Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-05-02


Peculiar CbndItIOb of nIatrlmOny and Muir
t der in AfricaAThe Vaiue OF Women and
the 1dlOnyncrasies of Ethiopian POlyg
amy. at q" Ns ~ lHta
o. An African correspondent Of a New York
journal writes from GabOon, on the 18th Of
February, as follows; -. 4r.it-
On the night of January IL 1861, a cry
was heard from village on the Gaboon,
West Africa. There was a mingled wailing
for the dead and for the living. A young
man (lour of his wives having left him on aes
count of his barbarities) became enraged
with his sole remaining one, and while both
were intoxicated, beat her with club,
stamped bis heel on her abdomen, thus COM
mitting double murder, and then eommen-
eed beating the insensibe, and, as it proved,
lifelessbody with a raw-hide This last is a
terrible instrument taken from the hide of
the sea COW. Some are four feet long, an
inch in thickness at the butt and split into
two or four thongs for half the length.
These thongs are worked square, and
| twisted while green, and when dry are as
bard as steel and as flexible as leather. But,
in the case before u.s. it was harmless for
deaIb cheats cruelty of all its revenge. This
was not the first case that has occurred, and
the lawsin the case are very elaborate and
! distinct. If a man kill man, it is blood foI
|
4 swereth all things. Ifa woman kin woman
the husband takes the living in her place as
satisfaction. There are no old maids oil
widows in community where polygamy
prevails.
Buthow much is woman worth2 Abou
ten slaves. But is a slave the uoit money o.
any people2 Certainly. Thirty pieces o
silver would not go far amis OF it now in th'
market, a dollar of trade goods equaliul
about the "piece." This may be all paid il
goods. But it is matter of exchange au(
accommodation. The price is stated il
slaves. Is there no such form of speech il
other slaVeholding communities? But ther,
is another item in the settlement fer whicl
no equivalent can be paid that is nothing
more or less than the sister OF the murderer
She goes TO the injured family as a wife, bu
is treated with more rigor than any of tn
ten slaves. 1t is a returnless and redemp
tionless bondage No friend can interfere.
-Returnless, W hat is that? The laws o
marriage, and interdicted affinity can not b
| explained here. Suffice it to say that
woman of the tribe of Judah can not MARI!
within her tribe. So she must go from he
| kindred, and never return unless there be Il
relaxing of general law by q particula
man. A man may, on the death of hi
father, take all his wives, if no other on
has claim on some of them, though the
may De tnTee umeS MS own age. All rlRnl
at is the custom of our old fathers" Blu
to marry his fourteenth cousin on tn
fathers side would be far greater Grim
than killing her.
But why give up the sister ?" ct
make other men afraid |" That, you wi
say, is Furnishing by proxy with ven
geance. Yes, it is heathenism. Even o
they did not like to retain God in thei
knowledge" explains il all! In the case be
fore us, the two sisters being married into
third tribe, found means to escape.
" MarTied," you say2 Yes, If there be an
thing here that can be called marriage. b,
returning the articles of dowry paid TO tn
father at marriage, he can take his daughte
at any time. These amount to about S.. S
there is no difficulty there. Where there
will there is a way, What would b
mountains to you are mole hills to thes
people, and Uice VeTsa This is all Ethiopian
The father of the young man, as chief of th
village, was called on by the French author
tiles TO deliver him up. The old man wa
taken sick, and died in week. The re
sponsibility of the succeeding chief keeps o
all successors thus far. The danger is NOR
feared than the honor desired. Dixon
dead, and Pipi is a fugitive and vagabonC
and all the people are in terror lest th
French call upon all to deliver him up. S
we live, and often cry out, "Oh Lord, ho'
| long ~