Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1892 — CRUSHED BY FRANCE. How Woman Soldiers Are Made. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]
CRUSHED BY FRANCE.
How Woman Soldiers Are Made.
DAHOMEY’S CRUEL POWER IS AT LAST ENDED. A King WhoM Deeda Rival Those of the Hlatorio Nero—Women Trained as Torturers and Murderer*—The Executioner's Post Is One of Honor. In Darkest Africa.
RANCE has succeeded in giving the bloodthirsty king of Dahomey a dose of his own medicine that will forever dispose of his power and his kingdom. Unlike the English, who are ever ready to make war on small fry of every description, France hesitated a long time before en-
gaging in the present conflict with King Behanzin, and only after its representatives at Porto Novo had suffered innumerable insults from the Dahomeyan savage did the home government decide to go to war. In June the French Chamber of Deputies voted $700,000 for the equipment of a force sufficiently large to give this black bully a thrashing which would inspire respect for France and impress him with his own insignificance. Accordingly the European and other governments were notified that the slave coast was under blockade to prevent the importation of supplies and ammunition. It might be stated here that France without doobt will call upon the German Government to explain some serious infringements on the laws governing neutral powers. The French claim that King Behanzin, besides the *2.000 rifles allowed him by treaty, has almost an equal number of Winchester and
other repeating rifles that have been furnished him by German traders. It is known that he has a large supply of ammunition and that it was landed in Dahomey from two German ships. The “unpleasantness,'' says the Chicago Herald, was caused by King Behanzin's stupid conceit and overestimation of his power. He is a splendid Illustration of the old saw, “a little learning is a dangerous thing.* He is fairly well educated for a savage, having speat his earlier years in Paris and there been taught to read and speak French. Since his return to his native jungles his vanity has assumed wonderful proportions. He imagined himself able to dictate his own terms to France and utterly disregarded his former agreements to respect the French protectorate at Porto Novo. When the representative of France sent messengers to Attorney to expostulate with him, .asking that he desist from sending .his amazons 6h their slave-capturing raids into French territory, he had the audacity to cut off the heads of the messengers and return them in a basket by a Dahomeyan warrior, together with an insulting letter In which the French governor was told that Behanzin of Dahomey would sweep the French forces and their into the sea should he so choose, and,” furthermore, that the raids wpuld be continued at his pleasure. It was this note, which was sent to Paris, that caused France to make up its mind that it was time to assert its supremacy and teach this insolent petty i.tyrant a lesson which he would never forget. i,
Where It I» a Pkature 1o Kill an 1 Torture. The Inhabitants of Dahomey are certainly unique enough in their manners and customs to warrant the profound interest of the anthropologist, but the chief interest the world takes in them now is confined to the hope that they will not be allowed much longer to practice the awful enormities for which they have become famous. To kill and torture Is to them the keenest pleasure. The office of executioner Is a post of honor to which only the richest of the land dare aspire, and, as a matter of course, the wealthier the executioner the better the opportunity for satisfying his brutal Instincts. There Is no doubt whatever that France will crush the kingdom of Dahomey, whether It be now or in the early future, but the chances are that France may yet. have some very serious obstacles to overcome. With all their brutish instincts thb Dahomey negro is far above the ordinary Intelligence of the common African black. He will fight until he falls and so will his sisters, for the amazons, or women warriors of Dahomey, are world-famed. Besides being warriors, the inhabitants of this kingdom are the best disciplined of the African tribes and proudly proclaim themselves “veterans of the world;" this from having had Innumerable conflicts with France, England and other nations. As their king insists on success In battle or death to the survivors in case of defeat, the Dahomey warriors never confess defeat, -but fight while they have breath left in them. Shortly
before the commencement of this war several French civilians were captured by the DatpHneyans and, strange to relate, given their liberty. These former captives picked up a great deal of information concerning the habits and customs of this warlike tribe. The w.oct singular institution of Dahomey is übe /emale army, or amazons, as they are,exiled. It is somewhat uncWUip.whea tbey were-drst introduced as warriors, but it is thought that the
honor of having organized the flrtt band of these ferocious creatures belong* to Agajah, the fourth king of Dahomey. Under the present king the amazons have attained their highest degree of efficiency in discipline and numbers and in the most cruel savageness. The members of this unsexed army of viragoes are as conceitedly vain of their ability to. torture and cut the heads off their victims as their more civilized •strong-minded” sisters are of their “manly" qualities.
The recruiting of the amazonian army is simple. The king issues a decree summoning every subject to present his daughters, above a certain age, at court upon an appointed day. Then he selects the most promising of the “best families” and creates them officers, while the lower orders are made soldiers. The children of slave parents become the slaves of the amazons within the palace, and the remainder are returned to their parents. Of the selected many are given to deserving soldiers as wives z and every three years a similar conscription of the daughters of the land is made, while all the children of amazonian women are amazons from birth. The amazons are divided into three brigades, known as the King’s company, the right and left wings. Each of these has a peculiar head-dress by which the different brigades are distinguished. The King's brigade, sometimes called the fanti company or center, wear their hair shaved a la turban and bound witii narrow fillets, with alligators of colored cloth sewn on them. The right wing have their heads shaven, leaving only a solitary tuft or two, while the left wing wear their hair loose, which gives them a peculiarly savage aspect. Each of the three brigades is divided into four classes—the agbaraya, veterans of the army, the bravest and strongest of the corps, only called into action on important occasions like the present. They wear blue tunics with white crossbelts, and their fillets are of curious shape. Their standards are of the most ferocious description, representing an
amazon cutting an enemy into mince meat or holding aloft a couple of bleeding heads. The Neykpleh-hentoh or razor-wo-men form an important part of each division; these female leopards, as they are called, are especially trained to mu-
tilate and decapitate their victims, and are armed with huge curiously shaped knives keen as razors. The one bringing the most heads to the king receives the greatest praise. Each of the razorwomen is attended by a recruit, who carries a large oddly shaped pouch, ornamented with human hair and ,teeth. Into this bag the amazon throws the heads reeking with blood. A Frenchman relates that after a recent battle, when the amazon troop of razor-women passed In review before the king they deposited the blo3dy heads in a pile before him and that the number of these frightful trophies must have been over 300. As each amazon passed the throne she gave a fiendish yell and flung her ghastly tribute on the pile of human flesh while the king smiled his approval. The amazons have always sustained their reputation for bravery. They know no such thing as fear. From their early childhood they are subjected to the most frightful hardships, and in their drill have to endure tents of physical endurance to which the strongest men would succumb. They are starve d, beaten and abused In every possible way, and systematically trained to disregard all torture and pain, no matter how severe. It Is but naturalXhat they have developed into the very incarnation of fendish cruelty. ICebuke to a Mls»l<ftiary. There is no known spot on earth where human sacrifice fourishes to such frightful extent as it does in Dahomey. Missionaries are of use in this dark spot of Africa, and they are in a meas-
uro to blame for the detestation with which the inhabitants regard them. Referring to a particularly obnoxious missionary named Bemaskos, the King of Dahomey said to a messenger sent to intercede for the many people set aside for sacrifice: “You say that your people abhor the thought of men being sacrificed; that their religion teaches them that this is a crime. Now, we have a ‘God man* at "Whydah, and does he set an example to my people such as I would wish them to follow? Does he
not drink till he talks foolishness? Does he not make my people drunk? Away I I want none of your‘God people.’ " King Behanzin has revived the customs of human sacrifice with all the insatiable bloodthirstiness of his grandfather, Getete. A Frenchman says that a few months ago he was led through the Ness temple, where he counted over twenty men suspended by their ankles and knees to the crossbeam of a huge gallows; all were stark naked and had
been mutilated in a horrible manner out of respect to the memory of the King’s wives. One morning while he was in captivity four wretches were killed because the King had had a bad dream. The Frenchman was present at the butchery so that he might be impressed with the King’s power. The four men
were led out before the King, whe, sat in a chair of state embellished with skulls and jaw bones from former sacrifices. A body of amazons drew up behind the victims; the executioner was a perfect giant in stature. Armed with a large, crooked knife made for such occasions, he had a large, wooden trough placed near him; this he pushed with his foot before the first victim, then, bending the man forward, he deliberately cut his throat, letting the blood run into the wooden dish. He then swung the knife and with a mighty blow completely severed an arm. This performance was repealed with three of the victims. The fourth must have suffered terribly. He was struck four times without severing the vertebra column. The butcher then put the bloody knife in his mouth, and seizing the ears of the wretched being, wrenched the head from side to side, trying to screw it off, anp finally having dislocated it, deliberately slashed away the flesh that still connected the head with the trunk. A large inclosure called the zun is the place where the headless corpses of the victims are dragged; there were hundreds of human skeletons bleaching in the sun and an equal number of freshly slaughtered victims. Such is life in Dahomey. Many of the laws of the country are mere caprices of the King. Here are some specimens: No one is allowed to build a hut more than four tiers high. No one is allowed to marry without first submitting his intended to the King, who, if he pleases, keeps her for himself and enlists her in the amazonian guard. No Dahoman woman is allowed to leave the country. No subject must wear shoes or ride in a hammock.
No one is allowed to sit in a chair in public. No goods landed at Whydah can be reshipped. Such are a few of the laws regulating the welfare sos Dahomey. The whole civilized world will certainly be thankful to France for wiping out of existence both the King and his amazons. Eveby day is a little life, and our whole life is but a day repeated. Those, therefore, that dare lose a day are dangerously prodigal; those that dare misspend it are desperate.
It takes a man with a big heart and a good-sized bank account to appreciate the beauty of a fall opening in dress goods. If cases of drunkenness were argued before a full court there would be no convictions.—Texas Siftings.
THE KING OF DAHOMEY.
AMAZON RECRUIT CAPTURED BY THE FBBNCH AND BROUGHT TO FARIS,
COL. DODDS. FRENCH COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
AMAZONS GOING TO BATTLE.
AT TUB ANNUAL SACRIFICES.
BOMBARDMENT OF DAHOMEY.