The evening times., 1895-08-28
IRA DER STOKES HANGED.
Ex.Missionary the First white Man
to BE Executed In Africa.

Il
Ex.Missionary the First White Man
| to BE Executed In A frica.
| The latest newspapers from London con-
tain the account OF the hanging Of white
man in Central Africa. He is tie first white
to meet that tgnominious fate in that re-
| gion. His name was Stokee and he has had
the first missionaries who were sent to
Victoria Nyanza. In the course of a few
| years he thought he saw a chance TO make
fortune in Africa, and he abandoned the
missionary field. The growth of his in
fluence was remarkably rapid and was
owing to his intimate knowledge OF the
| country and the great success of his busi-
ness enterprises. 1t was due TO Stokes
far more than to any other ore man that
Mwanga, the fugitive kirg Of Ugarda, was
able to retain his tArcne. He has now been
hanged in the northeast corner of the
Congo Free State by an officer of the State,
and tie dispatcA from Zanzibar Gays the
affair is creating great excitement there.
The cable dispatch from Zanzibar is
confirmed by another dispatch frcm Brus-
sells, telling of recent events in the Congo
State. 1t appears that when Capt ain
Dhanis, who drove the Arabs of the Upper
Congo across Lake Tanganyika and out Of
the Congo State, came aume on leave OF
absence, Commandant Lothairc succeeded
him in connaEd OF the troops. Marching
north down the Congo, he caught and exc
cutcd Chief KiEonpe, who was mainly re-
sponsblc for the murder Of Emin Pasha
AT the same time he learned that a white
man had been selling guns and powder to
the Arab slavers and to Kibonge. Later
he caught this white man on the 1turi
river. He proved to be the trader Stokes.
A court-martial was organized to try
him, and he was found guilty ard hanged.
The Ituri river is i'll tie northeast part
of the State.
Fifteen or sixteen years ago Stokes was
sent to Uganda by the Church Missionary
Society of England, and for sevcral years
he was one of the most active of the pioneer
missionaries in that country. He seemed to
have an unusual faculty for winning the
favor of the natives and for keeping mis-
sionary enterprises moving. He was be-
lieved to be a man of exemplary charac-
ter and Christian zeal.
prise was much surprised ten or eleven
years ago to hear that Stokes had suddenly
left the missionary service and had en-
barked in business on his own account as
trader. He seemed at the same time TO
have abandoned all the high principles he
had professed, and was willing to do any
thing to make money. His principal trade
goods were guns and powder, because they
His business was regarded as nefarious,
but he developed it to large proportions
before the prohibition of the gun and pow
der trade with natives was established
1t is said that he has since secretly carried
on the trade on large scale in spite Of the
prohibition.
He had come connection with the big In
dian traders on the Zar@ibar coast, but
nobody Eeems to know Just what it was.
Some years ago he sent into the interior a
caravan of 1000 porters. L. was said at
the time to be the largest trading caravan
ever seen in tropical Africa, with the ex-
ception of one party cent TO the coast by
Tippu Tib.
In 1888 the cruel King of Uganda,
MwaDga, was driven from his throne by the
Mohammedan element in his country domi-
mated by the Arab traders. As long as they
were supreme Stokes could do no more trad
ing in Uganda. The fact was widely pub
lisied in the folio wing year that Stokes was
really the man who put Mwanga back on the
throne and ena bled the missionaries to re-
turn to Uganda. Mwanda's native support
ers were mostly massed in the Buddu dis
trict. ana it was Stokes guns and powder
that eDa bled them to win the day.
During the year when nothing was heard |
from Stanley, who was on his Emin relief |
expedition and there were many reports OF |
his death. Stokes kept men in Uganda in |
structed to bring ne ws OF the explorer to the |
coast by forced marches. He withdrew the |
men. however, just before Stanley reap |
peared.
The crime of which he was said to be |
guilty, and for which he was put TO death. |
is of the most despicab Bile character. He was |
found guilty Of supplying munitions of war |
10 the Arabs with which to fight his own
-ace. The whites have been at WARMTH the
Arabs simply because they persisted in raid
ing for slaves, murderous business which |
Ill civilized nations declared at the Brussels |
conference must be suppressed.