Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-04
BUMPERS OF BLOOD.
THE BRUTAL CUSTOMS ATTRIBUTED
TO THE ASHANTI SAVaGsS.

0o0cooatul E8ofto OF the Engltsh 70 De-
stroy the Bloody Reign Of Prempeh Told
In . London Paper.
Seventy.two years ago the first Brit
ish expedition against Kumassi came to
q miserable end. The skull of its leader,
Governor Sir Charles Mccarthy, was
turned into a 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 Wolseley's, year 1878.
Every newspaper reader has general
idea of the fourth and final expedition.
which, without firing a 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 a 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 Powell's,
to which is appended a suggestive chap
ter by Sir George Baden-P Powell, NJ. P. =,
on the political and commercial position
OF Ashanti.
However much we may detest war, it
is gratifying to recognize the fact that
this west African one has been q service
to humanity. King Prempch was one of
tie 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 a
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. 90
Prenie eh did homage TO Governor Max
well, kneeling on biscuit box, while
his excellency sat on another, it was
not merely black king who passed
away, but a whole atrocious system of
blood, torture ard 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 the
streets was occupied by the executioEers
Of men, women and children doomed to
be sacrificed. In spite of the Wolseley
treaty, human sacrifices were never
stopped in Ashanti. At the harvest fes.
tival human beings were sacrificed tc
the spirits. Whenever the king made &
pilgrimage to his ancestral ghosts, he
sacrificed 90 men, hacking their heads
off on the edge of his execution bowl, q
vessel five feet across.
1.-The blood of the victims was allowed
to putrefy in the bowl, and leaves OF
certain herbs being added it was con.
sidered very valuable fetch medicine. .
When a great parsonage died. 1.-TWO OF
his household slaves were at once killed
on the threshold Of the door, in order t.
attend their master Immediately in hi,
| new life, and his grave was afterwart
| lined with the bodies of more slave.
who were to form his retinue in the
| 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-
| pany their mistress into the other world
Great numbers were sacrificed when
king died. When a man was kidnapet
| for sacrifice, he was gagged with knit,
run through his cheeks. These frightfu
customs of the Ashanti capital were OBJ
served by every kinglet in the Ashanti
''empire. Executions were decreed OF
any pretense. at is even said that O,
one occasion he (Prempeh) preferred
richer color in the red stucco on tin
walls of the palace and that for thi
purpose the blood of 400 virgins wa
| used.
We need say nothing of the march, il
which our author rendered most excel
lent service with his pioneering an,
covering corps. The following funn,
story is worth quoting: A native rune
came i'll with a crumpled piece of pa
per" bearing the inscription, "Majo
Gordon killed 14th instant" Comma
ton and grief, Of course. Then "som
one discovered faint pencil note of re
ceipt initiated by Major Gordon himself
and it then was remembered that q piec
of fresh meat had been sent off to hin
a day or two previously with this sci
same label attached to it" There is
very good description Of the last scene
at Kumassi, including the destructio,
of the fetch village and the blowin
up with gun cotton of the great fetic
tree in whose shade hundreds Of vic
tins have been sacrificed" The oil
Ashanti dam" which prevented com
mercial intercourse between the coas
and the interior being now removed, 81
George Baden-Powell, i'll the chapter h
contributes, advocates the construction
of light railway from Cape Coast Cas-
! tie to the Prah river-London News.
| Not Natural.