The Cairo bulletin., 1906-11-05
BLACKS HELD NORTHERN MAN
IN BONDAGE IN DESOLATE
ALABAMA WOODS.
BEATEN AND ILL FED
And His Wages WithheId-Escaped
After Being Wounded in Scaling
Stockade and Tells Story ,
That Rivals Those BY Poe.

weeks O fthc most lnhlman tfealnielA
at the hands Of brutal negroes in the
heart Of an Alabama forest Bernard
Bolken, a young Bot ton leather work
er, arrived in this city a few days ago
a broken man, having escaped with
a shot in his side wandering in de-
lirium through miles f fores,, finally
stumbling upon railroad track and
| finding succor. His story astounded
the southern police authorities and an
effort is being made 0 find the camp
where Bolikin was held and where
| his compan on5 are still confined. The
story Of The horrors Of his four weeks
! in the Alabama slave tie camp rival
some Of POes masterpieces and eX-
ceed the worst tales told of the Old
slave days with the "colrs" reversed
His one desire to get back to his
mothers side was denied him. When
he arrived at his home he found that
she had died several days before.
Speaking almost in whisper, wan
of face. broken nj spirit, a ghost Of
his former self. BoliEin told his story
and showed the cavity in his side the
whip wounds on his back
Hires Out to Go South.
Several weeks ago in New York the
young leather worker was cut Of EN-
poyment. His eye caught a notice in
the window Of the agency run by Mil
Ter g. Company in Second street, Of
fering sl50 a day an deXpenses for
lumbermen to work in the south. He
applied and was given contract to
sign, Then, in company with seventy
five other men, he sailed for Sayan-
nal;
Arriving there the gang was met By
a party c I burly negroes in the EN-
ploy of the company which was called, |
the gang learned the LOckhardt Lum |
Der Company. This afterward proved |
to be as mythical as many other fea- |
lures of the slave drivers layout. The |
negroes took charge and transported |
all the trunks and luggage to a rail |
road STATEN and the gang set out for
a small town called Miner in Ala
lamf.
From Miner they stated by wagon,
by the negroes, on a fifty
mile drive into the heart Of the great
woods The first day out the negroes /
began 10 show their authority in petty
ways and there were ceyeral fights
negroes and men Of the gang
The contracts which the men had
signed were collected ABOUT this time
by agents Of the s0called company
or "safekeeping
Men Kept in a stockade.
On the night of the second day the
gang arrived at the camp The camp
rad a military appearance about 1t
which struck Bolikin and his compan-
Ons as rather sinister The inclosure
wherein the tents in which the men {
we're 10 make their abode were sit ]
lated was bounded By a high, strong =
tockade The tents were planted in !
ows. The gang was assigned tents,
iy men to each tent, and in charge =
# each party, of six a negro was plac 5
d. II was this that the gang got an j
or each Metro carried a whip, a club, q
PISTOL and a rife. Right and LEFT
rhy slashed with their whips and at
he least oppo. ition they used the
iut *
Al 4 o'clock Of the morning after a
heir arrival Bolikin a7d his cCmpan- u
ms were set to work getting out rail .
pad ties. The work was extremely h
eavy and the breakfast of cold, bitter q
offea and hard cornbread left them Q.
eak and dispirited.
The greatest brutality was shown &
s said Bol kin. and opposition was t'
let with the whip. the club and the j.
hc. From that day we We're slaves. q
nd il was patent that few Of us would u
yer leave that dark fore.t alive We i
ere watched night and day by the II
agrCes. who cut and slashed with ex- %
ise or without and who were never
.strai-cd. We were never allowed a
make a complaint h
Wages Held Back. III
"At the end Of the first week when al
@ applied for orr wages we were d
Id thaJ they would have to be col &C
cted for the expense Of our trans r.
Jrtation and thai We would have to OF
erik five weeks to pay st OF. ~
That night ! waited until il was ~
.arly midnight and then 7 slipped as
-er the stockade and tired TO escape. IN
was captured before I had gone ten
r.. The negroes beat me into in
visibility ard carried me back 10 the
closure. Then I was stripped and
shed with a great whip and cast into 'e
dirty. damp. darD cellar ] was kept y,
ere for three days with only bread q,
"a water and was whipped each au