St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1896-07-31
The Brutal Customs Attributed to
the Ashanti SaVages.

Seventy-two years ago the first Brit
ish expedition against Kumassi came to
miserable end. The skull of its leader,
Governor Sir Charles Mccarthy, was
turned into drinking cup, from which,
if they at all behaved according to their
wont, Prempeh's ancestor and his VIC
torious warriors must have toasted each
other in bumpers of human blood. The
second expedition, year 1868, was also
badly beaten, but by King Fever. Most
people know the history of the third
expedition, Lord Wolseleys, year 1878.
Every newspaper reader has general
idea of the fourth and final expedition,
which, without firing shot, made an
end of Prempeh's hideous rule, on the |
goth of January, 1896. The recording |
angel saw at least one good deed done
on the earth that day, jotting it down
to Bulls credit as singularly salts
factory example Of his work IN the
world. Those who may like to possess a
compact faithful, most readable record
of the campaign will find it in the illus
trated volume of Major Baden-Powells,
to which is appended suggestive chap
ter by Sir George Baden-Powell, M. p,
on the political and commercial position
of Ashanti.
However much we may detest war, 1t
is gratifying to recognize the fact that
this west African one has been service
to humanity. King Prempeh was one OF
the three or four most appalling mon
sters with whom the British govern
ment has had relations within the last
90 years. Still, had it been merely
question of removing Prempeh, the sue
cessful expedition would not have de-
served all the eulogium we have just
bestowed upon it, When on Jan. 20
Prempeh did homage to Governor Max
we'll. kneeling on a biscuit box, while
his excellency sat on another, it was
not merely black king who passed
away, but whole atrocious system OF
blood, torture and state sorcery that
had endured from immemorial time
The name Kumassi means 1.-THE death
place" How we'll it deserved its name
is made plain enough in the first part OF
Major Baden Powell's book. So numer-
GUS were Prempeh's executioners that
two whole streets of the town were set
: apart for them to live in. One of tho
; streets was occupied by the executioners
of men, women and children doomed to
! be sacrificed. In spite of the Wolseley
S treaty, human sacrifices were never
e stopped in Ashanti. At the harvest fes-
= tival human beings were sacrificed to
the spirits. Whenever the king made
>, pilgrimage to his ancestral ghosts, he
sacrificed 20 men, hacking their heads
d off on the edge of his execution bowl, q
: vessel five feet across.
t "The blood of the victims was allowed
n to putrefy in the bowl, and leaves OF
!. certain herbs being added it was con-
:. sidered very valuable fetch medicine. y
When a great parsonage died, 1.-TWO OF
- his household slaves were at once klllec
1t on the threshold of the door, in order tt
u attend their master Immediately In hi
lie new life, and his grave was afterwart
10 lined with the bodies Of more slave
of who were to form his retinue in tn
~ spirit world" Sometimes the slaves, O.
- free people kidnapped for the purpose
~ were buried alive with the dead person
- age. Slave girls were killed to accom-
"a pany their mistress into the other world
in Great numbers were sacrificed when
ID king died When man was kidnapped
re for sacrifice, he was gagged with knit
" run through his cheeks. These frightfu
ri customs of the Ashanti capital were OBJ
=. served by every kinglet in the Ashanti
- "empire. Executions were decreed Of
u any pretense. ut is even said that OF
IN one occasion he (Prempeh) preferred
IN richer color in the red stucco on tn
ct walls of the palace and that for thi
ig purpose the blood of 400 virgins wa
* used"
- We need say nothing of the march, i
which our author rendered most excel
lent service with his pioneering an
covering corps. The following funn
story is worth quoting: A native runne
came in with crumpled piece Of pa
peri bearing the inscription, "MaJo
Gordon killed 14th instant " Commt
ne tlOQ anu grief, Vi COulsc' 1uOh ooih
one discovered a faint pencil note of IT
ceipt initiated by Major Gordon himself
and it then was remembered that piec
, of fresh meat had been sent off to hil
a day or two previously with this Sc
same label attached to it. There is
ns very good description of the last scene
he at Kumassi, including the destructio
of the fetch village and the BLOWN
up with gun cotton of the great fetic
lot tree in whose shade hundreds of VII
tins have been sacrificed, The o.
-, Ashanti "dam" which prevented con
;" mercial intercourse between the Goa
IN. and the interior being now removed, S
| George Baden-P Powell, in the chapter
tic. contributes, advocates the constructit
of light railway from Cape Coast Ca
,r. tie to the Prah river. London News.
~. The Eternal Fitness.
I