THE WIDE WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 269, 6 November 1908, Page 4

THE WIDE WORLD.

NIiWS AND VIEWS FROM TilE PRESS. TKIU3ES RULED BY WITCHES. .STRANGE CANNIBAL RACES FOUND IN AFRICA. IX PiC.MY LAND. London, September 17. Lieut-Colonel li. U. T. .bright, C..M.G., tvho left -England at tile end of lillKi as British Commissioner in connection with the disputed frontier between Great Britain and the Congo Free State, lias returned to England on the conclusion oi twenty months' travel in some of the wildest purls of East Africa. The Joint Commission lost live of its' members who wi're killed at various times in the more unsettled regioiiH, and several were wounded while working in small parties escorting stores or I mails, says Reutcr.

During one of the journeys of Captain E. Jack, R.E., one of the British Commissioners along the western shore of Lake Albert, one oT his canoes was upset by ail hippopotamus, an animal which abounds in this lake and in the River Semliki, two privates of tile King's Royal Rilles being drowned. There were several small encounters with the more savage tribes through whose .country the Commission passed. At tho south portion of the boundary a party of soldiers, wir..e escorting some friendlies who had brought in food, were set on by hostile natives who dispersed tlie British party, who ihad to take refuge in a friendly village. When the news reached the main camp a rescuing force was sent out in relief, this itself being attacked 011 the return journey, several of the members being killed before the assailants were eventually driven off. Great difficulty was experienced ow-

ing to the proximity of dense grass, in which tlie natives remained hidden, and while some of the natives were extremely friendly, it was impossible to knowhow many natives might be hidden in the jungle. On another occasion one of the escort was attacked just outside the camp and wounded. Towards the north-east end ot Lake Albert Edward a porter, who had become detached from the caravan, was attacked and cut to pieces. The Commission had some interesting experiences in the dense forest along the hanks of the Semliki, where weeks were spent by tlie officers in examining the country. The conditions were most depressing, the sun was seldom seen, and the forest growiii so thick that camp could only be pitched in tile native villages. The continual rain and semi-dark-ness, with -the presence of myriads of stinging ants, made life very uncomfortable. Ju this forest ,i pigmy elephant was shot by a German party. The forest was densely inhabited by people who live in tlie thick undergrowth. All tlie paths to tire forest villages arc strongly stockaded, and, in addition, the jungle itself was thickly studded with wooden spikes to prevent surprise. Tlie inhabitants ii. uins torcst differ entirely from the pigmies of tihe Ituri. 'J'liey are cannibals, and when pressed for food exchange their children for those of other families. They refuse to eat members of their own family. They displayed great nervousness at the first appearance of the white man, but ware quite friendly. At the southern end of tho boundary the Commissioners met some interesting people who are singular in the fact that they owe allegiance to no chiefs. Each family owns its own village, and recognises no head . The whole community, however, is dominated by a clan of witch women who are very hostile to Europeans, and claim occult powers. These people are largely responsible for much of tlie trouble with the natives. Tlie chief witch woman visited the British camp and proved herself t'.be not only a very attractive but a very clever person. It transpired that oil the night previous to her visit to the British camp she had summoned a meeting of the people and told them that she hud arranged to clear tile Europeans out of tlie country.

Fortunately for her it happened that the day on which she promised to get rid of the strangers was tiie date on which the commission had struck camp. While on Lake Albert Edward the Commission visited a native tribe who lived in floating villages erected oa separate islands or rafts of papyrus. It was said that these people, who live entirely on lisli, had originally taken to the water from fear of lions. '

All the Commissioners suffered at various times from fever owing to the hardships endured, but the malaria did not prove to be of a malignant type. The Congo Commissioner had to be invalided home after a severe operation, while another member of the Coik'o Commission died oil the way home. Lieut.-Colonel Jtrigut's assistants were Captain h. Jack, 11. R. and Captain the llou. F. Prittie, THE ALBERTI CASE. 15.000 FAMILIES RUIN ED. DRAMATIC SURRENDER OF THE DANISH DICTATOR. Copenhagen. September 11. All Denmark resounds with abuse heaped upon the former political idol, M. Alder Albert!, who until sevon weeks ago occupied the Ministry of Justice, and was practically regarded as dictator of the country. Over 40,000 people are directly affected by the defalcations of the ex-Min-ister. and more than 15,000 families are believed to be utterly ruined.

The frauds and forgeries are spread over a period of more than fourteen years, and the sums involved are now Stated to exceed XI, 100,000. The hulk of this amount has been Inst, in speculations in South African mining stock and operations in Wall Street securities. H is stated that King Frederick is among the heaviest losers, while the Treasury is also hit to the extent of about 100.000. The actual surrender of M. Alherli lo the police was extremely dramatic. lie .>trolled leisurely from his private house to the police headquarters. As he passed in by the main entrance he was immediately recognised, and all oflicers and men of the -police sprang to attention for their former chief, who acknowledged the salute, entering the l ollice of a detective inspector, calmly bade him to take down a report. "• 1 wish to give myself up to justice for fraud and forgery," he cheerfully observed. ami, producing a receipt from the Privatebanken for bonds worth XoOO.OOO, signed by two directors, the Minister quietly continued: "Look at those two signatures—they are torg'd by me!''

STRANGG END OF A TRIAL. JURY ACQUITS THE MAX WHO WOUNDED DRKVI'US. flregori. the man who shot at Major Dreyfus on June k was to-day acquitted by the Seine Assize Court, and the news of his acquittal, which astonished Paris when it became known on the boulevards this afternoon, has aroused widespread indignation. There was no attempt at any sort r 'f evidence for the defence. Oegori admitted that he had premeditated his crime, and called witnesses to explain why he could not help shooting at Major Dreyfus. One by one his witnesses came lo the bar. One by one they began to nKRe speeches about the Dreyfus c;we. the! treachery of Dreyfus, the iniquitous ver- ] diet of the Supreme Court of appeal r»?' France and others matters irrelevant lo the cas<I—and 1 —and one by one the presiding judge sent them down and refused to listen to them. When the verdict was given Lhere w-.s a wild scene both inside an'! outside the court. Nobody was hurt but a line crop of duels was sown ior next week. The verdict of acquittal does not of course, mean tjiat- flregori did not shod at Dreyfu-'. H means that either tin jury considered him irresponsible, or that they considered him justified in -.hooiing him.