Human Leopards

by Kenneth James Beatty

11. Under Section 2 (2) a Special Commission Court consists of three persons, one of whom must be a judge or barrister or solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Colony or of any other Court in the British dominions, and one of the members is appointed to be President of the Court. By Section 10 the powers conferred by Sections 5 and 6 of the Human Leopard and Alligator Societies Amendment Ordinance, 1912, and various other powers conferred by the Human Leopard and Alligator Societies Ordinance of 1909 are extended to persons convicted by a Special Commission Court.

12. It was recognized that, in view of the terror inspired by the Society and the oath of secrecy which was believed to have been imposed on the people of the District, there would be great difficulty in obtaining evidence; and that persons of whose connection with the Society there was no moral doubt whatever might be acquitted for want of sufficient evidence to satisfy legal requirements. Section 11 of the Ordinance accordingly provides that in any such case, if the Court is of opinion, after hearing all the evidence, that it is expedient for the security, peace or order of the District that the accused person should be expelled from the District, the Court may, notwithstanding his acquittal, send to the Governor a report of the case, and thereupon the accused may be expelled from the Colony and Protectorate.

13. The importance of having an officer of high legal attainments, and one who had had previous experience of West Africa, as President of the Court was obvious, and the Government was fortunate in being able to secure the services of Sir William Brandford Griffith, late Chief Justice of the Gold Coast. The other members of the Court, as it was at first constituted, were Mr. A. Van der Meulen, Solicitor-General, and Mr. K. J. Beatty, Police Magistrate, both of whom are barristers-at-law. Later on, Mr. Van der Meulen went on leave, and his place was taken by Lieutenant-Colonel H. G. Warren, District Commissioner of the Karene District.

14. The Court commenced its sittings on the 16th December. Owing to the large number of prisoners and witnesses, all of whom resided in the Northern Sherbro District, it was decided that the Court should sit at Gbangbama, in the Imperri chiefdom. The Crown was represented by Mr. E. D. Vergette, Crown Prosecutor, assisted by Major R. H. K. Willans, Acting District Commissioner, and Mr. C. S. H. Vaudrey, Assistant District Commissioner. The prisoners were all represented by counsel.

15. The trials were conducted with the utmost care and patience. The hearing of the first case occupied 11 days, of the second 36 days, and of the third 28 days. The other cases were disposed of more rapidly.

16. In the third case the question of the initiation mark alleged to be borne by members of the Human Leopard Society was very carefully gone into. The accomplices showed the mark on their own persons, and described how it was made. They also pointed out marks on the prisoners which they alleged to be the mark of the Society. Unfortunately, their evidence in some instances was contradictory, and they identified different marks on the same person as being the initiation mark. Moreover, it was proved, by taking persons haphazard in the Court who were not suspected of any connection with the Society, that it was hardly possible to distinguish the alleged Human Leopard mark from scars caused by disease or slight injuries. The Court was, therefore, unable to accept the mark as evidence of membership of the Society.

17. In view of this ruling, it was obviously useless to proceed with cases in which the alleged mark formed the only corroboration of the evidence of accomplices, and it was decided to enter a nolle prosequi in such cases.

VIEW FROM GOVERNMENT HOUSE, FREETOWN.

18. Out of 108 persons committed by the District Commissioner, 34 were brought to trial, 71 were released after a nolle prosequi had been entered, and three died before trial. Of the persons brought to trial, nine were convicted of murder and 10 others of lesser offences, the remaining 15 being acquitted. Seven of the nine men convicted of murder were executed, and in the case of the other two the capital sentence was commuted for one of imprisonment for life. Of the 15 persons who were acquitted 11 have since been expelled from the Colony and Protectorate on the recommendation of the Court; and by arrangement with the Government of Southern Nigeria those who have been sentenced to imprisonment will be transferred to Lagos to undergo their sentences there.