The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-11-14
A Member of the Rear Guard Describes
the Horrors of Bartellot's Camp.


LONDON. Nov. 15.-The Times publishe:
the full text of Assad Farran's affidavit
1t is written in bad English, and the orig
inal is in Assad's handwriting. Assac
commences by explaining that ne wa
obliged in London to contradict MS ac
count for certain reasons, especially be
cause the committee did not desire him tC
reveal anything. He proceeded to describe
how Barttlelot, after Stanley left Yam
buya finding food scarce, employed armed
Soudanese to attack neighbOring villages
but found them deserted. He then had re
course to capturing native women and de,
manding food for their ransom. Bonny dld
| the same thing The women escaped often
This caused isolation in the camp, the ma
tives each fearing kidnapping. He further
relates how Barttellot daily ordered the
men to be given from twenty-five to one
hundred lashes for various offences. lie
described the arrival OF and negotiations
with Tippoo Tib. He speaks in wig
orous tones of the stealing of wood, OF
the thieves being given 100 or more
lashes each. The major ordered the pun
! ishment to be stopped; but a few days
later the victims were heavily chained.
| This treatment was continued for two
months, when the victims were putrid and
maggotty. They left them for a week,
and DIR. Bonny gave them medicine, after
which the punishment of marching in the
sun was begun. The men finally escaped,
but were captured after four days through
| the offering of a reward, and were shot
despite some protest.
While describing Ward and Troup's re-
turn with supplies from their visit to Tip
! poo Tib: with a message to hurry the por-
ters, he says: "Ward and Troup, having
everything they wanted, seemed content
with the life at Yambuya, and disinclined
I 80 IL riaT
plenty of varied food. which they eX-
changed for cloth and matches, and the
natives brought fresh fish daily, while the
men in camp were starving and dying
daily, being reduced to skeletons. Often
we asked the major to issue lot of the
rotten rice to make soup for invalids, but
this was impossible. The camp became a
miserable sight, yet none OF the officers
seemed to care"
After dealing with the reports of Stan
ley's death and the getting of Tippos men,
comes the Jameson affair, at Ribakab.
Jameson expressed to Tippos' interpreter
curiosity to witness cannibalism. The
men consulted with the chiefs, and told
Jameson he had better purchase a slave.
jameson paid six handkerchiefs. A man
returned few minutes afterwards with a
ten year old girl to be taken to the native
huts and Jameson himself led them.
MasOudi and Farhani, Jameson's servants,
presented to him by Tippo, and many
others followed. The men who had
brought the girl said to the cannibals:
There is present from white man, who
desires to see her eaten The girl was
tied to a tree, the natives sharpening their
knives. One of them stabbed her twice in
the belly. She did not scream, but knew
what would happen, looking to the right
and left for help. When stabbed she fell
dead. The natives cut pieces from her
body. Some took the legs, arms, breasts
and other portions straight to the huts,
while others took the entrails to the
river and washed then, Jameson in the
meantime making rough sketches of the
horrible scenes. Then they all returned
to the chiefs house. Jameson afterwards
went to his own tent, where he finished
his sketches in water cOlOrs. There were
six of them all neatly done. The first
sketch was of the girl as she was led to the
tree. The second showed her stabbed
with the blood gushing from the wounds
The third showed her disemboweled The
fourth showed man carrying leg in one
hand and knife in the other The fifth
showed man with a native axe and the
head and breast in his arms. The sixth a
man with the entrails.
Assad then describes the officers going
TO Stanley falls at the end of March. He
tells of Jameson's anger at the quarrel of
BarttelOt with Selim Mahomed, which de-
layed the starting, and of the anxiety of
both to seek or discover whether Stanley
was dead or in prison as rumOred Bart
telot said that if he could relieve Stanley
from Imprisonment, he would become a
full colonel when he returned to Yambuya.
Assad details the trouble as experienced
in regard to the carrying of loads and then
tells how Jameson showed his sketches Of
the cannibal scenes to Captain Naugat
The latter was surprised that Jameson
showed such a sight and consulted natives
with a view of getting a confirmation of
JamesOn's story. jameson was proud of
the sketches and showed them to all of the
officers, including those of the steamers
from the falls, but contradicted himself in !
describing the scene to Troup and Bonny |
In concluding his statement, Assad says
the camp was divided, Jameson and Bar /
tellot being on one side, while Ward !
Troup and Bonny on the other, and that /
all were afraid of BartelIot.
Bonny makes a further statement to the |
effect that the cannibal incident was the [
cause of the death of both jameson and /
Barttelot. He says that Assad told the |
Congo state authorities of the incident !
and that they, indignant and excited over
the outrage, forced Assad to make an affi- |
davit which was sent to Europe Bart !
telot becoming aware of this, took full |
notes in his diary and, when he arrived in
the village where he was shot, he was in q /
terrible state of excitement and indigna-
ton. fearing that If the matter became |
known in Europe he would lose his com
mission. He said: when il becomes |
known that one of our men did this awful /
thing, shall be blamed"
Bonny adds: "Niolent as he had been
before, the major had never so utterly lost (
control OF himself as now. | ascribe mis-
violence which caused his death 10 this |
cause. The cannibal incident was un-
questionably the last straw. and think |
his mind must have given way. Jameson !
also became uneasy, and hurried 10 the 4
coast TO try TO stop the report reaching 4
Europe, or at least to accom- pany It with a |
denial or an explanation. | believe his 4
anxiety brought on the fever that killed 4
him. | cannot doubt the truth of the
story which he related 70 me frankly and 4
fully. He WAS an enthusiastic naturalist. I
de accompanied the expedition in search 4
OF novelty and adventure in every phase 4
Of saving life. He probably failed 10 real 1
ize the seriousness of his act when be &C \
cepted Tppo's offer. / think Il would 4
have been better TO accuse him on the I
ground of scientific enthusiasm than "A .
.ame denial because II is well known that 4
the eating OF girls is unusual"
Bonny relates the incident Of a negro Sc
curing the head OF negro with whom the 4
officers had been we'll acquainted The
bead WAS stuffed. Once, be says when 4
Was visiting Mrs. Jameson, see showed I.
me the curiosity asking IL I recognized ii.
replied: Yes have shaken hands with \
him often. - She said the head sometimes
emitted disagreeable Odor I replied: I
- on have human barometer. The salt
5 not properly eliminated. and the skin j.
liable 10 moisten in a damp atmosphere
i5onny ss- Ward decline 20 say anything
about the stuffing.
The Cologne Gazette reports that DR..
>hweinturta says he heard the Jameson
story from the liDS of AsSad Farrau and !