Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1868-03-07
The 1Cannibals of Africa

Some years ago, the lecturer said, he
found himsclfupon the coast of Africa,
cultivated the friendship Of the chiefs and
people. and passed comparatively pleas
ant time among them. But he longed
to visit the capnihal country and see the
inhabitants for himself. This desire he
expressed to the people of the coast with
itwhom he was stopping, and they sought
to deter him from the; undertaking by
every conceivable representation. He
promised TO be absent but three months
consent was given, and number of men
furnished to accompany him to the next
kingdom The cannibals occupy noun
tainous country called Fan, situate two
degrees north Of the Equator, and about
$50 miles from the coast He carried
with him stock of coats and pantaloons,
and, starting from Carisco Bay, passed
up the MIMI river. On reaching the
Mbondeno countrg, he found that hIs
fame had preceded him, and the people
believed his trunks and boxes contained
immense wealth. They gathered around
him, and he had apprehensions for his
safety;E but the distribution Of few
presents made them quite peaceably dis
posed. He did not remain here, for any
length of time, but pushed on for Fau-
land, guarded by q man from Benai, who
wore the rather airy; costume of shirt l
He arrived at the borders Of the country
very hungry, and, while watching for an
opportunity to'kill a monkey for food,
he saw two Fans, a man and WOMAN
armed with poisoned arrows, standing
convenient. Alone in the presence of
cannibals was not a comfortable situation,
and he, felt somewhat queer. They did 4
not modest him, but became his conduct
ors. to the village, and as he walked down
the streets and looked; upon the bones of
men and women whose flesh had fur
nishedia feast, the thoughts that crowd
ed upon him were not of the most con
soling description. The. people seemed
to dread him. and ran away, a woman
entering her. house with the leg ola man
under her arm. He was regarded as !
spirit by the Fans. But he assured the
people, he was not an evil spirit; the
King, however, refused to see him on the
day OF. his arrival, as, he feared some evil
if The spirit looked upon him. The sue
ceeding day however, Il King, with a
large rctinue, consented to receive him.
The Fans are cannibals ofthe worst kind,
and eat the bodies of their dead. 1t is
not customary for families to eat THEN
own dead; and when death occurs, an
arrangement is made whereby the party
obtaining the body will, when a death
takes place in his household, reciprocate
the favor, and thus the bodies are ,ex-
changed: The Fans are the most inteli= |
gent and industrious Of the races in Afri-
Ca. The houses are well ordered and
made of bamboo but the beds are hard,
and a night upon one makes bones ache
in the morning. Polygamy IS practiced
by them, but slavery is little known, as
they prefer to eat their prisoners to sell
ing them into, bondage. Some years ago
The Fans lived 800 miles from The coast,
but now they are found ten, and eyen five
miles frcm the sea. They ,overcame ev-
cry other race they engaged in battle,
and have either killed, or eaten, or alb
sorbed them. There are also hlacksmiths
among them, and these upon very large
ayails work up iron into splendid knives
and weapons but by What means they
obtained the anvils he never could learn.
A visit was also made to the Osheba
Country, the inhabitants of which are al
so cannbals. While in this land food
became scarce, and the King organized
hunting party. On reaching the hunt
ing grounds, pits 90 feet deep were dug
and converted into traps by covering
them with the. fallen branches, eyerwhich
was scattered some earth, and the vines
that trail along the ground were woven
into asqrt of network which formed an
nclosure. The men then scattered, beat
their drums and made great noise, dri-
wing tue elephants into the network or
into the pits and the result was that in
three days 25 elephants were killed. The
meat was very tough, and after "a hours
boiling succeeded; in making it fit to be
cflewed. Having seen the calInibals and
participated in an elephant hunt, he re-
turned 10 the coast and passed througha
country so infested will, ants and in parts
that the elephant, the tiger, the gorilla,
and even the rats and mice ran away
from them. These ants travel in con-
lluuouo llLc, hh't uIIOh Ollc -OCCttoiOH Hc
observed. them for II hours, and still the
army had hot passed. The coast was
reached at Cape Lopez, and he was re- /
garded as the first man .who had come
there not interested in Lthe slave trade.
He obtained an introduction to the King,
who was in full court costume, "a dress
coat, a hat and neck tie, and a.crownlike
that some actor may have worn. The /
lecture WAS closed with an account cf
reception and ball given in honor of NJ.
Du Chillu, by the King and his chief Of
ticers, one oIwhom wore coat, another
a shirt, and a third a hat, a forth neck
tie, and one, presented himself wearing
only a pair OF shoes. Theinspiration at
the ball was whisky, and large glass of
the ardent was supplied to each woman
present, so as to induce her to dance with
the utmost abandon. bind alr,.a a-a,rer
Among the celebrities in Washington
recently, was Kit Carson, accompanied
by a delegation of Indians from New
Mexico, who came to intercede for his
appointment as Indian Agent for the
tribe to which they belong. They were