The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1865-03-02
Human Sacrifices at Da honey.

4he Z arls 4Hohlteur puo'isnes d letter
from Whydah, which supplies details re.
specting the festival of human sacrifices
recently held at Abomey, the capital Of
Dahomey, before the King and iu the
presence of all his court aud great digui.
taries of State. The letter says:
The King having announced to the
people that in short time, to honor the
names of Agongora, his ancestor, and
King Gezo, his father, forty prisoners
belonging to the rebel tribe of Arkansas,
would be inundated on the market place
at Abomey, with the usual ceremony
Three days afterwards he decided that
this barbarous deed should be accomplish.
ed one hour before sunrise. Many Eu
ropeans who were in town had an audi.
ence Of the monarch, and implorcd him
to give up the horrible sacrifice The
King declared that he could not suppress
the national festival, but that in consid.
Grafton for the foreigners he consented
to reduce the number Of the victims to
twelve. On the eve of the sacrifice he
went to great shed, under which the
forty prisoners were secured to posts
He gave an order that twenty, ght
should be released, and that they should
be taken back TO their prison, and then
addressed himself to the twelve others,
in order to announce to them that, next
morning, in expiation of the crimes com.
mitted by the chief of their tribe, and to
satisfy the shade of his father and Of his
ancestor, they would be decapitated be,
fore tho assembled people. The unfor.
tunate men heard the royal speech with
tho utmost Indifference. The King ad
ded that two of them would be executed
with his own hand, and then retired -
A short time afterwards arrived Prince
Bocu Sau, the Kings brother. He chose
two of the prisoners, announced to them
that they had been selected to be des
patched by his brother; but, in order 4
be admitted to such an honor, it wa
necessary to purify their crime. staiue'
bodies, and that they must pass the nigh
in the grsaa. fetch tsswDlsx ,pfRstrssel fRsr VI,
prisoners were led to the market place
their hands bound behind their backs
The King presided at the ceremony,
seated on large ivory throne, surround.
ed by his court, the great dignitaries of
the Kingdom and the ministry On the
center of the place was a large silver YES
sci, intended to receive tho blood of the
victims. When the hour had come, the
King advanced, took a very thin steel
saber, and depressed the heads of the
two prisoners he was about to immediate
These poor wretches, on tho order given
to them, were placed at the edge Of the
vessel which was about to catch theil
blood. At the conclusion of the frs,
execution, the crowd uttered enthusias
tic shouts of applause for full five min
utcs, after which the King resumed his
seat on the throne. The ten prisoners
were executed by the great fetish man,
or high priest, who picked up each vic
TINS head and showed it to the people
whilst they uttered ferocous yells.-
When all was over, the populace fell
upon the bodies of the unfortunate vic
Wins, which they cut into pieces, and
then drank their blood. The King re-
tired in. great pomp and caused the
twelve heads to be fixed on the walls OF
his palace. These monstrous scenes
occur three or four times year.