When Milton Henschel was tortured and beaten in Africa

by Hecce 30 Replies latest social current

  • Hecce
    Hecce

    *** yb77 pp. 173-174 Liberia ***

    After sitting down, the Witnesses were told to look at the sun, and soldiers watched their eyes to make sure they were staring at the blazing sun. After enduring this inhumanity for about half an hour, they were allowed to seek shelter under shady trees inside the compound. Then the soldiers forced some Witnesses, including Brother Henschel, to draw water from a parasite-ridden stream about a quarter of a mile down the highway. Sister Muriel Klinck, a missionary, was compelled to go into the stream and carry water on her head. A soldier then viciously kicked her in the abdomen. Some of the soldiers threatened rape. When the water reached the Witnesses, soldiers upset the buckets and smashed drinking cups under their boots, declaring: “No salute, no water.” Finally, however, the soldiers allowed them to drink some of the river water—their first drink in more than twenty-four hours!

    At no time was food provided by the authorities. After more than twenty-four hours without eating, a few Witnesses were permitted to go to the assembly site and prepare some rice from supplies on hand there. When the rice was brought to the group, it amounted to about four spoonfuls per person.

    *** yb77 p. 175 Liberia ***

    In the morning, a new group of soldiers took over, and these appeared to be more sadistic. A few more Witnesses compromised and the rest were brought back to the field where they were struck again, both with rifle butts and with short whips. M. G. Henschel was almost knocked unconscious with the butt of a rifle.

    The sun now was blazing down on their bare heads. One missionary suffered a sunstroke. Another, Rene leRoux, later said: “It felt like having your head in a 500-degree oven.”

    On Tuesday morning, March 12, the foreigners spoke up strongly for release. The lieutenant left to inquire. Shortly thereafter, he returned, and about 11:00 a.m. the nearly thirty foreigners were released. All of them had held fast their integrity despite all the brutal treatment. Before leaving, Brother Henschel spoke for a few minutes to the remaining Liberian Witnesses; they prayed together and felt strengthened.

    The convention grounds were a shambles, with all the suitcases having been bayoneted open and the valuables stolen. Equipment, electrical and other items, had been smashed. The released Witnesses returned to the grounds where the Liberian Christians were still being held, bringing them soft drinks, food, money and other things. But the district commissioner soon put a stop to that. Later, he told the Liberian brothers that it was going to be very hard for them. On the heads of the men, the soldiers shaved two paths in the shape of a cross to indicate that they were prisoners. These “haircuts” were given with broken glass bottles. At the flag ceremony that evening, about a dozen more compromised.



  • Bungi Bill
    Bungi Bill

    You couldn't call those who carried out these atrocities "animals", as that would be to insult animals!

    Whatever you may or may not say about the JWs, nothing - but nothing - justifies such treatment of other human beings.

  • waton
    waton

    Herd animals ( no insult intended )

  • rebel8
    rebel8

    Of course, the source is a liar, so we need to take it with a grain of salt.

  • blondie
    blondie

    In one WT article the WTS tried to conceal the fact that more compromised that "held firm" in this case of persecution. A bright person must have caught them on this discrepancy.

    w82 7/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers

    In The

    Watchtower of April 15, 1982, page 26, paragraph 19, it states that in the persecution of Jehovah?s Witnesses at Gbarnga, Liberia, in March 1963, a few compromised but the majority maintained their integrity. However, the Yearbook for 1977 states that the majority compromised their faith. Why this discrepancy?

    The statement in The Watchtower for April 15, 1982, is in error. Actually, according to the Yearbook of 1977, pages 176 and 178, there were about 100 Liberian Witnesses who went through the Gbarnga persecution maintaining integrity, while approximately 200 compromised their faith.

    Think about it, if the people at the KH cannot show love and support when there is no persecution, nothing would make me think that they would do it under persecution.

    Luke 16 10 He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much.

  • Hecce
    Hecce

    More information about the incident:

    *** yb77 pp. 170-173 Liberia ***

    GBARNGA ASSEMBLY

    After the arrest of Brother Ricketts near the end of January, the Justice Department was asked whether there was any objection to the proposed religious conference of Jehovah’s Witnesses scheduled to convene at Gbarnga from March 8-10, 1963. The Justice Department said that there was no objection. So, plans for the gathering went ahead. Gbarnga was centrally located in the interior of the country.

    Early during the assembly week, M. G. Henschel arrived. He and Brother Charuk spent much time at the American embassy trying to arrange an interview with President Tubman to explain our position. Finally, word was received that the interview was set for Monday morning, March 11, at ten o’clock. So the two brothers went on to Gbarnga and graciously were given lodging in the home of District Commissioner Samuel B. Cooper. This official had been friendly and helpful, seemingly not influenced by the events at Kolahun.

    In preparation for the assembly, the brothers worked hard, clearing a large area at the end of Progressive Street. They erected booths, for sessions were to be held in English, Kpelle, Kisi and Bassa. On Saturday evening Brother Henschel gave a timely talk on subjection to the “superior authorities.” (Rom. 13:1) Brother Ricketts arrived on Sunday morning, having been released the day before. The brothers rejoiced. Little did they realize that this was part of a plan to get all the Witnesses together and involve them in a flag test.

    By Sunday there were about 400 present, including many interested persons from Gbarnga. The day’s text discussed that morning was James 5:10, which reads: “Brothers, take as a pattern of the suffering of evil and the exercising of patience the prophets, who spoke in the name of Jehovah.” How appropriate that text proved to be!

    About 10:30 a.m., while the assembled Christians were listening to the talk “Holding Faith and a Good Conscience,” Lieutenant Warner of the local military post came to the assembly ground with a letter from District Commissioner Cooper. It read in part: “In order to eradicate the impression on the minds of the general public with regards to the loyalty of your membership, it is my directive that upon the receipt of this letter you will march the entire membership of your Conference to the District Compound where they shall pay allegiance to the Flag of the Republic of Liberia.”

    M. G. Henschel and two other brothers left the assembly to see the district commissioner. Brother Henschel asked that any action be suspended until he saw the president, keeping the appointment for Monday morning made through the American embassy. The commissioner refused to do this and ordered soldiers to bring everyone at the assembly to the compound. The brothers returned to the assembly and quickly dispatched Spencer Thomas and Frank Williams to Monrovia to inform the British and American embassies of events involving their nationals. Despite the fact that the soldiers had put up a roadblock to ferret out all of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the two brothers got through to Monrovia.

    TAKEN CAPTIVE!

    The soldiers arrived in a truck. They broke up the peaceful assembly, rounding up everyone—men, women and children. So it was that about 400 persons were marched to the compound, right through the center of town. While walking, the group sang Kingdom songs of praise. People came from far and near. Foreigners took pictures. Africans looked on in amazement. Soldiers shouted: “Keep quiet! Stop singing!”

    Upon arrival at the military compound, all were lined up in a circle around the flagpole, with the foreign Witnesses in front. Twice the lieutenant demonstrated what he wanted. No one saluted. Thereupon the commissioner ordered: “Lock them up, all of them.” The soldiers now took away the personal belongings of the brothers, including pens, eyeglasses, briefcases—all of this officially. But later, money, watches and jewelry were plundered by the soldiers. As many Witnesses as possible were jammed into four windowless rooms. Some of these really were latrines. The remaining individuals were crowded into the small fenced-in area alongside the guardhouse. There they remained, singing Kingdom songs that Sunday afternoon until about 6:00 p.m.

    By that time, three truckloads of soldiers had arrived from a nearby military camp. The brothers then were taken back to the compound flanked by soldiers in a ready-to-charge position. Before the flag again, only a few compromised. The rest were driven across the highway to an open field, running the gauntlet of kicks, blows and strikes with rifles. This included women with children whose screams must have been heard for a considerable distance.

    Shoes, jackets, shirts, head coverings—all of these now had to be removed while the group was forced to sit upright throughout the entire night. They were not permitted to sleep or rest their heads a bit. Water was allowed only for small children and babies, and some of the latter were taken to a nearby clinic. Sitting on the bare ground and loose pebbles was hard to endure. Yet, if anyone’s head nodded, a soldier was quick to knock him into wakefulness. During that long night the soldiers never let up with verbal abuses: “Where is your Jehovah now?” “‘G’ is all the same. ‘G’ for God, ‘G’ for government. Our god gave us a gun. What has your God given you?”

    MONDAY MORNING COMPROMISERS

    At daybreak the air was tense. The soldiers insisted that everyone would be happy to salute with both hands before the day was over. Except for a few children, no one among the Witnesses had been given anything to eat since Sunday morning—and they had received nothing to drink. A colonel informed them that it was going to be awfully hard that morning. Flexing his lash, he said: “We’re going to see that you salute this morning.”

    On the way to the flagpole, shoes, socks and coats were ordered removed, while some soldiers snatched watches off wrists. When the ceremony began, those who had decided to salute were told to separate themselves and come closer to the flagpole. Amazingly, sixty or more from the Kolahun area saluted, including Gilead graduate Bayo Gbondo! No doubt his action influenced many of the others.

    Why did those from Kolahun salute? The district commissioner had singled out the brothers from Kolahun and reminded them that they had saluted at Kolahun. If they failed to salute now, he would send them all to Belle Yelle. Later, Sister Watkins asked Gbondo if he had saluted at Kolahun. “Yes,” he replied. “They would have killed me.” Evidently soldiers had continued beating him until he compromised, but he had not revealed it. So now the facts of what had happened finally became known.

    The Witnesses who did not salute at Gbarnga were then driven like animals back to the open field. Many were struck with rifles, particularly on the head. Sister Rhoda Brown of Lower Buchanan, about eight months pregnant at the time, was knocked down twice and rolled over on the ground. Another sister, Ida Zizi of Monrovia, whose baby was on her back was knocked down, causing her to fall on the infant. Though the baby appeared to be dead, it later was revived at the clinic. Even children as young as seven years of age were struck by the armed soldiers.


  • Hairtrigger
    Hairtrigger

    If all this is true it is heart wrenching indeed. What a bunch of scumbags the 7 fat fucks at Warwick are to have made these poor ignorant hapless 400 go through all this torture , pain and privations. All for what? For a non existent Hobo?

    Good thinking Gbondo. Wish all had followed your lead. What was his reward after all this pain and near death experience? Disfellowshipped?

    Those 7 ff will just go on living the grand life. And milk the emotional mileage from this story to get more money From jdub suckers.

    Wonder how long it would have taken them to salute the flag. I'm bettin' all seven would have within 48 or 72 hours!

  • dubstepped
    dubstepped

    Is there some reason for starting this thread? I'm just wondering, as it seems out of nowhere. It sounds like a horrible scenario. Are you stringing this out and then going to show us something that it didn't happen or something?

  • Bungi Bill
    Bungi Bill

    Fascist bastards!

  • Bungi Bill
    Bungi Bill
    If all this is true it is heart wrenching indeed.

    Sadly, being Africa, this is all too believable!



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