New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-07
SECRET SOCIETIES ~ AFRICA
SOME DANGEROUS ORGANIZATIONS.

From The London Chronicle.
The secret societies OF the West Coast OF Africa.
though ENTHUSIASTICALLY and cthnoogi cally interest
ing. are great source of danger 10 our influence
I'm those districts There several kinds of these
societies. and some have many varieties. lnvesti-
cation is naturally attended with danger. ana IN
formation acquired with great difficulty ana only
where the native has grown TO trust the white men
who question him or her for II Is through the
weaker sex that most information can be got. In
the Gold Coast colony however there exists so
cety known proverbially among the white traders
and officials as the Anti-White Man or Anti-Euro
pean League most OF the leaders OF which are
known, but proof can be brought against none Of
AN ANTI-wHITE MANS LEAGUE.
This society is composed Of black men some Of
them Fantis and some Of them Ashantis. who wish
to get rid OF all Europeans whether English. Ger
real importance According to the repeated and
varied Information that ! gatherGd from NATIVE H
who sympathized with the Ashants. ana especially
with the Princes John and Albert Amsah "n nom
they regard az Ashanti princes should say tna'
the whole society sympathized with The Ashanti
A meeting concerning me Ans1hs. ! believe ' Pof
place at farm in the bush atter m" princes hiI
been brought 10 trial AZ Cape Coast rms WCud
explain the facility with which King irempsh Nhii'
at Elmna communicated WIN bls chles III Asnnh.l,
In Elmina he was lati"rly allowed occdsional,N 10
sympathized with hin IN preference 10 ~ NIL,
ever their feelings might have been when expressed
this for months before hing FrfInpeh Was vas Gent
ually wisely removed 20 sierra Leone. me qucN-
ton OF how the Princes Ansah were accused D.
Inspector Donovan and tried by British col %n
Judge and the colonial Atorney-General. sir VIII
one Would have thought more itly might have been
territorv1 may be put aside but that OF King
Prempehs capture by "a peaceful white expedl-
With the action OF the King OF Benin who through
probab bic means OF communication existing between
on smSr to ot that Which had Kidnapped King
FETCH SOCIETIES.
For besides this Anti-Whte Man League there are
societies, with which these Anti-Nhite Msn aglta.
tors are probably carefully connected. These are
Gaie6 IGrcR wo or has been Quite thashed out
by the late Colonel Sir Alfred Burden Ellis Is C. =.
in his N w9rF sop n Of ihe cold 90 The word
derived from he PortuguGse fGieoan am M bo a
races have cort OF primitive polythestic belief so
that the term ictich haS been lately InIG G a.
bmt I th"se OF whom / inquired pretended to know
whom / associated. il must ice remembered, are not
ov"res hut well-inforfnod well-educated. we-be-
THE "EGBo" AND IT'S BRANCHES.
These religious societies in the Niger Coast Protec-
torate are called tgbo ana j. Do. Tnere j. ne Esoo
River there is one in Ola Caabar, which Is called
within the own Of Old Caiabar Is very limited bIt
| expect that in the towns and villages scattered
way. Their laws and insignias, however. are very
different 70 those OF The Egbo OF the lhbio and they
not he COMPOUNDED However. al one time 1t was
much more powerful than any other Egbo society.
Idi1ng society among the Calab1r such there Is in
the Ibibo. The Idiong in the lbiho tribe is a sort
OF law-gving circle. whose duties not yet quite
known. yet some of the Egbo idols have the Idiong
ring round their heads, rs The members themselves
have the flesh raised round their heads ana
degrees in be ;g6o society," Of the Ibibo tribe The
Iboc it is yarousv spelled. but the tribe them
selves always pronounce it Igb0.
There
ciey. but these are called by other names yet
with different ceremonies attached to each More
will be learned about these later on if expedi-
socicties nave their own special idols horned
wooden masks, grass dresses bells aud other
difficult to obtain they kept very secret:
and It will soon be impossible TO obtain the real OBJ
jecs. II readily be understood how these sOce-
be In more or less communication with each other.
and that. with objects and religious rites evidently
active opposition to the white man 1t can now
be how easily the educated black gentlemen
use tn" Of these for G Sw E9u bd9 ake
purposes. The Porah Society. behind Freetown I'm
Successfully put down by Colonel Cardew T the
Governor; they attacked people disguised I'm leop-
GUS idol which discovered ana captured
SOME DANGEROUS SYMPTOMS
From time to time there will be disturbances not
only beyond, but within, the Gold Coast. however
that elastic designation may be applied since the
Ashanti expedition. Last September / heard from
n friend that all the CanOemen AT Cape Coast cas-
tie struck work. when II was their usual duty to
carry cargo TO and from the shore to the ships
They were with great difficulty. however. subdued
but not till "aftcr sticks and stones were going
like wildhre and broken heads were plentiful I"
Ills helmet saved my friends head once. and
finally the HauSaS had to be turned to restore
peace; the Kru boys employed I'm the factories
were put i'm the boats for the time being. bur
these only signs of discomfort and of some
thing more important brewing. Wherever there
white colonies on the West Coast there will be
trouble. except perhaps in Sierra Leone in the
capital OF which, Freetown, Colonel Cardcw. the
Governor. is very popular