The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-10-07
CRUELTY IN KONGO STATE
BLESSINGS OF CIVILIZATION ARE
VERY DOUBTFUL.
Confederation of English Accounts by
German Brutality of the Tax Col
lectors Negroes Shot and Mutilated.

When the powers agreed to form an
immense free state out OF the fairest
portion of Africa, says the Literary
Digest and placed the hongo State
under the protection of Belgium, they
were influenced by one of the noblest
humanitarian sentiments that ever
swept through Europe. But the re-
suits are not encouraging. The Bel
gian officials, entrusted with the no.
bic work of introducing civilization in
its best form, not only fail in the sup
preston of slavery, but carry on such
oppression and exhibit such rapacity
that the thickly populated banks of
the Kongo are rapidly being convert
ed into wilderness. Rubber and w.
DRY take on the Kongo the place of
the goiu which in Peru converted the
people into brutes. There seems lit
tie doubt that the horrible tales relat-
ed by the Swedish explorer, Westmark
are only too true. The following let
ter addressed to a German in the SER
vice of the Kongo State to his relatives
at home is making the rounds of the
press:
"Iou have, no doubt, already been
informed of the horrible defeat that
has been inflicted upon three of our
expeditions. Well, | was not with
either of them. / am now safely on
the coast. But | am not in a comfort
able frame of mind for all that.
IF my contract were not nearly
run out, if ! had to stay here another
two years, | would rather do two
years in the French Algerian Legion,
and be grateful for the change. l will
not let you know these things by the
ordinary mails, alse | might be report
cd as dead from fever But this let
ter goes by a chance English vessel,
so | will give you Il hint as to what is
going on.
The first four months here were
pleasant enough. | received my pay
fairly regularly then, too. After tina
however | was sent up the river, and
soon lost pleasure in my work and in
the beautiful scenery. because | wit
messed too many outrages on the part
of Belgian officials. But that was
nothing compared to what ] saw when
| reached the garrison to which am
attached. | was sent with the soldiers
under my charge to gather india rub
Der and ivory, and was almost conSn-
ually on the road for this purpose.
During the year was there more than
twenty villages, whose inhabitants
could not gather the required amount
of rubber and ivory. were wantonly
destroyed. AS l did my best to pre-
vent cruelties, | was not, after a little
while, entrusted with the work of the
gathering of the taxes laid upon the
natives, and two Betelela non COM
missioned officers were sent instead.
They always returned with q large
quantity of ivory and rubber, but al
ways excused themselves for not OBJ
tanning more, and exhibited one or
two dozen human hands, chopped off
from the bodies of refractory natives. |
In this way about two hundred hui
man beings have been mutiated near
our station alone within a single year. |
The hands are dried before char |
coal fire to prepare them for trans !
port Yet the unfortunate natives all |
dread the fevers and the wild beasts |
of the forests almost as much as their |
cruel masters.
February 4, 1897 Ct intend to re-
port the matter at length as soon rs I |
return to EurOpe), we reached with a
force OF l,2OO men native settlement /
we lldN lOl knOWll De1Ore. we showed |
the people some goods for barter, and
they brought their produce. They did |
not. however. bring as much rubber
as our people wanted and our Bateie-
las fired at them without a word OF
warning. killing dozens of the people.
The whole proceeding made me so
sick that | had to be sent to Leopold
vile.
The kongo State needs for this
horrible work about 1000 recruits an
nually. They are taken from the Be
telelas. tribe just emerging from
canabalism. They receive no pay,
and consequently do not serve volun- |,
tarily. They are driven together like
cattle, and hundreds die by the way,
in single week 112 were thrown into
the river. When they learned their
drill. they have been transformed into
veritable wild beasts ready TO murder
at their masters bidding. Meanwhile
the kongo State is depopulated and
ruined, altogether, from an economic
point of view"
English papers have related similar
things before, but the Continental ,
press at present receives with great |
caution all accusations against Bel
gian officials made by Englishmen.
The above, however. seems to corrob-
crate the worst statements i'm British |
contemporaries, and an international .
investigation will not doubt be inst-
t1t