The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-02-14
FIENDlSH ARABS.

How Unfortunate Slaves Are Treated In
the Malay Archipelago.
The Singapore papers have frequently
of late contained reports of the atroci-
ties committed by Arab slave-owners in
the Island of Lombok, which lies be-
tween the two Dutch possessions of
Java and Sumbawa, and which is under
Dutch protection. 1t is one of the COM
paratively few places where the slave
trade flourishes unchecked; people are
bought and sold in the open market,
and the cruelties that are from time to
time perpetrated on the defenseless peo-
pie by the Arab slave owners are al
most incredible. The last story of this
nature which has reached the outside
world tells how four young slaves,
two men and two women, tried to es-
cape from the cruelties o. notorious
Arab, Sayid Abdulla. They put out
to sea in little boat, with a view
Of getting to Java or Sumbawa, but
unhappily were driven by contrary
winds on the shore of small island,
owed by the son of Abdulla. The fugi-
lives were sent back heavily chained to
Ampenan, in Lombok, where Abdulla
imprisoned them in part of his own
house, and exhausted almost every de-
vice in torturing them. Two American
gentlemen who knew what was going
on, implored Abdulla to accept large
sum of money and liberate the unfort-
innate creatures. They endeavored in
every possible way to induce the man
to abstain from his fiendish cruelty, but
in vain. The two young men, who are
aged respectively sixteen and twenty,
were led out to the beach and stabbed
by running a sword through the heart
md stomach. One of the women was
dashed with rattans until she was blue,
and after various other tortures
her hands were fastened to her
back, and she was hung from tree,
head downwards. The second girl,
after being subjected to numerous in
1escribable fortunes, had her ears cut
off and her nose wrenched out by pair
IF pinchers. The wounds were then
smeared with maddening composition
Of chillies, lime and tamarind. Abdulla
and other members of his family have
been guilty of other frightful atrocities
to their slaves, especially the women.
An official report of these circumstances
is said to have been sent to Batavia;
and the European residents are trying
to have Abdulla punished and the whole
slave system stopped in the island.
These are not by any means the first
statements that have been published
On the subject, nor are they the
worst, and it is earnestly to be
hoped that the Netherlands Govern
ment will insist on their authori-
ties in Java putting stop to the fend-
ish outrages of these Arab miscreants in
Lombok and Karang Asam. There are
only ninety Arabs altogether in Am
penan, the trading capital of the island,
the population being composed of Chi
nese, Malays and natives. These Arabs
are mostly fugitives from the ports of
lava, Abdulla having absconded from
Batavia about twenty-five years ago,
and having become subsequently secre-
tary and adviser to the rajah of Lom-
box. The latter is not himself cruel to
his slaves, but he does not interfere
with the cruelties of the Arabs. It is
said to be the custom of the latter when
slave gets clear away to murder all the
members of his family.-London Tele-
graph