Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1909-11-16

down. genial. incOnsequential spirit an
mates the West Indian negroes in
their labors and in their begging.
From the sweating toilers on the dock
at MacOris loading sugar into the
steamers. with their warning cry,
"Rep-low" to the men in the hold, to
the grinning boys hauling their fishing
boats up on the beach at Dominica,
they live from day to day and take no
thought of the morrow. A West Indian
negro with $50 will live for year and
never do a stroke of work.
And why not? His living costs him
only 0 cents a day. He has his little
cabin for the occupancy. A mango
tree grows in his yard, and he can
pick plantains by the road at will. If
he is too lazy to bake 5 cents will buy
bread for the family for the day. and
few cents more will buy a dozen
small fish and one large one. A single
garment does for the women, and So
will clothe the man for a year. while
the pickaninnies run as God made
them.
The West Indies are the paradise OF
the happy loafer. Every year the is
lands are combed from end TO end for
hands TO work the great sugar planta-
tons in Santo Domingo. and at that
the negroes must often be practically
kidnapped to get them on the boats.
In November OF each year the sugar
boats, little sIoops and schooners 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 certain day the vessel will
sail for SantO Domingo and take all
who want 10 go TO work on the sugar
plantations
Take the little island Of st. Martins
FOR Illustration. For a week the island
is cOmbed. aud on the appointed day
dozen sIoOPS aud schoOners are crowd
ed into Marigot bay. The night before
the negroes have hegun to stream into
the little town that sleeps through the
year, waiting for this one day to bring
it to life. Boards are laid across boxes.
aud rum aid whisky are set out 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 ia by the sailors,
singing their song OF riches to be had
for he asking. Ahead of the men walk
their women. tOiinS heavy boxes on
their heads. while the men are dressed
in their best. with a cocky straw bat
percbed 0n Que ear. swinging a dandy
cane and carrying their shoes in their
hands. At the outskirts OF the town
they pat on their shoes and swing
=ayiy Wp tn the open air bars on the
beach.
The women lug the hig boxes down.
to the heRch aud wall at being left
alone until they. too. become filled
with the excitement of the scene and
urge their men folks on. The men
hang back and laugh and drink and
deny that they are going.
"ls you gOiu. Big Tawm;"
Nav. All ain goin'. All JUS come
tub see"
"Yas, ye' is Goin', Big Tawm. Git in
dat boat"
Come on heah. boy. "a. ha.'
And all the time the rowboats. load
ed to the gunwales. are plying back
aud forth between the shore and the
sioOps. by shutdown the beach is swept
cleau aud six little sloops aud schoOn-
er make sail aud drift out OF the har
Dor on a dying breeze. loaded down
with a thousand black me0 aud wO-
met. who will wake in the morning
With 4 raging thirst. Then woe be to
the captain who has not 6lled his wa
ter casks, for there Is sure TO be at
least one body to be given to the sharks
after the fight around the butts!
Wheo the vessels drop anchor of
Mscoris the plantation foremen come
on aud look over the cargoes AID pay
tue shipmasters $3.50 each for passage
money for the negroes. Then the
uiaNNo htC uNi0Nh uauOlC NAC0-
tied with 80 ceAts a day for a month
for working from sunrise to sunset In
the>eaae Fields. BY that time the $3.50
passage money is paid back Then
they receive their 30 cents a day in
cash for the next six mouths until
the. cutting aud grinding season Is
over. when the sloOps show up again
aud take them to their homes for $3.50
each. paid in advance.
Tue foremen collect from the planta'
ton owners G3 cents a day each FOL
nay for the black hands. but With theiI
share OF the money the negroes car
live for year and q half before they
have to think of doing another day;
work. And they do It. Year afte'
year the trade is piled, and the Islands
are combed for men for the planta
tlons. and year after year the negroe:
..k..... ho.,o u, aiwhfoon rtannfha NJ laZy