St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-07-07
THE AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE
Terrible Tortures of the Captives
on the March to the Coast.

on the March to the Coast.
Cincinnati Enquirer.
"Yes, l have seen the terrible slave
march," said FL. F. Moir. who for
many years has travelled abroad, spend
ing more or less time in Africa. He
was speaking of the sufferings of those,
captives who carry great burdens across
the deserts in the African coast trade.
Mr.. Moir is resident of New York
state, and last night in the lobby at the
Grand hotel entertained few friends
with recital of some of his adventures.
"When the slaves are captured" he
said, ''they are taken to the
headquarters of the east coast
traders. There yoke is placed about
their neck, and is allowed to remain
night and day without being once taken
neck chafes the skin, and gradually
ugly wounds begin to tester under the
burning African sunshine. The men
who appear the strongest, and whose
escape is feared, have their hands tied.
and sometimes their feet, in such fash
ion that walking becomes torture to
them. And on their necks are placed
the terrible goree or taming-stlckS. The
yoke is a young tree with forked
branches. 1t is generally about five
OF six feet long and from three to four
inches in diameter. One which
| examined not long ago was
about twenty-eight pounds in weight,
but 1 am told that refrac-
tory slaves are often placed in yekes
weighing fifty pounds or more. Through
each prong of the fork hole is bored
for the reception of an iron pin, which,
after the neck of the slave has been
placed in the fork, is made secure by a
blacksmith. The opposite end is lashed
to the corresponding end Of another
yoke, in the fork of which another slave
is held, and thus the poor creatures
have to march, carrying, besides this
intolerable weight, load of provisions
pole. Other slaves are in gangs of about
a dozen each, with an iron collar let into
long iron chain"
care males alone of these captiveS"'
asked an Enquirer reporter, who was
one of the party.
mo, indeed" said MI. Moir. "Women
slaves are plentiful. A man with any
spirit can scarcely trust himself to look
at the starting of one of the caravans. l
accompanied one which contained many
women. They are all fastened to chains
OF thick bark ropes. Many of the
women in the caravan to which / refer,
in addition to their heavy weight Of
grain or ivory, carried their little brown
babies. The double weight was almost
too much, and still they struggled
YEARLY on, knowing too well that
when they showed signs of fatigue. not
the slaver'S ivory, but the living child,
would be torn from them and thrown
aside to die. One poor old woman l
could not help noticing. She was car
walking, but whose thin. weak legs
tottering already; it was the supreme
effort of mothers Iove-and all
in vain, for the child, easy recognizable.
was brought into camp couple of hours
later by one of our hunters, who had
found him on the path, We had him cared
for, but his poor mother would never
know. Death had freed them. During
three days journey out from Liendwe,
death freed many of the captiveS. 1t
was well for them! still we could not
help shudderng as in the darkness we
heard the howl of the hyenas along
the track and realized only too fully
why. The attachment of the children
to their mothers and the mothers de-
termination not to be parted from their
children" continued the traveller, ''cOm
bine to carry them along with the slave
caravan-that is, so long as their poor
little legs can bear them"
''HOw can the slaves keep up under
their burdenS?" was asked. j
''They do not do it long," was the
answer.
They march all day, and at night,
when they stop, few handfuls of raw
'SOrgho' are distributed among them,
and this is all their food. AS soon as
they begin to fail their conductors apr
proach those who appear to be most eX-
hausted aud deal them a terrible blow
on the nape of the neck. A single
cry and the victims fall to the
ground in the commissions of
death. Terror for time in
spires the weakest with new strength,
but each time one breaks down the ter
riDle scene is repeated. A friend of
mine told me that once when travelling
in Central Africa he was obliged to at
tach himself to an Arab slave gang, and
that the drivers deliberately cut the
Threats of those who could not march.
| have also been informed" said Mr..
Moir, THAT in Central Africa the slave
drivers have been known to cut off an
arm or any limb with one blow from
their Swords"