The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-17

ci2CnE agony
Then the eXecutioners. who are fantas-
ticeuy dressed. seize their huge swords.
and. f1ourishing them in the air lop Of
the heads OF the victims one after anoth-
e.. Then they retire from the scene.
drencbed with blood from head 10 foot,
ard leaving the bodies lying where they
fan
As soon as the executioners retire the
vultures sw0op down from the trees above
and the ground IS soon black with them
A. night the panthers come and sink
away s3t.ated before the dawn.
The pathway leading 10 this grove has
been worn broad and deep through years
Of use. and II Is always slippery with
blood Henry NJ. Stanley. who. as a var
correspondent, accompanied SIR Garnet
Wolseley's expedition 10 Coomassie IN
1874 visited this grove.
LAS we drew near" saws Stanley, the
foul smells became 80 suff0cating that We
were glad 10 produce our handkerchiefs
n prevent the trt1lerahle and almost PAL
pable odor from mounting into the bran
ard oyerpOwering US. After some thirty
PAGES We arrived before the dreadful
scene. bat IL was almost impossible 10
stop longer than n take a general view
Of the great Colgotha. We saw some tnir-
~ or forty decapItsted bodies in tine last
stages Of corruption. and countless skulls
which Law in heaps and scattered over 1
wide extent. The stouteSt heart and
most st0ical mind might have been APP
palled."
Several officers Of the expedition al
though il remained hut two days at COM
Inassie. made the trip 10 this awful spot
and subsequently described it as beyond
anything else ii horror TO be seen IN the
world today.
Under a huge tree said one of these
gentlemen. in a letter 1.-The skulls were
piled up so high that they reached almost
10 the lowest limbs. You could nowhere
see the ground, as 1t was all covered with
bones and skulls. Here and there could
be seen a decOmpoSing body.
THE Vultures slowly rose from the
ground upon our approach. but several Of
them were 20 g0rged with human Hesn
that they could not rise, and lay hllnklhS
at US on the ground Clumslly happins
their wings The smell Of the place was
something awful
a sailor who was in our party was
ovcrp9wered by the stencil and had u re
carried from the grove. We had been
warned beforehand, and had provided our
selves with TASKS of brandy.
i could not say now many human skel-
etons were on the ground. but I should say
there were several thousand In sight. l
was told that what we saw was not one
half Of the extent OF the Grove OF skulls.
been going on here almost daily.
AT these executions the king of Asian
tee was generally present, but not always
one man who was recently executed had
painted the interior of the king S harem.
Although he had committed no crime, he
was doomed 10 execution because his pro-
fame eyes had fallen upon places ard
things reserved only for the eyes OF the
king"
II was learned during this expedition,
which MAS the first of any Importance 70
penetrate to the capital of Ashantee, that
the people of the country looked upon hu-
man sacrifices almost as matter OF course
and that many regarded such a death as
honorable. This was especially 50 upon the
death of a king.
Fhe king OF Ashahtee is opposed to pro-
gress. which he defies. He d-sl.kes roads
in his kingdom. When the British under
Sir Garnet Wolselcy vs. ut to Coomas.e they
had 70 cut their way through the forest,
leaving fine road behind them.
The king Of Ashauteo, in the face of nu-
merous pistols pointed at him. agreed TO
keep the road IN good repair. He did not
say he would have 1t macadam.zed. or that
signs Of Keep on the Grass would he
placed along the SIDE. but he said be would
keep Il free from weeds, which grow very
quickly IN Ashantee.
But the king knew that the rainy season
was at hand. that The British had 10 hustle
Ia get back TO the coast before the fun .or.
rent BEGAN. and he promised every hing.
This beautiful road made by the English
at such enormous expense has since COM
pletely disappeared.
Instead OF keeping ii open so that tour
lists could fud their way TO Coomassie
and bcyClists make a century run 20 the
coast he let the weeds grow mp. Thus.
the British IN the coming war VIII have
10 30 all over the work again. for. 50