The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-10
TELL HORRORS OF
DARK CONTINENT
FiendiSh Atrocities Are Com.
mltted by Black and White
Demons in Africa.
Special Foreign Service.

Special Foreign Service.
BERLIN, April 9.-''Two armies of
demons" is the way a German mis-
sionary impartially characterizes the
black and white forces now engaged in
life and death struggle In German
Southwest Africa. The little war which
Germany is waging against the re-
bellious Hereros has been--so COM
pletely overshadowed by the big war
between Russia and japan that 1t has
received scant attention from the press,
but for blood curdling atrocities on
both sides it would be hard to find
parallel to 1t in the annals Of modern
conflicts even where savages are con-
cerned.
1t is in private letters, many of them
from eyewitnesses of the scenes they
describe, extracts from which have
been printed here, that the horrible
character of the conflict is revealed.
AT the outbreak Of the rebellion the
negroes surprised and massacred hun
dreds Of the defenseless colonists, and
practiced such terrible cruelties on
men, women and children alike that
the worst deeds of North American In
dams appear tame by comparison.
Instead Of killing their victims out
right the savages in most instances
subjected them to the most atrocious
torture their f1endiSh malice could de-
wise. Many, including women and
children, were flayed alive. Some had
their limbs chopped off, first their arms
and then their legs and those who
still survived had their eyes poked out.
Parents were frequently bound hand
and foot and in this helpless position
compelled to see their children slowly
tortured to death and their lifeless
bodies afterwards subjected to hOrri-
bic mutilation. Women were hung
upon trees head downwards and beat
en- to death. The negroes frequently
nailed hands, feet and other fragments
of the bodies of those they had butch
cred to the walls of their homes.
One woman, Frau Schumann, the
savages beheaded and then they stuck
the head on the roof of her house.
With a CHASTITY touch Of humor they
afterwards placed her pince-nez on her
nose.
The colonist who relates this incl
dent records with satisfaction that one
man., after being wounded, had
strength enough to blow out his brains
which had been reserved for him. An
other man was beaten until outraged
nature came to his relief and he lost
consciousness. His barbarous captors
then fired two bullets into him and
feeling sure that they had killed him
stripped his clothing from him and left
his body, as they thought to be de-
voured by jackals. But he recovered
consciousness and despite his terrible
injuries and the bitter cold managed
to crawl several miles to Windheeck,
the nearest settlement
L want to open your eyes to the
real nature of our black brothers."
writes one colonist, AdoIph Teuebener,
to relative here. "They are not men,
but wild beasts. Words fail me to de-
scribe the cruelties they practiced on
our own countrymen, on helpless wom-
en- and children. Farmers who fell into
their hands in this district were tor
tured to death, and their bodies were
mutilated, their arms being cut off
with axes. The women were treated
still more cruelty.
Frau Lange saw her husband done
to death and was then compelled to
watch her four-year-old child butch
cred. The Hereros placed the child in
doorway and slammed the heavy
door until the life was crushed out of
the body. | could relate hundreds Of
cases equally horrible. In the imme-
date neighborhood Of Okahand1a alone
113 persons were tortured to death.
God grant that some of these black de-
mons may fall into our hands There
Will be grim revenge then"
According to authentic German re-
ports that grim revenge is being ex-
acted whenever the opportunity oc-
ours. "Vorwaerts" declares that the
methods adopted by the German troops
are no better than those of the Here
ros; that they shoot down men, Wom-
en- and children Unfortunately and
after the engagements dispatch the
wounded.
That this statement is no exaggera-
ton Is shown by a letter from DR..
Baumgart, volunteer with the Ger
man troops who openly rejoices in the
war Of determination they are waging
and the part he has played in It,
mo quarter is given" he writes "the
| enemy are ruthlessly shot down, for
our feelings are very bitter against
these savages. We found a number of
| HereroS installed at the Hoffnung
farm, but when they saw our approach
they abandoned all their belongings
and fed. We, however, hotly pursued
| them and succeeded in cutting off four
teen fugitives who were rapidly shot
or beaten to death.
Another fugitive, separated from
| SAAO I4ICAn S1OOpy ICC61ROu Two outlets
from my Browning pistol, which
! wounded him. He crawled into the
| bush, but 1 sprang off my horse and
finding the spot where he lay, beat
him on the head with the butt end of
my rifle until his skull was shat
| tered.
Il wounded another Hereros with
| two pistol shots, and as he lay on the
| ground another of our men came up
and smashed his skull with a rife shot
which he fired at close range"
German authorities in the colonies
.hotly resent the criticisms made by the
missionaries and declare that their
sympathy with the rebels has done
much to foment the rising. To which
| the missionaries retort that the bru-
| tai treatment of the natives by the
German officials is largely responsible
| for what has happened, and that the
| Hereros are now only wreaking ven
geance upon those who practiced all
sorts Of atrocities upon them. In a
| letter by one of these evangelists It is
mentioned as a significant fact that in
the affected districts the savages care
| fully abstain from inf1icting injuries
on English settlers there