Legation of
the United States in Central America,
Guatemala, February 5, 1885.
(Received February 28.)
No. 314.][Inclosure in No. 314,]
Mr. Sarg to Mr.
Whitehouse.
Consular Agency of the United States,
Livingston, January 28, 1885.
Sir: I beg to advise you of the death of Robert
Smith, a United States citizen, who died here on the 25th instant from
the effects of fever and general debility. His home is supposed to be at
Lake Park, Iowa. No personal effects forthcoming.
The steamship Ellie Knight touched here on the evening of the 6th instant
from Port Barrios, where she had taken up a crowd of the sick and
distressed laborers to be carried to New Orleans. There may have been
sixty, more or less.
From this port a large party of these unfortunates have now struck out
for Belize, and in consequence the governor of that colony has put the
vagrant act into execution. All landing without visible means of support
have the option of taking Government labor at $1 per day, or to go to
jail for one week as vagrants, expenses of confinement to be exacted
afterwards by forced labor.
Matters at Port Barrios and on the line of the railroad, as far as they
concern the laborers, have remained without a change. I receive no
sanitary report, nor do I believe that any record whatever is kept of
those who die. The numbers of those who
[Page 70]
come to bring complaints has become small, not that
the causes have been abolished, but that they have begun to find out
that it is utterly useless to make complaint against Messrs. Shea,
Cornick & Co.
The depression in manufacturing interests in the United States and the
vain hope of finding labor in New Orleans at the exposition grounds, has
tended to accumulate in that city thousands of men who seem ready to
accept any kind of proposition for labor, no matter where or under what
circumstances.
I am, &c.,
