Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-09-17

bred for sale like animals ana when tho
supply proved inadequate they were
hunted like wild beasts The Able
Reynol, as long ago as 1777, computed
that 5000, 900 slaves had been taken
from Africa, so per cent Of whom had
died from the suf1erings endured during
their transportation to other countries.
Sir John Hawkins, in 1862, began the
business for the English, and in two
centuries the sla' trade, as managed in
British ships, reached enormous proper
tions. In 1856 the English had 100 ships
engaged In the traffic, and annually
transported to their colonies in America
and elsewhere from $4,000 to co, 900
slaves. Bad as was this exhibit, that
OF the Spanish nation in its rela.
ton to the slave trade was even worse.
The horrid butcheries practiced by the
conquerors of Mexico, Peru, and the
West Indies practically depopuated
those quarters Of the world, and, to ill
the places of the hapless Indians, the
Spaniards were forced to have recourse
to African slaves. Thus the Spanish
colonists early began the importation of
slaves from Africa, and were the last to
reiinquish the profits arising from the
horrid traffic AS late as 1860, 10000
slauas warn- landed In Cnha--snast- ~f
whom had been ruthlessly taken from
their homes by the Arab traders, who
annually desolated large tracts of coun-
try in the interior of Africa. The hor.
rors of the middle Passage" have often
been told, but not so we'll does the world
know of the deeds perpetrated in the
Dark Continent in order to furnish VIC
Tins for the traffic.
The slave traders and dealers of Central
Africa are mostly Arabs. They are men
OF wealth, and in preparing for a slave
raid usually employ considerable num-
Der or professional soldiers, who are
either Arabs like themselves or natives
trained to the use o. arms With their
hired murderers they proceed 10 the
interior, and after locating village
they deemed 1t desirable to attack, by
forced march they arrive in its vicini-
ty usually little before daybreak With
the first ray OF dawn the light cane ana
straw nuts az, e, set on fire and the af-
shooters, safely located in the surround
ing jungle. Grown men and alb e.bodied
women who make resistance are ruth
lessly murdered. The old and the very
young are left to die Of starvation, and
only tho strong OF both sexes are car
ried off in the train OF the slave dealer.
AS human life is cheap, little regard is felt
or shown for the helpless captives.
Sometimes the marches across the des-
ert are long, and many fall by the way.
A slave too weak to carry his chains is
shot, or II too far gone to be worth
charge of powder IS left TO be devoured
by tho hyenas. II so per cent. OF the
slaves reach market, the dealer will
still realize largely on his investment; so
he has no incentive to spare life or show
mercy.
Formerly prevailing on both the east
and west coasts of the Dark Continent,
| the ave trade is now confined to COM
paratively limited area. At the begin
ming OF this century the slaves for the
Americas came from the west coast but
long since that traffic was cut off,
After the west coast was c'osed, the
81 anish Americans procured their SUP
ply from the east coast, but this, too,
ceased to be slave market after
urgent representations had been made
to the Sultan of Zanzibar. The
regions border ing on the Red Sea and
the Gulf of Alden are now the only ter
ritory which furnishes an outlet to the
slaves of Central Africa Formerly,