Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-01-24

KING PREMBI OF ASHANTI.
wives servo IN mental capacities about the
palace The women folk Of the common
people, however, arc surrounded by no
such restrictions.
II any man looks at one Of Prembi's
1883 wives, that mans name Is Dennis.
Some of these numerous wives of the king
Uf Ashanti are not worth looking at, 1t Is
true, but the owner of any profane eyes
that even by accident happened to rest
upon them would be conducted to shady
grove In the neighborhood Of the town and
fall to return. .r
His majesty lives in big stone and no
tive brick palace, the only structure of the
kind in the kingdom. His royal highness
sleeps on the floor.
The king is several times millionaire,
and 1t Is believed that he has several bar-
rels Of gold dust and nuggets. Ashanti
u rich In gold. a.
Prembi Is bloodthirsty monarch, and
he Is In the habit Of making human saori-
does on q wholesale scale. Whenever 1t
pleases him to do 40, no orders few hun
dred subjects to be beheaded. Besides this,
during certain religious ceremonies 1t Is
customary to kill subjects. It Is this prao-
tice which England wants the King to
stop. And it Ii to put an end to these hu
man sacrifices that the British troops will
make war on tho king. - ~ '@'
When ono king dies, 1000 people are
killed as guard Of honor to accompany
him to the other world. As many as TO-
900 are reported to have been killed on
one occasion In a single day.
Upon every national festival 1t ia also
stho custom for the king Of Ashanti to
Offer human sacrifices. People are believed
to be killed almost every day at Kumassi,
the capital, and this kind Of official muir
der Is regular thing.
The one thing which has always excited
the horror and amazement of travellers who
have penetrated this country Is the Grove
, Of Skulls, where in countless numbers the
bones of victims of the king lie upon the
ground with the fostering remains Of those
who have recently been dispatched.
Here, where vultures gorged with hu-
man flesh porch upon the trees waiting for
the new victims which many years have
taught them to look for with certainty, is
spectacle presented the like Of which Is
to be seen nowhere else upon earth.
1 This SPOT, where executions have taken
place from time immemorial, Is in small
grove back of the large market place at
Kumassi The victims are brought to
this place with their hands securely tied.
and they are made dumb by two knives
thrust orosswise through their cheeks.
I, The poor wretohes are for time tor
tured by being pinohed, prioked with
swords and fired upon at short range with
blank cartridges The powder from these
cartridges enters the flesh, causing exoru-
dating agony.
Then the exeoutioners, who are fantas-
ideally dressed, seize their huge swords,
and dourishing them in the air lop off the
heads Of the Victims one after another.
Then they retire from the scene drenched
With blood from head to foot and leaving
the bodies lying where they fall. s...;>
As soon as the exeoutioners retire the
I yultures swoop down from the trees above.
and the ground is soon black with them.
At night the panthers come and slinb
sway satiated before the dawn. The path
way leading to this grove has been worn
broad and deep through years Of use, and
+ b y always slippery with blood.