Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-05
ADMINISTRATION OF
CONGO FREE STATE,
LeopOld's Government Says Brit
ish Consul Fails to Give
Names or Places.
is AN UNFAIR WAY OF ATTACK.
! Brussels Note Refutes All the Points
OF the Charges and Shows DIFF
ierent Side Of the Case,

washington, April Ain view Of the
recent charges made against the admin
istratlon Of the Congo Free State, the
Associated Press cabled TO King Leo
pold, asking for his side Of the case,
In reply number Of official docu-
ments have been forwarded by mail,
and In addition the Congo State has
cabled authority to James Gustayus
whitley to give the following resume
of the Brussels note, which has been
Issued In reply TO the charges made In
the recent report Of tho British con-
sui;
~The Brussels note, after taking up
one or two minor details of the British
cons,il's report, proceeds to consider
1.-THE main point Of criticism, which Is
1.-THE treatment OF the native population
by the Congo Authorities The cons
sul's report contains a number OF sto-
! rIes OF cruel treatment told him by the
pnatlves, which for the most part are
tyalueless an evidence on account oil
fthe fact that he did not investigate
Them, or obtain corroboratiye testl-
Imony. Although his charges are Of n
Imost serious nature, in the majority
OF cases he has failed to give the
names or places. This seems an UNI
fair mode of attack, as 1t gives the
Congo state no opportunity to disproYe
the assertions.
zone case, however, which the con-
sul investigated and which he gives az
a most fragrant example, was brought
10 the knowledge OF the Congo authori-
( ties and was Investigated by them
This Is the case of the boy Ependo
/ who claimed that his left hand had
been cut of by a native sentry In the
service OF La Lunga Rubber company
! The consul. accompanied by two mis-
slonarles, went to the village Of Bos.
sunguma and proceeded TO hold an
impromptu court Of inquiry. The In
tuTed boy accused the sentry, kelen-
10. to his face. The consul then Ques-
toned the chief and a number Of the
head men. They replied by accusing
the sentry. Most of them declared
shat they had been eye-wltnessses Of
the deed. The consul asked whether
there were any more witnesses, ana
narly all those present, about n
persons, shouted with one voice tha'
1T was Kelengo who did IT,
"The accused sentry denied the
charge. Other natives came forward
with various charges Of robbery and
wrongdoing against the sentry and
finally the consul, consolidating the evil
dence conclusive, announced to the as
sembly that Kelengo deserved punish
ment for his cruel and Illegal acts, ana
taking with him the manned boy laic
the case before the state authorities
saying dramatically that he denounced
not an Individual, but a system.
ut would be unwarrantable to draw
such sweeping conclusion from sin
gle case, even II the case were wei
founded. but as n matter OF fact thu
accusations of Ependo against the sen
try were shown to be without an!
foundation whatever, When the prop
er state authorities came to Investigate
the case tho boys evidence broke down
lie admitted that he had lied, and eX
planned that he had lost his hand IN
bear hunt, When asked why he haO
falsely accused the sentry, he said tina
he had done II at the instigation O
the natives Of the district who hope