Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1897-01-07
BUMPERS OF BLOOD.
THE BRUTAL CUSTOMS ATTRIBUTED
To THE ASHANTI SAvAGEs.

TO THE ASHANTI SAvAGES.
Some ofthe Horrible Details of the Finally
Successful Efforts of the English to De
stroy the Eloody Reign of Prempeh Told
In a London Paper.
Seventy-twO years ago the first Brit.
ish expedition against Kulnassi came te
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 thei1
won't, 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 a 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 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 Powell'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 vsar, it
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
20 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. 20
Prempeh 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 @ whole atrocious system Of
blood, torture and state sorcery that
had endured from im1nemorial time.
The name Kumassi means "the death
place." How well it deserved its name
is made plain enough in the first part of
Major aden-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 executioners
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 to
the spirits. Whenever the king made a
pilgrimage to his ancestral ghosts, he
sacrificed 20 men, hacking their heads
off on the edge of his execution bowl,
vessel five feet across
"The blood Of the victims was allowed
to putrefy i'll the bowl, and leaves of
certain herbs being added it was con-
sidered very valuablefe 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 to
attend their master Immediately in his
new life, and his grave was afterward
lined with the bodies Of more slaves
who were to form his retinue in the
spirit world. Sometimes the slaves, or
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 a
king died When a man was kidnapped
for sacrifice, he was gagged VIII knife
run through his cheeks. These frightful
customs Of the Ashanti capital were OBJ
served by every kinglet in the Ashanti
s'empire. Executions were decreed on
any pretense. sit is even said that On
one occasion he (Prempeh) preferred a
richer color in the red stucco On the
walls of the palace and that for this
purpose the blood of 400 virgins was
used +"
We need say nothing of the march, in
which our author rendered most excel
lent service with his pioneering and
covering corps. The following funny
story is worth quoting: A native runner
came in with crumpled piece OF pa
peri bearing the inscription, "Major
Gordon killed 14th Instant Comma.
ton and grief, CT course. Then "some
one discovered faint pencil note of re-
ceipt initiated by Major Gordon himself,
and it then was remembered that a piece
Of fresh meat had been sent Off to him
a day OR two previously with this self
same label attached to it. " There is a
very good description of the last scenes
at Kumassi, including the destruction
of the fetch village and the blowing
up with gun cotton of the ''great fetch
tree in whose shade hundreds Of vic
Tins have been sacrificed. - The old
dam which prevented CON
mercial intercourse between the coast
and the interior being now removed, Sir
George Baden-Powell, in the chapter he |
contributes, advocates the construction |
of light railway from Cape Coast Gas. |
tie to the Prah river. London. News.
His First Story.
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