guthrie, Oklahoma, applied to United States Commissioner Shields at
 the federal building yesterday afternoon for an order to compel the Internal .onal Migration Society of Birmingham, Ala, to furnish them with transportation to the public of Liberia. The minister said that he and his brother were the leaders of a band of twenty-seyen colored families, numbering 104 persons, who have been stranded in the Jersey Central depot at Jersey City since last Wednesday. They
 arrived there from Oklahoma in emigrant
 cars expecting to find passage to Liberia
 arranged for them by the Birmingham so-
 ciety This passage, the minister said, had been paid for by the head of each family ct the idte Ol so6 lor tdCH eIIlSTdnl over
 12 years of age, and half price for children over years.
 Pulled Up Stakes
 According to the story of the Hawes brothers agent of the International so- ciety visited that part of the territory in which the colored people lived and urged them to emigrate to Liberia. The colored folks there cultivated their own farms of 160 acres apiece, or of eighty acres, one
 of cnu arf1r1l lof1f ol1o 1ofr apd bod
 horses and cows and other stock and good
 buildings Their farms were worth from $500 to $2.000 apiece, according to the extent of cultivation. The people were free from
 the oppressive and terrorizing conditions of many parts of the south. Nevertheless, after listening to the Migration society's agents descriptions of life in the black re- public, some families determined to em'
 grate. They sold their farms. few as long ago as last July, and Hawes said, paid passage money amounting to $2,000 to the agent of the society. The society advised delay, writing from Alabama that condl- tons in Liberia were not propltious at this time for colored American emgrants But about two weeks ago forty families con- cluded to start and telegraphed to the Bir
 mingham office of the society that they would be in New York ready to take ship for Liberia by last Saturday. 1tHi3}3g Arrived Almost Stranded When the forty families got to the West ern railroad station after a short trip across the plains, 1t was found that thirteen did not have money enough-$35 for each passenger-to pay their way to New York. Twenty-seven families came on, although the society teegraphed them not to. On the journey and during their stay in Jer- sey City their expenses for food, etc, have used up $455 belonging to the minister and about $100 of Sam Hawes' money. When the farms and stock were sold, mortgages 4l.
 the funds of the party were much reduced
 The colored men showed letters signed by F. B. Cottingham, secretary of the Migra- tion society. advising delay. The letter head showed that D. J. Hummer is presi- dent
 men that there appeared to be violation of the federal laws, but he referred them to the postoffice inspectors that the society's use of the mails in it's dealings with the colored people might be looked into. Cir culars urging the colonization of Liberia were distributed through the mails and were received by the colored people, as we'll as contracts for passage to Libera. Neith- CT had a copy of the contract and they were sent back to Jersey City to get one. The Hawes brothers told Commissioner Shields that their passage had been ar ranged for through Daniel Bacon & Co., of the produce exchange, who are agents of the African Steamship company and of the British and African Steam Navigation com pany. At the office of the firm it was said that the society was a reputable one and had sent colon'sts to Liberia by the com pany's steamer. Application for rates of passage had been made to the firm by the society some time ago, but no contract was entered into. The Hawses showed the firm letters from Secretary Cottingham tell ing the would-be colonists they must wait until at least 1.500 in all were ready to go paying their own expenses.
 The Birmingham End
 Bacon & Co. telegraphed to the Migration society telling of the arrival of the emi- grants here, their expectations and pres ent plight. An answer came back that the colored people had come on here in viola ton of the society's instructions and that it could not and would not assume any financial obl gation for them.
 The Hawes brothers said that they would make an effort to get back the money paid to the society and try to get back to the west, or to Liberia if they could raise money enough. The fare from here via Liverpool is about twice what the Migra- tion society charged.
 The negroes are of better type than the average southern negro. They wore broad brimmed slouch hats, are tall and lank, fairly well educated and, like many west ern men, are quiet spoken.
 The negroes, men, women and children, are all huddled together in two cars pro- vided for them by the railroad officials. The cars are standing on a sidetrack just north of the passenger depot. The rail- road company keeps the cars heated and furnishes oil for the lamps, but the negroes have to furnish their own provisions Some of the men take trip across the Wash ington street gap during the day and buy the provisions. They get food already cooked and canned goods. Some of them have no money to buy anything and have to depend on the charity of the others who are better off financially. At night the children are put to sleep on the seats, while the grown people sit up and catch what sleep they can under the exceedingly un- favorable circumstances.
 POPE LEO's SUCCESSOR.