THE WAY OF THE SAVAGE

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 197, 17 February 1912, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE WAY OF THE SAVAGE

News of a deplorable tragedy has reached Paris from Abeshr, a wild chieftainy in the Wadai country, where a number of French soldiers were massacred little more than a year ago. Princes Sherft'a, niece of the Sultan of Wadai and wife of Gaoud, the kaid of Abeshr, caused the murder of a young woman who was the wife of a native servant of the tirailleurs serving with the French colors. Enquiries made by the French officers when the native soldiers reported the woman's death led to the arrest of Princess Sherfia and her four slaves, and after she had been detained for two days the Princess told the story of the tragedy. She suspected that Toraa, the wife of the native sergeant, had attracted the notice of her husband, Gaoud, and in her savage way the Princess made up her mind to get rid of her supposed rival. She sent her slaves three times to Toma to say that the Gaoud wished to see her, but it was not until the fourth time, when the slaves arrived at Toma's house with a palanquin, that she consented to be carried to the Gaoud. She was taken, of course, to Sherfia's quarters, and the Princess confronted her. Sherfia assured the French officers that she did not prolong Toma's torture. At her order a slave stabbed the unfortunate woman to the heart, and the body was washed and thrown to the dogs in the desert. It was found by some of the semi-civilised native soldiers, and when they carried it to their officers they took an oath to avenge the murder in the event of the French authorities failing to discover the culprit. After the arrest of the Princess and her slaves the French commandant had great difficulty in restraining his men from killing the whole party on the spot. That was not the worst of his troubles, since he has to devise a means of punishing Sherfia. She is a Princess of the Wadai people, who are not far removed from savagery, and she believes that the savage law permits her to kill a rival. The difficulty of dealing with such cases as this is part of the price paid by France for the privilege of exercising a protectorate over the iStates adjoining her Congo territory.