The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1890-07-05
IN A sLAvE.sHEp.
mo sunerinE and HArdships OF Captfvs
Slaves In the Congo Bzsin.

From E. S. Glave's article Z, 81.
Century under the above title we opots
as follows; These hungry cre,tnres
form indeed u truly pitiable sight.
After suffering this captivity for short
time they become mere skeletons. All
ages, OF both sexes. are to be seen,
mothers and their babes; Young men
and women; boys and girls; and even
babes who cannot yet walk, and whose
mothers have died of starvation. or per-
haps been killed by the Lufembe. One
seldom sees either old men or old
women; they are killed In the raids:
their marketable value being very
small. no trouble is taken with them.
witnessing groups of these poor.
helpless wretches. with their emaciated
forms and sunken eyes. their faces a
very picture of sadness. 1t Is not diff
cult to perceive the intense grief that
.hey arc inwardly suffering; but they
Know too well ii is of no use to appea,
ior sympathy to their merciless masters.
Who nave been accustomed from child
hood 10 witness acts OF cruelty and
brutality, so that 10 satisfy their insati.
bic greed they will commit themselves
or permit to be committed, any atrocity
however great Even the pi,iable
sight OF one of these slave-sheds does
not half represent the misery caused by
this tratfic-homes broken up, mothers
separated from their babies, husband,
from wives, and brothers from sisters.
When last at Masankusu l naw q slave
woman who had with her one child
whose starved little body she was
clutching to her shrunken breast. '
was attracted by her sad face, whir,b
betok-ned great suffering. 1 asked her
the cause of il, and she told me in a
low. sobhing voice the following ta'.
II was living with my husband and
three children in an inland villa "a a
few miles from here. My husba' fd was
hunter. Ten days ago the ] .ufemb.
attacked our settlement; my husband
defended himself. but was OF .rnoyered
and sPeared to death with serer,I y,
the other villagers. 1 sss broncb,
hero with my three chill Ereo. two q,
whom have already bee purchased hr
the traders. shall Fever see them
any more Perhaps h.y will Kin them
on the death of some chief, or perb.ns
kill them. for fo'>d. Nv r.maini5g
child you see, is ii, dying from starya,
tom they give As nothing to eat. |
expect even tbs one will be taken
from ME TO-DAY. rs the chief, fearing
lest q should die and become a total
loss. has offered 1t for very small
pr go. As for myself, said she. they
wi Il sell me to one of the neighboring
II ibes- 10 toll in the plantations, and
hen ! become old and unfit for work
i. shall be killed
There were certainly five hundred
slaves exposed for sale In this one vii.
lage alone. Large canoes were con.
siantly arriving from down the river,
with merchandise OF all kinds with
which they purchased these slaves. A
large trade Is carried on between the
ubar'gi and Lulungu rivers. The peo-
pie snhabiting the mouth of the Ubaugi
buy the Balolo slaves at Masankusu
and the other markets. They then
take them up the Ubangi River and ex-
change them with the natives there for
ivory. These natives buy their slaves
solely for Food. Having purchased
slaves they feed them on ripe bananas.
fish. and oil and when they get into
good condit ion they kill them. Hun.
dred OF the Balolo slaves are taken into
the river nld disposed of in this way
each month. A great many other
slaves arc sold to the large villages on
the Conge,. to supply victims Tor the
execution ceremonies.
Much life is lost in the capturing OF
slaves. and during their captivity many
suCcunh TO starvation. or the re-
maiuder, mum bers are sold to become
victims 10 cannibalism and human
sacrifice ceremonies. They are few In
deed who are allowed to live and
pTosf or"