New-York tribune., 1907-12-23
RETORESCUE SLAVES
Rocr Iror General Tells Of Brutal
ifics IN West africa.

- rhe-r E,ienaar who fought in the
r.oer war arrived here from Eneiai'u -.
a., tb, steamship New York. This Is ms lf9' W.
=, America. and he brings with him story OF ,"e
Save trade existing the West Coast o. ~ +AtI.a
"a M fhe cr1lelties practised upon the unIor
natives General Pienaar's mission Is 20 SApo 80
This human traffic and he says he mas q ueii'e
man by which it can be stopped ii's Pl"N "o
docs not care ia reveal until he has pTeSeHleu
number Of letters of introduction 10 persons -
,,on,irence in this city, whose advice ne seeks III
carrying out his WORK -, e-,,,,
.s-tora ir no man who loves his wife and family
more than / do" said he. when seen yesteFoaS %
No z2s West sd street but what / have seen III
- .,,ef1a Y,royjucc is Of such serious nature
and il has impressed 50 that have lett my
wife and seven children in Cape ToWn ana nave
,,. loose from all other affairs TO right TINS great
wrong Everything / say I can prove concerning
- -oo- siaves and their treatment. After the
Esoer war sold my property in the TransVaaI i,nd
attempted 70 settle in Angola, where 'here was
Rocr colony. After I was elected leader or the
colony was asked by the Portuguese government
20 s,,nrlv a force of men subdue hafir chief
The men of the Portuguese force that went with
nv men shot the chief, cut off his head ana Soio
~ for rine little kaffiTs They used the head as 4
cornerstone for new fort. and planted the Portl-
r,,ese flag in the head wrote at once to the
government telling its officials that could NOT
he a leader of men who did such things instead
of supporting me they hunted me out or ths
country and L should never have been mere hu'
for the help of the British Consul
General Pienaar says the rich owners OF the
COCOA plantations in the islands OF Principe and
ST Thorne, off Cape Palnlas-W-ho live in Lisbon
enpIcy slave traders TO get the slaves These
slaves he asserts are purchased in the interior
and are driven to the coast shackled together N
forrs A contract is read TO them in Portuguese
and they are forced TO agree to its conditions.
which they dc not understand They are then
shipped TO Islands. where they inVariably
die z,sthin a wear from maIarial fever. only TO be
replaced by others obtained in the same way
They are poorly fed receive money for their
.erxices and are horribly beaten with cowhide
.bonss-often beaten death he says The eli
mate Of the islands is such that the cocoa trees
gror- luxurfantly IL is fatal tc the inhabitants
The overseers and the cable companys employees
he SAYS have leave before, or as soon as, fhe
fever attacks them
II have challenged the Portuguese government
said the general, ito produce five slaves who had
lived 10 come back from these islands and they
could not 10 it. There are three manufacturers of
cocoa in England who buy about one-third of the
product Of these islands. Many of the owners OF
these plantations members of the Portuguese
government who will fight 10 the bitter end any
interference in immensely prosperous industry
tho income from which every other in that
country They connive with the slave traders.
who are rich men. They pay on an average $50
for a slave
The general told of a little Kafir boy who
away from his master When he was caught TINS
master beat him with --shecot'-a cowhde thong.
dried and twisted like corkscrew-'untl his little
,,o6v Was streaming with blood" He then boiled
g niece of Boer stick tobacco and made the boy
drink a cupfuI of the mixture, ending his life by
hanging him beam by the heels And this
man said the general boasts of this and similar
acts of cruelty to his slaves"