The Washington times., 1904-06-05
Nameless and Hideous Cruelties Perpe
trated by the Ruling Class on
the Helpless Blacks.
A Tax in Severed Hands Levied Upon til
Luckless Laborers Who Fail to
Bring in Rubber.

Tor trouble. He had not long 70 wa
Tor soon the news began to come
from the region only one day from Il
station that the Zappo-Zapps had esta
ished themselves in a strong stocla
near a village named Chinyama. fro
which they were almost daily saHyir
forth TO catch slaves. demand tribu
from villagers. and kill all who dare
oppose them. This condition Of Anal
went on uninterrupted by the officer
Luluaburg. though only four. OF az IA
most five. days distant The create
terror prevailed throughout the who
region, extending even as far as LuetE
and beyond Many thousands Of peopt
had deserted their villages and fed
the forests for safety
AT last word came 10 Mr. Sheppard
shat the Zappo-Zapps had treacherousI
invited large number Of the prominer
chiefs Of the region 10 come inside Il
stockade. and that there they had bee
shot down without quarte- The ms
sion then asked Mr.. Sheppard, who wa
also a friend OF many IF the Zappd"
Iapps, 70 go and carefuIy investigatE
the whole affair. taking With him som
reliable native men, who could. If NED
essary. eorroborate the statements h
made.
Mr.. Sheppard saw along the way sel
eraf burned villages. also some woundet
persons. He reached the well-arrange
stockade. and was received in a frfendIN
way by Mlumba Nkusa and his so a
more followers. Inside the stockad
Mr.. Sheppard saw and counted eighty
one human hands. slowly drying over
fire. Outside the stockade he counte
more than twO-score bodies piled in
heap. Some OF these bodies had IN
flesh carved from the legs. Upon askin
what this meant he was informed 81
Mlumba Nkusa that his people had
eaten the flesh. Mr. Sheppard also saT
several Albini rifles and a pistol. witt
cartridges-all OF which natives are for'
hidden 10 have AIlumba Nxusa said
plainly that he had been sent by thl
state officer at LUluaburg and that ID
had already dispatched 70 him sixteei
slaves
Mr.. Morrison says that no punishment
OF any kind. save perhaps Two or threi
weeks Imprisonment, was ever meteS
out TO anyone on account OF this BUTCH
cry.
British ConsuPs Report.
Roger Easement, British consul 10 thd
Congo, who has made an extended I'M
vestigatiOn Of conditions as they obtain
in that region, has reported the results
of his investigation TO Lord LansdOwne
The report shows the existence of abuses
almost beyond the power Of the mind 70
conceive and OF brutalities unImagina bic.
Mr.. Easement interrogated a number
Of the natives who had their hands cut
hafv II,
men and women ascribed the mutilation
TO the ferocity Of the village --sentries. .
who are native soldiers maintained in
each Of the villages for the purpose OF
enforcing the gathering of rubber. The
consul took the statements of a number
OF these unhappy persons and Of others
who claimed 10 have suffered from the
wrath OF the soldiers Here is the state
ment OF a woman described as T 7, one
Of the latter:
Il was born at K k. After my
father died my mother and went 10
L L. When we returned TO K x.
soon after that Q came to fight with
US because Of rubber X X did not
wan TO take rubber 20 the white man.
We and our mothers ran away very far
into the bush The Bula Afatadi sol
diers were very strong and they fought
hard; one soldier was killed, and they
killed one X k man. Then the
white man said let us go home, and
they went home. and then we, too. came
cut OF the bush. This was the first.
After that another fighting took place.
I. my mother. grandmother. ard my sis
ter. we ran away into the bush The
the town and followed US into the bush.
When the soldiers came into the bush
near us they were calling my mother by
name. and was going to enswer. but
my mother put her hand TO my mouth
10 stop me. Then they went TO another
side. and then we left that place and
went to another. When they called my
mother. II she had not stopped me from
answering. we would all have been killed
then. A great number Of our people
were killed by the soldiers The friends
who were left buried the dead bodies,
and there was very much weeping.
The Fighting Renewed.
After that there was not any fight
ing for some time. Then the soldiers
came again 10 night with us, and we
ran INTO the FlSNs out lnt1 really came
to fight With NJ NJ They killed a
lot Of NJ NJ people. and then one
soldier came out 20 X k, and the
K k people killed him with spear.
And when the other soldiers heard that
their friend was killed they came in a
large number and followed US into the
bush. Then the soldiers fired a gun.
and some people were killed. After
that they saw n little bit Of my moth
er's head. and the soldiers ran quickly
toward the place where we were, and
caught my grandmother. my mother.
my sister. and another little one. young
er than us. Several Of the soldiers
argued about my mother. because each
wanted her for a wife. so they finally
decided TO xiii her. They killed her
with a gun; they shot her through the
stomach, and she fell. and when I saw
thai 1 cried very much. because they
killed my mother and grandmother. and
was left alone. Ny mother was near
to the time of her confinement at that
time. And they killed my grandmother.
too, and l saw Il all done. They took
hold Of my sister and asked where her
older sister was. and she said: She
has Just run away They said Call