The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-11-15 00:00:00

CRUELTIES OF THE ASHANTEES.

A correspondent of The Times, In giving a history of our
war with Minimise, says:—

" In 186.3 we could only have escaped invasion by
giving up a runaway slave to be tortured to death; in
1873 we could only have escaped Invasion by giving up
• port, which has been possessed by Europeans during
400 years, It would be a tedious and by no means a
grateful task to recount all that we have done to
propitiate the Juihantees. It will be enfficient to
Rive two instances of our resignation and humility
In respect to the Ashanteee. In the eastern dis-
tricts of the Gold Coast • Swiss mission im
established. The missionaries, who are usually
Germans, enter • college at Bask, and then go out to
der.rte • lifedme to the negro. These excellent
missionaries have penetrated far into the Interior, and
have added • large region to the map. It was, I be-
lieve, in 1869 that the Ashantem made • raid upon the
eastern districta ; they approached one of the missionary
outposts. inveigled Its inmates into their power, and
carried them off to Coomainie. There captives were two
missionaries, one of whom had his wife and child, and
aFrench trader. The child died on the way. Theothers
reached Coornamie, where they have been ever since.
The Bernie mission, which is not wealthy, collected •
thousand pounds and offered it as ransom; trait seems
that these captives bel mg, as fruit of the spear, to Adoo
Brafoo, the general who took them, and he demanded six
thousand pounds. Negotiations were conducted by the
Gold Coast Government, and finally it was agreed to
accept the thousand pounds. The money was weighed
out in gold dust, but the captives were not forthcoming.
The truth is that the Ashantees had no intention of
giving them up, but had hoped to get pessession of the
gold. The captives had been lorought down part
of the way to the frontier as • blind, and the
Ashantees, furious at being disappointed stripped
the unfortunate lady and made her walk beck naked
to the town. Now, it happened that the son of
Adoo Brafoo fell into the hands of the English.
Here warn • hostage at least for the lives
of the captives; but the Government, to show its con-
fidence in the King's good faith, gays up We man
before the missionaries were delivered. The next cam
is • little worse, if possible. Atjiempong, the Ashantee
chief, who was living at Elmina, was famous even in
Ashantee for his abominable cruelties. He used to
punch holes in the flesh of prisoner's, fill the holm
with powder, and set them alight. On one occasion
a prisoner hiving boasted that the Ashantees had
never seen hie tack, Atjiernpong replied that he
should see it himself, then flayed the man alive
and drew the skin over his head. This monster
became our prisoner, and was sent back to Ashen-
tee with an escort. Shortly after his arrival the
great Yam Festival, the harvestof Ashantee wee held,
and the chiefs and captains cried out to the King that
they were hungry for war, that they would drive the
white men into the sea, Ind make them hide in the
belly of the herring. Then Coffi Caloalli, the King,
arose and declared war, and the oomuumder in-chief
took oath he would remain three years on the Fantee
soil, that he would bring home some salt water in •
bottle, that he would attack Elmina and Cave Coast
Castle, and, it is even said, he promised to capture the
governor. The chiefs called together their men, and
on the 22ad of January, 1873, the army marched from
Coomassie. It arriv,l on the banks of the Prah,
which took it five days crooning in boats. March-
ing through the Protectorate the Athantees drove
everything before them; • crowd of wretched people
homeless and starving, and stricken with disease, fled
into Cape Coast Castle, and cowered under the
walls of the forts. Two epidemics raged in the
town- smallpox and dysentery. Dead bodies were
found every morning in the streets, the rains were
unusually severe, the roofs of houses fell in, and
many people were Idled. The Animates] approached
the town, which was at that time defenceless; the
houses were barricaded, and the streets patrolled by
volunteers. The enemy, however, attacked Emma,
wh•-re Dr2e part of the native., were on their
sile. The insnrgent quarter WAR bembarded, and the
Ashautees rep-lied with a loss of 200 men and several
chit fa. Since then they have done nothing of import-
ance. but are still encamped at half a day's journey
, from Cape Coast Castle. In the western districts
Atjiempong, whom we so kindly liberated, has been
fighting with little success against • loyal chief of Ap-
polonia and the people of Dixcove. The natives of the
old Dutch villages have joined the Athantees ; but
it is said that the western army has been recalled,
probably to guard Coomsesie, and to operate against
Glover on the east. It is rumoured that reinforce.
ments have crossed the Prah, and that Cape Coast
Castle was to be attacked. Active operations on
our part are impossible, it seems before the
arrival of the Werra, with guns, snail arms, and
ammunition; but it is scarcely probable that Sir G.
Woliseley will attack the enemy with the small force
he has at his disposal. The enemy la close by and
cannot be attacked. There in • body of 140 Marines
in the men-of-war, but the Commodore is understood
to have left positive orders that they are not to be used
except for defensive purposes. A distinguished general
and his officers are thus doomed to comparative inac-
tion ; and if the Government wishes to save this expe-
dition from absolute ruin let the white regiment+ be
despatched at once. They will not arrive too soon;
but as soon as they do arrive our native allies will re-
cover their confidence in us, and will take the field in
earned. Till then we must wait as well as we can,
and I fear there will be little of importance to record.
But this may prove • useful lesson for the future, and
let as hope that never again will there be an expedition
by instalment.."