The Philipsburg mail., 1899-08-04
CUT OFF GIRLS HEAD,
THAT SHE MIGHT ENTER
HEAVENLY HAREM.
Diabolical and Cory Ceremonial Ruth
lessly Carried Out by Barbarous Blacks
IN Darkest Africa-Murderers Danced
On Way to Gallows.

Eleven negroes were hanged at
'Edea, a town OF CAMERON, German
East Africa, the other day, and before
being swung off they danced, shouted
and trolicked. thanked the execution
ers and pitied their relatives, who had
10 stay behind. They were members
OF the Epanya Secret Society and
called themselves "Children Of the
Moon and Water" two terrible gods.
They died believing they were sacri-
tclng themselves in honor of a great
chlet and rich man recently dead, who
would give them a pleasant JOB as his
followers and the companions Of his
joys in spirit land. Hence their merri-
ment
The crime for which they We're con-
demned to the halter, while eight OF
their associates were sentenced to
work in chains for the rest of their
lives, was the slaughter of a young
girl for the harem their dead chief is
supposed to have set UP in the happy
hunting grounds. Here is the story,
as told by Father Walter of the Chris
conspiracy to murder, and describing
the murder itself was furnished by the
chief OF the Dokumbuang tribe. who
turned states evidence, having been an |
accessory to the crime:
After receiving three oxen as 2
bribe the Dokumbuangs consented to
Join the Epanya Society, and the
ord
woman for sacrifice The chief went
TO slave named Belek, at Pongos-
sumgu, who had one family living in
the village of kanu. The Kanu wife
mad six daughters and the youngest of
the girls, Sanaga, was chosen for
death, The bargain made all the par
tlcipants, including the unnatural
rather, celebrated the event by feast
with dancing and rum drinking. On
the following evening the chief and
tWo OF his headmen went to Kanu and
took the girl, who, they told her
mother, was to be married to power
ful headman The party went by
canoe to the forest near Edea, where
the sacrifice was to take place. and
the chief says that, to stihe the cries
OF the frightened Sanaga, they had to
keep her half under water most of the
time.
1he Epanyas received the new
brothers with every evidence of dis
tfnction, and gorgeous revel began,
there being 200 men present, most of
"nom masqueraded in strange armor
there were also many sorcerers and
medicine men, who invoked the good
will of the great spirit.
Every man carried some instrument
capable OF producing a great deal of
noise. Besides metal and shell rattles
they had wooden organs and drums.
some OF the latter covered with human
skin, black or white. Sanaga was
taken into the center of the crowd
where the sOrCerers held forth. They
wore the most hideous masks and the
high priest had his loins wound with
poisonous snakes, while a bloody tiger
skin trailed behind him.
The sOrceregs welcomed the oir1 In
mysterious language and made her
drink from a big rum bottle. Then
they laid her on the ground and
danced around her, sounding rattles
and drums in monotonous fashion. un-
I'll Sanaga Was half asleep Then they
told Of the great fortune in store for
hor.
Are Won ready to enter paradlse?"
tluu3erad ar last the high priest.
thrus.ug two of his snakes into the
girls face. Poor sanaga, half drunk,
half asleep and frightened to death,
said she was, thereby herself giving
the signal for the sacrifice. The ritual
DEGREES that the head Of the poor vic
tim must be sawed off by an almost
blunt stone ak, an heirloom in the high
priests family. The Dokumbuang
chief says Sanaga was tortured for
half an hour, her blood being allowed
to oOze in small quantities, so that
each man could have cupful. After
that the head was buried in an ant