Star.
London, England, 1819-10-27 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY TRIAL FOR MURDER.

SIERRA LEONE, MAY 15.

Pei, a captured and liberated Negro, was indicted
for the murder of Zongotia, another captured Ne-
gro, at Charlotte Town, in this Colony, on the sth of
January last, by severing his head from his body with
a sharp instrument, made of a piece of iron hoop.
Previously to the commencement of this trial,
much difficulty was experienced in procuring ade-
quate means of interpretation between the Court and
prisoner; and at length, when a person was found
capable of conversing with the prisoner in his lan-
guage, a second interpreter was required to render
the bad English of this first interpreter intelligible;
but at the best, the interpretation was altogether very
insufficient and unsatisfactory.
The first object of the interpretation was, to inform
the prisoner of his arraignment, and to instruct him
how to plead; which being accomplished, an endea-
your was made to apprise him of his right to chat.'
lenge the Jurors, and of the-proper mode of exercis-
ing that right; but upon the first option of challenge
being put to him, in swearing the Foreman of the
Jury, an answer was returned which threw the whole
Court into an involuntary burst of laughter, at the
same time that it produced a strong and universal
sensation of horror. When the prisoner was told to
look upon that man, and say if he liked to be tried
by him? the answer, as interpreted; which was given
in a tone of astonishment by the English interpreter,
NraS.." lie say he like him too much; if he catch hint.,
he eat him !"

After this answer, it was-thought best, in tender-
ness to the prisoner, to go through the remaining
forms, without any further reference to him; but it
was subsequently believed, that the latter part of the
answer was a remark added by either of the-inter-
preters, according to the uniform practice of the
Africans, of interposing their own remarks in every
thing. The first interpeter was frequently in laugh-
ter during the horrid details of the trial, and was
more than once reproved for it by the Court, for his
want of feeling.
The particulars of this horrid transaction, as de-
tailed in evidence, were as follows:

Hyena, an. inferior overseer of captured Negroes
at Charlotte Town, employed to superintend the de-
ceased and his' countrymen, because he could speak
their language, having missed the deceased (Zongo-
bia) at ration time, reported his absence to his supe-
rior (Mr; Ashford), who ordered him to cause search
to be made in the bush. Shortly after leaving Mr.
Ashford, he saw a man coming out of the bush with
a canvass bag, which he attempted to shift away, as
if to put it out of sight. He immediately questioned
the man, whom he found to be one Quia Pei, of
Zonflobia's nation, and insisted on seeing the bag and
its contents. The man reluctantly opened the bag,
which, he said, contained some meat; on inspection,
he discovered several pieces of human flesh. The
man was immediately secured, and Mr. Ashford
was sent for. Quia Pei died in prison, while await-
ing his trial.
'William Ashford, Principal Native Superintenclant
at Charlotte Town, stated, that on being informed
by the last witness that Zongobia was missed, he had
given orders to search for him ; shortly afterwards,
be was informed of the detention of Quia Pei, and
came to the place, where he saw the bag and its con-
tents; there was tat of a human hand, 'with the
thumb, a piece of the shoulder and lower part of the
neck, and some of the intestines. Quia Pei, he un-
derstood, avowed the killing of the man Zongobia,
and implicated the prisoner-Pei as his accomplice in
the act. Quia Pei and the prisoner Pei were kept in
close custody for the night, while Mr. Kearney, the
nearest Magistrate, was seat for.
John Oeseley Kearney, Esq. a Magistrate, was re-
sident at Bathtnit Town. In the month of January
last, he was sent for by Mr. Ashford to inquire into
the particulars of the horrid transaction now before
the Court. The bag, containing the mutilated re-
mains already described, was shevrn to him. Quia
Pei, upon whom it was found, confessed the fact, and
alleged that the deceased was fat, and good to tat!

both together seised the npputitnity of strpri+
the deceased, as he was steeping down in the in
searching for crabs ; the prisoner caught the arms
the deceased behind his back, and held him, while
Qoia Pei threw him over; he struggled hard.
were obliged first to cut off his hands, and afterwar,
they ett off his head; they then proceeded to the
rid process of cooking and eating the flesh, and
this abominable repast it was understood that others
also assisted. This statement was given freely
voluntarily by Qnia Pei, the man who had since
in prison.—The prisoner, Pei, also confessed,
slowly and reluctantly, and not till the other
peatedly accused him, and remonstrated with hir
the inutility of his denial.—Mr. Kearney caused
to conduct him to the place where the dreadful
was perpetrated, and to spew where the further'
mains were to be found. He saw the place wl,ere
the fire was made, and the bones that had been
some of them bearing the marks of such, persevc
voracity, that a thigh-bone had been broken for
pupose of extracting the marrow; the head, with
tongue and upper part of the neck, had been left
tire, and buried. He caused them to be taken _
the face was recognised as Zongobia's. The reason
riven for the distinction with respect to the head
its contents was, that eating any part of the head
supposed to cause madness in the country of
cannibals. They were called the Manni, or Mani
and were notorious for this practice, for which
were despised by all their neighbours. On
Kearney's asking whether there was any quarrel
any enmity towards the deceased? he was told
was not ; and upon some expression of surprise
so great an atrocity should be pea pet .tied without
any provocation or motive, it was thought suffik
to explain it by the same motives which induced
Kearney to kill a fat Sheep. Quia Pei said, the
of his having been sold as a slave was, that he
killed and eaten so many men, as to render him _
midable to the King of his country and to the head.
men, who made a palaver for him, and had -
condemned and sold.
P. Bragger was present at the examination
search. He saw the same facts, and had the
understanding as Mr. Kearney as to the confessions.
The substance of Mr. Kearney's testimony was
terpreted to the prisoner, and he was asked '
wished to put any questions? He did not ask
queition, but denied having participated in the
der in any way; he had never confessed it; he
near the place with his knife and pot, and was called
by the others after the man was killed. In reference
tP the charge of holding the hands of Zongobia
bind his back, he asked whether a person of his
slight frame was capable of such an exertion ?
rth. tenet to the charge of having pointed out Zoni
bia as a fat man and fit to be killed, he denied
kg given any such suggestion, or having had
part in such conversation or design ; he knew,
ever, that Quia Pei, and the others of his country
'had held such talk on board the ship hi which
came (San Juan Nepomuceeno), and that they
formed a design accordingly for the opportunity
future execution.

avri After this special denial of the charge by the
sorter in all its most material parts, it was thou;
desirable by the Court that the Interpreters of
*Banal examination should be called.
One of them, the English Interpreter, was, it
found, unfortunately detained by sickness in
country, but the other, the native Interpreter,
foiled to be the same who was now interpreting .
the prisoner ; this person was immediately put under
examination.

Cock-eye was a captured negro, of a nation border-
ing on the country of the nation to which the prisoner
and 'Quia Pei belonged : he resided at Char!
Town, and generally was employed to look after
interpret for these people—he had interpreted at
examination before Mr. Kearney. Quia Pei,
had been caught with the bag, on being told by
witness to tell all to master, and so to avoid palw
(trouble), did declare all that had been related
cerning himself and the prisoner, and had urged
prisoner also to confess ; but that the prisoner
not confessed any pert in the transaction, but all
firmly denied having any share in it, or any know.
ledge of it, until after the murder was perpetrated.
It became necessary, however, again to refer to
prisoner, in order to enable him to understand and
plain the circumstances which appeared still to 1
against him, and in particular the share which
seemed to admit that he had in the latter part of.
dreadfnl business. The prisoner's answer, or rather
statement on this head was, that when the man
killed, and they were proceeding to devour his bod'
they called him and invited him to partake ; but 1
refused, saying, it was thought fatal in his country
to eat human flesh, and that those who did eat it'
came inevitably mad. He was not a native of
Pei's country, but of a country bordering on it.

After this further denial of what was supposed ,
have been admitted, the Court thought it not right
to put any further questions to the prisoner.
No farther evidence was produced on the part
the prosecution.
The prisoner was informed that it was now
for him to state to the Court what he had to sa,
his defence.

The Interpreters having commuuo....—
prisoner, gave as his answer on this head—that
had nothing to say.
One of the Jury expressed a -doubt whether
prisoner's meaning might be, that he had nothing
say to the murder, or nothing to say to the Court
This point being interpreted to the prisoner for'
explanation, he said he had nothing to say to .
murder, and that he had nothing to say to the Court.
The Quer JUSTICE then summed up the evidence
in a luminous manner.

with

The Jury retired, and after an absence of about
half an hour, returned with a verdict—Guilty
assisting.
The CHIEF JOITHIC informed them that this
dict could not be received, the indictment charged
the prisoner, not with assisting, but as the actual Iv-
petrator of the murder, and as such alone ; the
verdict, therefore, that the Jury could regularly
or that the Court could receive, was, simply, one
Guilty at of Not Guilty. The Chief Justice sr
that although he conceived he had already marked,
as distinctly as he could, without appearing to direate
to the Jury, his sense of the insufficiency of the
dance to convict the ittsoner, he thought it