The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-03-28
OKLAHOMA
NEGROES ARE
VICTIMIZED
Many Put Up Money to a
Migrating Society
AND GET NO BENEFITS
United States Attorney Speed
VIII Act,

Guthrie. o. T, March 27.-One Of the
largest frauds which has recently been
unearthed in Oklahoma was brought to
light today in the Office Of United States
District Attorney Horace Speed, when a
number Of coIored men applied for infor-
nation regarding the International So
aiety, with home offices at Birmingham,
ala. The coIored men were all victims
Of the company, having paid in various
sums Of money and had received nothing
In return nor Go they have any oppor-
tunity TO realize anything for their hard
earned cash.
The plan Of operations Of the company
as carried on iu oklahoma was to adver-
tise through their agents that they were
arranging for colonies to be transported
70 Liberia. Lee work was done among
The co1ored people. and the statements
were made that the colored men and
their families would be taken there by
the international Migration Society on
the payment OF Il certain sum Of money
The agents worked the country very
thoroughly. it seems, and last spring
l4 colored people left this city bound
Tor New York to be taken to Liberia by
the company. according to the state
ments made by the company's agents
They were not taken to Liberia and as a
result many Of the colored people were
uot wei len0ugh fixed financially to re-
turn to oklahoma Seventeen of the peo-
pie aiT return. however, and persons
Representatives of these people. applied
today at the United States district at
tOrncy's Office.
The plan adopted by the company was
10 give a document or contract which
stated that one dollar was TO be paid
5own and one dollar each succeeding
month until S3l had been paid in and this
would entiue the holder OF the contract
to DE transported TO Liberia after having
reached the port whore they were sup
posed to embork. If the persons so desir-
I'd they could pay the entire sum OF
money down. as some Of the men did.
The contract when examined does not
state where the company would take the
holders of the paper, nor We're there
rules laid down with any defnitcness.
One clause OF the contract stated that it
was binding unless 1900 persons had
agreed to Ice transported to Liberia or
any place that the company might dcsig-
nate that they were to be taken. Even
the receipts given to the men who had
vaid money I'm did not state anything
definite only that the money paid in was
donation" 80 help carry out the plans
of the company as laid ont in the con-
tract
r. s. Nesbit. one Of the men asking for
Information. had paid i'm $l79 and had
made the trip to New York. but after
having arrived there the company
agent did not know anything about the
liebria colony. and so refused to do
anything for them. Joe Michael paid in
81 and made the trip to New York.
Uranus Hampton paid S36 and Gilbert
Cobhs was out SEA- with nothing but a
contract and receipts to show for the
money paid in. These were the men rep
fasent0e the seventeen people who had
RETURNED from New york
According to the statements of the
company s. agents the men were to be
notified regarding the departure of their
ship. etc. hy the agent at New York,
ana this eveidenty was done last spring
when the parties left here, but the agent
seemed u forget an about the matter
when the Oklahoma colored people
reached their destination. one of the
contracts WAS numbered 9 f2S and the
number issued must Ice large.
ono of the colorod men stated that the
romrauy formerly did business iu New
York but afterwards moved to Birming
ham, Ala. Jusl why this was done IS not
Auouu unless it was q better field to
work fram. 30 one here knows whether
or NOT the company ever did transport