The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-08-04
HUMAN SACRIFICES.
Dreadful Practices of the Dahomeyan, Hing
Celele.

Gelele.
The Wesleyan missionary at Dahomey.
the Rev. John Milum, gives most sicken-
ing account of the dreadful practices Of the
Dahomeyan King Gelele, which fully con-.
firms the statements published previously
concerning the kings sacrifices. Every
year Gelele makes extensive sacrifices in
honor Of the memory Of his father, the VIC
tins being prisoners Of war. The. Daho-
meyans make wars on the neighborinQ
tribes and manage to capture large num-
Der Of prisoners. The custom last veal
lasted through several days, there being
slaughter every day and night M1. Milum
was several times summoned to the palace,
and though he saw no sacrifices, the evil
dences of them were unmistakable. On
December 81, after several DAYS had been
occupied with the revolving ceremonies Of
the custom" Mr.. Milum wrote:
The yearly custom made BY King Gelele
for his father GEO is not yet finished, q
number OF important matters interfering
and calling for the presence Ct the king to
settle. It appears that forty human beings
are reserved to complete the ceremony
twenty men and twenty women. Eighty
persons are to be presented for sacrifice.
but, under the guise of mercy, one-half will
be liberated. Contrary to statements made
by previous travellers, these human victims
are all prisoners of war and have committed
no crime, but have been unfortunate enough
to be captured while defending their homes
against the invading foe. The people know
ing my opinions on the ubject are reluc-
tant to furnish me with full information Of
all the sacrifices that take place, but I am
strongly impressed that they are offered
every day, for every moment I hear the
kings crier crying the great name of the
king. and beating his bell, and 60
| ing through the whole ceremony that I
| described in connection with the poor
| woman sacrificed in the market place, and
soon after hear the tattoo of the drums
and the firing Of muskets, which announces
that the cruel deed is done. Moreover.
the birds never cease to congregate in the
region of the ravine where the bodies are
thrown, close to the wretched hut in which
I am lodged, and whenever the wind blows
in this direction obtain most sickening
smell of purifying flesh, ana have but to
go outside the walls of the compound to
see the gorged vultures and turky -buzzards
sitting in grim silence in the trees near the
dreadful place or on the wing circline
over it.
1.-The victims this year, as well as the
last are from Milkkam, a large town to the
east Of Dahomey, which was invaded and
destroyed by the Dahomeyans last year, and
from which, it is stated by some intelligent
natives, there were brought little over IT,
1 600 captives and 1900 heads. give these
numbers as have received them. l am
not in position to verify them. I only
know that it was very popular town, and
that all the women and children were with
in the walls when it was attacked
by the Dahor,ian army. This year the Da-
homeyans sought in vain for place to cap
ture, the inhabitants fleeing from every
town on their approach, which accounts for
the fact that the poor Milkkam people have
become the victims this year for sacrifice,
have no desire to be sensational but T
should like the English public to look
at the following facts: King Cell began TO
reign about the year 1858; he therefore has
been reigning about 81 years. During that
time no has offered, upon very moderate
average, 200 human sacrifices yearly. It
therefore follows that he has murdered since
his reign, in cold blood, at least 400 pris-
oners of war. If to this be added the
thousands of heads brought home from
war, think the present king of Dahomy
may be regarded as the greatest murderer
living and what seems such an extraordinary
thing Is that these sacrifices take place
within sixty miles, and the towers that are
desolated by this cruel people are mostly
within 100 miles of the coast. It appears to
me that this is an evil nearly if not quite
equal to the slave trade, and calls loudly TO
the civilized powers for SUPPRESSION.
The Dayhomeyan army is now
clamoring to the king to be allowed to go
back to Abeokuta for their next war. If
they go, they may not actually capture the
town; but they will kidnap unwary travel
CTS, stop all agricultural operations, de-
stroy all the farms, and spread deeolation
on every hand. This is what occurs dur
ing the first three or four months of every
year, the harvest months for the farmer.
II have but to refer to my detention and
the inconvenience caused me to prove that
the king disregards the terms of the treaty
made with him in May, 1877. I believe It
1t would be one of the greatest acts
of mercy to thousands of poor, down trod-
den people if the British government were
to annex the whole coast line between Quet-
| IA and Lagos to the Gold Coast colony. -
! rvYvS