Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-07-08
Habitati0ns Of Cruelty.

AAttOhddVA- VA
The present state of Fejee is deplorable in tn,
extreme, Notwithstanding the numerous triumph;
Of the Gospel there. A few incidents given il
Wesleyan Missionary Notices, by an eye-witness
Illustrate the actual condition of the islanders:
H'ran9t'H9 Of 'cidcsos has engaged our frequent
attention, and called forth our utmost energies.
Six or eight women have been directly saved from
this inhuman practice by our interpositicn. and
several Others indirectly aud principally by the in
fuence of what we have done. Some of these have
subsequently lotaed. These scenes REQUIRE no or
binary promptitude and sacrifice. We have to
adopt the Fejee national custom of presenting
property when requesting favor; and hitherto
/ each life has involved the expense Of sI. (
! But sometimes our interference IS prevented.
and sometimes it is spurned and Intellectual. A few
months ago man died in heather town within
mile Of ours. Mr.. Malvern and at once hasten
ed to the abode Of death; but the people fearing
our arrival and having heard of our success 10 9TH
/ er quarters, had already strangled the widow We
entered the house. there were the husband and wife
both sleeping in death. We examined the wo-
mans body, but the last spark Of life was extin-
! guished. All and there stood the son Of those
now dead, who, with lendish expression, lifted up
his hands, aud told US that By those hands that
mother died! 51a .s1-rsg T.stl
'.Ahi" was our language, sthis Is seen in heaven;
this will not be forgotten in heaven; its punish
| ment will follow gvzCzA so. ee ..a .-sis 10
i "A few weeks afterwards stood By an open grave
IN that town. had'gone in pursuit of the widow
oil youngman brought home corpse from war.
Her friends had eOnsigsed her to our care, snd she
had escaped from as. Il stood by the open grave.
that might witness the ceremony of heatben
burial; the corpse was brought out shrouded in
mats; bullet had pierced the brain / looked
upon the dead, 4 recognized the features, it was
the matrcidel - -.-,, ,--...- t...--.. r--.. b.
All exclaimed, as the corpse was laid in its
last resting-place "jid We not speak the truth
when We said, His sin was en- in Heaven; it was
written in Heaven; its punishment would follow
Several women have, in spite of our efforts, been
stranglel; and wherever there is son. he is chosen
to be the principal agent in the murder of his mo-
ther. Within my own knowledge, a father has,
with his own hands, sufocated (by choking or gag
gine) his own daughter, who was sick. one cay,
standing by the corpse of warrior, painted and
blackened as If for war the club lying by his side,
turned round to his brother and enquired TIE
cause of his death. The reply of that brother was
"He was very i'll and I suhocated him"
Infanticids is written on another page of Fee
jean life. I wish to con6ne my illustrations as
mich as possible to cases that bear directly upon
the point, and that have passed under the immed-
a.e notice If myself or other missionaries or credi
BILE informants Nothing do state on mere ru-
NOR A woman brought me child who, from want
of proper treatment, was nearly dead I under
took to prescribe for it, If the mother would reside
for time IN the house Of one of my servants, so
that might see that it met with proper attention
Ny treatment was successful; the disease was sub
dued; the child could again run about, talk and
eat; in day or two the mother could have re-
turned to her friends, but maternal patience was
exhausted, and one night she suffocated it. A man
was informed that his wife had given birth to a
daughter. Hearing Of its sex he at once directed
it 10 be strangled. Again, female child was
spared for several months; its death was then re-
solved upon By the parents. They duga deep hole
in the centre of the earthen floor of their house
the father flung into the grave his helpless and u
nocent babe. He then cast some heavy stones
with violence upon it, and filed up the grave with
earth These inhunan parents still occupy that
house. They daily tread over the decaying remains
of their murdered child Such is Fejee in the pre-
sent day.