Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-11-19

lands are comDed from enn 10 end TOT
hands to work the great sugar planta.
lions in Santo Domingo. and Mt that
the negroes must often be practically
kidnaped 10 get them on the boats.
In November Of each year the sugar
boats, little sloops and sch"oners that
spend the remainder of the year trad
ing among the islands get into the
Santo Domingo negro trade. Their
captains and supercargoes, when they
have them. and the owners go up and
down the islands telling the negroes
that on a certain day the vessel will
sail for Santo Domingo and take all
plantations.
Take the little island Of St Martins
for Illustration. For week the island
Is rombed. and on the appointed day a
dozen sloops and schooners are crowd
ed into Marigot bay. The night before
the negroes have begun to stream into
the little town that sleeps through the
year. waiting for this one day to bring
II to life. Boards are laid across boxes
and rum and whisky are set ont to
arouse the negroes to the pitch that
will carry them out TO the vessels
bound for the plantations
All day the men stream into the
town. travelling barefooted along the
sandy roads. swept in by the sailors.
singing their song of riches to be had
for the asking. Ahead of the men walk
their women. toting heavy boxes on
their heads. while the men are dressed
In their best. with cocky straw hat
perched on one ear. swinging dandy
cane and carrying their shoes in their
hands. At the outskirts of the town
they put on their shoes and swing
gayly up to the open air bars on the
beach.
The women lug the big boxes down
TO the beach and wall at being left
alone until they. too. become filed
with the excitement of the scene and
urge their men folks on. The mon
hang back and laugh aud drink and
deny that they are going.
us you goin'. Big Tawm"
nav. All ain goin'. All JUS come
tub see"
"Yas, yo' is goin'. Big Tawm. Git in
dat boat"
Come on heah. boy. Va. ha.
And all the time the rowboats. load
ed to the gunwales. are plying back
ana forth between the shore and the
sioops. by shutdown the beach is swept
clean and six little sloops and a schoon-
er make sail and drift out of the har.
Dor on a dying breeze. loaded down
with thousand black men and wo-
men. who will wake In the morning
with raging thirst. Then woe be to
the captain who has not filled his wa
ter casks, for there is sure to be ut
least one body to be given to the sharks
after the fight around the butts.
When the vessels drop anchor off
Macoris the plantation foremen come
on and look over the cargoes and nav
the shipmasters $3.50 each for passorp
money for the negroes. Then the
Diacks are herded ashore and are cred.
tied with 30 cents day for month
Tor working from sunrise to sunset in
the cane fields. BY that time the 50 "a
passage money is paid back. Then
they receive their 80 cents day in
cash for the next six months until
the cutting and grinding season is
over, when the sloops show I'D again
ana take them to their homes for S., 10
each. paid in advance.
The foremen collect from the nout,
lion owners GO cents day each for
pay for The black hands. but with their
snare OF the money the negroes can
I'VE FOR year and half before they
nave to think of doing another DAYS
work. And they do it. Year oflcr
year the trade is piled. and the islands
hre combed for men for the pIanto-
t1ons. and year after year the negroes
'eturn home to eighteen months of law
)oy.-New York Tribune.