Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1892-07-20
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A Chief Who Himself Ia;'ss,s.i shs Death
 Penalties He Imposed.

A Chief Who auaseif Ies,ssted ths Death
 Penalties He Imposed.
 If you go down to French Guiana and ascend the big Maroni river a little distance you will find great many negroes who talk very had ETeneh. Some of them. howe ,, have visited Franco and have hlas education. The moro intelligent of these negroes will tell you that the greatest man who ever lived. except the first Napoleon WIS Boni. One of these negro tribes is called the Boni, from the name of the man who released the people from slavery.
 Boni was the intelligent and au- dacious negro who. in i712. reyolted against his master on the coast of Dutch Guiana. destroyed his prop erty, escaped with hundrSsis of other slaves and founded a new home for the people, whom he piloted to the borders of French Guiana For many decades all slaves who escaped from their masters were able to find their freeiom among the Bonis A curious story is told about Boni by the ex- plorer Henry Condrcau. who has done So much to make the interior of French Guiana known.
 X long distance up the Maroni river is the island Adlafo, which means cutting of the head" This is the island where for long time Boni carried out the execution of crimi- nals whom he had condemned to death. The curious feature of his system of capital punishment was that he required no assistance what ever in carrying bis judgments into effect. Ee alone escorted the con demned persons to the island of Ad- lafo, and unaiced he cut osf their heads. The Spartscus of the Ne groes of the Woods" seemed to be particularly fond of this sort of ex- ercise. Physically he was the most powerful raan in his country. No one wished to cope with him in com bat.
 When he had prisoner whom be had condemned he would place his | fiintlock and his saber in a canoe, seat the condemned man in the bow of the boat and then paddle up stream several miles to the island. He would not have even 8 boatman with him on these little expeditions
 Now" Boni was wont to say to the unhappy wretch before him, as he psddled along. do not attempt to escape, for if you do shall surely stop you by bullet in the legs. l shall not shoot to kill you, for shall wish to torture you after l get you. "
 No. chief. the trembling victim would often reply. T shall not try to escape. And such was the terror Boni inspired that the unfortunate prisoner would reach the place of punishment probably without enter taining the slightest thought of es- caping.
 When they reached the island. Boni would tell his prisoner to get out of the canoe and would then march him to tho place of execution. This was a large flat rock, washed by the waters of the rapid river and shaded by q tamarind tree The rock is still shoHn to every one who visits the spot When they reached the place, Boni. fierce and inexor- able. would stefnly command:
 Now you die. To your knees. Your hands behind your back. Hold down your head.
 The unfortunate wretch, more dead than alive, would mechanically obey the order. Boni would raise his saber, and with one sure stroke would sever the head from the body. The head would roll upon the fiat stone, and the blood would be washed away by the rush of water from the rapids, which now and then over spread the rock. Boni would then re- embark. and upon his return his peo- pie would more than ever regard him as an object of terror to evil doers. = Chicago Herald.