The Washington times., 1904-06-05

amount And then he told me the
amount these people had 10 bring The
commits aries lower down the river do
not know how many people there are in
a village. They put on a small village
as large an orount rs on big village.
In this case IL was impossible for the
people TO collect the required amount.
From this village I went on 70 an
other. whore ] met a man who pointed
to a basket and said 10 ine. Io7x I
have only two hands" He meant there
were mt enough 70 make I'D for Ike
rubber he had not brought He had
several prisoners tied TO the trees. They
were waiting 10 be taken away When
I came back some Of the villages were
in an Uproar. The people were leaving
their homes and rushing 70 the forest.
When I reached the river turned
round and saw that the people had
large hammocks. in which they were
gathering the rubber to he taken to the
commissary. I also saw smoked handc
and the prisoners waiting 70 be taken
down to the commissary.
THAT is only one Of :he places in
which these practices occur. There IS a
small island in n stream at Like Man
tumba- The people had not been able
70 bring the full amount OF rubber. The
officers with some zoldiers went along
there. Several Of the natives were kill
ed. 1 saw the dead bodies floating on
the lake with the rign1 hands off. end
the officer told me when I came back
why they had been killed II was FOR
the rubber IN fact. the officers have
always freely told me about the many
who were killed, and always in connec-
ton with india rubber. IN one village
which I passed through I saw two or
three men on the wayside quite recently
killed-about an hour before. The senti-
mel who had TO oversee the gathering Of
the rubber told me they had killed the
men because they had not brought
the rubber. When I crossed the stream
l saw some dead bodies hanging down
from branches in the water. AS I turn
ed my face away at the horrible sight,
one Of the native corporals who was fol-
lowing US down said. oh. that is moth
ing: few days ago I returned from a
fight. and I brought the white man 100
hands. and they are thrown in the
river
AT Lake Mantumba later on. in 1895.
the natives. after they had begun to get
india rubber close 20 the lake. found
hostile tribes with poisoned arrows. The
natives could not get far enough for
their india rubber. Two or three days
after a fight a dead mother was found
with two of her children. The mother
was shot and the right hand was taken
of On one side was the elder child.
also shot. and the right hand also taken
off On the other side was the younger
child. with the right hand cut of; bu;
the child. still living. was resting against
the dead mothers breast. The dark pic
ture was seen by four other mission
aries. 1 myself saw the child. The Ia
tives had begun 10 cut of the left hand,
but seeing their mistake. they left Il
and cut of the right hand instead"
cannibals Are Employed.
One Of the most scathIag denunciations
Of affairs in the Congo is made in a COM
munication from the Rev. W. NJ Morri-
son. an American Presbyterian minister
and missionary TO the British foreign
office. He says:
In the months Of August and Septem-
Der Of the year 1899 occurred. about three
days from I.uebo, one Of the most
shameful affairs that has come within
my knowledge. BY way Of explanation
IL is necessary TO say that at the state
post Of Luluaburg which is about five
days march from Luebo. is located a
large village Of people called Zappo-
Zapps.
They are cannibals. and we're brought
from far 10 the east and settled there
by a state officer named Paul lie MarineI
about the year 1890. Ever since their
coming to Luluaburg they have been a
terror 20 the whole surrounding district
In fact. having guns and being known
to be cannibals and very brave warriors,
they have all these years been the great
slave dealers and slave raiders OF the
district Perhaps half OF the 1000 or
5000 people at Luebo who have been or
are now slaves have been caught by the
Zappo-Zapps in their numerous raids.
Quite a large number have been caught
by the soldiers. while a gOodly number
have been seized by the famous state
friendly at Lusambo. named Penia
Mutambo.
Some few have been caught in petty
fights between villagers. The state must
Of necessity know OF the many thou
sands Of slaves who have passed and are
now passing through the hands of these
ZapDo-Zapps. The only possible explain
alton is that the state and the Zappo-
Zar.ps. many Of whom. by the way. are
nv personal friends. are in alliance in
the matter Up 70 the time l left Luebd
slaves caught II the regions TO the east
OF Luluahurg ard Lusambo are almost
daily exposed for sale, and always b.
the Zappo-Zapps. Either the latter them
selves have done the raiding or II has
been done by some OF the 'sepoys' about
I.usarnbo. who have then sold the slaves
10 the Zappo-ZaPPs.
This DEPRESSION from the incident
which am proceeding to narrate was
necessary in order TO more fully explain
who the Zappo-Zapps are and what Is
their rotation to the state. The circum-
stances, briefly stated. are these:
Chiefs Were Butchered-
! During the last days OF July, 1889 cor
about that time, news reached us at
Iuebo that a large band Of Zappo-
Zapps. under a famous warrior chief
named Mlumba Nkusa, was proceeding
into the Bena Pianga country, not far
from one Of our mission stations. in or
der 10 collect tribute and get stores for
the state Upon hearing this news
wrote at once 20 our missionary at
Ibanj the Rev. w. II. Sheppard. F. r.