Arizona republican., 1903-03-27
Slavery Under Christian Auspices.

J
 The disreputable character of Leo pold, king of the Belgians, and his mo- torious violation of most of the canons of decency, have prepared the world for any further revelations to his discredit, but it will shock humanity to learn that this Christian" king is the head and front of a system of slavery fin Africa which is too revolting for full descrip- tion. Leopold is the autocrat of the Congo Free State, and is personally re- sponsihle for the administration of it's affairs. A book, partly descriptive of conditions in the Free State, has just been published in England, and it is not surprising to learn that the publi cation has created a profound sensa- ton.
 A lengthy review of the book, 'The | Curse of Central Africa" has been tel ] egraphed to the New York Sun. The authors of the work are Captain Guy Burrows who resigned his commission l in the Seventh Hussars to enter the service of the Congo Free State com- pany, to whom Henry M. Stanley had | recommended him, and Edgar Cani- sine, who also spent several years in the company's service. The authors de- clare that they have absolute proof of everything in the book, and also of much that is not printed because the book was intended for general circula- ton.
 1 What is in the book, however, is sui ficiently horrible and revolting. It ap- pears that the natives have only been delivered from Arab slave drivers to become the slaves of the Free State company. The stories of cruelties pra acticed by it's officials equal and sur pass the ghastliest tales from Armenia and Bulgaria.
 The main trade of the Congo is in rubber The villages are obliged to send in certain amount which is so great that it takes up the whole time of the people, The villagers wear lsound their necks a zinc badge of servitude with their name and number. If they bring in at the fortnightly muster quantity which the agent deems insuf-
 ficient they are handed over to the sol diers, thrown on the ground and fog
 ged with a hippopotamus hide whip. receiving from 50 to 100 lashes. The natives are reduced to this practical lcJo h,-{ ha If force, which surrounds a village and shoots the men and such women as try to escape. The rest are taken prisoners
 and sent to distant plantations, where !, they are practically slaves. If they es-
 cape death in the jungle awaits them.
 When expeditions go out to reduce fresh tribes the soldiers shoot all the men, women and children they possibly , abandoned on their approach. One , practice on these occasions was for the , soldiers to cut off the left hand of an the men, women and children killed and bring them to the commissary, who , counted them to see that the soldiers
 had not wasted any cartridges , A photograph, which is reproduced , In the book, shows Major Lothaire and , other Belgian officials looking at q l gruesome scene of two chiefs, who, witt
 400 people, had come in to place them 7 selves under Lothaire's protection, be- ing suspended from a horizontal pole by cords from their necks, waists anG I ankles in the most painful attitudes r After having been thus suspended these I two natives were scalped. Then theil : shin bones were sawed through by tn, :, negro sergeant of the Belgian doctor : After this their ears, noses and lip' n were cut off for "the amusement of tn 8 white onlookers." This torture lasted 2 for an hour, after which the men wer i thrown into the bush.
 t Stories of similar tortures of men = women and children are scattere' ? through the book with accounts of tn y general system of administration 0 @ this vast district of S02,OOO squar = istence of an appalling state of affairs e The whole conduct of affairs is a vio e lat;un of the solemn pledges given t y, the European nations when the Cong n Free State was created.
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 n Several patrons of the high schol