Human Leopards : $b an account of the trials of Human Leopards before the Special Commission Court; with a note on Sierra Leone, past and presentBeatty, Kenneth James
History
Human Leopards : $b an account of the trials of Human Leopards before the Special Commission Court; with a note on Sierra Leone, past and present
Beatty, Kenneth James
Cannibalism; Ethnology -- Sierra Leone; Leopard men; Sierra Leone -- History
The Crown Prosecutor entered a _nolle prosequi_ in the case of a number
of other prisoners who had been committed for trial but against whom he
did not consider that he had sufficient evidence to justify him in
proceeding further, and these men, so far as the charges on which they
were committed for trial were concerned, were discharged from custody.
This completed the work of the Special Commission Court, which, after
sitting continuously from the 18th December, 1912, concluded its
sittings on the 15th May, 1913.
CHAPTER VIII
OTHER CASES OF LEOPARD MURDER; THE HUMAN BABOON SOCIETY
Although the work of the Special Commission Court was completed on the
15th May, 1913, there were at that date a large number of persons still
in custody who had not been committed for trial, and who therefore did
not come within the purview of that Court. It was decided that the
District Commissioner should hold an Enquiry under the Protectorate
Ordinance and report whether on the evidence given against any of these
men he considered such persons to be a danger to the peace of the
community.
The first enquiry made was in regard to charges preferred against a
number of men of the Imperri and Jung Chiefdoms of being connected with
the Human Leopard Society. Evidence was given by informers that all
these men were members of or connected with the Human Leopard Society,
and mention was made of a number of murders by the Society previously
unknown to the Authorities. Apart from the evidence of the informers
there was ample evidence to show that a number of these men had actually
assisted members of the Society, and the Governor-in-Council approved of
the deportation of twelve sub-chiefs and fourteen of the principle
Headmen of the Imperri and Jong Chiefdoms from the Northern Sherbro
District.
The next enquiry was in regard to charges made against thirty-six
sub-Chiefs and principal men of the Gallinas Chiefdom. Three informers
gave evidence that they had been members of the Human Leopard Society
and had, during their membership, been present at a number of murders,
each of these men admitting having given a victim himself and giving
details regarding the sacrifices. They said that all the persons who
were the subject of the enquiry were members of the Society, and
specified the various murders at which each of them had been present;
they also gave further evidence regarding the leopard mark and exhibited
the marks which they had received on initiation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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