The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-03

bered his assets by millions of francs
and his subjects by hundreds OF thou
sands. His kingdonl, as it now Is un-3
der the French, is bigger than the
State Of Illinois; and it's population Is
estimated at more than million. Its
seat OF government and chief business
centre. Porto Novo. has $4,000 inhab-
itants and Abomey, where the King
formerly lived, has 1900.
Since the conquest of Dahomey the
French have turned things upside
down. They have established schools
in all the villages, and at Porto Novo
there is an experimental farm. un-
derstand they expect to put out cots
ton plantations, and that they are eN-s
plotting the country. Between four
and five hundred vessels now call there
annually. and the commerce is grow
ing. Two railroads have been opened
up. One of these starts at the port
OF Kotonu and has been pushed In
land as far as TOTO, a distance of six
ty-four miles. 1t is to be extended
three hundred miles farther. A tele-
graph line now joins Kotonu with Be-
hanzn's old capital, and that seaport
is also connected with the River Niger,
Timbuktu, and the Senegal. There are
, a hundred and twenty miles of tele-
phone IN the colony and seventeen
hundred and Twenty-Five miles Of tele-i
| graph lines.
These Daho,ney people are of the
same race as our negroes. Their coun-
| try Is on the Gulf of Guinea from
where the most of the slaves were taken
| In early days. They are OF pure negro
| stock, and belong to the Fan branch
of the Eve family. The people go
about half naked, and they believe in
| witches and have their witch doctors.
| "A In, OH F1s,l,., ,i,
was in the height of his power, travel
| ers who passed through Dahomey gave
I vivid pictures of him and his army.
They say that he sprinlsled his an
1 cestors' graves once every year with
| human blood. He was SO great at that
! time that when his people approached
| him they had to crawl up to him with
| their faces in the dust The annual
| grave-spriniling took place in October
and it lasted several weeks Tho ANA
! IONS then acted as the eXecutioners
! and the victims, who supplied the blood,
| were usually captives taken in war
| When the time for the killing took
1 place these unfortunate wretches were
i dressed in white shirts tied hand and
/ foot and placed in baskets on the top
| OF aspatform The King first made q
speech, and then the Amuzons hurled
| the victims down into a crowd, where
(, they met with a horrible death. L
/ have seen it stated that their Skulls
/ were used to adorn the palace walls
and that this king had sleeping
4 chamber paved with the heads of his
! enemies.
i About the Anazons.
4 The army of Aln;lzons was one of tho
j strangest features of King Behnnzin's
4 outfit. The most Of them We're young
4 women of from eighteen to twenty-five
4 tl,,,l I,
II trained to fight from their childhood
i Others were wives who had been found
unfaithful to their husbands.&and others
/. women who had been divorced on nc-
5count OF their bad temper or their
failure to have children or for some
Z other reason which caused their hus-
bands to want to get rid of them.
They thereupon handed them over
to the King. and IL they had the re-
quisite physical vigor they We're drilled
for the Amazon CORPS
These Amnaons were armed with
swords, battle-aSes and guns. TheF
were wonderfully brave and were
trained to endure pain OF all kinds
, A traveller who visited Ioahomey when
, Behanzin's power WAS AT its height
. says they had one exercise of climb
ing walls of thorn bushes made for the
purpose, and that they would go Over
them without ninchins and pretend to
; take tho army on the opposite sido
These Amazpns vera the ESings Speea
: iguard, and they fought better thar
, male warriors in the wars With tie
| French.
1T is also said that after II woman
/ ! Joined the army she was shut Off from
marriage, and that the virgins amont
, them were bound to perpetual maiden
: hood except they were desired by tht
| I Kins The AlnpIons Ware.6 trnine,