Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-04-24
A BURMESE HORROR.
King Theeban's Great Sac
riffce.

700 HUMAN BEINGS BURIED ALIVE
THE HISTORY OF A TYRANT
WHO Is sLAUGHTERING HIssUB-
SECrS.
Later dispatches by way of Lon
don bring the news that the 700
human beings sacrificed by King
Theebau at the Burmese capital to
propitiate evil spirits were not
burned to death, but were buried
alive. The full depth OF this hor-
ror probably will not be fathomed
uutil English correspondents
reach Mandalay, but it is now
known that 700 men boys, women,
girls, priests and foreigners have
been entombed under the towers
of the city walls. A Rangoon
correspondent of the London Daily
News gives the following explana-
ton of the massacres: when a
city is built in Burmah human
sacrifices are offered up. A new
monarch usually has a new capt.
tai. The evil spirits are irrita,ed
that there has been no change of
capital, and the virtues of the old
sacrifice being gone, to appease
them the astrologer declared it
was necessary to offer up seven
hundred lives. The sacrifices were
made by the order of King Thee
bau..' This tremendous outburst
of fanaticism has caused a terrible
panic, not only in Mandalay, but
throughout Burmah, and, AS pre-
vious dispatches noted, hundreds
are seeking safety in flight.
The scene of this extraordinary
outrage is a country of Farther
India, whose position on the map
every school boy remembers, but
which it not at all familiar to
the American newspaper readers.
Burmah lies just north of Siam,
and Is bounded on the east by
China and on the west by British
India, both the British and the
Chinese having materially reduced
the area which the Empire Occu-
pied in the days of its greatest
prosperity. 1t is fertile country,
and especially rich in metals and
in gems. The inhabitants, whose
number is estimated at about four
millions, are Mongolians, with a
monosyllabic language, a quiet, in
dustriouS and not uncultivated
race, very skillful in ship-building.
in carving and working in metals.
Most of them profess the religion
of Buddha, to which great num-
Der of temples and pagodos are
dedicated, and in connection with
which there exists an elaborate
monastic system, with multitude
of monks. The government of the
country, as may be inferred from
the recent performances, is an alb
solute despotism of the worst ORR
entail type. The late King, Min
done Min, was a villianOus old
scoundrel with half hundred
wives and more than hundred
children, who was supposed to
have done a good thing for his
which he had never been
accused of doing before-When he
died some time in 1878. The ex-
act date of his death cannot be
given, from the fact that a cheer
full edict had been issued to the
effect that whoever said the King
was dead should have his tongue
cut out, and the courtiers were
naturally a little modest about
making the. announcement. He
did die, however, and the Minis
try, or whatever corresponds to a
Ministry in Burmah, thought they
saw an opportunity to introduce a
constitutional monarchy. With
this end in view they selected one
of the Kings younger sons, like
ly youth called Theebau, and in
the Kings name issued procla-
nation declaring him Ain Shay
Min, or DWeller in the Eastern
House, title equivalent to heir
apparent. Having got thus far,
they presently mustered courage
to announce the death Of Min
done Min and to procl aim
Theebau Thathira- maha opamma-
ra-zA, otherwise His Most Glori-
Gus Excellent Majesty, Lord of the
the Ishaddan, King Of Elephants,
Master of Many White Elephants,
Lord Of the Mines of Gold, Silver,
Rubies, Amber and The Noble
Serpentine, Sovereign of the EN-
pires of Thunaparanta and Tam
padipa, and other Great Empires
and Countries, and of all the Um-
brella- Wearing Chiefs, the Sup
porter of Religion, the Son-De-
scend Monarch, Arbitar of Life,
the Great Righteous King, King
of Kings, and Professor of Bound
less Dominions and Supreme Wis
dom.
THEEBAU'S ACCUSATION.
Theebau was at this time about