An African's Lust for Blood

Feilding Star, Volume XIV, Issue 44, 29 September 1892, Page 4

An African's Lust for Blood

1 The London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian reports the contents of one of the last letters written hy the late Captain Stairs. The letter contains, he states, much tull«r particulars of the death of M'Siri than the bare outline of events which has already been made public. Captain Stairs found on his arrival at Katanga that althougu Lieutenant Le Marmel and Capt. Bia had each reached Bnnkeia, ard had opened up relations with M'tiri, they had neither of them succeeded in inducing the king- to allow the hoisting of the flag- of the Congo Free State. Everywhere Stairs hear.! of the atrocities committed by M'SirL who kept the natives in a state of constant terror. It was no uncommon thing for the old man to have half a dozen men slaughtered in his presence for apparently no other purpose than the satisfaction of his lusi of blood. Stairs, in a three hours' interview, remonstrated with M'Siri on such conduce, and told him that in future he would not be allowed to slaughter his subjects indiscriminately. At length after much talk, in which there was a good deal of plain speaking, M'Siri agreed to accept the State flag, and to make blood brotherhood with Stairs. As already reported, M'Siri failed to Keep his appointment for the ceremony, and Stairs sent Captain Bodson with a hundred men to demand an explanation. M'Siri had removed from his usual place ot residence to a kraal half an hour's journey distant. He received Captain Bodson with extreme insolence, and told him that if &tairs wished to see him he mu9t come to see him, but that he would not go to Stairs. Captain Bodson insisted on his keeping his appointment, whereupon M'Siri gave an order to his men, who pointed their guns at Bodson and his companions, and at the same moment M'Siri drew his sword. Bodson at once shot the kin» dead with his revolver, and at the same moment received a bullet in the stomach, from which he died a few hours afterwards. There was a short but sharp fight. Some men were killed on both sides, and then M'jSiri's warriors fled. For a few days the country was in a disturbed state ; but peace was ultimately made, and when Stairs left the country was quiet, and there wtis a general satisfaction that the tyranny of M'Siri had been broken.