Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-07
ALLEGED ATROCITIES
CONGO MISSIONARY SAYS THE
BRUSSELS NOTE rs FALSE.
Asserts Land is Being Depopulated by
Murder, Outrage and In
human Torture.

The claims made in the resume OF q
Brussels note, made public yesterday by the
direction of Leopold. King of Belgium, de-
nying the charges of cruelty against the
administration of the Congo Free State
contained In a recent report of a British
consul, are falsehoods and absolute non
sense" according to DIR. w. II. Leslie of
Banya Manteke. on the Congo, who is
quoted in the Philadelphia North Ameri-
can.
DIR. Leslie SAID further:
THE administration, in the first place.,
claims all the land as government prop
erty, excepting only that in the immediate
vicinity of the native villages and a few
isolated spots where missionary societies
have bought mission stations.
In the Upper Congo they also claim all
produce of the soil, forbidding natives to
sell anything to missionaries and traders
without first sending their produce through
the government officers. Thus the natives
are not even allowed to profit by their own
labors. The government officers pay a
nominal price, which is about one-tenth of
the real value.
Men and Women Held as Chattels.
THE people are regarded as property of
the state for any purpose for which they
may be needed, and the government claims
the right to enforce labor for the purpose
- eo'Sa afe '1e - eef
plies to support thousands of native con-
stables recruited from fierce cannibal tribes
of the interior.
IF sufficient rubber and supplies are not
brought in from any village, troops are sent
to punish the delinquent villagers, and, as
a proof that they have done their work
well, the soldiers are compelled to cut of
and bring to the white officers the right
hands of all those they have killed.
Soldiers are not particular as to age or
sex of their victims. neither do they care
whether the victim is dead or only wound
ed. Many of our missionaries have found
armless villagers, men, women and chill
dren, lying about the fields in a dying con-
diuon, where they have been left after one
of these punitive expeditions. The white
officers do not take the trouble to investi-
gate these cases. All they want is the rub
Der.
Basketful of Human Hands.
MANY of our missionaries have seen sem
tries driving before them a poor old wo-
man, who was carrying a basket of human
hands, all of them smoked, and, from their
size, could be judged that they belonged 10
men, women and children. Doubtless some
of the victims were relatives of the poor
creature who was forced to carry the bas-
ket from her village to the state commits
saire.
I'm a report brought out recently by my
friend, DR.. H. Grattan Guinness of London.
are many statements regarding this cruelty
made on oath by members of the missions
in the Congo Free State.
king Leopold is thoroughly cognizant OF
all these cruelties. and the Belgian parlia-
ment was more severe than any other Dody
of people throughout the world in its con-
demnation OF the king and his administra-
ton in the Congo Free State.
Therefore, l say that his note published
in yesterdays papers is a pack OF lies ana
absolute nonsense