NEGROES PAINTED RED.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3411, 30 December 1911, Page 3

NEGROES PAINTED RED.

• CAPTAIN'S l. .3E T. V,. .-VICVi " 'i„EM IHi ST(J_... L‘i. Hi. ■ . Ms. ■ ■- I - awme time past stowaways anxi- ■ ouo to reach Colon have been in. the i.— j..!. \.i ** j *o e.**.^iv %ji. O-/. .. i the ships of tne Royal Mail Steam Pack- ; et Company' when passing Port of Spain Trinidad, en route for that port. Cap- . tain G. S. Guil.ard, ca the Royal Mad i steamer Thames., decided on drastic 1 measures' to avoid the nuisance. He •,vas confronted with the special difficulty that he already had on hoard about 200 negro deckers from Barbadces. from • whom it would be almost impossible to distinguish any Trinidad blacks who might, succeed ixi getting among thornHe therefore put info effect the little scheme of idemtificaten that he l ad thought out. When he reached Colon 300 negroes tried to get on board. As a negro was caught coming over ihe side he was quickly transferred to the saloon deck where a big can of bn, ht red paint had been prepared, with oejne special adhesive substance in it. r I h s was applied to each offender’s head, and effectually changed its color. About twelve of them wore decorated in this manner, and then turned loose amongst the deckers as a warning to others tv no had no right there. The lesson, whether warranted or not, is said to have been 'very effective, and the siege of the ship was raised. The red-headed gentlemen were easily selected from the other colored people, tied together, and cent ashore in the police beat. On landing, strangely enough, they received no sympathy from their own people, who treated : t as a lmge joke, and accompanied the ruffereis shrieking with laughter, to the police station, where they were formally charged with being unlawfully upon the good shin Thames, hut acquitted on a technicality.