THE STANLEY REAR COLUMN.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2150, 15 January 1891, Page 4

THE STANLEY REAR COLUMN.

Under date London, January 21* the correspondent of the Argus writes:—

Mrs Jameson has published a letter of her late husband’s, Stanley Falls, August 3, 1888, in which he gives his version of the cannibal story on which so much stress has been laid in the attacks made on the officers of the rear column. The letter was written to the committee of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition after Assad Earran’s statement about the cannibalr ism, which had reached the ears of the committee. Mr Jameson says : The facts of the case are these, On my return journey from Ooaongo, the day after our arrival at Riba-Riba, the chief sent for me, and on arriving at his house I witnessed a very curious dance, performed by some Wacusu slaves. He informed me that these people, having had a number of deaths amongst them, had gone away into the bush for two months, where no one had seen them, and returned to-day, having finished their medicine-making. Tippu Tib, who was at the house, said “ This dance is generally followed by a lot of peonle being eaten,” and told me a lot of cannibal stories. I laughed at him, saying that since I had been in the country I bad heard many such stories, but ■ did not believe them. Another Arab present, who had been very kind to me on my way to Oosongo, then told me another horrible story, which I told him flatly I did not believe could happen in any country in the world. He laughingly said, “ Give me a bit of cloth and see.” I only thought this another of their plans for getting something out of me and having some cloth of my own, as he had been kind to me,, sent my boy for a small piece of six handkerchiefs, which I gave him. J hen followed the most horrible scene I ever witnessed in my life, and Assad Earran even here cannot help lying The whole thing happened so quickly that, had 1 wished, I could have sketched it; and 1 had nothing with me to sketch with, they all being in my house. The small sketches I made were done in the evening afterwards in my own house. The girl never looked for help, for she seemed to know it was her fate, and never stirred hand, or foot, or head* except when she had to move to the place for execution. How the girl was obtained I do not yet know, but will send you all particulars, signed by witnesses, as promised. Mrs Jameson has also published the following retraction from Assad Earran : September 25, 1888, I, Assad Earran, lately interpreter with the Emin Relief Expedition, declare most solemnly that the story of Mr Jameson buying the girl has been altogether misunderstood by the missionary at Lutete. The story is entirely untrue, and such a charge against Mr Jameson I declare to be unfounded. The six handkerchiefs given by Mr Jameson were a present, and had no reference whatever to the occurrence with which, through the above misunderstanding, they have been erroneously connected. Assad Eaebakt. Witness—P. L* McDermott. Witness—W. Burdett-Coutts, Another version of this incident is given by Seleh Ben Osman, {Stanley’s Zanzibari servant, who states that Jameson was visiting Stanley Ealls for the purpose of urging Tippu Tib to provide the carriers which he had promised Mr Stanley. “ When passing through a small village Mr Jameson asked the chief of the Zanzibaris, Hamadi Ben Dowo, whether it was really true that the native cannibals ate each other. ‘ Of course it is perfectly true,’ replied the other; whereupon Mr Jameson gave the man Hamadi some cloth to buy a young slaye. Presently Hamadi came back, bringing a young girl which he had bought. Mr Jameson then ordered him to hand her over to the natives, and to tell them to kill, cook, and eat her. 'J he Zanzibaris flatly refused to do thh, and expressed their disgust by going away. Mr Jameson himself took the girl by the wrist and handed her over to the savage executioners. She was then stabbed with a knife While the body was still quivering the natives cut off the flesh from the bones, and having toasted it on sticks over a fire, they ate it. During the whole of this ghastly performance Jameson sat and made sketches Tippu Tib heard of tin’s, and upon Mr Jameson’s arrival at Stanley Falls he refused to see him for two days, being too d : sgusted to speak to him.” At length the Emin Fasba Relief Committee has been forced to speak as to their relations with Assad Earran. They were asked to say why, with Mr Jameson’s letter before them, telling ©f his part in the cannibal story, they allowed Assad Earran to put his hand to the retraction which had been given to the world. According to the secretary of the committee, Assad Earran made his retraction before Mr Jameson’s letter came to hand, This would be conclusive, but the Pall Mall Gazstte, insinuates that there was still the report of Lieutenant Troup to contradict Assad Earran’s retrection and to support the original story of the Syrian. Moreover, the Pall Mall Gazette is not satisfied with the statement that nothing was given to Assad Earran to induce him to make his retraction, and it asks very pointedly if the fellow got nothing from the friends of the committee. These are questions that will be greased, we may be sure, and the

committee would do best to make a clean breast of it. There lis now nd doubt whatever—even if we accept Mr Jameson’s own version of tbq matter- —that the cannibal story id substantially true, and that Mr Jameson must remain; dead as he is* under serious reproach in consequencel M r Stanley has practically established his case against both Barttelot and Jameson, but he has not cleared him--self from the iserioua allegations which arise against him respecting his rear column, Knowing what he did of Bartellot, why did he leave him in command of the column, and why did he leave the column at all? It is not possible to shirk these things or the other suggestion that he left the column in such a condition that be knew it must break down if Tippu Tib did nut come to the rescue. A distinct charge of treachery has been made against Stanley, and he must meet it before he is re-established in English opinion. Meantime African exploration is under suspicion, and there is wide sympathy with the humorous suggestion of Mr Laboudhere in Truth that the only chance 1 for “ the noble savage is to arm him with rifles and ammunition to keep ofl! his white civiliser.”