Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-25
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WIS & BOYS, 0lzzzzzRS

and upon whom he depended for the sue
cessful execution of his plan, and it il
this phase Of ,4le matter with which Rep
resentativc Bartlett is familiar, and abou,
which he relates the following Incident:
my father" he said. was member
of the Georgia Senate, which was In SEES
sion in the old capital Of MilledgeviIle at
the time of the arrival OF the Wanderer
and the arres, of the owners of that yes
sci. From what he has told me of the
matter imagine that 1t was the greatest
sensation that ever broke the calm OF old
Milledgeviile. The owners of the vessel
were highly connected with the best fam
lilies of Georgia. and many of their rel
atives were residents Of the old State
capital. To cap the climax. the cargo
of the Wanderer was landed upon the
estate Of one of the State senators. serv-
ing in the Legislature then in session
and who was obliged to answer a great
many embarra sSing and irritating ques-
tons.
What made matters worse the owners
Of the Wanderer selected this plantation
as base from which to distribute their
human cargo about among other planta-
tons OF the sea- coast region and whai
we call the tw.Te-grasS section of Geor.
gia. The matter was discussed at length
In the Georgia Senate and House. opin-
ions being divided in the matter. some
regarding the enterprise with disfavor
and others taking the View tina, in ar
resting the owners and selling the cargo
the Federal Government was overriding
State rights roughshod.
ACTION OF AUTHORITIES
But the most interesting phase of this
matter was q thing that happened years
after the, civil war, at 4 tine when the
people of this country had forgotten I'll
about the Wanderer. 1t came about IN
{1,s TIL,
cargo on Georgia soil. either late in 1859
or the early part of 1862 and when the
owners were arrested the United States
marshal war directed to gather together
the negroes brought over on this vessel
and to hold them pending further orders
from the court. According to the law
passed by Congress many years before,
the negroes taken from African sIavers
were to be sent to Liberia. and such
would have been the outcome of this case.
had it not been for the following circum-
stance:
THE United States marshal turned the
work Of collecting these negroes over to
his deputy, John +. McRae, who after
several months of hard work managed to
get together something in the neiShbor-
hood. Of two-thirds, I should say, OF the
entire cargo landed. He had his hands
full to accomplish that much even, for
the owners had scattered them abouc over
the country so thoroughly before they
were found out, that, between conflicting
interests, duplicity. and falsehood, it is g
wonder that he got together as many as
he did. Before the Federal Court coulC
try the owners. however, and order the
negroes sent back to Liberia, the civil |
war came on. blocking further proceed
ings and leaving McRae without COM !
pensation for the months of hard work |
he had spent trotting about over the |
lowiands in search of the scattered cargo |
of the Wanderer AS for the negroes,
they were released. and have understood
there are still quite number of them |
living in the coast region about Savan-
nah.
We'll, the war passed. NcRae returned |
from the Confederate army. living for
many years on his farm in Telfair coun.
ty- He forgot all about his experience IN
gathering up the cargo of the Wanderer
until old age began to tell on him. Then
he wondered whether or not the govern
ment would still allow his claim for ser
vices. He brought the matter to the at
tention Of Judge Henry G. Turner. who |
for sixteen years represented the Eev
enth Georgia District In Congress. with
the result that in 1895 Just thirty-seven
years after the landing of the last cargo
of human being on our shores. the lat
ter introduced a bill before the Fifty.
iouTtA SonsieSS =pFoFiuiIlS loI5st iie pay
ment of 500 to John R.. McRae for SER
vices rendered the government in 1860 IL
gathering together the last cargo of Afri-
can slaves landed within the borders o,
the United States. The bill passed both
houses unanimously. Northern and
member voting the compensa ton
due McRae for services actually render
ed. McRae died several years ago. He
made: good use of the money and left
his family In good circumstances