The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-24
WOMAN ON CANNlBALS
,rss sHARP's ELEVEN YEARS
A4' AFR1CAN EXPERIENCE

Tba Albino Grl oacrlnCe-
TO- r1vin. and Their Mothers as
determination Almost uni
.saI Among the Heather Tribes
80 Never Eat Weself"-A Market
nam Flesh-A Temple of SKULLS
cannibaI Iboes-Polygamy ana
oor1isrities-Wives on the In
-. "7unant Plan-King Oko Jumoos
woman Palever
~ Native Brides-The African
To- and its Remedy-How Stanley
Toos a Mission Boat-Liosris ana us
prospects
vopx Aug. 23.-I went to Africa
W. and with the exception Of a few
ID I2,'' -.ocation in 1884, l have spent
non'H7 Incentive years in that country.
e. e., If this time was occupied In mission
NuO ,.hor among the Kroos, whose country
aiy los between Simou and Cape Pamas.
ply -. however, large town of hroos
uI'o ricinity of Monrovia, in Liberia, and
-. ..sro made my headquarters.
'D n,,ring my life in Africa, which l expect
IL 70 resume. it has been my fortune
sHO. - many strange sights and mingle
l" ,o,v strange peoples, and the record
aLlions ovneriences would fill volumes. L
Oh NY ,,r1,sse however giving an outline OF
on! p ,r1nderful country. whose division
Ina onT the leading European powers Is Just
.1 aftractiug the attention or the civilized
world. = ,t-;oo heaptifpl conn.
trr and it has no more oeautiIul part Juan
ttat in which my missionary laoors oesan.
fonTd many agreeable surprises among
! - ZOOS VINO are the seamen of the west
Sno os. doing the work of loading and IN
49,, the ships and steamers that come
49, IN the entire west coast, after leav-
~ bathurst on the Gambia river, there
ts no wharves. and the cargo has to be
sant N the vessels in small boats and re-
ceived in the same manner. l FOUND the
ZOOS a finely-built, brave, independent
raco of free men, who, although they never
,rora slaves themselves, yet hold many slaves
of other tribes, whom they acquire by pur-
chase A Kroo has a broad blue-black
marx down the entire length OF his
f0rahead a tribal mark. The cloth
ing is simply a loin cloth for the men,
+5s women wearing cloth fastened around
WIZ
Garment itself extending down as far as
tbe knees. The rest of the body, which is
hare. is frequently decorated with stripes
of blue and white clay, presenting a some
what startling appearance. The kroos
have many things in common with other
tribes. although each tribe has Its own dla-
lect. | was told that they were quite mac
cessible as far as missionary work was con-
carned and, indeed, that they were consid-
cred as intides among the other tribes
Ex.President PAYNE of the Republic once
informed me that any attempt to Christian
lie them would be Throwing away my
time on hopeless task" but were he liv-
ing now his opinion concerning the Kroos
would be greatly changed.
The heather tribes of Africa, as far as
have investigated the matter, all believe in
the immortality of the SOUL though their
belief is but dimly defined. They hold that
after the death of the body the spirit passes
into some beast or serpent, and even that it
may be rehabilitated and returned to earth
in human form as an infant. There is in
such telief faint resemblance to Buddh-
Ism. There is no national or even tribal re-
ligion, however, such as we find among the
Buddhists. That which they worship they
call "Ju-Ju," and every one is free to select
aud Set up his own "Ju-Ju," according to
his spiritual inclinations Many believe in
the Great Ju-Ju," the Supreme One, but
when Intercepted concerning him they
laDse into Indebtedness and with a shake of
the head explain that He far, far away"
and these JULIUS" being at hand they can
see them.
NThis strange tumble of theology or
heathenism is a most interesting study.
The name of God. the supreme one, in Kroo
Is "Nyswa;' In the Bassa it is ''Grippo;" in
the Vey, (Vi, "Konibaw." Mingled with
their worship is much of the superstition
That finds expression in charms and other
trlnkets The "Gree-Gree" is a charm that
is yarlously worn, in small rolls, in a goats
morn, or In other snaps, and it is reputed to
possess the power to keep the witches
away, to give long life and immunity from
sickness 70 the wearer, to bring luck, etc.
Like all heather nations, these poor saw
ages ADDRESS their prayers more to the
powers OF evil than to the good; they think
.nat unseen, taleful influences follow them
l'Um thelr birth, and, to propitiate this
fees to it.
one OF the worst features of savage su-
P E, ~ was the annual rite at Bonv and
Old Calabar, where, to appease the evi1
power OF "the Mad Water an albino
young woman was every year rowed out in
aooat 70 the bar and there sacrificed to the
oplrlt OF the sea where the water was the
aUasnest ouch frightful atrocities, how
~ ore las1 disappearing under the teach
Eeoot Vue missionaries of the church of
Ipusia'lu at bonny and those of the Scotch
i'gsoyVeTlans at Old Calabaf. Still. when
"a, as aI the latter place in 1880, [ saw
fr ounu almost every doorstep a row of
tSane skulls, which was told was placed
'1'i0 Keepthe witches away
tbnuovuer peculiar outcome of nv visit
;ne S.T was my discovery that the king had
i no t Geon persuaded to enact law prohibit.
IN VA, H. s!illng OF twins and their mother.
in tb ,uas 'l.ne THIS was universal practice
na,i Iao parG OF Africa. "One child.n the
1ba V Dn "a plained, with the utmost gravity.
debleeP and II enid; but one he be proper
born dSI Iu 'ge nanny be deblee, or he no
w., 'taAlhg the mother and tying and 1aav-
d. AT ueI IN the bush, to be eaten nv the
her oir ans US or devoured by wild animals
band oo Ia'ner, mother and even her nus
Abo,noC,o- lssenung 10 the atrocity. In
rnis,,or r., Vue capital of Dahomev. where no
sacrifo ,'i p are allowed to labor. human
sayaps are Stlll offered daily and the most
oa[oarltles are practiced.
for 4 if-'oallSm has been fruitful suhiect
bava ,, sau explorers, and is one to which
inr,to,ss'yen no little consideration H.
the tr,no- Vas quite doubtful as to most of
lion " as being cannitals. The one arcan u
wers IS ue thought, was tribe whose ner,
Infer tbs+ superior physique, leaving Ms r.
thin, to Tue desh-eating habit had SOM
obseTv NJ 10 with their superiority. Mvown
tribes sro and opinion is that most Of tba
human eo Iore or less addicted to eatino,
woman sa7a n. On the Lower Niger o1e
eonl5 i'4 SAD TO me in the littla Eno,e;St oie