El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-09

- , LILA AlLA4ANAA1zAAM-A. STATE OF SAC
" Paulo, Brazil. Oct 81 want tc
tell you the story Of an Ameri-
can colony in the heart Of Brazil II
Is one Of the strangest colonies ever
founded by citizens Of the United
States. and its story begins with ouI
civil war. I refer to the villa Ameri-
cana. a town of five or six hundred
Inhabitants which is situated here, as
far south Of the equator as the Rocky
mountains are distant from the At
lantic and which is q hundred miles
or so back from the sea.
The villa Americana was 1ounueu "
Americans and it was named after me
Americans who came to this country
shortly after the assassination OF
president Lincoln to make their MONIES
mere They We're men from the soulH
who had become disguised with car
pet-bag government and who LETT nome
TO build up a new country IN new
land Some Of the original emIsranls
are still living here and not a Few OF
their descendants have fine farms on
this = gh rolling plateau During ny
STAY 81 the country about nave me-
"a ntNlber Of them and this story is
made up from my talks with the oIls-
nal settlers and their descendants.
story of the Colony.
we all remember how poor the south
WAS at the close of the war and now
proud. Its people had spent their all
for the cause Of secession and Wheh
they were overrun by the officials
from the north and their state govern
ments given into the hands OF the
negroes. some Of the more spirited OF
them decided to 90 abroad and seek
homes in other countries The SUBJECT
was one Of wide discussion ana II was
brought forth at many meetings
rhroughout the southern states.
Some Of the people favored Mexico
as a place of refuge Others wanted 10
20 to Honduras. while "A Jhlrd class
planned to come to Brazil, which was
then under an imperial government
The southerners were attracted 70
Brazil by the fact that its climate was
seni-trOpical They looked upon THIS
part Of the country as the same as
their own and they came here TO raise
the same kind Of crops some may
have been influenced also by the Iacl
that SLAVERY was then still in existence
here and that they could use negro
labor TO work their plantations am
told however by the old citizens that
this did not enter into the question
and that their chief reason for leaving
was their disgust and despair OF the
treatment Of the south by the north
Fifteen Hundred Go to Brazil.
However that may be, about 1900 or
more Of these people sold their lands
in the south and gathered together
what money they could and came 10
Brazil They did not all come at once.
although several shiploads Jared 1orth
together. They did not come as
body, and all did not settle at the same
place. II / remember correctly, some
settled on the Amazon The larger
however, came to the south, 10
sac PaulO. and among them was one
shipload OF about 400 that sailed from
New Orleans in 1866. This party con-
sisted Of about so families, and IL rep
resented the states OF Alabama, MIS- (
sissippi, Georgia, louisiana. North and
-.
was composed Of men, women and chill I
dren-
I talked with Mrs Pyles. the vile OF 1
one one Of the retired American plant /
ers, who belonged TO that party she /
was only ten years old at the time Z
she left New Orleans. She tells me 4
that the vessel first made its way !
along the coast of north Cuba There 1
it encountered terrible storm ana I!
was wrecked upon the rocks Mrs i
EyIes remembers being let down from .
the ship TO the rocks by means Of I
rope, and she says II was IN this way
hat the passengers were saved From
Cuba the party made its way TO New
York 1t was there Joined by several I
hundred more from various parts OF
the south, when ii took ship for Rio
lie JanelrO-
Secure Land Grant.
At Rio. the leaders succeeded in get
ting a grant of land from the govern
nent- This was situated not far from
he port OF santos, and the Americans
vent there expecting to establish plan
-atiOns Of sugar cane and cotton They
only a year or So
The climate was unhealthy, and the
and was much less fertile than they 4
had supposed They decided to leave /
he malarfous fever lands Of the coast !
md go TO the high healthy country Of
he sac PaulO plateau. They gave up /
heir plantations. climbed the noun
aims and came inland TO the town OF
santa Barbara; now a thriving little !
'ity Of 5000. Santa Barbara is stu |
tied about six miles from Villa Ameri- !
ana, where I am now writing. Here !
he men looked over the country and
Fought lands, paying about IS an acre
II less They did not settle as a colony Z
'ut scattered about over the country,
.ach man making his own purchase I
md paying for his own tract accord
ng TO his means. There was no com I
nun1ty interest except that Of being !
elbow Americans.
Colony Nearly so Fears Old.
That was almost so years ago. and
ince then a great number Of the set
lers have made their homes here |
ome have become disguised long since /
nd gone back TO the states. Others [
eturned home only TO come back TO (
brazil, finding that they preferred the
Conditions here to those Of the new I
egime in our country A number /
lave stayed and become Braziliaus. !
-mOng the older Americans now living