"HUMAN LEOPARDS."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1862, 23 September 1913, Page 4

"HUMAN LEOPARDS."

AFRICAN SECRET SOCIETY OF

CANNIBALS.

POSSIBLY CENTURIES OLD.

Tho measures adopted in Siorra Leo 119 to deal with tho unlawful secret societies which exist for tlio purpose of cannibalism formed the subject if a recent dispatch from the Governor of that colony and published as a Parliamentary White l'aper.

"For a number of years past," states' the dispatch, "tlio Northern Sherbro district has been the principal field for tho operations of an organisation which goes under tho name of tho Human Leopard Socioty. It lias not yet boon decided whether tho object of tho socioty is merely t-o Batisfy tho craving which some savages liavo for human flesh, or whether tho eating of human flesh is only part of somo ccrcmony which is believed to havo the effect of increasing tho mental and physical pow* ors of tho members of tho society. Whatever tho object is, tho result is » very powerful and' widespread secret organisation to which most, of not all, of the printipal men of oertain districts- 1 belong. Several cases of murder com -I mitted by this socioty havo at various; times come before tho circuit court, and! oonvictions have been obtained, but tlio 1 , full extent of tho society's operations 1 was not brought to light until last year,! when tho District Commissioner receiv-; ed information that from twenty to! thirty murders had been committed since tho year 1907, tho Imperri sub-; district and tho country round Pujehuiv being tho principal centres of the trouble" ,

The Oath of seoreoy. After reporting the matter to the' Government, tlio, District Commissioner had 33G persons arrested, including several paramount chiefs. The only direct evidence, however, was found in tlio statements of some of thoso arrested win turned King's evidenco. These meiv admitted that they themselves wero members of tho Human Leopard So-| ciety, and described what had taken J place at tho. various murders in whiohj they had taken part. In many cases' there was, no corroborative evidence, unrl all attempts to obtain such evidenco. proved fruitless, a very strong oath of'; secrecy, tho dispatch adds, having.' clearly been imposed on all the people.; Even tlio relatives of tho victims, in 1 most eases young boys and girls, wero 1 afraid to give information.

Tho Solicitor-General of the oolonyj was sent to tho Northern Shorbro diay trict to assist the District Commissioner,!. with instructions to go into the eases. | Tho result of tho inquiry was that oubj of 836 persons who were detained _ in.' custody 42 were committed for trial. | Three turned .King's evidence and 291j were discharged after the preliminary' inquiry. Later oil 66 other persons were arrested, all of whom wero com-' mitted, the total number sent for trial being 108. - The state of disclosed by tho, reports of tlio District Commissionerwas so eerious, and tho pernicious influence of tho Human Leopard Society appeared to bo widely spread that it was considered necessary in order to deal adequately with tho situation te give the.'Governor special powers. _ Th« Human Leopard and Alligator Societies Ordinance, 1909, was accordingly'amended so that the two societies were doclared to bo unlawful societies, and power was given to tlio Governor to. proclaim any chiefdom in which a murder had been committed .in connection with ait to the District Commissioner to' arrest and detain/any persons in a proclaimed chiefdom on ai warrant under his hand. Furtheiy it was made an offence to be al member of an unlawful society or take part lit its operations. Tho effect of this provision was made retrospective. Powers of search were given to the authorities and to tho Governor in Council to order tlio expulsion of any alien convicted.'

trials of. Arrested Porsons. The trials of the arrested were conducted with care and patience. Tho hearing of the first case occupied eleven days, of the second 86 days, and of the third 28. The other cases were disposed of moro rapidly. In tlio third case tho question of the initiation alleged to bo borno by members of tho ''Human Leopard" Society was very, carefully gone into. Tho accomplices showed tho 1 mark on their own persons, and described how it was made. _ Wey also pointed out marks on the prisoners which they alleged to he tho mark oS tlio society. Tlio dispatch continues: "Uufortunatcly their evidenco m soma instances was contradictory, and they; identified different marks on the sama person as being the initiation Moreover, it was proved .bytaking persons' m tha, court who were not suspected or any,, connection with tlio society that it was. hardly possible to distinguish the alleged' "human leopard" mark from scars' caused by disease or slight injuries The Court was therefore unaula to .accept the mark as evidenco of menu bership of tho Society. Iherefore, cases in which tho alleged mark lormed the only corroboration of the evidenco. of accomplices were not proceeded with, and out of 108 persons committed by tho District Commissioner only 34 wero brought to trial. Of these nina woro convicted of murder apd ten other of lessor offences, tho remaining 15 being acquitted. Seven of the nm« men convicted of murder were executed, and in the caso of tho other two capital sentence was commuted to ono of imprisonment for lito. Of tho lo persons who woro acquitted 11 had suico been expelled from the Colony and Pro-, tcctorato.

Human Saorlfices,

"■ffliilo it is permissible to believe* that the action taken by tho Govern-* meat has had tlio effect of checking—> at all events for tho time being—tho. activities of tho Human Leopard do--ciety," concludes the Governor, it> would bo by n6- means prudent to assert that this criminal organisation has been broken up. • Many persons of whosa oonnection with tho society thoro is little or no doubt aro still at largo, ana. probably thoro aro not a few others whw have hitherto not corno under tlio notice of tho authorities. Olio blind belief of tho natives in tlio efficacy ot tlio "medicines" concocted by tho society, tho power, and authority enjoyed by tho possessors bf theso medicines, tlio fact) that periodical human sacn ices aro considered necessary in order to renew tho efficacy of the medicines, and a, tendency mi tho part of spino natives to cannibalism, pure and simple—all theso causes will contribute to the survival oj this baneful organisation. It has lield sway for many years—iwssibly for centuries, and tho task of stamping it out) will undoubtedly bo ono of great difficulty."