AN AFRICAN POTENTATES LUST FOR BLOOD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8986, 17 September 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

AN AFRICAN POTENTATES LUST FOR BLOOD.

The London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian reports the contents of one of : the last letters written by the late Captain Stairs. .The letter contains, he states, much fuller particulars of the death of M'Siri Spin the bare outline of events which has already been made public-. Captain Stairs found on his arrival at Katanga that although Lieutenant Le Marmel and Capt. Bia had each reached Bunkeia, and had opened up relations with M'Siri, they had neither of them succeeded in inducing the king to allow the hoisting of the flag of the Congo Free State. Everywhere Stairs heard of the atrocities committed by M'Siri, 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 lust for blood. Stairs, in a three hours' interview, remonstrated with M'Siri on euch conduct, 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 of residence to a kraal half an hour's journey distant. He received Captain Bodson with extreme insolence, and told him that if Stairs wished to see him he must 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 king 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'Siri'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 was a general satisfaction that the tryanny of M'Siri bad been broken.