Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-11-24

Ioh In Incidence For a Year ard +,
1aif-Combins the islands For Men
For the Sugar Plantations.
A happy -go-Iucky. stanG up and fall
down. genial. inconsequentiai spIrit an.
'nn'es the West Indian negroes In
thelr labors and In their begging
From the sweating toilers on the dock
at Macoris leading sugar into the
steamers. with their warning cry
bee-iow. TO the men i'm the hold. "a
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 wear and
never do stroke OF work.
And why not? His living costs him
only cents day. lie has his little
cabin for the occupancy. A mango
tree grows In his yard. ana no can
pick plantalns by the road at Will. II
ne Is too lazy 10 bake ; cents will buv
bread Tor the family for the day and
Few cents more will buy dozen
small fish and one large one. A single
garment does for the women. and IS
VIII elothe the man Tor year. while
the pickaninnies run as God made
them.
The West Indies are the paradise Of
The happy loafer. Every year the e..
lands are combed from end 20 end for
hands TO work the great sugar planta.
uons In Santo Domingo. and at that
tho negroes must often Toe practically
kidnapped 10 get them on the boats.
In November Of each year the sugar
boais. little sloops and schooners that
spend the remainder 81 the wear trad.
ing among the islands get into the
Santo Domingo negro trade Their
captains and supercar-oes. when they
have them. and the owners 20 up and
dowr the islands telling the negroes
that on n certain day the vessel will
sail FOR Santo Domingo and take all
who want 10 60 10 work on the sugar
plantations
Take The little island of 50. Martins
for illustration. For weck tho island
Is comhed. and on the appointed dav n
dozen sloops and schooners are crowd.
ed into Marigot bay The night before
the negroes have lrecun 10 stream into
the little town that sleeps through the
year waiting for this one day 10 brina
u 10 life. Boards are laid across boxes.
and rum and whisky are set out 10
arouse the negroes 10 tho pitch that
VIII carry them out 20 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 20 be had
FOR the asking Aaead 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 a dandy
cane and carrying their shoes I'm their
hands AZ the outskirts OF the town
they put on their shoes and swing
gayly MP 10 the open air bars on the
beach.
The women lug the big boxes down
10 the beach and wall NJ being left
alone until they. too. become flled
with the excitement OF the scene and
urge their men folks on The mon
hang back and laugh and drink and
deny that they are going.
lis YOU goin'. Big Tawm:"
Nav. An ain goln' An JUS come
tub see"
~Yas. yo' is goin'. Big Tawm. Git In
da. boat"
Come on heah. boy. IN. haw
And all the time the rowboats. load.
ed 10 the gunwales. are plying back
and forth between the shore and the
sloops by Sundown the beach is swept
clean ana six little sloops and schoon.
er make sail and drift out OF the har.
Dor on dying breeze. loaded down
with a thousand black men aud wo-
men. who will wake In the morning
with raging thirst Then woe be tc
the captain who has not filled his wa.
ter casks. for there is sure 10 be at
least one body to be given 10 the sharks
after the fight around the butts.
When the vessels drop anchor OF
MacoriS the plantation foremen come
OF and look over the cargOes and pay
the shipmasterS $3.50 each for passage
money for the negroes. Then the
N'N@N No 80 = ANANNN anu are
tied with 80 cents n day for month
for working from sunrise TO sunset 10
the cane fields. BY that time the $40
passage money is paid back. Then
they receive their 80 cents a day in
cash for the next six months until
the cutting and grinding season is
over. when the sloops show up again
and take them TO their homes for $3.50
each. paid in advance.
The foremen collect from the planta-
ton owners G3 cents a day each for
pay for the black hands. but with their
share OF the money the negroes can
live for year and a half before they
have TO think OF doing another days
work. And they do it, Year after
year the trade is piled. and the islands
are combed for men for the planta-
tions. and year after year the negroes