The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-08-03
CONGO CANNIBATS
A PRACTICE WHICH THE rRlses
sNDeAvOR TO CONCEAL.

Weaker Tribes for n supply OF Ho,o.,
Flesh.
The facts about the Congo canaib,l,
have been very slow in coming 10 Nm,
light I'm the thousand or more pa~rs II,
Staney's last book the subject is hot mon
toned The explorer was too busy fond.
ing his twenty stations 20 add fresh fe.s
10 the details in his Dark Contn M
about practice which many % the tfllo,
endeavor TO conceal. The Manyema Tie
first cannibal tribe Of the Congo river
who were made known TO rs. told bl.b
Livingstone and STANLEY that they dMro,
eat human flesh When STANLEY found "a.
a village above Stanley Falls hundred, -
whitened skulls arranged in rows ar9rr4
the huts, he was told they were the skull,
| Of Sokos or chimpanLces and that nd,
species of the ape family was fayorite food
among the people He offered hundred
cowries for a specimen OF a Sol,o. dead or
alive, but it was not produced Twoofihe
skulls were taken u England where Pro.
lessor Huxley pronounced them the skulls
of woman and a man. They bore lie
marks of the Ratchet that gave the unfor.
tunate prisoners their death. and STANLEY
said half the skulls he saw were similarly
marked.
| WARRING on WEARER TRIBES.
The middle course OF the Congo from
point about 100 mdes above Nyaugwc 10
B0lObo. some 200 miles down the river.
and the tributaries on both sides of this
part OF the river arc tine regions where
nearly all of the Congo canuibals ara
sources Of the river nor near it, mouth
The traveller from Lake TauEanyisa 10
Nyangwe on the Congo passes through u
country surprisingly beautiful. as Nv.
ingstone called it. which is the home of
the cannibal Manyema When slave or
carrier belonging 10 a caravan dies In
their country they always wish 10 bury
the body offering grain or vegetables iu
exchange They make war on the weaker
tribes around them To one explorer
they justified cannibaltsm on the ground
that their neighOors were thieves and
ought 10 be eaten. They come here.
they said, and steal our bananas. and
so we chase and kill and cat them Tie
country abOumds with a great variety of
animal and vegetable food and Living
stone said there was no reason iog MdI-
yema cannibalism except a deprayed appe-
tite 1t must not be supposed that all Of
the Congo canuibals seek habitua.ly 10
supply themselves with human flesh.
Most of them. like the Mauyema. limit
themselves to eating the bodies OF those
who are killed in battle or who die Cam
eron said the Manyema consider the flesh
of men much superior 10 that Of women.
- 4. If L
graded than many other cannibal tribes.
they are noted tor their gentleness and
ply steal superiority; and their handsome
women are much sought after a. slaves
by the Arabs. vino now support several
stations in the Manyema country. and
here as well as further down the Congo
are doing much to destroy the practice Of
cannibalism.
Cannibal tribes are regarded with fear
and adherence by all who are not adj
-. .-! io The practice Had il not been
for the terror with which the Congo men
eaters inspired their carriers. Livingstone
IT Cameron, instead Of Stanley, would
have solved the problem Of the Congo
This adherence Of cannibalism extends
from sea 10 sea. Horace Waller wrote
Of the tribes Of Lake Nyassa that
il was common to hear them speak Of
tribes far away who eat human bodies
and on every occasion the fact is related
with the utmost horror and disgust
THOUSANDS OF CANNIBALs
The densely wooded regions between
Nyangwe aud Stanley Falls are the
homes Of many thousands Of canni
balls The Waregga. the Wasongoro
l.. tl.tls Ia
known among these fierce tribes. large
part Of the territory they inhabit has not
been visited but IN some Of their yyages
along the river human skulls are found
lining the streets. and human thigh bones.
ribs and yertebre are piled up In tho
garbage heaps All we shall eat
Wajimi meat today" was the cry with
which they sailed forth here ana there 10
do battle with Stanley At Stanley Falls
Ia. sank in the river the bodies Of two OF
his men whom they had killed % keep
them ont of the clutches of the canuIbal3
These tribes, who few years ago
swarmed by thousands along the river.
have now buried themselves in the for
ests the Arabs having taken complete
possession OF the river banks between
Nyangwe and Stanley Falls
A little below the Bangala tribe Gren.
fell and Won Francois, three years ago.
found thousands OF cannibals along the
thickly populated Tchuapa afiluent, which
they assembled for more than 500 miles.
These tribes, all of whom speak the Same
language, did not pretend 10 deny their
weakness for human flesh. They share
with the Manyema the popularity Of pre-
ferring TO eat men. and they do not kill
women for food They repeatedly offered
10 give the explorers women slaves in ex.
change for men, who they admitted would
IL utilized as food Yor. Francois says
they particularly coveted his lat Boruki
Once some presumptuous
fellows surrounded the big Indian inter
prefer, pinched his arms. patted him on
me back cried Meat meat" and begged
the whites TO reward their friendship by
making them present Of the man. Cor.
New York sun.