§ 19. Sir WALTER ESSEXasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information showing that King Mango Bell, paramount chief of Duala region of the Cameroons, was executed by the German authorities upon the approach of the British troops; and, if so, can he state under what circumstances and for what reason this execution took place?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWIn his dispatch of 24th August, 1915, which will be 1700 found on pages 40 to 44 of Cd. 7974, the General Officer Commanding the Cameroons Expeditionary Force reported that " Rudolph Bell" (otherwise Mango Bell), the Chief of the Dualas, was "executed" by the Germans a few days before the fall of Duala, and a large number of Dualas were put to death by them, for no other reason that can be discovered than the usual " frightfulness." I might also refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 14 and 15 of that dispatch, and to paragraphs 3 and 4 of Major-General Sir C. Dobell's dispatch of 28th January, 1916, which has been published as No. 6 of Cd. 8306.
§ Commander WEDGWOODArising out of the answer of the right hon. Gentleman, of which I did not hear much, were King Mango Bell and other natives executed because they were supposed to be pro-British?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI have no reason to doubt that that would have some bearing.