"Eisenschmid to Basel"

The Kukurantumi-Asafo land case has been settled, and it seems that Eisenschmid was at least an intermediary in the matter since he interviewed the Asafo chief on the subject when he was en route for Kukurantumi, heard that he was prepared to settle for 12 Pereguan (36 dollars) for the land, carried this message to Ampaw the day after everything was peacefully settled. The bulk of the report concerns the 9 people recently baptised in Kukurantumi and Kibi. Eisenschmid remarks as a preface that as a missionary Lechler had said in Basel, they have no conversion history. 1. Josua Abisaw (Kukurantumi). Dedicated to the fetish before his birth because of the frequency with which his mother's previous children had died. On this account he had to appear before the fetish priest from time to time smeared in white and offering 1 shilling - he also became the priest's drummer. As a boy he was pawned to Samang for 8 dollars. His uncle redeemed him but treated him harshly and like a slave; his reward for working in fact went to his master. At the time of his baptism he had been re-pawned for 18 dollars. He sighed for freedom and peace neither of which could find in the service of the fetish, and as a rest was prepared for the Christian message and has asked for baptism. 2. Moses (Yaw) Badu had been pawned on the death of his father to someone in Enginaseng between Kukurantumi and Asiakwa for 18 dollars to pay the expanses of the funeral custom. Then a man advanced him the debt, and he worked for him afterwards, paying it off little by little. Not long after he had paid off the debt he returned from Accra with a load to be met with a threat of death from the fetish which was bought off only by an offering of 4 dollars. This prepared him for accepting the Christian's teachings - he is now a carpentry apprentice with Kromer. 3. Paul Teaseye. A son of Ampaw by a slave-wife. His uncle is also a slave of Ampaw's, and his linguist. When the uncle could not pay his debts Ampaw allowed him to pawn Ampaw's son for 36 dollars to someone in Osiem. He was very badly treated there so that his uncle had pity on him and paid the debt, and he has been in Kukurantumi for the last two years, quite well handled, but obliged to give all his service to his uncle. To help pay off the town debt incurred during the dispute with Asafo there had been a plan to pawn this man again, and in these circumstances he attached himself to the Christian community and received instruction. (All the above from Kukurantumi - the cases following from Kibi). 4. Wilhelm David (earlier Kwaku Kese) c18-19 years old, had stayed with his brother in Cape Coast for a time while the latter was at school, and though ill there had decided on his return to gain learning himself. Against his father's will he came to the school 18 months before, and Eisenschmid is very positive about his knowledge, conviction of the truth of 'evangelical religion' and inner determination to be a Christian. He is from Sarmang. 5. Joseph (he is from the same place as Kwaku Dako) aged 13-14, and with 3 1/2 years in the boarding part of the school-- not much gifted but with a good grounding at in biblical history and resolution. 6. Noa Asante, a crippled youth with a bone illness. 7. Georg Otemeng, about 23 years old, mother from Asiakwa and father from Kibi. He attached himself to the missionaries from their first arrival, and had often carried loads for them from Accra and worked as a handy-man. They had only baptised him after long and anxious consultations, including conversations with Jakobo and Mose Teko, the latter because they had deliberately set him to work as handy-man alongside Otemeng in order to get some idea of his current conduct, since he had a very bad reputation among the heathen. However, both advised in favour, so he was baptised. 8. Jonathan Asumany, son of an Asante now dead, his mother from Apapam and he were pawned to a Kibi elder called Kwasi Amoake. Now c 20 years old, but known to the missionaries for a long time. He had been in the school till his master forbade it, and his master increased the pressure later in order to prevent him becoming a Christian. The missionaries visited the latter, and asked him not to hinder the conversion of the man - like many Christians he would serve him after baptism, only better. His body would still be the man's property, but his soul had not been sold, he was answerable for that to God for himself. The master then allowed his baptism, and agreed that the man should he free from work on Sundays - though on his baptism he took the case to the king who declared that the man should pay his master 1 sheep satisfaction. Eisenschmid writes that though it would be very desirable from the man's point of view to be freed to establish a precedent known both to slaves and masters he was glad that in this case at this time this has not occurred. 9. Sophia Dede, ex-pupil of the Girls' Boarding School in Aburi, now Christaller's servant. Eisenschmid says about them all that they are still children (he presumably means in the faith) who must be tenderly advised and brought up if they are to be sturdy Christians. He gives no guarantee of their future course.

December 1865

December 1865

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