, 1896-09-01
BUMPERS OF BLOOD.
THE BRUTAL CUSTOMS ATTRIBUTED
TO THE ASHANTI SAvAGES.

THE BRUTAL CuSTO.aS ATTRIBUTED
TO THE ASHANTI SAvAGES.
ssae - the Horrible Details of the Finally
sscsssafnl Efforts Of the English to Dc
stroy h Bloody Reign Of frsmpeh Told
In . London Paper.
Seventy-two years ago the first Brit
tah expedition against kumassi came to
. miserable end. The skull Of its leader,
Governor Sir Charles Mccarthy, was
turned into u drinking cup, from which,
II they al all behaved according to their
wont. Prempeh's ancestor and his VIC
tofious warriors must have toasted each
other in bumpers of human blood. The
second expedition, year 1868, was also
badly beaten. but BY King Fever. Nest
people know the history of the third
expedition. Lord Wolseley's, year 1873.
Every newspaper reader has a general
idea Of the fourth and final expedition.
which, without firing a shot, made an
end Of Preinpeh's hideous rule, OIL 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 o
compact, faithful, most readable record
of the campaign will find it in the illus
trated volume of Major Baden Powcll's,
to which is appended Suggestive chap
ter by Sir George Baden-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 n has been n 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
30 years, Still, had it been merely .
question OF removing PrcmPeh, the sue
ceesful expedition would not have de-
served all the eulogium we have just
bestowed upon it. When on Jan. 90
Prempeh did homage to Governor Max.
we'll kneeling en- u biscuit box, while
his excellency sat on another, it was
not merely q black king who passed
away, but q whole atrcoious system OF
blood, torture and state sorcery that
had endured from immomorial time.
1nc name huniassl means the ceath
pace. how wen II deserved Its name
= maae pam enough III the hrst part OIL
Major Baden Powell's book. So numer-
ous were Prempeh's executioners that
two whole streets of the town were set
apart for them to live in. One of the
streets was by the c~Secutoner'i
OF men. women and children doomed to
PC sncrlnced. IN spite OF the Wolseley
treaty nunaan sacfiiices were v
stopper IN Asnanti. AT the harvest les
nval human beings were sacrificed to
tho spirifs.-"iienever III KING made %
pilgrimage to his ancestral ghosts, no
sscr1nced W men, hacking their heads
on on tue edge OF his execution bowl II
vessel nve 1eef across:
70 patrefy IN h bowl, and leaves OF
'.ceftaan neros oeihg ~ 1t was con.
.sidsgeda very valuntlcfetich medicine.
When : great parsonage died, two OF
hisshcu.ehold slaves were ut orce killed
on the threshold OF the door in order to
attend their master immediately in his
naw life. and his grave was afterTard
1iulsl with the bodies of moro slaves
who were to form his retinue in tho
spirit world" Sometimes the slaves, or
free people kidnaped for the purpose,
wete buried alive with the dead person.
age Slave girls were killed to accom-
pany thets mistress into the other world.
Greatfnnmbexs were sacrificed when a
hing died. Whom u man was kidnapped
tor sncrifce, he was gagged with u knife
r~un.thrcugh his checks. These frightful
ctsenms q1 tho Ashanti capital were OBJ
served By every kinglet i'll the Ashanti
"e0tpare. Executions were dccreol on
my freees,sa. ut is even said that On
o~uescccasiou he (Prempeh) preferred u
rachsr coloe IN the red stucco on the
wAlhe1 The palace and that for this
puzpqaes - blood Of 400 virgins was
suset
whaee pnE'author rendered most excel
- eszssce With his pioneering and
coafa Inc following funny
Mofsh quoting: "A native runner
same Y With = crumpled piece OF pa
pr DoetiAA NO inscription, Major