New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-13
CRUELTY TO NATIVES.
Congo Free State Courts Charged
With Injustice.

within the last few months most astonishing
facts have been published to the world regarding
the atrocOus i'll treatment OF the native people
by the government of the Congo Independent
State" says the Rev. DR. w NJ. Morrison, re-
turned missionary from that State. in The indie
pendent
Since these facts have thus been brought TO
light King Leopold at first fatty denied that any
such atrocities had been committed. When he
found that such fiat denials would not satisfy the
public he proceeded to give explanations, the most
remarka BILE of these explanations being that he
thus forced the helpless natives into military and
labor service in order to Civilize them.
"A favorite method the King and his govern
ment hay of binding the public the situa-
ton there is to that all OF cruelty to the
natives carefully investigated by the courts in
the country and offenders Invariably punished.
This seems a very strong argument and 1t IS the
purpose of this article to show from my personal
experience with this matter in the Congo State
courts that. far from justice being done, these
so-caIled courts Of justice only used as wells
with which to blind the eyes OF the world TO
the awful scenes of cruelty. oppression and often
of bIoodshed which are being enacted in that IN
fortunate land.
ITO clearly see that it is absolutely impossible
70 get Justice done in such it is only
sary to that all the officials in charge have
been appointed by the King and sent out his
tools. and they know fun we'll that it would be
all their positions were worth and perhaps their
heads too If they insisted giving justice to the
native people in opposition to the system Of OPP
preston and slavery which the King has set into
operation there
ct shall give only one or two out OF many
illustrations which I could give OF the working
Of the Congo courts There had been a terrible
outrage committed Of our mission sta
tons According to the usual custom. a gang OF
State people. from the State post at SuIuabourgh,
came near to OF mission stations. OF
course. they sent by the State official at
that post. were given guns and all necessary am
rlunition. They went out raiding expedition;
they killed many innocent and women. One
of our missionaries found them with large num-
Der OF human hands drying over fire. and the
leader of the expedition said that these hands
were to be taken back his white State officer to
show that his work had been we'll done. In the
name OF mission I reported these outrages TO
the King in a personal letter to him judge
came to investigate the charges had made. The
decision was rendered that the white official had
nothing to do with the matter. and the people who
made the raid wero punished
Something over year ago a white State Off
cial came my station at LuebO and there, after
my extracting from him the promise that he would
take no away by force. he caught in the
forests the poor natives had fed for safety
eighteen men. and I saw these taken away
with ropes around their neCks Terror had reigned
IN section for some months. / reported this
situation OF affairs to the government A Judge,
I had made. 1t could be easily seen all the way
through that it was his purpose only TO take down
fellow official. who had ordered the raid. The wit
nesses examined in secret. though bitterly
Justice The evidence thus obtained and left in the
hands of this official unsealed was sent on to
tool of the King. called the Director OF Justice.
The resulting decision might have been ex-
sacred treaty stipuIa ton guaranteeing TO the ma
tlves their rights had been ruthesslv broken