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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 1909)
WEIRD FUNERALS OF AFRICAN __BY GERALD A..&ODE/5ICfc> Pwas dead. It was in the Liberian hinterland, four days back from Monrovia, a region where the gov •Tnment levies no taxes. kiefs reign supreme, where the only itatutes are the laws of the bush. A couple of English prospectors, an English rubber trader and an Ameri can missionary compose the foreign population all the way back to the French frontier. There is no part of the west coast of Africa so lightly touched by the white man. for even the occasional government officials who visit the region are black. In ail the towns the babies yelled at my approach and the children fled in ter ror if I walked toward them. W hile King Wobeh’s star was in the ascendency death came out of the foggy bush and laid its hand upon him. A famous mullah man was called to make incantations and the ‘'sand cutter” brought out all his paraphernalia of divination and peeped impressively into the future. That which Wobeh really needed, a good ph)'siciau, does not exist in that region. The mullah and the ‘sand 1 titter gave an unlavorahle progno sis, so the suffering king was pre pared for his departure in tiie manner prescribed by the law of the bush. n._ oeau oi mgm he was car i ied back into the bush to an obscure “half town called Goomafc, no woman being allowed to know his whereabouts. Courtesy to the mui iah and the “sand cutter’’ demanded that VVobeh should promptly pas6 into the unknown, bat the old man held on to life with his characteristic tenacity. It was several weeks before the news was quietly brought to Totoquelli that its found er was dead. The information was passed on to Boporo and King Sow came over to take charge of the town until all its palavers were settled. The funeral of au African chief follows the law of the bush implicitly, but the details van in different parts of the west coast. The pro ceedings in this case extended over a period of about three weeks. First Wobeh’s body was removed from the hut where he had died and placed in an epen kitehen in Qoomah. These kitchens are merelv large huts without walls, or, rather, with walls about three feet high. The roof is of thatch and the floor of clay. In the center of one of these kitchens a shallow grave was dug. Then the feet were bound together, the arms wrere extend ed down the body and the hands bound together by means of a strong stick placed between hands and feet, the body was placed in the grave and lightly covered. After it had lain there for two days it was taken up by night and carried to Totoquelli, where it was again placed in a shal low grave, but in a hut where no woman could bring ill luck by looking upon it. The law of the bush alluts out all women from any approach to the dead. Then the family and the town began to make ready for the obsequies, formal notices were sent out to all the big kings within two days’ walk, in order that they might come (with gifts) an8 assist Wobeh’s spirit into rest. The funeral continued for eight days. First (lie body was again lifted from t-be grave and “laid out” in an open kitchen carefully screened. The king’s women were then segrci#.ted in an other kitchen and intrusttd with the duty of making great lamentation. Then the head of the “devil bush”—be is a great functionary in West Africa—came into the village to announce the king’s death—a performance on a par with the formal notification given to a presidential nomi nee by a committee from a national convention. The “devil bush” is a sort, of combination of se cret society and a boys' boarding school. It is a collection of huts hidden away in the bush which women must avoid or pay the penalty of death. Here are collected most of the boys of the com munity and they remain in seclusion for a period varying from three to six years, being taught some sense and much nonsense. The grip of su perstition is so strong that the head of the bush becomes a great man in the tribe and death is the penalty for any -woman who looks upon his face. Totoquelli’s “devil’’ preceded his enti®.nce iuto ’ the town by an unearthly yell, which was the signal for all the women and gills (and every man not a member of the "devil bush”) to se ; crete themselves. Then with a series of ventrll oquistic yells he came into the center of the town, announced the death of Wobeh, ordered ; the funeral to proceed and vanished into the bush. Then the real noise began Wobeh’s women and children reassem bled in their kitchen and resumed their mournful chant. This is a performance in which the women of West Africa are very accomplished and Wo beh’s family was 7k/o /}^jz/csa-/v /^jes/vcs.,? large enough to be heard. Meanwhile for two days and nights the men of the town made it lively for the spirits of evil that, were supposed t* be hovering in the hush that surrounds the vil lage. Guns heavily charged with pewder were fired at intervals throughout the entire Akf/j/T/WC, D/jr/a/SCST/QA/ Of* /=OQO_| urne, causing the •vil slopes to take to fligiit. Most of the night was given over to the beating of drums, the women and younger men dancing in procession ail ever town. When night closed in.on the scene and the moon began to shed Sts soft light through hazy clouds the night’s dancing began. There was ns undercurrent of sadness iu it; everybody was lit eialiy out for a good time. The dancers were drummed up iu greups, the drummers shuffling all through the tows to organize a procession. A second crowd was gathered under the leadership of a man with a string instrument made from a calabash, and eventually a third group shuffled along to the tone ef a calabash strung with iron rings, the sound being that of a gourd half filled with dried peas. Ths succeeding day was one of the most eventful of all. Before sunrise th* men of the town brought large stones to the grave and walled it in, making an incloaure about sit feet wide and 10 feet long. Dozen® of empty giu bottles were brought and placed alt around the grove—*a very common custom on this coast. The mound was then leveled down and the entire inclosure covered with stones and wet sand. At the head they placed a cduple of small ivory tusks, a rice bowl containing Wobeh’s silver ring and some kola nuts, two pitclu-rs and a small brass kettle. Across these was laid an unsheath ed sword. The fixing of the grave was not. com pleted until they bad brought a small jug of rum and poured a little of it into each vessel. The >hirst of Wobeh’s spirit was apparently more easily quenched than had been that of the man in life—and this enabled the men about the grave to put the greater part of the rum to bet ter use. After the grave had been properly arranged the town assembled to witness the significant ceremony of killing the white chicken. The principal nephew of the late king knelt on the grave and held the chicken’s head above Wobeh’s head. King Sow made a long speech and then different members of Wobeh’s family gave the chicken messages to take to his spirit. This part of the ceremony was very solemn and im pressive. It was clear that they implicitly be lieved that their messages would reach their des tination. Then the nephew pulled off the chicken's head and threw the body down on the grave. Curi ously enough, the headless chieken fluttered around until it reached the head of the grave and then seemed to be trying to bore its way down to the king. It then fluttered away, the throng crowding each other in theii efforts to watch every movement. When it finally ceased its struggles there was a chorus of “Ah!" followed by some excited talking. It was ex plained to me that when a chicken dies with its feet in the ail} it is a sign that the nephew has been true to the kirg ar.d has net meddled with his women. In this case the chicken had died on its side. Then another chicken was brought for another nephew to kill. It like wise died on its side and there was another chorus of excited grunts. A third chic-ken was killed by a niece, with the same result; but the fourth, killed by another niece, stopped with its foot in the air. The crowd went wiid, caught up the girl and marched around the tor n with her on their shoulders. Wobeh had ono relative that had been true. • This ceremony was followed an hour or two later by that of eating the chickens, together with rice cooked in yellow palm oil. The food was placed at the head of the grave i and Woboh’s bend wife presided over j the put. All the children squatted ■ about on the grave and the other rel atives were assembled around it. King Sow had a good many remarks to make before he called up the eld est son and motioned for him to take ] the paimiui or nee wine a uie muuw • had held out. Before eating it. he made certain j promises relative to peace in the famil}. Each o. : the relatives wan called out in turn and rcQuirod . to go through the same performance. Old King i Sow kept his ears open and whenever lie was not satisfied with a given premise he arost and j cross questioned the relative like a country law- j ver until lie made hiru promise what he wanted. ; Parts of this ceremony were exciting; at times j there were outbursts of laughter at one of fcow s | j«k(is; very litUa of St was sad or pathetic. When the ekiei.' widow’s turn came there was pathos in her vaice, though she gave no other sign of grief. Turning her motherly face to the grave, she sat there and tanked to Wobeh’s spirit as naturally as It she were looking into his face. Nobody needed t# crass question her There was noticing extraordinary for the next | tWe days. Ga the first day the mourning women 1 were taken to the creek and washed. In order that J they might begin to dress up for the final feast. Oh th« second day the men of the town were as j serupled undey the big palaver tree and Individu ally swum to be loyal to the town. The oath was administered by making the man drink from a bawl •£ milkiah fluid which was supposed ty kill tha omn if ha was insincere. On this day, also, Ui* men brought in large quantities of firewood and the women were busy threshing and cleaning rice and pots. Then esune. the third and greatest day—the slaughter of the bullock and the great feast. So far as 1 coaid learn there is no sacrificial idea involved in the. esremony; the slaughter is solely far the purpose of providing for a joyful banquet. The. big bullock was led to a vacant place near the grave, just at sunrise, and securely tied down on its side. Its throat was then cut, the wind pipe being severed, and the animal slowly bled to death. It was 20 minutes before the animal j ceased to struggle, but its tail had been severed j long before, this being the especial perquisite of ; tfce men selected as butchers. The carcass was then skinned and King Sow sat in his leopard ch3ir while the bullock was cut up. lie kept a careful watch to see that not even ] an ounce of meat was taken by anybody. Two large brass kettles and a large basket were placed in front of him and in these were placed the in ternal organs and the choicest cuts—the king’s \ meat. Now and then one of the butchers would overlook some small portion, but the king over looked nothing; he had the error promptly ractl fled. Altogether he received about one-third of the bullock. The remainder was cut up and dis tributed among the families, to be cooked; posi tively no part of the animal except the hide and horns was discarded. There was not quite enough to go around, so the king ordered a dog killed to make up the deficiency. Bessie Was Willing. “Oh, dear,’’ said the tired mother. “I wish I were a little girl again like you!” “Well,” re joined five-year-old Bessie, “let’s play you are my little girl, then you act naughty and I’ll spank you and send you to bed without jour supper.’’ -—-----. [I Pigeons Will Carry Cameras Ingenious Photographic Apparatus In ti vented by German. ! — Photographs taken from airships or ; balloons have long been considered a practical method of learning the whereabouts of au enemy’s forces or fortifications in time of war, but snap shots by a camera attached to a pigeon are an altogether new idea. Ji'his minute photographic apparatus is Itronner, and has just been patented. The officials at the German patent of fice were disposed to ridicule the in vention at first, but after proofs of its practicability were offered their opin ions changed. The German war office ; recognized its strategic value, and they believe that photographing pigeons can render much assistance to a be- ; sieging army. The miniature camera weighs only the invention of a German, Dr. Neu- | 2% ounces, and that is considered the maximum weight which a homing pigeon could carry in a flight of not more than 100 miles. As many as 30 snap-shots may be taken automatical ly, and the instant of exposure can be ■ so timed that the desired views will ; be obtained. By this means objects may be photographed from no greater height Ilian 150 to COO feet, an impos sible feat for an airship or balloon. The luck that seems to come easiest I is hard luck. I -—■---- I Would Not Have It Lessened. Dr. Walter C. Smith, the popular ■ Scotch poet-preacher, on one occasion tried to explain to an old lady the meaning of the scriptural expression, "Take up thy bed and walk,” by say ing that the bed was simply a mat or rug easily taken up and carried away. 'X’o, no,” replied the lady. “I canua believe that. The bed was a regular four-poster. There would be no mira cle in walking away wi' a bit o' mat or rug on your back.” A Cf.ncs CAMP . New York lias but recently discov ert <! a new summer resort light with in the metropolitan district, and it is only Just beginning to utilize it. This ! is the Palisades park, which belongs j jointly to the stater, of New York anti j Now Jersey ami stretches for miles , along the western bank of the liutl- : son. The ground from the top of the cliffs to low water mark and several ] places at the top of the cliffs were ac quired live years ago in order partly to stop the destruction of the Pali sades by stone quarriers and partly to prevent this, the choicest spot around New York, from getting into the hands of real estate dealers, and so j being cut up into buidling lots and j thus taken away from the general 1 public. A commission, consisting of 10 New York and New Jersey business men, was appointed to look after it and one j or more of these visit the park every day. New Yorkers have just discovered what an ideal spot this is for camp ing. All along the shore are tents, in which boys and men and often wom en, too. are living close to nature. The debris washed down from the Pali sades by the waters of the ages has formed a beach, sandy and smooth in some places, rocky and overgrown with trees in others. Upon this beach any one may pitch a tent, except in a few choice spots, where a small fee is required, but it is necessary for all to obtain a permit from the commis sion and also to obey the rules that are laid down by it. The beach is reached by boat easily, but one can walk along the shore l'rom the Fort I.oe ferry, or. better still, take a trolley car to the turn at Main street. Fort Lee, and then walk about a mile along the road iu a northwest erly direction and down a Hight of primitive stone steps. There are also other points further north at which one can descend the cliffs. Along this stretch of beach the campers may be found. Their tents and fires are vis ible from the far upper west side of Manhattan, say from about One Hun dred and Seventy-second street up to Spuyten Duyvil. In some tents are whole families, the father going to and coming from business in a motor boat and rowing across to and from Manhattan or walking to and from Fort Lee or Coytesville, N. J. In oth ers are parties of young men. In one group is a band of volunteer life savers, who keep a beacon burning at night and encourage the boys of the other camps to learn to swim and dive. There ere boats that may be hired by the day, week or month. There is excellent fishing for eels and crabs; the water, while not quite as salty as the sea, is more than brack ish and the river in many places is so shallow that at low tide one may walk half way across to New York. Franklin Hopkins, the broker, of No. 2j Broad street, is one of the most active men on the .commission that j has charge of this strip of park and i has really made it his hobby. A few days ago he took the writer in a mo tor boat for a tour of the camps. “Two years ago these hills were in a very, very bad condition.” he said, as he pointed out their beauty. “Camp ers used to come over in whole fami lies, set up great tents and take in boarders. The sanitary conditions were appalling and the conditions of morality were little better. There was really a canvas teuement district here in the woods and a vandalism that showed only too plainly that there would be few natural beauties along the shore left if these people were* rHE TELIT VILLAGE pt rmitted to go tlieir own wav To step this it was made a law that a camping permit must lie obtained and that no tent could remain up for more than four weeks out of any year. If certain rules and laws were violated tie campers must go, permit or nc permit. “We have picked six men who have lived under the Palisades nearly all their lives to do tlie patroling and the work here.” At sight of a thin spiral of smoke rising from amid the trees the captain rowed ashore “That." said Mr. Hopkins, “is not permitted; fires may be built on the shore, hut not on the hills or under trees. You see. we have learned that eternal vigilance is the price ot parks.^ Often in the summer and always in the fall it is difficult to keep fire out of the hills." The captain returned anti reported i two tires extinguished in the woods. They had been made bv canoeists j whom we presently saw coming i down the rocky sides of the hill and ! preparing to make their tire on the j beach. Mr. Hopkins, taking up the j megaphone, railed a pleasant "thank you” over the water and was an- ' swered by a wave of the hand and a cordial nod of the head. “That’s the thing we try to encour- j age." ho said, pointing to a picnic : party on the rocks; “those young ] people come over in the morning and have a bully time all day, healthy and ; good, and return to town with a pic- i ture other than or' brick streets in 1 their mind's eye. Suppose we run in j and see them.” Going ashore.it was discovered that i the men of the party were the big fel- 1 lows of the traffic squad, happy, healthy, having a royal good time. “Have you found the water, boys?” asked Mr. Hopkins. “No. and we've needed it. too,” said one of the men. "Well, right up there about a block you will find a cold spring. And right up there,” pointing to the woods, "a path that is mighty pleasant to take an after luncheon walk on, not too strenuous a path, either.” The water pipes of the Palisades are especially good; there are nine j springs and wells that have been sup- ! plied with piped barrels. These are cleaned out twice each week and kept in absolutely sanitary condition. On a beautifully clean beach, set aside for canoeists. Dr. and Mrs. William McAndrews, cf the Washington Irving high school, were found at their after noon meal, happy and having a per fect rest. In a sail of several miles tip the Hudson many instructions to the boat ing parties were called through the megaphone. Fires were moved, tents were changed from a forbidden ground to suitable spots and water was locat ed for the campers. Secretary Adee’s Smart: Dog. A. A. Adee, assistant secretary of state, is the proud possessor of an in telligent collie dog. reckoned the smartest canine in Washington. Dur ing the Boxer outbreak in China* while Mr. Adee was acting secretary of state, telegrams on The situation in China received at the state depart ment at night were hurried to the Adee home. About one o'clock one morning such a dispatch, of the utmost Importance, arrived. A messe.nger took it post haste to Mr. Adee's residence, but after repeatedly ringing the door bell failed to obtain aay response. Up stairs in bed Adee was snoring away, deep in sleep. He couldn’t have heard a dynamite explosion. But the collie heard the jangling of i the belL He waited in patience for a J time, and then, ns his master did not go to the door, he marched into the j secretary’s room, pulled the bed ! clothes off the sleeping official, great- \ iy astonishing that person, and then, j having aroused him, dragged him to j the door. It happened to be a dis- | patch requiring an immediate reply, i and Secretary Adee was raore than ever impressed with the intelligence of his favorite dog. Bank notes were first issued in i China 2G97 B. C. WOMAN WAS A SOLDIER Tablet to Honor Barbara Ann Duravan, Who Died in Prison. Captured by union soldiers as a con federate spy and imprisoned in Alton during the civil war, it was not known until death that B. A. Duravan was a woman, that she was Barbara Ann Duravan, and that she had come from Tennessee. On one of the tablets of the big shaft now being erected in memory of the 2,000 confederate sol diers in the confederate cemetery in Alton, the St. Louis Republic says, will appear the name of the only wom an buried in the cemetery. An old citizen of Alton recalled the story, the discovery that the prisoner was a woman creating much excite ment at the time. With a big batch of soldiers brought in to be incarcerated in the prison was a frail little creature who gave he name of B. A. Duravan. Duravan '.ad born where the bullets had been dying thick and fast, had been in the long marches with Lee's army, had slept out in the open when ou!v the snow that fell served as a cover to keep the little soldier warm. Corniv les had a warm spot in their hearts for Duravan. The little sol dier was strong in the belief of the southern cause, eager to bring about the defeat of the unionists. One. morning Duravan was found dead in the prison cell and then it was learned for the first time that the pale little soldier was a woman. Two days ago the story of the brave woman who had donned man’s clothes to go to war was revived and her name will be especially emblaz oned on the bronze tablet that will mark ihe resting place oil the sol diers. One Point of View. “Is this war of Spain with Morocco what they call a ‘holy war?’ ” “Well, the Spanish people spem to think it is a wholly unnecessary one.' ‘faint HEART AN3 FAIR LADY Chances Good That the Anciest Adage Once More Proved Wisdom of Man Who Uttered It. He was afraid to tell her Tight out apd out that he loved her, so ho begin in a round-about way, hoping Hi* would catch his drift, then betray, by her confusion, her own feoTiitgs. Uo didn't dream but that shn loved him. but thought that she, like himself, was afraid to demonstrate if. “Heart trouble?”she repealed "Are you sure you’ve heart tumble, Alfred You know Indigestion is very like it at times.” “Oh, i know I’ve got Heart tremble all right. I—can't you e.ce if your self?” “Why, how silly, Alfred; ttoxne cue see heart, trouble; they have to fc«! it. Have you taken anything for it? “No, net yet, but 1—1 want to. don't you know.” “ Chen why don't yoa?" “I—1 would; that 1*. Jl N<*osl»i get it.” •‘Can't you get it, Alfred?” ”1—1 don't know.” "Have you tried?'' “No, not yet.” (Silence for two provoking min utes.) "Alfred!" (eokliy.) “Y-yes?" “Let's have a game of checkers.” A Question of Grammar. Hetty's uncle, who was n school teacher, met her on the street <>*• beautiful May day and asked her if she was going out with the Marias party. “No, I ain’t going.” “Oh. my little dear," said her untie, “you must not say 'I aia’I going,’ "ai-d he proceeded to give her a little Jesse« in grammar. “You are not going. Ho is not going. We are not going. You are not going. They are not going Now, can you say all that, Hetty?" “Sure I can,” she replied, making a courtesy. “There ain’t nobody going “ —Lutheran. And All with Company There. “Now. children.” said the mother, as a whole roomful of company had come in, “suppose you run off and play by yourselves;" “All right, mother," replied Edith “Can we go up and play Hamlet and Ophelia?” “Certainly,” smiled the mother, while her guests looked on at tie tableau. “Goody!” replied Edith; then, tun ing to- her sister, she said: “Now. Maude, you run up to mamma’s rcora and get all her false hair that you can find.'—Judge. Not Ambiguous at All. The donkey is—or has been—asso ciated with party polities jn other countries besides our own. in one of England’s elections a can didate for parliament, the late Lord Bath, failed attention to himself by means of a donkey over whose back two panniers were slung, hearing a ribbon band on which was printed: "Vote for Papa.” It must be added, however, that in each pannier stood one of Ix’.td Bafh * daughters.—Youth’s Companion. “Chickens a Nuisance.” “Chickens a nuisance/’ declares tfce Charleston News and Comter. \Vhat tried?—Baltimore Sun. Chkfkens a nuisance? 'Tip?., wi**» all they leave of you* gtrinfeii * a reminiscence; yes, when Ibe ymng coek. fall of the joy el flte, kowti you in the early dawn; yvW. some low browed, vuigo* fowl .whip* the very life out of your Mr-ot^d h< : yes, when the pip or ettKF hiftMut worries the amateur Cut when fried? Neve*! Sheer white goods, Jn fin* wash goods when new, •vjif7hV>«h of their aUractiveooES to Ktt SKAT jftey are laundered, this btrfug dffi* ti a manner to enhance their tcniffe j^in Xy. Home laundering voufiH #|lal ly satisfactory if props* iat giren to starching, the ted f!J>ra3il being good Starch, width iGrujrfP® *t strength to stiffen, wilbrai MMtfckig the goods. Try Dsfinnse you will be pieasaatiy OQlMNWte* improved appearanee el ygtnr'^evk. Naturally. Magistrate (to witmwpiWJ.■under stand that you overheaid Iwf ipuir »l between the defendant wife? Witness—Yes, air. Magistrate—Tell the ant!|t if y#« can. what he seemed to ku UB?Kg Witness—Ho secured to OTMtoln the listenin'.—Pearson's Weekly. With a smooth iron and Defiance Starch, you can launder you* shirt waist just as well at home as the steam laundry can; it will have the proper stiffness and finish, thefe wiM be less wear and tear of the goods, and it will be a positive pleasure te use a Starch that does not stick to the iron. Expectation. His Daughter—Father, I wish you'd stay home to-night. Mr. Slowboy will want to ask you for my haDd. Her Father—Has he really proposed at last? His Daughter—No; but lie will to night. Nebraska Directory THEPAXTiSSi Rooms from Sl.UO up Hinkle, 75 cento up <t<m*»!■». CAFE PRICES REASONABLE KODAK FINISHIfiS’ USS attention. All supplies for the Amateur strictly fresln Send for catalogue anil flnlMhinsr prices THE ROBERT DEMPSTER CO..' Box 1197. Omaha, Neb. TYPEWRITERS &S5TtWwS2 !OTifr?* exan,‘Q^tlon. No Vi b i- L ” ri ft‘r b:<f h*r*«Q Mat aorl v»r B.l .8 wanton* «..42« Woodman Uidg .Omaha* MARSEILLES GRAIN ELEVATORS art* the best: insist on having them. Ash your local dealer, or JOHN DEERE PLOW CO. OMAHA J^8 —^bandies Sold hj-tile Best Dealers. Wo will penrl rn * ,, taachersoa receipt of loot*. |» st",n!.>, V" V ^ and maple, brass edited rule. JOHN c han> * CO.»Th« Cana,