Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-17
By Ralph St. J. Perry
Drawing by w. Berger

!. | . !
COON after my advent into ~
- the inner circles of West ~ -,
African society there came
to me stories of "sassywood W ~
trials" This is a bush devil III al y
substitute for judge, jury, and IL
executioner, and absolutely i'm RI
partial in its action, killing the y
innocent with the equa- n ~ -
nnity and prOmptneSs it dis ~ =
plays in executing the guilty.
There court delays x&*sSpe\
Qu1bblIngS attention is paid
to evidence, judges charges, or
attorneys Oratory, and there
are appeals to higher courts.
From my native boys asCer- kEH6h
tanned that when man
cused of major crime he was
summoned before the bush devil, -
and in the presence of the as
Sembled multitude was COM
PEELED to drink large caabash- 81"
full of sassywood tea. If he was
guilty, the draft killed him. if
he innocent, he threw it up
and escaped If he escaped he had the right to demand
that his submit to the ordeal AS sassywood
known to be most virulent poison, most victims
proved to be guilty. yet the fact that few had escaped
tended to act estoppel upon too free and inds-
criminate accusations.
The institution of the oldest. 1t had been in
general among Guinea Coast tribes for hundreds of
years As its lore had been handed down through gen.
erations of bush devils and devil DOCTORS it fair
presume that those of the present day had inherited the
accumulated knowledge gained from the vast expert
of their predecessors Hence it to be supposed
that any bush devil who swayed by prejudice could
prepare his potion to regulate its action and pos
sby by additions of other might make its action
more certain or by overlooking the accuseds stomach
bring about emesis. The subject opened up posi-
bilitieS for study.
The books in my scant medical library revealed no
such drug, plant, tree sassywood My fellow
missionaries knew nothing except from the native talk
Appeals to my native boys met with shrugs and
frightened denials; one had ever seen a sassywood
tree or gazed upon sassywood ordeal in operation.
Mamboura the Grateful
ONE day after had acquired quite vocabulary of
~ native words and phrases CHANGED to overhear
mark in native dialect that Mamboura was a bush devil
who used the sassywood ordeal. Now Mamboura was
known to native chief of large town; but had
suspected him of being bush devil. My lack of
suspicion was due to the fact that he had been of
first patients after my arrival at Cape Mount
and it would hardly be ethical for bush devil to call
upon God doctor for help.
Coming to me suffering from large humorous growth
he had been sent home sound and well in week,
sans tumor consequently, whenever down
the Marfee River from Mambouras town, there
with it presents of fruit, fowl cassava sweet palm
kernel oil for his best friend Balyki." Repeatedly
there had been invitations, personally and by
gers, to visit his town. And now determined to
accept these invitations and follow up this clue which
might unfold the mystery of the ordeal. Going down
to the waterslde, found group of natives who
going up the Marfee River and got them to pass the
message along that IN many days there fingers
on one hand Bayki would visit Mambouras town and
all the sick and lame and blind should be there to meet
me. as l should stay there three days.
And on the fifth day thereafter when, after twelve
hours OF hard padding surgng river stepped out
clors and warriors arrayed in their finest reception
committee
Yar koo naw Balyki var koo naw"
Var kOo ndy Mamboura, var ko0 naW"
And we shook hands and snapped fingers as freemen
should. Luggage brought ashore, and we
established in comfortable quarters in a commodious