The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-06-11
IN a sLAvE.sHED.
The Suffering and Hardships of Captiv
Slaves in the Congo Basin.

From E. S. Glaye's article in the
Ceatu1y under the above title we quote
as follows: These hungry creatures
form indeed 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, it is not diff
cult to perceive the intense grief that
they are inwardly suffering; but they
know too well it is of no use to appeal
for sympathy to their merciless masters,
who have been accustomed from child
hood to witness acts of cruelty and
brutality, so that to satisfy their insati-
BILE greed they will commit themselves,
or permit to be committed, any atrocity,
DlllaUlG
sight of one of these slave-sheds does
not half represent the misery caused by
this traffic-homes broken up, mothers
separated from their babies, husbands
from wives, and brothers from sisters.
When last at Masankusu l saw a 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, which
betokened great suffering. l asked her
the cause of it, and she told me in a
low, sobbing voice the following tale:
Il was living with my husband and
three children in an inland village, q
few miles from here. My husband was
hunter. Ten days ago the Lufembe
attacked our settlement; my husband
defended himself but was overpowered
and speared to death with several of
the other villagers. I was brought
here with my three children, two of
whom have already been purchased by
the traders. l shall never see them
any more. Perhaps they will kill them
on the death of some chief or perhaps
kill them for food. My remaining
child, you see, is i'll, dying from starva-
ton; they give us nothing to eat. 1
expect even this one will be taken
from me to-day, as the chief, fearing
lest it should die and become total
loss. has offered it for a very small
price. AS for myself, said She they
will sell me to one of the neighboring
tribes, to toll in the plantations, and
when | become old and unfit for work
l shall be killed.
There were certainly five hundred
slaves exposed for sale in this one vii
lage alone. Large canoes were con-
stantly arriving from down the river,
with merchandise of all kinds with
which they purchased these slaves A
large trade is carried on between the
Ubangi and Lulungu rivers. The peo-
pie inhabiting the mouth of the Ubangi
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 condition they kill them. Hun
dred of the Balolo slaves are taken into
the river and disposed of in this way
each month. A great many other
slaves are sold to the large villages on
the Congo, to supply victims for the
execution ceremonies.
Much life is lost in the capturing of
slaves. and during their captivity many
succumb to starvation. OF the re-
mainder, numbers are sold to become
victims to eannibalism and human
sacrifice ceremonies. They are few in
deed who are allowed to live. and
prosper y