New-York tribune., 1906-07-28
LUMBER CAMP HORRORS
PEON'S PITIFUL STORY.
Laborer Accuses Employment Agent
Before Commissioner Shields.

was charged with holding in practical slavery
Benjamin Wilenski. Russian. fifty years old.
residing at No Monroe street.
The tale told by WiIenski is one Of indescrib-
able hardships and cruelty in the lumber
swamps of Florida, where. guarded by giant
Negroes he was forced to work waist deep in
stagnant water. beaten and half starved. and
finally robbed Of his earnings. All Of this the
employment agent denies so far he is con-
cerned. saying that his responsibility ended with
his employment OF the men and their shipment
to Florida
Schwartz declares ne employed the men he
shipped among whom was Wilenski. at the in
stance Of a clergyman. the Rev. BOnaventure F.
Broderick. a Bishop. of Staatsburg- -On-the -Hud-
son. Before Commissioner Shields, Schwartz
produced papers to prove the latter assertion
to be true.
WORKED WAIST DEEP IN WATER
Although Assistant United States District At
torneys Houghton and CarmOdy are nominally
behind the prosecution. the case was really
brought to the attention of the federal authOri-
ties by Mrs. Mary G. QuackenbOs. a lawyer, OF
No. 25S Broadway;
The story told by Wienski is that on June
he applied to the Schwartz agency for work and
was induced to go with party Of fifty other
laborers to work in the lumber camps of Flor
ida. He was to receive. he says. 81 80 day.
with good board and treatment. The trip was
to be by steamer, at a cost Of S13.
Instead. he charges, ne finally made to
pay SIS for the transportation and sent to a
place called Buffalo Bluff about twelve hours
by train from Jacksonville. There he was put
to work gathering turpentine sap from the trees
in forest. For twelve days. he says. he was
kept at this. waist deep in water, the camp
being guarded by giant negroes, armed with
guns. to prevent escape.
Overseers beat the men numerically. Wilenski
swears. and in proof offers the fearful scars on
his back. After his return to New York Wilen-
ski was treated by DR., ]. Schlansky. of No. 1O2
Madison street. who states it is alleged, that
the mans back was in a fearful condition. some
Of the scars still being raw. In addition. Wilen-
ski was for time confined in bed with bad
attack of typhoid fever
FOOD NOT FIT TO EAT.
The food. wiensd swears. was of the vilest
sort and the men were forced to eat IL the
vermin-infested mattresses upon which they
slept no tables being provided. The employers,
said by WilenskI to be the Hodges Milling Com
pany operated a store. at which all the men
were compelled to buy supplies at high prices
The company. wilenski swears. so conducted
the accounts that the men were Kept constantly
in debt to their employers.
Under the laws o. Florida, a man who owes a
corporation and attempts to leave the state can
be arrested. and it is charged that under this
law the employers found excuse to keep the
armed guards and to force the men to live in
what was really slavery of the most fearful
kind.
In addition to the twelve days at Buffalo
Bluff Wilenski says he worked two days mo: e
at Maytown few miles distant. where condi-
tions. if such thing could be possible, were
r-F- e1N
daylight, being beaten to arouse them, he says.
and then were driven, with practically no break
fast. into the forests to gather the sap and
carry the heavy barrels of turpentine-
Through a man who escaped, Wilenski got a
letter to friends in New York who Immediately
forwarded him $50 that he might come TO New
York, registering the letter. The company, conf
planant swears. kept the letter day after
receiving it before giving it to Wilenski. thus
getting from him another days work Out OF
the $50 the company took. Wilensld declares
$50 giving him only $40. and saying that he
owed that amount to the store His bill there.
he says. could not have honestly exceeded 81 so
For his fourteen days of work. Wilensli swears.
he got absolutely nothing in the way of wages.
and reached New York suffering from typhoid
and fearfully lacerated back
AGENT CALLS STORY FALSE.
er victim. Mrs. Quackenbos commenced an in
vestigat;on and discovered wienski in New
York and brought the matter to the attention
of the federal authorities.
When arraigned Schwartz produced three or
ders for 40 me1. The orders were written on
the letter heads of the Southern Agriculture
Colonizstio7, Society and the Italian American
Agriculture Association of No 16O Fifth avenue.
The orders called for Italians and Germans. and
promised wages of 81 10 and 81 80 day. paya-
BILE fOrtnghtly for work in lumber camps. The
order blanks of Schwartz give Bishop Bona
venture F. Broderick of Staatsburg-on-the-
Hudson. as the employer Associated with the
latter appear the names Of Francis de Lauziers.
Of No. 100 West j4th street. and b. T. BOch, OF
No leo Fifth avenue.
When Deputy UnitCS States Marshal Reid
placed Schwartz under arrest he was astound-
ed and said he had nothing to Go with the men
after they we're shipped. He unhesitatingly de-
nounced the story Of Wilenski as a fake"
ON the other hand Mrs. Quackenbos's repre-
sentatives say Investigations from other and
absolutely reliable sources corrObOrate the
mans story. and that it was through the fear
fuI treatment and final Imprisonment for an all
legged store debt of another victim. now in the
south. that they first knew of the conditions
there.
II is also understood that the federal author
tiles are making have made through Secret
Service operators a thorough investigation OF
the story Wienski tells. and that other ar
rests in Florida will follow within a few davs
Schwartz was held in $1,000 bail for examina-
ton next Wednesday. He furnished the Sc
curity.
MARRIED HIS MOTHER. SAY RECORDS.