Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-17

A CORE spondent OF the London Times
gives the following vivid description Ct
the scenes which attend the death OF
"CabOceer," or man OF rank, IN
AshsRtee; Well, Immediately after
demise, the body Of q Caboceeris washed,
anointed with sweet oils and grease,
and sprinkled with gold dust. The oils
and grease cause the gold dust to stick
to the corpse, which, being black,
throws off the bright color Of the gold
TO perfection. The beard Is trimmed
into knots, and upon each knot are tied
small beads OF glass and thin particles
OF gold. The Ashantees, you perceive,
are as dainty in the decoration OF the
boards of their dead as the Assyrian dan
Gies were OF their OWE when living. In
cloth Of costly silk embroidered damssk,
or in velvet or in other Itch garments,
the body is dressed aud OFT amented with
armlets and necklaces Ofgoit and silver.
Very often pure Jumps or unwrougbt
nuggets OF gold, bored through and
through, are strung upon = piece of
hempen string and twis ed round the
fOrearnls in the form of bracelets. Thus
gayly bedizened and peTfumed and
cleansed, the body is placed upon a
chair in q sitting attitude or is shown
recumbent upon bed trimmed with
gaudy drapery. When this combined
rite of publication and garniture has
been completed the relations and
friends assemble and begin to dance and
sing. While the relations and friends
are making merry fetishnan or priest,
Is led slowly into the midst OF the festive
tbrong aud the female slaves ofthe dead
Caboceer are brought before him. After
the utteIance of various incantatibus he
pretends that the fetish has denoted, by
means of his meditation, a certain slave
for election to follow her master
to tie next world; but l need not
be at much trouble to suggest to you
that the members of the family always
decide beforehand among themselves
which unfortunate wretch shall accom-
pany the deceased chief. Being chosen,
aud by the choice condemned to die, the
slave is stripped naked. Around her
neck wisp OF hay is wound, and her
arms are rudely pinioned with rope of
straw. She is now roughly dragged
a second time to the presence of the
fetishman, who recommends her, in
speech full OF blasphemOu5 rhCdOmo-
nades aud rhetorical parade, to serve
her master dutifully through the maEes
of the unknown sphere to which he has
been summoned on journey. During
the delivery Of the portentous eXhorta-
ton he is Dusily employed in daubing
White-colOred earther over the face Of
the weeping slave; and, when the ad-
mOnitOry haIsngue has been lasted,
he strikes her severely with his open
palm upon either cheek. In benighted
zeal The company snatch up the saceIdO-
tal cue. They strive to rival one another
T. H.
est violence, and desling tie keeIest
pain on her nude and trembling person.
The executiOners, moreover, are blessed,
and the congregated band of CabOCeers
manifest their profound respect by rails
ing the foot Of each executioner with
both hands, and by rubbing the cole
upon the crown of their heads. The
natives of the Gala coast have loose
conception of state Of purgatory or
probation, and entertain the idea that
the soul of the dead Tanders unrestingly
for mRuy years about toe world and re.
quiTes servant for the performance OF
mental duties in its long and ceaseiess
Wanderings. Hence comes the custom
OF killing a slave at the death Of a
CabOeeer, for q Caboceer may not draw
w8t3r, nor heW wood, nor cook food.
Having been removed by dint OF cuffs or
manual force from the sight OF the fetish
mar, the slave is hurried to wooden box,
into which the carcass of the Caboceer
will eventually be squeezed. Along the
lid of the box the slaveis stretched upon
her stomach, and her feet and head are
grSsped by two eXecutionets, so that her
struggles may be subject to control. A
friend Of the dead Caboceer approaches
the PROSTATE creature and clashes her
with sword just below the right |
shoulder blade. Catching the blood |
which flows from the wound, he smears
the box. When q sUfficiency of blood |
has been drawn for this purpose, she is |
lifted from the lid and Teviled, struck |
and covered with Spite by the bystand- |
ers. All the while she utters the loudest |
and most grievous lamentations land the |
louder and more grievOus they are, the |
more acceptable do the tOrturers deem !
the sacrificial grstuity to the dead Cabo- |
ceer. She is then driven to the spot |
were she is to be slain. When the head |
has been cut off the heart is piucked out |
through an opening in the back. An |
executioner receives the head with yells |
and frantic signs Of joy, and runs with it |
through the town. Savagely and furi- |
ously he losses it to the ground and |
kicks it like bail before him, snetches |
it up in his flight, splits upon it, filings it |
into the air, catches it in lis decent, or,
permitting it to drop heavily, kicks il |
again and again. The body is never |
buried, but is spurned aside to be eaten
by wild beasts or vultures.