The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-13
Stopping a Congo Cannibal Feast

The writer oil This adventure is famous
in hotl hcmiSphercs for his deeds of dar'
Ing He was concerned in two or three
fiery esca padcS in Europe before he Wa
more than boy. and when Inc was Iittic
more than twcnty he enlisted amouS The
mixed officers vino soldiers OF Tor
tune were willing TO risk their liVcs tc
help King Leopold govern the Belgian
Congo.
His military training. his accuracy as
shot and his lconinc courage soon wor
for him high recognition. ana ne va
made chief OF police on the Congo. WIN
a command OF iussas. imported ARABIAN
nghting men and BLACKS from the Por-
tuguese possessions noted for their cour-
age and soldicrly qualities. For several
Years no ruled with an iron hand, then
resigned 10 seek other adventures.
The young American whom D'Aito-
monte and his party rescued from inc
cannibals is John Harris Walton. still
living In San Paolo di Loando. serving
as manager OF the Hatton & Cookson
company CONCESSIONS
The affair 7 am about TO detail occurred
In the middle OF February. 1905. and since
it deals with cannibais and there is quite
n bit or dispute among armchair authorl-
Ties on the state OF African canniDaiisnl
il seems wise TO mo TO relate a rev OF
the facts concerning man eating, as
have observed il.
Ny first experience with csnnibsls
larry work ! had left Bona on tribal
paeihcatorr mission some weeks before,
and. with q company OF twenty native
policemen and sixty nortcrs, was making
an overland journey between t%o OF Tho
upper tributaries.
One OF my portcrs had cut his foot on
some sharp bit OF something, and in his
efforts TO carry his load and keep pace
with the others had got himself into u
dreadful state before | was aware that
ne was incepacltated. When ] knew it
] at once detailed two Of my men TO
him. L ne got so badly or that he could
not travel. they were instructed 10 re
meir With him in camp until he could
follow Ds. We had planned TO camp for
some days as soon as wo reached water.
The second day thereafter l noticed
tbs men ! had detailed In their places,
but .t,,5 The cripple vas not &c. to be seem
''Oh. master his illness oycrcame him
last evening and ne died. We buried
him by the dry river and came on was
the answer
Some weeks later q report reached me
from headquarters in which a missionary
charged that he had found evidence Of
men attached 10 my party having killed
and eaten one of their own number. I
sent for the TWO ] had detailed To care
for the man with the hurt foot and told
them that the devils had told me the
picture very wildly for tho precious
rair. ending ny demanding why they had
killed ard eaten their comrade. Unshana
"fIe could go no more and We could
not carry him. Only his leg Was bad
end why should so much good meat go
to waste"
The punishment for cannibsl;sm being
death, had the two of them shot al
once.
Captive Americans.
J was in command of small party in
the month of tho year which ] have men
toned and We were encamped on 4 We'll
protected island OF the great river when
VIC heard shouts from the north bank and
] s;lw three white men III one Of whom
] recognized very famous character Of
tho Congo. He had appeared about zen
years before without telling any. one Of
bis previous life or the cause of his hid
ing away in the jungle and had entered
on the life of a hunter and trader. spend
ing all Of his time with the blacks. He
was known among white men as Memo
and among the blacks as Indele. The
TWO men with him did not know. Send
ing my pirogue with its crew OF roTers
] soon had them In camp.
7 did not speak English at that time.
but tTndeic very quickly told me The
story In the native tongue. lie had been
employed To guide the two Americans and
q third friend. As nearly AS 7 rcmem-
Der the details the third man, John Tiar-
ris Walton by name. had been captured
by party OF marauding blacks and had
doubtless been killed and perhaps eaten
The natives employed by the party had
fled leaving Undeie and the two other
Americans TO make their way down river
10 civilization as best they could. Ihe
affair had happened only few hours be-
fore and it was sheer good fortune that
they had encountered my police party,
AS nearly as Uncle and | could deter
mine. the attack on Walton had been
made by detachment from the ragrant
tribe of q chief named Tgnodo Sumbah
who wandered here and there with about
100 followers all that was left 10 him
Of a large force which we had nearly
wiped out five years before. Walton had
been at some distance from camp when
deserted it had been plain that pursuit
without a stronger force was useless.
in that remote section Ugnodo and his
men would not trouble 10 travel far
with their prisoners and the stores they
had stolen. and If VIC were careful We
might steal up on them that night and
punish them.
AS quickly as could organize a guard
for my camp and detail Il punitive force
10 the piroguc VIC set OF. The twenty
rowers placed US just before sunset at
The spot where the attack had occurred.
There We found several of the blacks
who had deserted. They had come back
after their pcnic and were in very
despondent hopeless state. waiting in
camp for something to happen. They
were agreed that the raiders were the
men Of UgnoGo Sumbah and that The
party Of twenty or more had recrossed
the river and gone UP one of the tribu-
taries. According to their reports the
raiders were able warriors and well
armed.
il was a desperate chance to take bu,
] decided to 90 In pursuit al once and
practically yielded the command 10 In
dele, whose familiarity with the natives
and with every little Bit of African wood J.
craft made him man TO be respected in
e. hunt like this.