Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-11-10

spot OF Africa, and they arc in meas
ure to blame for the detestation with
which the inhabitants regard them.
Referring to a particularly obnoxious
missionary named Bernaskos, the King
of Dahomey said to messenger sent
to intercede for the many people set
aside for sacritice You say that your
people abhor the thought of men being
sacrificed; that their religion teaches
them that this is a crime. Now, we
have God man at Whydah, and does
he set an example to my people such as
l would wish them to follow? Does he
not drink till he talks foolishness?
Does he not make my people drunk?
Away! want none OF your God peo-
pie.
King Behanzin has revived the GUS
toms Of human sacrifice with all the
Unsuitable bloodthirstiness Of his grand
father, Getete. A Frenchman says that
few months ago he was led through
the Ness temple, where he counted over
twenty men suspended by their ankles
and knees to the crossbeam OF q huge
gallows; all were stark naked and had
been mutilated in a horrible manner out
of respect to the memory of the Kings
wives. One morning while he was in
captivity four wretches were killed be-
cause the King had had a bad dream.
The Frenchman was present at the
butchery so that he might be impressed
with the Kings power. The four men
were led out before the King, who
sat in chair OF state embellished
with skulls and jaw bones from for
mer sacrifices. a body of amazons
drew up behind the victims; the execu-
toner was q perfect giant in stature.
Armed with large, crooked knife made
for such occasions, he had large,
wooden trough placed near him; this he
pushed with his foot before the first
victim, then bending the man forward,
he deliberately cut his throat, letting
the blood run into the wooden dish He
then swung the knife and with n mighty
blow completely severed an arm. This
performance was repeated with three Of
the victims. The fourth must have suf-
fered terribly. He was struck four times
without severing the vertebra column
The butcher then put the bloody knife
in his mouth, and Selling the ears of the
wretched being, wrenched the head
from side to side, trying to screw it off,
amp finally having dislocated it, delib-
erately slashed away the flesh that still
connected the head with the trunk.
4 large inclosure called the zun is the
place where the headless corpses of the
victims are dragged; there were hum
dreds of human skeletons bleaching in
the sun and an equal number of freshly
slaughtered victims. Such is life in
Dahomey.
Many of the laws of the country are
mere caprices Of the King. Here are
some specimens:
No one is allowed to build Il hut more
than four tiers high.
No one is allowed to marry without
first submitting his intended to the
King, who. if he pleases, keeps her for
himself and enlists her in the amazonian
guard.
No Dahoman woman is allowed to
leave the country.
No subject must wear shoes or ride in
a hammock.
No one is allowed to sit in a chair in
public.
No goods landed at Whydah can be
reshipped.
Such ere few of the laws regulating
the welfare of Dahomey. The whole
civilized world will certainly be thank
full to France for wiping out of existence
both the King and his amazons.