The Osceola times., 1882-02-25
AFRICAN ATROCITIES.
A Catholic Missionary Tells of Human Sac
rinces He Has Seen.
Cincinnati Gazette.

llc priest wEo has been acting as a mis-
sionary in equatorial Africa, has beer
drawing large congregations in this city
Father Zimmerman, in reply TO in
quiries as TO his own experience anon,
the savages Of equatorial Africa, CAV,
some interesting particulars. There il
an almost universal custom of making
human sacrifices to the idols or fetiche,
of the different tribes. Father thinner
mann has himself witnessed the prepar
ations for these horrible orgies, but was
compelled TO Withdraw before the slaugh.
ter commenced, not, however, sufficient.
ly far to be out of earshot of the blood.
curdling shriakS Of the wretched victims
He showed the Gazette man several pic.
lures, copies of those taken on the spot
by one of the fathers, who is an artist
In one of these weird works of art the
human sacrifice is represented in fear.
fully mutilated condition. The head
having been completely severed from
the body, is nailed high up on the trunk
of a palm tree, the feet OF the body are
nailed Just under it, and the stomach and
ches are ripped open, the skin being pin
ned back by iron skewers. At the right OF
the picture sits the fetch, with the still
| palpitating human heart laid before it,
Another picture, the original scene OF
which was actually witnessed by the
father, portrays the tall trunk of y palm
tree bending toward the earth, having
suspended at its extremity the writing
body Of a human beng. toward whom
are hurry ing several vultures. buZyards
and other beastly birds Of carrion. An
/ other picture represents human holo.
caust The black tiends are heaping on
| the gathered fuel more palm oil, the
lurld fame and dense smoke leap no TO.
ward heaven like the reek Of hell Thou.
sands Of human lives are annually thus
sacrificed, and the mis,ionarigs are pow.
erless to stop the carnage.
On one occasion several of the fathers
slatiOAed at the mission of Adiaie while
walking with the pupils of their school
/ discovered a small hut in the woods a
short distance from the mission house.
1 Curious TO know who inhabited 80 queer
a structure, the missionaries entered the
! place and were horriied TO discover the
body Of a full-grown man nailed head
downward to beam lIorrifed beyond
description the fathers fled the spot, and
becoming fatigged, shortly atterward sat
down in the shade to rest. Scarcely had
their little party been seated than a
great shouting and rush of feet were
heard in the adjoining wood Presently
II number of savages appeared, dragging
a young girl by the feet on the same
tOotpath which they were about to take.
The sayages ran as ifpossessed, and when
the body of the poor girl was nearlyt torn
to pieces they left it hanging to a tree
before an IDOL.
The emOst bitter opponents of the Chris
tiau missionaries are the idulAtrOu-
priests, the upper class of whom form a
perfect caste transmitting their faculties
from father TO son. These poor barbar-
ians preserve the vague tradition of a
one god named Oleron, who created the
world and was good to men, but becom-
ing aagry, he went away behind the
clouds, and hencefOrth concerned him.
self no more with humanity. The tribes
have, therefore, transferred their ale
glance TO a second class Of gods, whom
they style "Oreesha." or these they
treasure perfect mythology. The gods
TO whom they make human sacrifices
are: Shongo, the god Of war, an idol
formed Of iron; Elecha the unhappy god
or devil, represented in clay; Oggun, the
god OF water, and several others. At
Adiaje. where he was staying for some
time, Father Zimmerman at one time
saw no less than six victims, all bound
ready for sacrifice. He quickly retired
to the mission house hard by, but even
there the horried yells penetrated, as he
fell or his knees to ask Gods pardon for
the act.
The present King of Dshomey, named
Toia, hiss been warned by the English
to discontinue the practice, and he now
hesitates to perpetrate The horrid act
publicly, but it is still carried on at
night. The missionaries have to be very
careful in speaking against the act, as
open opposition would be suicidal on
their part and at once put stop to their
work. They study medicine, and prac-
tice gratuitously. They gain the conf
dence of the native by receiving the sick
into their hospitals, and taking charge
ofold and worn out savages.
These poor old people are thrown out
OF the huts and allowed TO starve to
death. The missionaries also buy mum
bcrs of children exposed for sale in the
regular slave trade. When the tribal
chiefs are unable TO obtain csptives in
their raids upon rival tribes, they buy
these children and slaughter them in
stead. The unfortunate little ones have
learned by experience that the white
men will not kill them, and consequent
ly when they appear in the market they
are Immediately assailed by piteous cries:
"Oiboraml Ojb9rdA" White man buy
me! White man buy mel And they
buy them to the extent Of their limited
finances. The missionaries usually pick
out boys and girls of about 6 to years
of age, take them 10 the Christian col,
onies and train them until they are eld
enough to marry. Some pictures shown
TO the Gdstsc man of these Christanized
barbarians were inexpressibly funny.
One young gentleman in very scant
blanket, but crowned with an exceeding
ly battered stove pipe hat, seemed to be
fully impressed with the imposing dig.
nifty of his newly donned costume.
Hundreds of these children are bought
by the Catholic missionaries every year.
TIey pay for them in couries or sea
shells old guns and glass. The price
huctuates from the value Of S. up to
Sl5,