The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-05
DR.. CARL PETERS Defense.
WHY HE HANGED AND rLoGGED
THE AFRICAN NATIVES.
Judges Were Determined to Con-
Wet Him-smsII Onenses Punished

Il an interview with = representative G:
-he London c1To1,el= Or. Carl Peers ex-
plsi5ed why re dse nor appear 20 defend
himself before the disciplinary cc-r. 90 ap-
fseaIs az Berlin. 20 which ne had appealed
aEsinst the sentence g tay- April for viola
tt71 % his Official duties a. imperial COM
missary Ct tae kli.zna-S. aro district IN
German East Africa.
i had became convinced" he said. 'oe
the u,ter fatlI.ty oe my doing so-seeing
That Herr Dvenekmann, the president %
the court. had declared some tine baf2re.
as / was Informed. ;1at Ae VAS privately
determined 70 Uphold the Judgment Of THE
lower co0rt. and even 90 beyond IL. The
ta3nz. therefore, was a feTsgone conclusion.
a1d determined 10 let Il take its course
But vas there 10 other way ous o. the
d.t+ycnlty?''
Certainly there was. I. depended OF
myself ghs;her my case should come be
fore the ccurt Of frst instance or not. For
al that had 10 do-as was seEi-oficial!y.
or rather Officially, conveyed TO ne last No.
vsmpsF-was 70 resign. and then the whole
thing would have been at AT end while I
should haze been entitled 70 the pension
which has now been denied me-
tnJastly, you think
Very much 60. for ! am quite certain
that II / cad besn tried b. a more COM
petsEt tribunal I should have been sc-
Quilted on ali the counts Of MY Indictment
"a tribunal. mean. composed OF men like
Capt Lasard, Dir. Stanley. Mai. Won w!ss-
mann, ana others OF me same kind who
vera in position 70 Judge Of my actions
very much better than men who knew
nothing whatever Of the local circum-
stances in which / was placed. happen
40 know. in fact, that Ma. Won WIssmann,
II similar circumstances, would have act
ed precisely as ! did If / were asked 30
decide about the conduct Of officials to-
wards TIE natives of China or Argentina
i Should myself decline the RESPONSE binty-
10, being in a position 10 estimate all the
locai difficulties with which they had to
deal"
Well. then, but what was the special
officially OF your own posit.on?'
simply this: That at ktlima-Ntaro
where was imperial conamissary on pro-
baton. SO 20 speak. IL was q mater Of life
and death with me and my people With
only thirty-tiye Soudsnese soldiers. We. a
hanef1l OF Germans, were in the midst OF
a disaffected and rebeiious population OF
A-o.o. and IL was only by strong exer,-
piaFy measures that we could inspire re-
speet for our authority and maintain our
position"
For exsmpier
We'll, | nsyer denied that under NV a.
mlnistFation TWO OF cur subiects-Nar-
hFak, my servant, % years of age a auon.
Gam eanaihal Of the Manyeula tribe, and
a girl called Godjo-were hanged. ana
that some other women, five IN all I
think, were fogged: bar ali this vas doro
on the judgment Of 6 regular court-mar-
tjaI, not on my own arbitrary authority:
and in the case OF the girl Godjo-who was
not. py the bye, my mistress as errone-
ousiF asserted-my opinion was OUT
weighed by that Of my two judicial COL
L.
Jancke"
But what. then. were the crimes OF
these yictims2''
I'm the case Of Marbruk, he broke into
my quarters with an object which was
not altogether clear. and two months
later he was hanged by order OF court
martial for threatening 10 kill In con-
nection with this crime. and for nEsieai-
ing Va BY telling lies on the subject"
Well. then. ard the girl?''
AS for GodJo, who. ] repeat, was not
my concubine. She shared the fate OF
Iarbruk fer making her escape as a
'chairl-prisoner.' In spite os the fact that
twice every week all such prisoners had
been duly warned that death would ee the
penalty OF any attempt 70 break away:
and must remind you that my govern
nient had Invested me- with powers OF life
and death. though in the case Of tna
coairt-martfal on The girl. my verdict was
with he minority"
Well. then. for what ofense were the
other five women aogged?'
For esce ping from the station, snt
thus eadangering our position by COM
muSiicating with our enemies
But. then. Dr.. Peters you were also
accused of levytng war without Just cause
on neishborly potentate'
les. Ma!amia.. because he had refused
TO give up man who vas badly want
a e
back must come and fetch him; and for
his insolence in this respect car honest
" say that If / had caught hold OF Ma
lagnia then. I should have hanged him IN
addition 10 burning down his residence
How came the cid charges aGains, you
to he raked up afrash?"
''Ah. there Is something OF a political
mystery aboU. that. and what / may VEN
ture 10 call political intrigue. After fe-
eeIving my imperial patent liz lSs4) did
not a. once return 10 East Africa. but
continued IN Beriia az The disposal % the
foreign Office. and az banquet in NV
honor Or. Kayser MY Official chief said
that from a colonial point Of view Re had
always heen my pupil and 50 on-thouEh
ere I'm whom / bad rot always delighted.
IN the san1e year Herr von VoNmar. d
socialist deputy. brought up new charges
against me. OF rather revived the old
ores. ard ST my request n new inquiry
was granted. with the same result a. be-
fore. and hal fh. satisfaction oF having
nv name Proposed 20 tire emperor. along
with those II MAJ von Wissrnann ard
Col Ilssert to- the goveTnorSh'r q East
Africa " ,sSrnann was appointed ard
thea I resigned thoagh tire government
refused NV resignation sal offered ne
the control q the TanEatyisa cfty,-ic, al
ST. Increased salary bnt this. tu turn.
declined. or TIE grour. mat the powers
oNe-er ms did rot include direct military
authority I wa$ then paced zur dtSpo-
sitSop.' ard being now comparatively free
&C ofilcial Responsibility. I threw myself,
IL re spzirF q }ss5 }rte a popular r.aN-a-
rlerlt fer the increase o. oar feet. and
was made president q he colonial socf-
ETY. IN room OK Prince AreubeTg. Isut NV
mptonsAip 81 tA4s movement proved
tncorx extent 10 Raroe Marshall TIE for
elSr secretary. ard therefore / Was sac
riGced - !C1Ue1Ces which Il wcuia be IT.
yidiouS 70 particu.ar5ze Herr BesgeI. about
the same time, eEca More 81 the reich
stag. res3AsG4tated tne accusations OF tire
year before CT ghe basis Of "a letter a.
legged % have been written 10y me TO yocr
= shop Tucker. bus y sscH certainly my
e. wr0s@ ana WS p :he bishop himself
declared he had never resolved TIE thing
was a fergerv.
Nv WON -
IN thai ~og'& rather 70. say. eut
3 forgery :, was. though i has IRE s~A-t
cs ieaA!~S - she sr-a}. bat whlca has rcw
resulted IS you kz5u But Z Herr He's
vss. the pebble prosecutor. and herr
pEen, krsauD. ,sze president q the appeal
ccUrs. th3vk taat I SaTe made tnyssir an
wo~sSY Il ne position - Il German -
14clas ~ Tny behavior II Ess; Africa
wNere I Wes tEe founder 81 oar prot e-t-
% aFe-ta~n / wish WITH al Ersy aearG taas