Morbid Fact Du Jour for March 4, 2015

Today’s Uprising Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

The Mau Mau Society was a radical anti-colonial movement engaged in rebellion against Kenya’s British rulers in the 1950’s.  Authorities turned a blind eye to the society for several years, until Sir Evelyn Baring, Kenya’s new Governor, researched the uprising and declared a State of Emergency in October, 1952. He stated that there was a “clear determination” by the Mau Mau to “destroy all sources of authority” other than their own, and he advised the Secretary of State in London that there would probably be an attempt at the systematic “assassination of Europeans”.

The Emergency started on October 20, when soldiers of the Lancashire Fusiliers – hurried in from Egypt – patrolled the streets with rifles and fixed bayonets. More than 80 leading Mau Mau suspects were arrested.

But this did not stop the secret society members from wreaking their hatred on the white – and black – population. Before the month was out farmer Eric Bowyer became the first European to die at the hands of the Mau Mau, when he was cut to tatters in the bath of his remote farmstead. Together with his two houseboys, he had been murdered by the lethal African knife, the panga.

From that day on life for the white “bosses” was far from the sophisticated, stately procedure of old. Along with the cut glass and silver on the dinner tables were pistols – loaded and ready to fire. It was difficult to tell which houseboys were loyal and trustworthy, and which furtively supported the Mau Mau, and were prepared to leave back doors unlocked so that the killers could sneak in from the darkness. But not even a cocked gun could save the lives of farmer Charles Fergusson and his friend Richard Bingley.

They were set upon in Fergusson’s home, and he had his hand cut off by a panga as he was drawing the pistol from his dressing-gown pocket. Police and troops who later viewed the slashed bodies were made sick to their stomachs.

The atrocity took place on the evening of January 1, 1953, and three weeks later it was followed by an even more horrific event – the butchering of a pleasant young couple, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Ruck, and their 6-year-old son, Michael. Three days later some 2000 Europeans – angered by the fact that they had to round up their flocks at night, and so lose night grazing, and fearful for the lives of themselves and their families – marched on Government House, in Nairobi. Waving firearms, uttering curses, and beating on the doors, they convinced the officials that the Mau Mau must be suppressed and destroyed – or else.

Before effective measures could be taken, however, the terrorists ran riot though the Lari location, 25 miles from the capital, setting huts on fire and torturing and slaying men, women, children, and babes in arms. The night of bloodshed – March 26, 1953 – marked the peak of the society’s bestiality.

Mass arrests followed and by August of the following year some 50,000 Kikuyu, Embbu and Meru tribesmen were detained in concentration camps. It was estimated that for every Asian or European they had killed, they had slaughtered 50 Africans. Anyone who did not belong to their murderous organization was regarded as an enemy and a likely prey.

The winds of change were blowing though, and in 1963 Kenya would be granted independence. One of the leaders of the Mau Mau, Jomo Kenyatta, would become the first President and would grant pardons to all the men of the Mau Mau.

Culled from: Crimes and Punishment, the Illustrated Crime Encyclopedia, Volume 12

I had to see what the Panga looked like myself. Oh yeah, a machete… I had one when I was a kid – much to the regret of many of the small trees in the canyon behind my house.  Who lets a kid play with a machete anyways?  Ah, the wild, carefree 70’s…

Morbid Cakes Du Jour!

Howard sent me a link to a collection of cakes based on scientific concepts.  A few of them are quite morbid – and my favorite is the Failed Abdominal Surgery cake.

14 Cakes Inspired by Scientific Concepts