Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-18
NEGROES. EMPIRE
GOES ON ROCKS
DISEASES OF AFRICA DECiMATE
I "KlNG SANS LEGION
Steamer Which Carried u. 6. BIack5
H. Over lowed Back in Face Of
~, Great Odds.

IN Africa became nightmare was
related here when the steamer Liberia
arrived at the end of an S00-ioot tow
line.
Two years and eight months from
the day it lifted anchor, the ship was
home again, and king Sam and
those of his followers who escaped
drowning and disease are scattered
among the villages of the west coast
OF the continent of their ancestors,
"King Sam" himself. according to
officers who were sent out to bring
the ship home, has married tho
dusky stenographer he took with him
and has had himself elected 'omahin,"
chief of village in the bush" whero
he lives. clad in one garment, ana
does small business buying and sell
ing cocoa beans. His empire con
sists of tiny group of African
natives living in mud huts in the
jungle.
The Liberia came in towed by the
Zeaandia, ship of tho Universal
Transportation Company, after mes
sage that in itself was one of the great
romances of tire sea. When the Uni
versal company, in securing the seas
for ships with which 10 carry the
wealth creating cargCes that followed
the beginning of the war, learned that
King Sans ark was lying deserted
off the African coast. they offered, 1t
is said, a prize of $6J000 to any one
who would 20 out and bring il back
the six thousand miles to Brooklyn.
Wrccking and towing companies,
whose business Is to take hazards in
savaging ships, and even mushroom
navigation companies lady for al
most any wild adventure from which
money is to be gained. passed the
offer by.
Eventually the G. w. Morse,
wooden tug, started out on the long
trip loaded with less than half enough
coal for the voyage It was never
heard of again. and shipping men be-
lieye the tug, its captain, his wife
and the crew are lost.
Finally the officers Of the company
made proposition to the crew Of the
Zeaandia, their own vessel. The
crew accepted.
Two Brooklyn men were sent out
ahead to disentange the Liberia from
the snarl Of maritime litigation in
which "Kint' Sam peculiar system
OF financing had involved it.
In October the ,.eaandia Dr. W IN
beside the rusty ark OF Animaboo
and toward the end Of the month the
long return passage, which took fifty
five days, began. Captain Miller and
\. his chief officer stayed on the Liberia
with crew Of seven "Fanteca.' coal
black SURF men from a neighDoIng
African settlement, who wore one
small blanket and no shoes, and who
were so lazy that "a hookworm is
chain lightning beside them accord
ing to one of their white superiors.
The long return passage was
made in almost perfect weather and
that, according to an officer on the
Zealandia, was the only thing that
saved the ship in tow.
As the ships came northward the
"Fantees" began to suffer with the
cold In November the ships stopped
at Barbaros for coal and there clothes
were obtained for the natives. They
donned them for comfort and not fol
modesty's sake, but, on their arrival
here, tho covered with two and three
suits apiece and wearing head cover
ings all the way from leopard Skin
caps to bath towels, they could not
endure. the shoes.
In port here curious seafarers wan
dered over the Liberals deck tracina
from what they saw the story o
kim Sam" and his voyage back tt
the land of black men, and they founC
the ship yeritable historical mu
scum of the undertaking.
Sans holy Room" was the sta
exhibit. A little twelve-foot room af
of the saloon it was, where Sam wa
said to have secluded himself whel
he withdrew from the rest of the com
pany for mediation" Outside tn
door hung a sign lettered in gilt witt
the word "Holy.@ On the wall hung
crude oil painting of, a landscape, il
the background of which were rouehl
drawn red rooted houses" and nea
them three crosses against the sky
Above them al were the strang
words:
"Whi Onyankopong Guiana"
And underneath the cushions of tn
seats about the wall in curious prov
unity, widowed, were white rob
and an ironbound billy club whic
looked as if Sam might have held
in reserve to influence his follower
when exhortation failed.
In the saloon, backed against tn
wall, was an upright piano, the If
of many a clog dance and many
''meetin' on board, but today capab!
of voicing only mufhed tunk-a-tunl
funk.
Near the piano a circle of doubl
thickness OF liloleum had been wor
thru by heels of closging darknes, an
all around the wall in front of tn
seats were jagged marks where hee
had stamped the tempo in the foo
On the same seats were scraps {
hymnals and inscribed with. names {
the colonsts and the home towns
Oklahoma and Kansas which they la