Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-25

perpetrating various abuses of official
power. once appointed personal irlenu
named Leuschner to be chief of police In
the district of Buea. In this position Herr
Leuschuer not only commanded the native
police forces, composed OF negroes from
Liberia. but also acted as supreme 1udge
and administrator of the district. Herr
Leuschner had not claim to this important
position beyond the fact that he was a
talented artist whose water-coloreo PIC
lures strongly appealed to the governor
After occupying this position for some
time, Herr Leuschner. whose brain appears
to have been affected by the tropical neat.
allowed his wife to persuade him that the
negroes forming his police corps were med
ftating the massacre of all the Europeans
III the district. Herr Leuschner thereupon
summoned all the Europeans, ana served
out to them rifles and ammunitions or the
latest pattern. He then drew up the native
police in ranks and ordered them In harch
tones to lay down their arms. The negroes.
not understanding what was required or
them and having perfectly clear con-
sciences. hesitated for moment In aston
ishment
Herr Leuschner, regarding their momen-
tary hesitation as a proof of their intention
to mutiny, ordered without further hesl-
tation, the assembled Europeans to fire on
the natives. This order was promptly car
ried out with the result that nearly all
were killed and many wounded. The I'M
injured remnant of the police corps broke
up and fed precipitately to the adjoining
district where they besought the German
chief of police for protection against Herr
Puttkamers violence.
Priyy Councillor Seitz, who has now been
appointed Herr Puttkamer's successor as
governor of CAMERON, conducted an official
investigation into the affair. Two menu
bers of the police corps were condemned 10
severe terms of Imprisonment, whereas
Herr Leuschner escaped without any pun
ishment II there had been nothing to con-
ceai, Privy Councillor SeitZ would hardly
have impressed on all the witnesses of this
terrible affair the necessity of maintaining
secrecy Frau Leuschner received ringent
instructions from him to hold her tongue
and not to gossip about her husbands acts.
The truth about the matter would prob
ably never have been revealed il the Ger
man consul of Monrovia in Liberia had not
reported to his governor that 1t was ex-
tremely difficult to recruit Liberian natives
for CAMERON since Herr Ieuschner had
caused the members of the police corps TO
be shot down at Busa. This consul reported
all the unsavory details which have now
been published.
Outbreaks of this kind have been fire.
ouent Nor have the abuses stopped the
outbreaks There have been outrages added
to graft Of the worst kind whereby large
sums of public money have been unlawfully
appropriated by corrupt colonial officials.
young bloods who were good for nothing In
their own country have been sent out to
the colonies to rule the unfortunate natives
who were placed In their absolute power.
During the last three years no less than
forty-eight well established cases of graft
have been brought to light in connection
with {, ionia administration. The incom-
ps.erce and corruption has not been con-
fined to government o--cials in the colonies,
but has permeated to German colonial min
listers in Berlin. Here the officials have
been guilty of corrupt practices, have in
trigued against one another for personal
ends, and have systematically failed to dis
charge their duties in a competent manner.
The health of Baron Richthofen who died
early in this year from mental breakdown,
was undermined by his terrible experiences
at the German colonial office. which he en-
tirely failed to reform. His successor. Herr
Won Steubel, was recently forced to resign
il disgrace, partly because he himself was
suspected OF corrupt practices and partly
because he tolerated graft in his own de-
partfuent. His successor was the heredi
tary prince, Ernest of Hohenlohe, who Is a
man Of royal rank, closely related both to
the kaiser and to other European sover-
eig,ls. He was supposed to have sufficient
authority to put-down the abuses in the
colonial ONCE with firm hand. After six
months Prince Ernest Of Hohenohe was