Show SLAVERY BY CONTRACT hot workers are provided for coffee Plin tera in mexico the san francisco chronicle published recently the fact that a brig bad put into drakes bay near point reyes in distress and with several hundred gilbert islanders men women and children crowded between her decks the bria remitted refitted re fitted and sailed shortly after for san benito mexico where her living freight was to be delivered to coffee planters under after the vessel a so called contract sailed certain facts which did not at ail ree with the captains story were learned and published tending to show clearly the real and horrible nature of the Tah itis cruise when the vessel lay in drakes bay a fresh crow was shipped from this city two of the discharged sailors were interviewed by a representative of the dally report which paper prints the following additional in formation for matlon as to the condition of affairs aboard the tahiti and bearing out the information received by the chronicle according to statement the tahiti took with hep a large quantity of tobacco and calico when she went to the south seas and after touching at honolulu proceeded to the gilbert islands there she lay for three months during which time her crew was industriously engaged in enticing the natives aboard the methods pursued in doing this consisted principally of going ashore and winning their friendship with tobacco and calico after this they were induced to board the brig and were there dazzled by the munificent offer of 5 per month and plenty to eat while picking coffee during the three years of their exile the natives True good said were ill fed at home and the prospect was sufficient to allure them into signing a cast iron agreement by which they were to affet 4 a month for the first year 5 for the second and 6 for the third making the average 5 it was the opinion of the sailors that all the natives received their first years wages in calico and tobacco bajore embarking without knowing it no distinction was made as to age or sex capacity for doing a days work was the only qualification necessary heartrending partings were described between parents and children and hug bands and wives gregory said that one night some of the crew who had gone ashore to get some labor were attacked with knives by the relatives of those t were attempting to anke away narrowly escaped with their 3 most of the gilbert andera speak english but are ignorant people an i regard mexico as the only country in this direction they are therefore easily deceived at the end of three months work the brig baa collected over of the blacks and the return voyage was bo pun True good said that the stench on board was something frightful and that the three months spent insetting back to this part of the world were not agreeably spent by the crew the capacity of the vessel was only persona and nearly were quartered on her and the seamen say that one seaworthy aea worthy small boat was the only thing they would have had between aam all and the bottom of the sea in ase of a wreck there many young girls among the cargo and about one half of the whole number on board were le malea As stated some of these girls during the three months they were on board fell in love with their sailor companions and hey set up a wild wail when they learned that they were to be deserted True good said that the only way they were prevented from committing suicide was to make them believe that this was a part of mexico and that their lovers would soon follow them |