Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1882-03-02
4 A.Fl''lRIICAN A 4 I.O (.SITIES.
A Catholic Missionary Tell Of Human sas
III fees He Has SEEN. As5

/ 5ssss Eli Can AFRO TIES. S5
\ A Catholic hfissionary II els vi Hunaari sac
81 fees He Has Seen.
! From the Cincinnati Gazette. Nh s
Father Joseph zimmerman, a Catholic
4 priest Who has been acting as d miss onary
in equatorial Africa, has been draw Wing large
congregations In this city. Father Zim-
mermann, in reply to inquiries as to his
own experience among the sayages Of equa-
torial Africa, gave some interesting parIicu-
lars. There is All almost universal custom
| Of making human SACRIFICES to the idols 81
fetiches OF the different tribes. Father
1immermann has himself witnessed the
preparations for these horribl orgies. But
Was compelled TO withdraw before the
slaughter commenced. not, however, sutil
curdling shriekes of the Wretched victims.
He showed the Gazette man several pic
lures, copies Of those taken on the spot by
Is an artist. In one Of these
weird works Of art the human
sacrifice is represented in a fearfully mu-
tilated condition The head, having been
]completeiy severed from the body is nailed
high nc on the trunk Of palm tree the
feet Of the body are nailed just under it,
and the stomach and chest are ripped open,
the skin being pinned back by iron skew
ers. At the right of this picture sits the
fetch, with the still palpitatng human
heart before it. Another picture, tho or
iginal scene Of whicA Was actually Witnessed
by tho father, portrays the full trunk of Q
palm tree bending toward the earth, having
suspended at its extremity the Writhing
body Of a human being, toward whom are
hnrrying several yultures, buzzhrds, and
other beastly birds Of osrrion. Another
picture representa- human holocaust The
black fends are heaping on the gathered
| fuel more palm oil. The lurid and dense
smoke leaps up toward heay n like the rock
of hell. Thousands Of human lives are an
nually thus sacrificed, and the missionaries
| are powerless to stop the carnage.
On one occasion several Of the fathers
stationed at the mission Of Adiaie while
walking with the pupils Of their school dis
covered small hut in the woods q short
distance from the mission. house. Curious
to know who inhabited so queer . struct-
] ure, the missionaries entered the place and
| were Mortified to discover the body Of q
full grown man nailed head downward to a
| beam. Mortified beyond description the
! fathers fed the spot and becoming Ia
tigued, shortly afterward. sat down in the
| shade to rest. Scarcely had their little par
| rush Of feet were heard in the adjoining
wood. Presently q number Of sryages APP
peared, dragging . young girl by the feet
| on the same footpath which they we're
| about to take. The savages ran as if pos
sessed, and when the body of the poor girl
| Was nearly torn to pieces they left it hang
| ing to q tree before ON idol. III
Tue most bitter opponents OF the Christ
ian missionaries ara the idolatr0ns priests,
| the upper classes Of whom for1na perfect
caste, transmitting their faculties from faith
| or to son. These poor barbarians preserve
the vague tradition Of q one god, named OF
leron, who created the world and Yves good
| to men, but, becoming angry, he went Away
behind the clouds, aud henoeforth con.
| cerned himself no more with humanity.
The tribes have, therefore, transferred their
1 allegiance to q second class of gods, whom
they style aOreesha. OF these they treas
| ure. . perfect mythology, The gods to
| whom they make human sacrifices are,
! Shongo, the god OF war. an idol framed of
| iron; Elecha, the unhappy god or devil
! represented IN clay; Oggen, the god Of vat
or, and several others. AT Adjais, where
he was staying for some time, Father zim-.
norman 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 horrid yells penetra-
| ted as he fell on his knees to ask God s par
| don for the act, ~ a
The present king Of Dahomey, named
| Toffa, has been warned by the English to
| discontinue the practice, and ne now hes
itates to perpetrate the horrid act publicly,
but it is still carried on at night. The mis-
| sionaries have to be very careful in speak
ing against the act, as open opposition
! would be suicidal on their part, and at once
| put q stop to their work. They study med
| icine and practice gratuitously. They gain
! the confden . OF the natives BY receiving
the sick into their hospitals, and taking
| charge Of ole and worn ont sayages.
| These poor old people are thrown ort q
| the huts and allowed to starya to death.
| The missionaries also buy numbers Of chill
dren exposed for sale iii the regular slave
trade. When the tribal chiefs are unable
| 70 obtain captiYes il their raids upon rival
| tribes they buy these children and slaughter
| them instead. The unfortunate little
| ones have learned by experience that The
| white men will not kill them, and conse-
| quently when they appear in The market
they are INN ediately assailed by piteous.
cries: Ohio rami!. White man, buy mel
| White man, buy me!l And they buy them
to the extent Of their limited Il nanees. The
missionaries usually pick out boys and girls
of about 9 to 5 years Of age; take them TO
the Christian colonies and train them unit
they are old enough to marry. Some pic
Ghristianzed barbarians were inexpressib4y
funny. One young gentleman in scant
blanket, but crowned with an exceedingly
battered stove pipe hat seemed TO be fully
impressed with the imposing dignity Of
I his newly donned costume, Hundreds of