The evening times., 1898-11-19
THE CAPTURE OF sAMoRY.
Once slave, Then N Powerful Des-
not and Now to he EXiled-
(From the New York Srn.)

(From the New York sum
Two weeks ago a dispatch reached Par-
is from the governor of Senegal, West |
Africa, telling the good news that sam
ory with mis- family, chiefs and Sofas,
had been captured by Capt. GouraUd
back OF the ivory Coast. The great pest
of West Africa mas been caught at last
and will join iHustrious personages ike
Behanzin the queen of Madagascar, and
other adversaries Of France sent into ex-
lie.
No enemy of white enterprises in Afri-
ca has made the lives of colonial ofheials
so unhappy as Samory has done in the
last twenty years. Samory has had
remarkable career. When little boy he
was given to q chief in the west Soudan
as a ransom for captive woman As
the lad grew up he showed intelligence.
courage and talent, and became the chleI
adviser OF the powerful maTab0ut. whose
slave he was. The young man saw that
all around We're many weak states, rag
ments of the powerful empire that had
fallen 10 pieces upon the death OF the
great Mahmadu. AS time went on and
his influence increased, he made an aill-
ance with the rulsE OF one OF these states,
accumulated lSt OF guns, cultivated
friendship with other chiefs, and when
he succeeded 10 the rule o. the country
in which he lived southeast OF the head
waters of the Niger. he began his con-
quering career among the scores OF states
round him This was about twenty years
ago. He coveted the entire western Sou
dan. and his greed for more territory
made him troublesome TO the Frehch,
who had reached the upper Niger and
were acquiring the hinterland OF Sene-
gal.
About eleven years ago. when Samory
was in the height of his power, ne met MS
first great reverse at the hands OF the
French. with whom he had been fighting
for years. He would have swept them
from the country If It had not been for
their superiority in arms and military
discipline. His empire was composed OF
1850 of the former little states Of Western
Soudan No forces brought against him
had ever vanquished this dusky poten-
tate until the French defeated him IN
1857 and then he sued for peace
French embassy was sent TO his capital,
Bissandugu TO make a treaty with
Frances greatest enemy in Africa he
gave the embassy a specimen OF MS splr-
ii and his appreciation OF his own I'M
portance for ne was very indignant be-
cause no Frenchmen of high official rank
had been sent TO him. He told Capt.
Peroz that his son had been received in
Paris as an equal by the President OF
France and ministers OF state. II was a
fact that one of SamOry's sons had been
permitted to visit the French capital
where the newspapers made him the lion
of the day SamOFy talked as though
/ he was a victor imposing terms upon the
vanQuished
You Capt. Price" said Samory, "and
the colonel who sent you here, are merely
the servants of the men in France who
! have receiV ed my son as their equal II
( the ministers wish TO make a treaty with
me let them come themselves. and not
/ treat with the ruler of a country that
! is much larger than France through one
J of their servants"
! This bravado did not frighten the en-
| bassy, and, though it took time and pa
! thence to make terms. a treaty was final
| ly signed by Samory in accordance with
which he surrendered all of his provinces
! west of the Niger. and became nominally
| a vassaI of France. He did not live up 10
| his promises, however, and has kept the
| French in hot water in the country east
| of the upper Niger most of the time
| They, however, gradually drove him
| south, taking from him district after dis
trict, until they brought him TO bay in
the hinterIand of the Ivory Coast. In the
past few months Samory was greatly
embarrassed by lack of supplies and hos
tile tribes. He and the remnant of hi:
adherents were making for Liberia wheI
they were caught. Everybody in recen
years has heard of the Sofas. and tn,
name has long been associated with Wes
African fighting The word, however. i
not tribal or geographical distinction. bu
merely signifies that those who hold tn
title are followers of Samory.
We have undoubtedly heard the last o
Samory factor in the affairs of WeS
Africa. The once humble slave was lon!
the absolute ruler of a large territory
He gained his ascendancy in large par
through the zeal with which he promuI
gated the tenets of Islam. He pretende,
to be an apostle specially commissione
by Mohammed TO extend his faith Whit
men who have an opportunity to stud
: Samory say that he is not religious, an
that there was no sincerity in his eX
pressed desire to convert all the peopl
, of his country TO MOhammedanism. Fl
, found, however, that religion was serv
iceable tool with which TO advance hi
interests, and he could be as pious as any
: one when it served his purpose TO assum
r that role.