The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-16

Zone of the officers who escaped massacre.1
dition has stirred up all England, and
the British foreign Office has issued or
ders that the crafty blacks shall be fully
punished. Several warships have sailed
for the mouth of the Benin river, and
troops are being massed on the Guinea
coast. The probable outcome of the ex-
petition is that King Drunami will be
made to regret his treachery if he lives
long enough after the machine guns and
martins have been turned loose on his
capital.
Not a great deal is known about the
monarch who has set England S fighting
men marching on his stronghold and
that which is known is not creditable.
If all that has been told is true, he
makes a pastime of murder and pro-
notes his chiefs for wholesale slaughter.
He has an interesting and original way
of observing the annual anniversary of
his fathers death, marking the occasion
by the killing of a large number of
slaves. He is great fetch worshiper,
as his ancestors for countless generations
before him have been, and in the Gus
toms which he follows a great many
human sacrifices are demanded. Being
a very religious man, he has not been
lutte tyrant and has the power of killing
any one of his subjects, from the great
est chief to the lowliest copal gatherer
or burden bearer. Whenever the wealth
er is too hot to suit his majesty, he de-
cides that Ju Ju is angry, and so he Or
ders that one of his people shall be kill
ed. These human sacrifices are made
with the utmost barbarity. Crucifixion
is one of the mild fortunes, and often
poor wretches are tied to trees in the
forest until they starve to death or some
wild animal puts an end to their torture.
The country over which King Druna-
mi rules is very fertile one and pro-
duces all sorts of vegetable staples, be-
sides mahogany and valuable scented
woods, gum copal and ivory. The fetch
worshiping king, however, objects to
the presence of traders and has prevent
ed his people in many ways from carry
ing on traffic outside their district. OF
ivory the king himself claims half of
all that is secured. This he will not sell,
but keeps to trade for slaves.
Indirectly it is this unbusinesslike
trait which has made the present trou-
BILE for him. In the interests of British
merchants, part Of the coast is under the
administration of the Niger coast pro-
tectorate. Before this was formed the
Royal Niger company, a chartered syn
dictate similar to others of the same char
acter in Africa, controlled and regulated
trade on the Niger. Most of the coast
tribes have been satisfied to sell their
products to these companies and work
for them, but King Kol1o, whose town
was about the same distance from the
coast as is Benin, refused to have any
thing to do with Englishmen and sailed
down in January, 1895, and massacred
a lot of KrCo boys in Akassa. The Eng
1ishmen escaped, however, and King
Koko's capital was wiped out of exist
ence a month or so later by British blue
jackets.
King Drunami evidently has not
profited by the lesson. Some months
ago, though, he professed a change of
heart and signed a treaty with repre-
sentatives of Queen Victoria. Still, trade
with his subjects was very much ham
pered, and it was to persuade him to re-
move some Of the barriers to business
that the late unfortunate expedition
tried to penetrate to Benin. There were
Englishmen in the party and about
$50 Kroo boys, natives Of the coast, who
carried baggage and presents for the
king. Before the party reached the cap
ital it was ambushed and 4 fierce assault
made. Most OF the Kroo boys were either
killed or taken prisoners, and only two
of the Englishmen, one of whom was
Captain A. II. Bcisragon, comlnandant
of the Niger coast protective force, es-
caped. The party had gene unarmed for
the purpose of proving tic King Drunalni
that they were bent on a mission of
g., H.. 1. <I<7
the results proved.
When Tommy Atkins does reach
Benin, he will find that he is on no holt
day junket. fer the Niger potentate who
rules that unsavory city has a large
number Of fighting men who are not
armed with spears and clubs alone, but
with repeating rifles, revolvers and other
modern arms. They also have a number
of small fieIdpieces which have been
obtained through the Arab slave dealers.