ch they brought. Twelve of
the number came from Griffin, Georgia; all the rest were from one of
seven towns in Alabama; namely, Tuscaloosa, Gadsen, Williams, Eutaw,
Carter, Johns, and Birmingham. Of these towns Tuscaloosa furnished by
far the greater number, while Eutaw, Gadsen, and Birmingham came
next. Only a comparatively small number came from Williams, Carter,
and Johns. Instead of having some three or four members as apparently
designed in the original contract, some of the families numbered six,
eight, and even twelve; and the number of women and children was
disproportionately large.

When the colonists arrived at the hacienda they found the ground
covered with snow. They were crowded into small, leaky, adobe houses,
without floors and with doors which could not be closed tightly. The
remainder of the winter and the following spring proved unusually
rainy and unpleasant; the food which they were given was probably of a
somewhat inferior quality; and their tools were clumsy and dull. These
factors possibly account for their homesickness and alleged
indisposition to work. Moreover, the small number of able-bodied
workingmen among them was disappointing to the colonization company.
Naturally enough, mutual dissatisfaction led to quarrels and
difficulties. As was to be expected, too, sickness soon visited the
settlement, killing off large numbers and terrifying the rest. A sort
of liver disease broke out among them in April causing several deaths,
and this was followed early in July by the ravages of the
smallpox.[10]

The first epidemic was sufficiently terrifying to cause some of the
colonists to bolt their contract and attempt to return to the United
States. When the smallpox broke out it proved to be too much for their
sense of honor or any other restraining force. Those who were able
began precipitously to desert the settlement for the United States,
apparently giving no attention at all to the matter of sustenance for
the journey. By the latter part of July all had left except about
fifty of the most persistent and faithful who chose to stay by their
crops.[11]

The sufferings of these colonists while at Tlahualilo and on their
way to the Rio Grande furnished the press of the United States a
sensational topic which it immediately seized upon. Indeed, the first
report which reached the United States through official circles was
itself sufficiently exaggerated to create excitement. On May 21, 1895,
two fugi