Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-11-09
MUTINY ON A C00LIE SHIP.
One of the Tragedies of Branch
of the Slave Trade.


the Brazils there sprang up to take
its place traffic hardly less accursed,
the coolie trade. The coolie was a
Chinaman who agreed to leave his
country for term OF years at stated
wages, but after while vessels were
fitted out and dispatched to various
islands in the Pacific and other seas,
and thousands of natives were abb
Quoted and sold into perpetual slav-
cry. These abducted people also
came to be called coolies. Soon after
the trade opened the Chinese govern
ment, which received so much for
every coolie shipped away, began send
ing off its offenders and malefactors
along with honest laborers. Instead
of giving thief the bastinado he was
sent to the coolie barracks; instead of
looping off the head of pirate he was
deported. Among every 500 coolies
were at least 100 malefactors, and re-
volts at sea were of frequent occur
renee. In the year 1853 seventeen
vessels in the cooie trade were either
burned at sea or captured by the ma
tives aboard, and in case of capture
not man was spared.
Our ship, the Princess, of New
York, was lying at Macao, south Of
ong-Kong, in the fall of 1868, when
four different craft were loading with
coolies at the same time. Macao was
one of the great shipping points, and
everything was carried on under the
supervision of government officials. I
saw a Brazilian brig take on 480
coolies, and worse lot of men could
not possibly have been scraped to-
gether in any country. They were to
be housed between decks, and the brig
carried two cannon and ten soldiers to
keep them in sub bjection. They must
be looked after as sharply as convicts
on their way to Australia in the old
days of the penal settlements. This
brig, which was called the Don, got
away week ahead of us, and, through
some blunder, with only few of her
water casks filed She had head
winds for five days, and we finally
overlook her before she had made 800
miles on her long voyage. We sighted
her as the wind was dying out one af-
ternoon. and were carried down to
within mile of her before we lost
steerageway. We could make out her
name with the glass, but even without
that the odor which came across the
water to our nostrils would have proved
her a coolie ship. AS our captain OBJ
served, after shutting up his glass and
shifting the air:
"That smell would settle it if I
was deaf, dumb aud blind and had no
nose; she's coolie"
1t was about six o'clock, when we
lost the breeze, and the crew knocked
off for supper and spent the following
three hours EARNING and smoking.
The brig was all right, so far as we
could observe, and we had no partic-
ular interest in watching her. About
nine o'clock, however, we were all
startled into sudden activity by a
most horrible din from the coolie It
seemed as if two or three hundred
voices were yelling in chorus, and the
sound did not cease until broken in
upon by the reports of firearms.
'I'll tell you exactly what's taking
place on board that fellow" said the
mate. who had been listening intently.
''He's short OF water, and the wretches
have been put upon half or quarter
allowance. They are suffering and
desperate, and the crew have had to
shoot down some of the leaders.
I've seen 900 likely heathens go dead
for the want of water, but they didn't
die without making tremendous eff
fort to take the ship. Well hear from
that chap again inside of an hour, and
I'll miss my plum duff if he isn't
alongside of lis before long bartering
for fresh water"
The mate was prophet. In about
half an hour there was another chorus
of yells, shrieks and curses, and we
plainly heard the rattle of chains
Three or four muskets were fred and
all was quiet again. But it wasn't t
yet 10 o'clock when the brig launched
a boat, five men got into her, and in
a very few minutes she was alongside,
and a man who announced himself as
the mate of the coolie was on deck
Everybody knew his errand. We
had plenty of fresh water, but would
our Cdptdiu Spdto ulm SluSfo plut !
Most sailors hated coolies as no other
class did, and our captain hal gone
about that evening with round oaths
falling off his lips to think that he had
one under his nose and was helpless.
If he refused to spare the water the
poor wretches would die; if he let it
go they would be spared for life OF
slavery. The man who boarded us
was Spaniard, and he had surly
countenance and disagreeable voice.
He didn't beat about the bush at all
but walked up to our captain. who was
standing stiffly on the quarterback,
touched his hat and said:
''I'm mate of the brig yonder and
am sent to see if you can spare us @
few casks of water. Through blum
der we left Macao short, and we CAM
putt anywhere until we get breeze. y
"You ought to be ashamed Of the