Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-03-11
American WOmans Exciting Ex-
periences With CanplbaIs for
Her Body Guard In Africa.
NEAR BEING EATEN BY ANTS.
Travelled With No White cempan iou
Fer Days Through Narshland With
Water Almost Waist High.
Special Correspondence.

ElN'ldl NoIItAphiueUNt
I ONDON. March Mrs. French
Sheldon has Just told me sone-
L. thing about the adventures that
bcfell her on the remarkable ex-
petition IN the Congo Free state, from
which she has just returned.
The motive that took this intrepid
American woman explorer off to the
Dark Continent for the second time
was entirely different from those which
have inspired most OF her other expe-
dltions. The three exciting trips around
the world made by Mrs sheldon, like
the famous Journey through savage
East Africa that earned her the friend
ship Of Henry NJ. Stanley and Paul du
Chaillu not to mention a fellowship In
the Royal Geographical society, we're
undertaken partly for the sake OF ad-
venture partly through a love OF re-
search, But the paintstaking journey
Mrs Sheldon made through the Congo
Free state az her own expense, TO see
for herseuf whether things there were
as black as they were painted, was
quite another affair.
Mrs, Sheldon tells me that at first
she simply thought she'd like to go to
Free State IL a famous place for but
terflies, and Mrs Sheldon, besides be-
ing explorer, physician, novelist sculp-
tor playwright and a few other things
In an ardent entynolosist. But once
started thinking about the Free State,
II struck this venturesome American
that she would like to know, II only for
her own satisfaction, whether all the
stories OF atrocities practised on the ma
fltfA q A.nls
death and the hands OF others cut on
because they didn't bring IN rubber
enough-were true, and N 50, whether
these things were really done, as has
been asserted so often, AT the COM
mand OF the Belgian adnnistra tors.
She was curious 10 know, In short,
whether there was justification for all
the outcry that has been made against
the administration OF the Free State
under the king Of the Belgians.
MADE FREE or THE COUNTRY.
Perhaps the fact that Mrs sheldon
was presented to King Leopold four or
five years ago. or just after the perilous
trip through the Masasai country, had
something TO do with the facilities that
he placed at her disposal az soon as he
heard OF her errand. The king OF the
Belgians had word sent 10 every part
OF the Congo Free State that this fear
less feminine investigator was to be the
'treest person IN the country that
she was to go where she pleased and
see what she wanted to see, To question
officials and natives and to Inspect doc
uments nj her own sweet Will
Considering that she went out to dis
cover It, II Is not surprising that Mrs.
Shedon's first business upon her return
from Congoland has been TO tell the
world what she II convinced Ia the
truth regarding conditions there. While
not pretending that all Ia rose-colored
IN the Free State, she has come back
convinced that an uncommonly hard
job IL being handled there rather we'll.
and that the Belgian administrators
have been libelled by missionaries with
a taste FOR polemics." as she says.
Mrs, Sheldon has been full Of this
side Of her experience, and thus II is
that such interviews as have appeared
with her have been practically devoted
10 II, and that almost nothing has
been said about the things that hap
pened 90 this plucky American during
the IL months that she spent I'm travel
Ing. without any white companion, from
one end to the other OF about the least
civilized region on earth
Mrs. Sheldon has exposed her life 50
many times In different parts OF the
globe that she has got used to being
surrounded by dangers and II proved
rather difficult 10 make her dwell on
the perlls OF one kind and another that
accompanied almost every step Of her
journey through the Congo State with
the possible exception OF her own expe-
ditlon through East Africa, however, II
WAS probably the most hazardous as
well a = about the most difficult Jour-
ney ever attempted by woman.
Begun In October 1903. Mrs. Sheldon'a
investigating expedition did not come
10 an end until the last days OF laat
December and n wouldn't have been
finished then had not the explorer met
with an accident while crossing soma
rapids In Congoland tho consequences
Of which forced her 10 return Ia Eng
land. There was. however hardly a
corner NJ the Free state which she had
left unyisted
Whenever possible. she Travelled by
the state steamers. which so up the
Congo once In two or three weeks, AMI
one ~ the privileges granted her by
King Leopold was the right OF having
these steamers stopped az any port for
two hours but. ~ course. her visits
TO the Interior OF the country had 10 DO
made on foot, In this way she covered
hundreds ~ miles. and ~ speaks we'll
for her constitution that she never lost
q single day and was never attacked by
fever or any other NJ the Ills that ordl-
narily beset travellers IN Africa
BODYGUARD OF CANNIBALs.
A lot Of her travelling had to be done
through swampy districts and for days
together she and her native carriers
marched through water that was oftsn
waist deep. While on her march Mrs.
sheldon was clad IN white duck. and
she saws that except at such times as
she was wnding through the swamps
she kent herself as immaculate an
Capt Kettle himself Her caravan
usually numbered about a hundred. In.
GLIDING four or Owe native soldiers,
and with the exception Of their leaders
overy member OF the expedition was
cannlbal Whenever she WIS In tbs
nelghborhood OF government post.
Mrs. sheldon. OF course accepted the
administrators hospitality, but when