The farmer and mechanic., 1915-10-12

mpnt at SuutOS tIkC fIlSnt
the Highlands-HOw They Sue
,ccded. Talks With the Settlers
Thousand-Acrc Farm With
American MethOdS-WOrk And
Wagcs-Quecr Features Of Life in
the Heart of South America.
.tapyright. 1915. by Frank G. Car
penter)
Vii. Americana, State of Sac Paulo,
Erazil.
want to tell you the story of an
A. orican colony in the heart cf
Ir,zn. 1t is one of the strangest col
cnies ever founded by citizens Of the
United States and it's story begins with
our civil war. I refer to the Villa
Americana. a town OF fve or SIX hun
dred inhabitants, which is situated;
here. as far south of the equator as
the Rocky mountains are distant from
tho Atlantic, and which is hun
dred miles or so back from the sea.
The Villa Americana was founded by
Americans and 1T was named after the
Americans who came to this country,
shortly after the assassination Of
President Lincoln to make their
the south who had become disguste1 ]
with carpet-bag government and
who left home to build up a new
country in new land. Some of the
original emigrants are still living here
ana not few of their descendants
have fine farms on this high rolling
plateau. During my stay in tn"
country, / have met a number OF
them and this story is made up from
ny talks with the original settlers and
their descendants.
We all remember how poor the
south was at the close of the war and
how proud. Its people had spent
their all for the cause Of secession
and when they were overrun by the
officials from the north and their
state governments given into the
hands of the negroes, some of the
more spirited of them decided to &C
abroad and seek homes in other coun-
tries. The subject was one of wide
discussion, and it was brought forth
at many meetings throughout the
southern states. Some Of the people
favored Mexico as a place Of refuge
Others wanted to go to Honduras
while a third class planned to come
TO Brazil, which was then under al
imperial government. The southern
ers were attracted to Brazil by tn
fact that it's climate was semi
tropical. They looked upon this par
Of the country as the same as thel
own and they came here to raise tn
same kind Of crops. Some may hav
been influenced also by the fact tina
slavery was then still in existenc
here and that they could use negr
labor to work their plantations.
am told, however, by the old citizen
that this did not enter into the Ques
tion and that their chief reason 10
leaving was their disgust and despa1
of the treatment of the south by tn
north
However that may be, about 1,50
or more Of these people sold thel
lands in the south and gathered tf
gether what money they could an
came 10 Brazil. They did not a
come at once, although several Sh1l
loads Jared forth together. They d1
not come as body, and all did M
settle at the same place. If l remen
ber correctly, some settled on tf
Amazon. The larger number, nov
ever. came to the south, to So
Paulo, and among them was one shil
load Of about 400 that sailed FRO
New Orleans in 1856. This par
consisted Of about eighty familie
and it represented the states of AL
bama, Mississippi. Georgia. Louisian
North and South Carolina, FIor1t
and Texas. It was composed Oh me
women and children.
| talked today with Mrs Pyles, Il
wife Of one Of the retired Amerlct
planters, who belonged to that part
She was only ten years old at the TN
she left New Orleans. She tells r
that the vessel first made its W.
along the coast Of north Cuba The
II encountered terrible storm al
was wrecked upon the rocks. M
Pyles remembers being let down frO
the ship to the rocks by means OF
rope. and she says it was in this w
that the passengers were saved. Fro
Cuba the party made it's way to NJ
York 1t was there Joined by sc
eral hundred more from var1o
parts of the south. when it took shi
Tor Rio de Janeiro.
Al Rio, the leaders succeeded
getting "a grant Of land from I
government. This was situated 7
far from the port of Santos, and I
Americans went there expecting
establish plantations Of sugar ca