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"PREMPEH" THE LAST ASHANTI KING Author(s): Albert E. Wilson Source: Negro History Bulletin, Vol. 6, No. 1 (OCTOBER, 1942), pp. 19-22 Published by: Association for the Study of African American Life and History Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44246854 Accessed: 27-03-2020 03:41 UTC

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October, 1942 19

"PREMPEII" THE LAST ASHANTI KING By Albert E. Wilson Eastman

ONE late ť ť Pacific foggy spring and morning of 1924, Oriental a in huge the ' ' late spring of 1924, a huge ť ť Pacific and Oriental ' '

liner moved slowly, somewhat ma- jestically, to its pier at a port on the Gold Coast, in West Africa. The shore was lined with thousands

of eager natives, with a goodly sprinkling of Europeans, chiefly British Government officials on

particular business, standing aloof. All waited expectantly, eyes strain- ing to catch a glimpse of a prema- turely aged figure, clad in Euro- pean clothes, pacing the deck with measured steps, and still bearing itself with that regal dignity to which it was to the manner born.

As the preparations for debark- ing came to a close, the figure that was the focus of attention stepped heavily, wearily, down the gang- plank. A spontaneous shout split the ear when he came into view, fol- lowed by a small retinue. The in- stant his feet touched land, pagan and Christian united in an out-

burst of the 4 'Old Hundred/ ' a most peculiar salutation. The strains of the hymn from thousands of throats were soul-stirring; and the kingly old man was deeply and visibly affected. That completed, the multitude broke into a vocifer- ous acclamation. Some danced with

joy, and others gave vent to shrieks of pure delight. All joined in the welcome, "Prempeh, Prempeh."

Thus, after an exile of twenty- eight years in the Seychelles, Kwa- ka Dua III, Ajiman Prempeh, the last of the ruling monarchs of Ashanti, returned to the land of his heritage, bowed with age, Christianized, completely resigned to his fate under the British yoke, but, nevertheless, proud of his line- age, eyes burning with an un- quenchable fire that belied his years.

But what of the country over which this monarch whose reign came to such a lamentable close, maintained a wholly despotic rule? What of its people? Its history

and legends? Its political institu- tions, and the like?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica , 14th edition, Volume 2, page 504, states, " Ashanti, an inland coun- try of West Africa, was annexed by Great Britain in 1901. It lies immediately north of the Gold Coast Colony, and while preserving a separate entity, is administered by a chief commissioner under the authority of the governor of the Gold Coast. Its area is 24,560 square miles; population (census of 1921), 406,594."

Ashanti first came under the no-

tice of Europeans early in the eighteenth century, as a confedera- tion of states under the hegemony of the Rumasi tribe. Previous to

this the leadership was claimed by the Denkera, also known as Den- kyra, and other tribes. The real founder of the Ashanti kingdom, however, was Osai Tutu, described as the fourth king of Rumasi. Legend states that there came to his court a magician who asserted that he was commissioned by the god of the sky, "Nyame," to make of the Ashanti a great nation. In proof of this he drew down a black cloud from heaven, from which a wooden stool descended partly cov- ered with gold. This heavenly stool came to rest on the knees of Osai

Tutu. The magician declared that it contained the soul of the nation.

Later, it became the famous Golden Stool of Ashanti. It had its own

adjunct of sovereignty - an um- brella, and its own attendants. It was placed next to the king's stool on ceremonious occasions and the

king rested his arm upon it. Legends vary as to the exact

origin of the Ashanti. The most probable tradition represents them as originating from bands of fugi- tives who, in the sixteenth or seven- teenth century, were driven by mi- grating Moslem tribes from the areas surrounding the Niger and the Sengal. Securing possession of a densely forested region, they suc-

cessfully defended themselves with a valor which became a national

characteristic, and which raised them to the rank of a powerful conquering nation.

They are of pure Negro stock, are supposed to be basically of the same race as the Fanti, who are nearer the coast, and who speak the same language. A large num- ber of tribes composed this people, viz: Bekwai, Adamsi, Juabin, Ro- kofu, Mampon and Rumasi. The tribes were separately ruled each by its own Ring, but from earliest times the king of Rumasi was spoken of as the Ring of Ashanti, and was titled "The Lord of

Heaven and of Earth/ ' The king- ship has been abolished under Brit- ish rule, but each tribe still has its paramount chief, or Omanhene. The principal symbols of kingly

power and authority are the stool and the umbrella. Chiefs are said

to be "enstooled," not crowned. Land is held in common by the tribes. Whatever is unallotted is attached to the office of the head chief and is called " stool-land."

Until the closing years of the nine- teenth century human sacrifice was practised among the Ashanti. This institution was founded upon sen- timents of piety towards parents and other connections. It was the belief that the ranks of a chief's dead relatives would be measured

by the number of attendants that followed him. The succession to the chiefs' stools is for the most

part hereditary by the female side, the heir to the stool being the son of the occupant's eldest sister, or, failing male offspring by his sis- ters, his brothers according to seni- ority and back from them to the male offspring of his aunts on the father's side.

The Ashanti were so occupied with the arts of war that very little time was left for anything else. Nevertheless, they are skillful in several kinds of manufacture par-

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20 The Negro History Bulletin

ticularly in the weaving of cotton cloth.

Perhaps the most famous of the ancestors of this last of the Ashanti

kings was Kwaka Dua I, enstooled as King of the Kumasi about the year 1838. History tells us that he was a peace-loving monarch, it- self a rarity among the Ashanti. His reputation as such was not long sustained, for in 1863, because of the British refusal to surrender

certain Fanti fugitives, war broke out between him and the British. The Ashanti defeated the British

in two actions and were permitted to retire unmolested. Needless to

say, the natives were overjoyed. They declared that Kwaka Dua was stronger than the cannon of the white men. Shortly after, however, Kwaka died.

His successor, Kofi Karikari ("King Coffee"), was duly en- stooled. Trouble soon arose be-

tween him, the Dutch, and the Brit- ish. A tribe of people known as the Elmira was transferred by the Dutch to the English. The Ashanti resented this. They had always re- garded the Elmiras as subjects and had been receiving payment from the Dutch on this account every year. Another cause of friction was their holding in captivity of four Europeans, including a mis- sionary and his wife. War broke out. An Ashanti force crossed the

Prah, and advanced menacingly in the vicinity of Cape Coast. Sir Garnett Wolseley was despatched by the British to deal with the sit- uation. His force consisted of

2,400 white troops. After severe fighting this small expedition suc- ceeded in occupying Kumasi, the capital, on February 4, 1874. "King Coffee" fled but refused to surrender. Kumasi was set on fire, after which Sir Garnett retired.

Later on, Captain John Glover, R.N., administrator of the British Colony of Lagos, who with native levies had been cooperating with Sir Garnett, reached the still burn- ing ruins of the deserted capital. King Coffee was induced to ask for peace and on February 13 a treaty was signed at Fomana. By its terms the King renounced all

claims to Elmira, promised to pay an indemnity, pledged his word to suppress the practice of human sac- rifice and to encourage freedom of trade. The British, however, over- looked the opportunity of encour- aging a general secession of states from the Ashanti confederacy. Thus the power of the king was still consolidated.

Soon after, Kofi Karikari was deposed and his brother Mensa en- stooled. His rule was tyrannous and oppressive and stained with re- peated human sacrifices. In 1883, a revolution overthrew Mensa, and his successor, Kwaka Dua II, a very young man, died in June, 1884, not long after his election. That same month Kofi Karikari

who was deposed, died, and disrup- tion threatened Ashanti. A ter-

rible, desolating civil war ensued. In the midst of it, Prempeh - who took the name of Kwaka Dua III -

was chosen king on March 26, 1888. For a time peace and prosperity prevailed.

This, however, was short-lived, for in 1893 fresh trouble arose be- tween the Ashanti and the other tribes of the Gold Coast. The Brit-

ish Government interfered in 1895, calling upon Prempeh to fulfill the terms of the treaty of 1874, and further still, to accept a British Protectorate. This the king de- clined to do. Feeling that the Co- lonial Government at the Gold

Coast was not disposed to listen to his side of the dispute, he refused to deal with the governor, and in- stead despatched emissaries to the Secretary of State in London, who point-blank would not receive them. An impasse developed. The Brit- ish had recourse to war.

History is not clear at this junc- ture as to who was responsible for this totally unnecessary outbreak of hostilities. It is true that Prem-

peh was a very young man who was being deceived by two clever Afri- can scoundrels, the Ansah brothers. Still, throughout, there was a sin- cerity in him to present his case and secure a fair settlement of the

entire question. In the whole af- fair the duplicity of the Ansahs was evident to all except the confid-

ing and trustful Prempeh. It be- came apparent in the end that they themselves did not dream that the matter would have taken such a

tragic turn and end with the abdi- cation and banishment of Prempeh. When realization came to them it was too late. The British had al-

ready occupied Kumasi. On December 27, 1895, Colonel

Sir Francis Scott set out from Cape Coast on a punitive expedition. The news of his coming reached Prem- peh at Kumasi. At first, he or- dered general mobilization; but upon the advice of the Ansahs, countermanded the order. On

January 17, 1896, Kumasi was oc- cupied without incident, and on the 20th Prempeh submitted to Sir W. E. Maxwell, Governor of the Gold Coast. The king, the queen- mother, with the principal chiefs, were kept at Elmira for some time, then all were exiled to the Seychelle Islands.

It will always be a moot question as to whether or not had the Ashan-

ti decided to fight, the expedition- ary force under Sir Francis would have been able to make the long trek to Kumasi without suffering tremendous losses, or even being wiped out. The events surround- ing the downfall of Prempeh point unerringly to the fact that the king had no intention of resisting. Whether he still believed that the

dispute between himself and the British Government was capable of being amicably settled it is hard to determine. But there is abundant evidence to conclude that he had no

foreknowledge of the harsh terms that were to be imposed upon him by the governor of the Gold Coast, Mr. Maxwell, as he then was. It is easy to see that the arch-deceivers, the Ansah brothers themselves, were deceived by the impossible terms imposed by Mr. Maxwell. It was obvious that the object of the governor was to secure the person of the king. It is almost a cer- tainty that, had this fact been made known to Prempeh in time, he un- doubtedly would have fought to the last man.

A famous historian writing on this subject has this to say : "Prem-

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October, 1942 21

peh, so soon as he realized that he had been deceived by the Ansahs and was assured that he would not

be deposed, stopped the mobilization of his army, made no attempt to resist the entry of the troops into Kumasi, humiliated himself by making full submission to the Gov- ernor. claimed British protection and agreed to have a Resident in- stalled in his capital. It was his non-compliance with the demand for the immediate payment of the whole, or at least the greater part of an enormous sum as a war in-

demnity, that had been made a pre- text for his removal. ' '

A close study of the terms from available materials impels one to the conclusion that the whole ob-

ject was to provoke King Prempeh to a rejection. The British soldiers were already in command of Ku- masi, the capital, and the king vir- tually a prisoner. Evidently, Gov- ernor Maxwell was bent on depos- ing King Prempeh, and ridding the British Government of such a

troublesome neighbor. To say the least, Prempeh strove valiantly to avoid the public humiliation by ac- cepting all the conditions of the harsh treaty. Through the medium of interpreters, and Mr. Vroom, Secretary for Native Affairs repre- senting the British Government, and Albert Ansah on behalf of the

king, the terms were stated. The first demanded of Prempeh that he, personally, should render submis- sion to the Governor, in the native way and custom, to signify abject surrender.

Why this particular form was in- sisted on, and no substitute was permitted, when, as a matter of common practice, a lesser chief could have executed the condition, is difficult to understand. Be that

as it might, Prempeh, with very bad grace, accompanied by the queen-mother, rose from his chair, walked to Governor Maxwell, and, bowing before him, embraced his knees. Here was a stunning blow to his Ashanti pride and at that in- stant Ashanti prestige fell to a new low level. Even then, Prempeh would have avoided abdication had

the last condition been met, name-

ly, the wrar indemnity of about £50,- 000, in gold, which was to be paid forthwith. In any country, in any age, this is an appreciable sum.

Did the British officials really believe that the King had such an enormous amount available, or was it merely a subterfuge in order to force a refusal? The latter seems the more feasible. When it is con-

sidered that no time was granted to produce the sum, it will be seen that some ulterior purpose must have motivated the Governor to in-

sist on the strict compliance of this impossible condition. There was then no alternative left to Prempeh but to confess that he was unable to fulfil such a term. In the cir-

cumstances, his detention and sub- sequent deportation was inevitable and was only a question of time, even though he had suffered the un- forgettable humility of performing abject surrender.

Consternation reigned in the ranks of the Ashanti, when, conse- quent upon Prempeh 's admission that he was unable to produce the indemnity immediately, his arrest was ordered by Governor Max- well. This was followed by the de- tention of the Ansah brothers. Meanwhile, all who could make off with anything valuable contrived to do so. According to a descrip- tion of these events, by Lord Baden-Powell, then a plain officer in the campaign, ' 4 Here was a man with an armful of gold-hilted swords, there one with a box full of gold trinkets and rings .... But a large amount of valuables known to belong to the king had disap- peared, probably weeks previously - such as his celebrated dinner

service of Dutch silver, his golden hat, his golden chair of state, and-, above all, the royal stool, the em- blem par excellence of the King of Ashanti. ' '

Of the man Prempeh little or no definite information seems to be available. Such data as exist come from Lord Baden-Powell, who re- corded the events in a book which

he entitled, The Downfall of Prempeh. The King is described as young, with flabby, yellow face, glistening with oil; his expression

vacant hiding a keen mind. He af- fected a custom of " sucking on a large nut like a fat cigar.' ' He was not very tall, but was agile. During the meeting at which the King was deposed Baden-Powell tells us, "And there sits Prempeh, looking very bored, as three scar- letclad dwarfs dance before him, amid the dense crowd of sword- bearers, court-criers, fly-catchers, and other officials. He looks a re- gal figure as he sits upon a lofty throne, with a huge velvet umbrella standing over him, upon his head a black and gold tiara, and on his neck and arms large golden beads and nuggets. ' '

His residence, though called a palace, had very little palatial about it. A collection of huts with

high walls and enormous high- pitched thatched roofs comprised the principal dwellings. Courts without end, big and little, "suc- ceed each other, with narrow en- tries between, and with little or no attempt at architectural design or ornamentation. ' '

Prempeh was exiled to the Sey- chelle Islands in 1896. On Sep- tember 26, 1901, Ashanti was for- mally annexed to the British do- minions. Immediately relations improved between it and the Brit- ish. The principal cause was the support and continuance of the tribal system, and the recognition of the lawful chiefs, in this way winning the confidence and respect of a naturally suspicious people very mindful of their absent King. In 1921 the Golden Stool was acci- dentally discovered. Buried in a box in the ground, it was found by native workmen and unfortunately was robbed of its golden ornaments shortly thereafter. The malefac- tors were seized and tried by the principal chiefs who recommended their execution. This sentence was commuted to banishment by the British Government, the chief in whose charge it was also suffering the same penalty.

On this occasion, the British Government rose to the situation. It declared that it no longer was desirous of securing possession of

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22 The Negro History Bulletin

the stool, unless used for seditious purposes. Its confidence in this particular was repaid, for in the World War the Ashanti demon-

strated unswerving loyalty to the Crown.

Notwithstanding the prosperity and good feeling which prevailed in Ashanti, the natives unceasingly manifested a desire to have their

exiled King return. Finally, this was granted, and in 1924 Prempeh came back to his beloved Ashanti.

In April, 1925, he was present at the great palaver held at Kumasi, to welcome ex-King Edward VIII, then the Prince of Wales. The oc- casion was marked by a spectacular display of native panoply and dig- nity. The next year Prempeh was restored to the Kumasi stool, but only to the position of Kumasihene, or paramount chief, of the Kumasi tribe. The kingship was never re- stored. His sister was chosen to assume the honored position of ' ' Queen-mother, ' ' an office of great influence.

An unostentatious cortege passed out of Kumasi, towards the after- noon of a day in April, 1932. With quickening pace it headed towards a cemetery on the outskirts of the city, - the * 4 Golgotha' ' of Ashanti. Stopping at its destination, the few mourners, with little ado, deposited the remains they bore and then has- tened back to the city. There was no pomp, no ceremony, no funeral paeans, no elaborate procession to mark the interment of the depart- ed, - but a simple, apologetic, hasty, insignificant burial. Thus, it came about that Quaka Dua III, Ajiman Prempeh, last of the Ashanti Kings, was laid to rest, far from the hallowed mausoleums of his

princely forefathers, in a manner unbefitting the rank of one in whose veins the blood of kings had coursed.

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Richard Potter By Mrs. Mary Grant Charles

At this time when we think of

the Negro generally as being the underdog it is encouraging to hear of their great deeds of the earlier years. Mrs. Mary Grant Charles desires to know more about a Ne-

gro who founded Potter Place in New Hampshire. Her letter is self- explanatory :

Covered Bridge Farm,

Potter Place, N. H.,

Sept. 1, 1942.

Dr. Carter Woodson, Editor Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir :

Miss Henrietta Buckmaster has

been so kind as to suggest that you might be interested in the project upon which I am working.

For some time I have been col-

lecting material on the life of Rich- ard Potter, a mulatto, for whom this village was named and I am sending you a brief summary of my findings in the hope that you may be able to add something to my knowledge of the man. If you find the subject of sufficient inter- est perhaps you would be willing to publish the summary in such a way as might prompt readers to send in additional items which would be most welcome.

I shall be happy to answer any questions you may care to ask in regard to my project, and shall ap- preciate very much any help vou may be able to give me.

Very truly yours,

Mary Grant Charles

Mrs. R. S. Charles .

RICHARD POTTER OF POTTER PLACE

Very little has been published about Richard Potter for whom the

village of Potter Place, N. H., was named ; yet his life was one replete with adventure, romance and mys- tery.

Richard Potter who died at the

Potter Place, in the township of Andòver in 1835 - the year of the anti-abolition riot in nearby Ca- naan - is said to have been the son of Sir ' 4 Harry' ' Frankland of Co- lonial Boston and Hopkinton, Mas- sachusetts, and of Dinah - the Di- nah of O. W. Holmes' Agnes: ' 4 stolen when a child, And sold on Boston pier, Grown up in service, petted spoiled, - " At any rate there is evidence that Richard was "born in the House" of the Frank- lands.

Potter was a remarkably versa- tile man, but had already become internationally famous as a magi- cian and ventriloquist when, about the year 1814, acting as his own architect, he built an ambitious "shingle palace" upon the farm of a hundred acres of wild land he had

purchased in New Hampshire. The original State Capitol in Concord (since several times enlarged and remodelled) which was built sev- eral years later was said to have been built according to the plan of the Potter Place - perhaps - as Pot- ter dryly surmised - because of a similarity between his profession and that of the politician !

Loved and respected by the na- tives, Potter settled down with his family to enjoy country life and labor in the periods between his professional engagements. He was among the first members of the Uni- versalist Church in the town; he was generous to a fault with the fortune he had earned, and was an active worker in the Temperance Cause.

After an early youth happily spent in Hopkinton, Potter went to Europe with a mysterious "Mr. Skinner of Roxbury." Mr. Skin- ner may have been of the Boston "gentry," in which case Richard went with him as a manservant ; a sea captain, who kidnapped the boy (there is a legend to that effect, al-1 though the name Skinner is not mentioned) ; or he may have been an entertainer who took Richard

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