The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-26

Land Where Human Flesh Is Exposed for
Sale in Public Places.
New York World.

Sale in Public Places.
New York World.
The Rev. Ferdinand Meshini and the Rev.
William Connaughtona rriveda day or so ago from
Africa where they have been converting the
tives all along the Gold Coast around the White
Nile and in the Soudan The society of which
they are members IS known as the Society of
African Missions An interesting history of the
perils of mission life graphically related by
Father Meshlni. From the reverend fathers ac-
count, human sacrifice and save-tradinS are still
extensively carried on Father Meshini said that
at Lagos, near Sierra Leone, where the parent
house is established, negroes are quite well edu-
Gated.
"The negroes of the second generation" the
priest said, may be called members of a civ
ilized community. At Porto Novo Lagos,
Abekouta and other stations it is not rare to find
negro children carrying off the prizes from the
children of European parents who domiciled
in these localities The fathers have great
hopes from the generation which is Just rising
third generation may arise in twenty five
years, as marriage is entered upon between the
ages of ten and fourteen. When a boy has at
tanned the age of thirteen years he is advised by
the missionaries themselves to choose a wife from
among the girls of the convent school Agriculture
and the various trades are becoming factors in the
community. The country frequently devas-
tated by famine. Whenever the rain fell too
abundanty the fruits, which constitute the
staple diet of the natives, rotted, and starvation
followed Corn, not being subject to such dam
age, and bearing easily two crops a year the
people regard its introduction as gift of Provi-
dence.
After thekings the priests who practice med
icine are, perhaps, the greatest personages in
this region. They need only to threaten to
leave, and generally they at once obtain any
concession they demand from these sovereigns
The huts of the common people are made Of
bamboo cane. matched with palmleaves. Fish
ing and hunting but little practiced, as they
require bodily eXertion, which is not agreeable to
the natives. The disposition of these people is
so mild it is mystery how they can indulge in
the practice of the erueties such as human sac
rifees, for which they have become famous.
The missionaries believe that but for the fetish
priests, who are exceedingly shrewd and who
have strong interests in perpetuating these
bloody sacrifices, as their power is based on
them, the country could be easily civilized I'm
der the reign of Gnezo the late King of Daho-
mey, human sacrifices had become comparatively
rare; but his successor, Grery, slave to the
fetish priests. has revived them, and now they
are practiced with greater cruelty than ever
The number of slaves who annually perish in
this way is estimated at several hundreds. The
King of Dahomey, is, as is known, the most fe-
rociOus and powerful ruler in the whole region.
During ten months in the year he makes incur
sions into the neighboring territories capturing
a large number of slaves In this work he is
chiefly assisted by his two celebrated regiments
of Amazons The prisoners taken during these
expeditions are divided into three classes. One
class is sold to the slave merchants Of the in
terror; another, chiefly women are fattened and
sold to the butchers, who, revolving as the fact
may be, even to relate, openly sell human flesh
in their shops The third class is reserved for
the sacrifices which take place in August and
September, during the celebration of the Grand
Customs These ceremonies have double pur-
pose pacifying the god Of war, Ognn and other
deties; recalling the memory of dead kings, and
sending them supplies of men and provisions
Among these savages exists d belief that a
man passing into the future life takes with him
all that is placed in his grave. For this reason,
in Dahomey, as in other savage countries, vic
tins and prisoners are placed in the tomb Not
long since the king of Porto Novo died of poison
administered TO him by u rival for the throne
The funeral ceremonies lasted nine days. Dur
ing the whole of this time numbers of victims
destined for the Grand Customs were sacri-
feed every night in the fetish forest The mis-
sionaries living in the neighborng huts could
hear the cries of the sufferers, whose mutilated
bodies, arranged in lines, were seen every morn
ing in the public square of the town The
heads had been cut off and nailed along the walls
of the palace. Att O'clock on the morning of
the ninth day the new king and his SUITE pre-
coded by his fetish priests, moved in procession