The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-04
IN THE HEART t AFRICA
EXPLORER CHERRY PUT IN FOUR
YEARS AMONG CONGO
NATIVES
HE TRAVELLED 10000 MILES
Discovered Three Hitherto Unknown
Tribes and a Breed of EIe-
plants without Any
Tusks.

summer of 1895, is now on his way to his
home in America, having experienced in
the heart of Africa adventures more
thrilling, in many respects, than those of
Livingstone or Stanley For four years
Mr.. Cherry has been living among the
Congo natives. He has been their COM
panion, friend, leader and Instructor
Unaccompanied by any men of his own
color he mas penetrated to parts where no
other white man has ever dared to 60
1t has fallen to the lot of this plucky
American to make important geographical
and anthropological discoveries, pursued
so unostentatiously and admitted so re-
luctantly, that scarcely any one has heard
of them. They have been reserved for
the Geographical society of America.
Briefly summed up, Mr. Cherry. while
traversing over 10000 miles in the French
Congo and Soudan, has accomplished the
following ends:
NEW DISCOVERIES.
The exploration of the Upper Kotto
river and surrounding region The Kot-
to is large tributary of the Mobiaglli
The discovery of three native African
peoples: the Breea, Engazzia and Lindas
tribes.
The discovery of a species of elephant,
much smaller than hereto known, which
produces no ivory, or, in other words,
has no tusks.
In addition to these things, Mr.. Cherry
has collected invaluable written and pho
tographic data dealing with the anthro-
biological aspect Of the natives with whom
he came in contact, especially those
Which inhabit the territory between the
Waday and Mobangui rievrs. Upon this
he has formed the interesting theory
that all the countless native tribes of
Africa, excepting, of course, the Arabs
sprang from common origin. Mr.. Cherry's
experience with hundreds of widely scat
tered tribes convinces him that there are
traces of common art, customs and relig-
ion which point unmistakably to their
being Of the same race, despite the phys
zeal and linguistic differences which exist
at the present day.
This was Mr.. Cherry's second trip to
Africa. Mr.. Cherry has proved that
without large equipment, special knowI-
edge, or the expenditure of much ad-
vertising and capital, explorations in
Africa can be conducted by simply an
plying the methods of he Western states
to the conditions existent near the eoua-
tor. For one year he never saw a white
man, and for over three years no a
white woman. For four years he slept
in his clothes, a revolver strapped to
him, and rifle by his side For a
similar period of time he lived on the
diet Of the country, native in all re-
spects except in color and in mind. Yet
he is as healthy, strong and civilized to-
Gay as when he left Chicago. Mr. Cherry
brings back with his such a supply of
ivory that he returns to America a com
paratlVely rich man. Over a hundred
elephants have fallen to 'Demba Cree
cys gun After a holiday at home Mr.
Cherry is going back to Africa
ARRESTED BY THE FRENCH.
Starting at Matadi. on the west coast
of Africa, in August 1896, Mr.. Cherry
went up the Congo river as far as Stan
ley Pool, by Caravan. At Brazaville. in
the French Congo, he was held up by the
authorities fer having firearms without
permission. His weapons and cartridges.
which practically constituted his outfit,
were temporarily confscated by the
French government officials. Bereft of
motive and occupation, he chafed I'M
easily. and for work to do went into the
service of the government. He applied
his engineering education to some Dur
pose by putting the great steamer which
Capt Marchand had brought inland with
the purpose Of taking it to the Upper Nile.
OF Marchand and his famous expedition
Mr.. Cherry has many interesting renin-
lscences. While working at Bansui.
further up the Congo, for Marchand, Mr..
Cherry gained some insight into the gen
tie methods of French colonization A
rival tribal rising was in progress.
The French had captured a num-
Der OF prisoners. Of these several
plen and women escaped Three Of thu
women and sever of. the men were re-
captured, tried by court-martial and con-
demned to DEATH The three women. max
ed and blindfolded were stood I'D before
a handful of Sengalese soIdi ars They
knew what was coming and faced it with
herolsm that few men have shown when
confronted by sure death. They were not
Amazons, only domesticated wives, who
obtained food fer their husbands and
children and who grew weary of captiv-
NY. The Sengalese fired; the women fell,
rldoled with bullets A French soldier
stepped over their bodies, putting bull
let into each of their brains and ending
thelr writing agonies. Leaving the serv-
Ice OF the French government after hav-
ing his arms restored to him Mr. Cherry
went from BangGi with natives in canoes
10 the mouth of the NJ Bomu river, past
rapids, over them and more often than
not, into them, until he came to the ter
rltory of Bangassona, one Of the greatest
Of the NSaccraw chiefs in the whole
Congo basin.
HUNDREDS OF WIVES
Mr.. Cherry's photographs of this gen.
tleman show him to be as gross and
sensual a parsonage as can well be i'm
aglned, yet he rules with rod of iron
many thousands of people. The day of
MI. Cherry's arrival Bangasson had been
indulglng IN a raid upon a neighboring
tribe, with the result that no fewer than
o'VVO men, women and children had been
captured and brought to Bangasson as
slaves In addition to these slaves Ban
gasson's warriors brought back with
them hundreds of human heads; trophies
OF their proves. At night a great BAN
quet was prepared. The heads of the
slain were boiled and the brains were
eaten Baskets of human flesh we'll
smoked were carried around and devour-
cd. Bangasson has 1850 wives and is a
staunch ally Of the French government.
after period Of good hunting in the
push, Mr. Cherry journeyed to the region
Of the Darbetbandau. There he lived
with the natives as q native, sleeping
on a mat with two blankets, and being
knoWn among them as the great white
chief Demba Creecy, whose fame had
gone before him. Dressed in monkey
SKINS, speaking the tongue of the peo-
PIE with whom he lived, this young
American taught them the elements OF
astronomy, geography and told them of
the great white nations who lived with
out their sphere. In return they taught
MIN the secret arts, whereby they make
and mold curieusiy engraved spears,
hatchets and other implements.
Oaroandau served as the base for the
explorers expeditions. Thence he made
constant trips up the Kotto river. Three
times he lost almost everything he had
through canoes capsizing in the rapids.