Statement by Lueschi, August 16, 1873

Statement by Lueschi

I, the undersigned, Mohammed Lueschi, janissary of this consulate of America, declare, and under my oath affirm, that, on the arrival in Malta of the Ottoman steamer Trabulus Gharb, (which happened on the 8th instant,) on board of which I was, with other passengers, a marine police-officer of that island came on board, who, employing me as interpreter, commenced to examine one by one the black women who were on the steamer, asking them whether they were free or slaves, and willing to follow their masters. The first seven ones thus examined answered that they were not slaves, but were following their masters of their own accord. The eighth time the question was repeated, a black woman, who had with her a son of about two years of age, answered that she was a slave, and that it was her intention to stay in Malta, in order to be taken back to Tripoli, even should she be cut to pieces for making that statement. Upon that declaration the officer suspended his examination, saying that he was very busy. I immediately made to him the remark that there were yet seven or eight more black women to examine; and he answered, “Do not fear anything; I am going away; but not one of them will go ashore.” And so saying, he ordered the captain to allow all white people to land, and he himself went away, leaving on board four policemen. I, too, staid on the vessel, and noticed that the slave who had made the protest was left with her mistress.

In the course of about half an hour came the order to allow the black people to land. I went along with the latter, and, when on shore, we were told that, at about 2½ p.m., the police-adjutant would go to the hotel to proceed with the examination. In the mean time the black woman who had declared she was a slave was put by her mistress in her carriage, with her little son, and other black women, among whom there was one who, from the first time she heard the statement made by the aforesaid slave, had not left her alone for a minute, doing her best to persuade her to take back her declaration. We all put up at the same inn, where we arrived at about 8 a.m.

At about 2½ o’clock p.m. the police-adjutant repaired to that inn, followed by four policemen, and having ordered the black women to be presented to him, twelve only came along; among them I noticed the one who had declared to be a slave, albeit the rich dress she had then on was very different from the wretched cotton sheet in which she was shrouded on board. I and the police people could recognize this one, as well as the seven other ones who were examined on board with their faces unveiled, but no one could say for certain whether the five other ones were the same who were on board, for no one had yet seen their faces.

Along with those black women there were also white Arabic women and five Turkish ones, who had come with us to Malta, and in whose service those black women were. At the examination by the police officer there was present Mejbura, a free negro woman, who had come with me to Malta, and who on board had assisted me in examining the negroes, for she can speak their language. Said Mejbura, during the examination by the police, was several times shoved back by the mistresses of the negroes—a fact to which I called the attention of the police-adjutant, who declared he was disposed to put a stop to those acts of brutality, but in reality he never did; and the same inertion was maintained when I suggested to divide the negroes from their mistresses, so that the former should feel more independeat in giving their answers, for they were all held by the arm by their mistresses.

I called the police’s attention to a black woman, an Algerine named Fatma, who had then adopted the alias of Ejshia; and I informed them that about two months before that woman had passed by Malta, taking along to Constantinople a slave whom she passed off as her own servant, just the same as now she was passing another one for her servant, although she was too poor to be thus traveling with servants. The adjutant said that truly he remembered to have seen that woman at the time mentioned by me.

The Ottoman consul residing in Malta was, during that examination, in the inn, in a room next to the one where we were, with open doors, so that he could see and hear everything, but he never said a word, either to the police or to any of the negroes.

Mr. John Baptist Farrugia, a brother of the Tunisian consul at Malta, who, according to all reports, has important commercial relations with Sidi Ali El Kerkeni, owner of the steamer Trabulus Gharb, was also present at the examination, being all the time among those women. When, by request of the adjutant, I would interrogate a negro, and she would answer that she was not a slave and was willing to follow her mistress, said Mr. Farrugia would say nothing; but every time that, from my own will, I would ask those women to show their certificates, proving they were free and not slaves, then said Farrugia would reprove me, saying that such a thing did not concern me, and that the answer made by the negroes to the adjutant, that they were free and willing to follow their mistresses, was sufficient.

I called also the police’s attention to a black sergeant who was accompanying the wife of his colonel, having with him a negro woman and a girl, pretending that one was his wife and the other his daughter, while in reality they were slaves. The sergeant at first maintained his first statement, but at last he confessed that those women were nothing to him.

The police, satisfied with the mere statement made by those negroes, that they were free and willing to follow their mistresses, left the inn, and thus, on the next day, all those people left for Constantinople, on board a large English steamer.

It is evident, in my opinion, that if the police had from the first moment proceeded with their examination, instead of suspending it for six or seven hours, thus leaving the negroes under the influence of promises, caresses, fear, and threats, from the part of their owners, not only that slave would have persisted in her first statement, but there would have been probably others among her companions who would have imitated her example, even among those who had already declared that they were not slaves.