The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-22
NEGRO ENCAMPMENT HERE
On Their Way to LIBERIA
Misunderstanding With
Their Agents.

Chief of Police Murphy was surprised
this morning, to learn that twenty-seven
colored families, numbering 104 persons,
were encamped in the yards of the Gem
trail Railroad at Communipaw.
The negroes arrived at the yards last
Wednesday from Zion near Guthrie,
Oklahoma, en- route for Liberia. Tney are
in charge of the International Navigation
Society of Birmingham, Ala, which under-
took TO transport them to their destina-
tion at $32 for each emigrant over u years
of age and half price for children over
three years.
Owing TO misunderstanding, however,
between the society and the emigrantS
no provision has been made to transports
them further than this city. Chief MUIR
ply has taken steps TO have them move
on.
Our city," said the Chief, sis dump
ing ground for everything and everybody
and q have to bear with it to certain
exte. q but when they put 104 persons on
US at one time it is too much.
Three agens of the troop including
colored clergyman who said he was the
Rev. w. G. Halves, of Zion Oklahoma,
called upon United States Commissioner
Shields in New York, yesterday, to enter
a protest against the society for not 1ui-
filling it's agreement. They said that
their passage had been arranged for
through Daniel Bacon & CO., of the Pro-
duce Exchange, who are agents OF tne
African Steamship Company and OF the
British and African Steam Navigation
Company. At the Office of the firm II
was said that the socleiy was repptaRle
one had sent colonists to LIBERIA py kha
company'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 They show
e6 the firm letters from Secretary COT
tingham telling the would-be colonists
they must wait until at least 1850 in all
were ready to go, paying their own ex-
penses.
Bacon & Co. telegraphed to the Migra-
ton Society telling of the arrival OF the
emigrants here, their expectations anG
present plight. An answer came PACK
that the colored people had come on here
and that it could not and would not as
sumo any financial obligation for them;
Commissioner Shields referred tnS
agents to the Post Office authorities 70
| have the society'S action in using the
mails inquired into.
The negroes are of better type than
| the average Southern negro. They wore
| broad brimmed Slouch hats are tail ana
| lank fairly well educated and, like many
| Western amen, are quiet spoken. ,,.
| he negroes, men, women and cnllorens
| are all huddled together in two cars pro-
vided for them by the railroad oftieialsc
| The cars are standing on stdetraek Just
road company keeps the cars heated and
| furnishes oil for the lamps, but the
| negroes have to furnish their own prQ7
visions Some of the men take trip
across the washington 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 any
| thing and have to depend on the charity
| of the others who are better off hnancial-
| ly. AT night the children are put to sleep
on the seats, while the grown people SIT
upand catch what sleep they can undeF
the exceedingly unfavorable circum-
| stances.