Richard Mohun
Encyclopedia
Richard Dorsey Loraine Mohun (1865 – July 13, 1915) was an American
explorer and soldier of fortune
. Mohun worked for the US government as a commercial agent in Angola
and the Congo Free State
. During his time as commercial agent, he volunteered to command a unit of Belgian
artillery in a campaign to force Arab slavers from the country. Mohun remained in the service of the US government during this time and was subsequently posted as consul
to Zanzibar
. In this capacity, he was called upon to act as an intermediary between the combatants in the Anglo-Zanzibar War
. Following the conclusion of his three-year posting, Mohun returned to the Congo to prospect for minerals, and later worked with the Belgian authorities.
His most ambitious undertaking was a three-year expedition, beginning in 1898, that laid a telegraph
line from Lake Tanganyika
to Stanley Falls
. He then spent some time prospecting in South Africa
before returning to the Congo to reform the Abir Congo Company
on behalf of Leopold II of Belgium
. Mohun claimed to be the first American to cross the African continent, a credit usually given to Henry Morton Stanley
. Mohun's claim may have been due to knowing Stanley was born in Wales
. Mohun is considered to be one of three Americans who played key roles in opening the Belgian Congo to outsiders, alongside Stanley and William Henry Sheppard
.
, in the United States
in 1865, and was the grandson of the Catholic writer Anna Hanson Dorsey
. He was privately tutored and developed a keen interest in Africa
and in the eradication of the slave trade
which continued there. He was the fourth member of his family to have an active interest in the slave trade, particularly as carried out by Arabs in Eastern and Southern Africa. His first known appointment in Africa was as commercial agent for the government of the United States of America at Loanda
in Angola
.
to be resident in the port city of Boma. Mohun made his journey to Africa via Belgium
, the colonial power, where he met King Leopold II
who impressed Mohun with his ambition to bring peace and western civilization to the Congo. As commercial agent, Mohun's duties were to investigate the commercial potential in Congo and to promote trade between the two countries, something which previously had been almost non-existent. Mohun spent much of his time exploring and visited several areas which had not been seen before by a western man.
Early in his appointment, the Belgian authorities were involved in a conflict with Arab slavers from the East coast of Africa. On April 19, 1893, Mohun himself became involved when he was appointed commander of artillery
attached to an expedition sent against the slavers. Mohun was appointed because of the illness of the previous Chief of Artillery, a Belgian officer. Mohun played a leading role in several subsequent engagements, including an occasion when he was made second-in-command of an expedition to determine whether it was practical to establish a route to bring water from Lake Tanganyika
to the upper Lualaba River
. When another Belgian commander fell ill, Mohun assumed command and successfully completed the remainder of the expedition. The Belgian forces, made up of black soldiers led by white officers, were eventually successful in driving the slavers from the Congo. During the campaign, Mohun remained a commercial agent for the US and drew no pay for his services as Chief of Artillery, although he was remunerated
with $5000 from the Société Anonyme Belge pour le commerce du Haut Congo Brussels. In 1894, he was awarded honorary membership of the Société Royale Belge de Géographie
(Royal Belgian Geographical Society).
Mohun stated that his priority in Congo was to improve conditions for the inhabitants by bringing them within the Belgian sphere of influence
. He also stated that the popular image of Belgian brutality in the Congo was a lie spread by missionaries - a statement contradicted by evidence of unnecessary cruelty by Belgian troops in the region. Mohun was concerned about his public image, and wrote a diary, with publication in mind, that includes little self-criticism. The diary does, however, record an incident where punitive action was taken against a Chieftain by burning his village. Mohun reflects on his own responsibility in this: "[I was] satisfied in my own conscience that I had rid the country of a brute and unnecessary member of society."
The US State Department
was, perhaps surprisingly, not displeased with Mohun's undiplomatic conduct in assisting the Belgians. This may have been because he did not receive a salary for his work and assisted in making the Congo more commercially stable. Mohun was appointed US Consul to Zanzibar on May 25, 1895. His appointment, which he then held until November 22, 1897, may have been a reward for his work in the Congo. During this time, he became involved in the Anglo-Zanzibar War
, as an intermediary between the Sultan of Zanzibar and the British authorities. In return for his services, he was decorated by the new Sultan. During the course of the war Mohun compiled a portfolio of photographs that he later published.
. He was then contracted by the Belgian government, which had been impressed by his work on behalf of the United States, and worked alongside Francis, Baron Dhanis
, vice-governor general to the Free State. Mohun continued his work to eradicate the slave trade, made several surveying expeditions, governed 5 million native inhabitants, established new trade markets, and assisted in the suppression of cannibalism. He estimated that there were 20 million cannibals in the Free State, and spoke of witnessing both a cannibal feast, and the practice of burying people alive.
In 1899 Mohun was involved in an expedition to lay a telegraph
line from Lake Tanganyika
to the Nile
. He advertised among the Askari
of Zanzibar for volunteers to provide the escort required by the expedition, and received more than one thousand responses. From these, he selected one hundred men to accompany him, twenty of whom had served with him in the Congo expedition of 1894. His escort was placed under the command of Captain Verhellen.
In order to negotiate with the local population along his route, Mohun took "100 boxes [of] trade goods consisting of bells, knives, locks, mirrors, music boxes, watches, clocks, fezzes, and other odds and ends". His diary also notes that spectacles, Arab-made incense and American-made cloth were popular, and that he used the latter to pay his Askari escort. The expedition also included porters
to carry the equipment and to lay the telegraph line.
A ship named Sir Harry Johnson took them from Zanzibar to the African mainland in the German colony of Tanganyika
. The expedition then proceeded to the northern tip of Lake Nyasa
before moving along the western bank of the lake to the settlement of Karonga
in North-Eastern Rhodesia
. The expedition probably used the Stevenson Road which connected Karonga to Zombe
at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika. From there, they began laying the telegraph line, heading north along the western bank of the Lake and entering the Congo Free State before turning west to meet the River Congo at Kasongo
. Mohun's party followed the river north to Stanley Falls
where, after three years, the expedition ended the line some distance short of the Nile. Mohun was the only white survivor of the party (whose medical officer
was Dr. Castellote) and as a result, Mohun claimed to be known amongst the indigenous peoples along the route as "Big master of the telephone".
where he prospected for minerals and rubber. He also acted as an agent for the Rubber Exploration Company of New York and undertook exploration and prospecting expeditions to Equatorial Africa
and Madagascar
. In December 1905, on the recommendation of King Leopold, he was appointed director of the Abir Congo Company
. The Abir Rubber Company was the only company mentioned by name in a Congo Commission report, which reported: "the imprisonment of women as hostages, flogging to excess, and various acts of brutality are not contested. It is the black spot on the history of Central African settlement." Mohun was appointed to institute reforms addressing these practices. He also devoted much time to an attempt to exterminate the tsetse fly
. He returned to his home at Royal Oak
, Maryland
to recover from wounds he had received during his twenty years service in Africa. Aged 50 and without any prior signs of illness, he died on July 13, 1915. Although he was alone when he fell ill at two o'clock in the morning a non-Catholic woman made a 26 miles (41.8 km) journey to fetch a priest
to conduct the Last Rites
.
, who accompanied him to Zanzibar but spent much of her time in Belgium where communications with Africa were very quick. He had two sons, one of whom was born in Zanzibar and the other in Belgium. Mohun received honours from the British, French and Belgian governments and—though never employed directly by their armies—often wore a uniform to maintain discipline amongst his followers. Mohun was a member of the Royal Geographical Societies of Britain, France and Belgium.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
explorer and soldier of fortune
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
. Mohun worked for the US government as a commercial agent in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and the Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
. During his time as commercial agent, he volunteered to command a unit of Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
artillery in a campaign to force Arab slavers from the country. Mohun remained in the service of the US government during this time and was subsequently posted as consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. In this capacity, he was called upon to act as an intermediary between the combatants in the Anglo-Zanzibar War
Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted 38 minutes and is the shortest war in history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the subsequent succession...
. Following the conclusion of his three-year posting, Mohun returned to the Congo to prospect for minerals, and later worked with the Belgian authorities.
His most ambitious undertaking was a three-year expedition, beginning in 1898, that laid a telegraph
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
line from Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
to Stanley Falls
Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani/Boyoma in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.At the...
. He then spent some time prospecting in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
before returning to the Congo to reform the Abir Congo Company
Abir Congo Company
The Abir Congo Company was a company which harvested natural rubber in the Congo Free State, the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. The company was founded with British and Belgian capital and was based in Belgium...
on behalf of Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
. Mohun claimed to be the first American to cross the African continent, a credit usually given to Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
. Mohun's claim may have been due to knowing Stanley was born in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Mohun is considered to be one of three Americans who played key roles in opening the Belgian Congo to outsiders, alongside Stanley and William Henry Sheppard
William Henry Sheppard
Reverend William Henry Sheppard was one of the earliest African Americans to become a missionary for the Presbyterian Church. He spent 20 years in Africa, primarily in and around the Congo Free State, and is best known for his efforts to publicize the atrocities committed against the Kuba and...
.
Early life
Richard Dorsey Mohun was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1865, and was the grandson of the Catholic writer Anna Hanson Dorsey
Anna Hanson Dorsey
Anna Hanson Dorsey was an American novelist and writer...
. He was privately tutored and developed a keen interest in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and in the eradication of the slave trade
African slave trade
Systems of servitude and slavery were common in many parts of Africa, as they were in much of the ancient world. In some African societies, the enslaved people were also indentured servants and fully integrated; in others, they were treated much worse...
which continued there. He was the fourth member of his family to have an active interest in the slave trade, particularly as carried out by Arabs in Eastern and Southern Africa. His first known appointment in Africa was as commercial agent for the government of the United States of America at Loanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
US Government work
In 1892, Mohun was appointed the US commercial agent to the Congo Free StateCongo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
to be resident in the port city of Boma. Mohun made his journey to Africa via Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the colonial power, where he met King Leopold II
Leopold II of Belgium
Leopold II was the second king of the Belgians. Born in Brussels the second son of Leopold I and Louise-Marie of Orléans, he succeeded his father to the throne on 17 December 1865 and remained king until his death.Leopold is chiefly remembered as the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free...
who impressed Mohun with his ambition to bring peace and western civilization to the Congo. As commercial agent, Mohun's duties were to investigate the commercial potential in Congo and to promote trade between the two countries, something which previously had been almost non-existent. Mohun spent much of his time exploring and visited several areas which had not been seen before by a western man.
Early in his appointment, the Belgian authorities were involved in a conflict with Arab slavers from the East coast of Africa. On April 19, 1893, Mohun himself became involved when he was appointed commander of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
attached to an expedition sent against the slavers. Mohun was appointed because of the illness of the previous Chief of Artillery, a Belgian officer. Mohun played a leading role in several subsequent engagements, including an occasion when he was made second-in-command of an expedition to determine whether it was practical to establish a route to bring water from Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
to the upper Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
. When another Belgian commander fell ill, Mohun assumed command and successfully completed the remainder of the expedition. The Belgian forces, made up of black soldiers led by white officers, were eventually successful in driving the slavers from the Congo. During the campaign, Mohun remained a commercial agent for the US and drew no pay for his services as Chief of Artillery, although he was remunerated
Remuneration
Remuneration is the total compensation that an employee receives in exchange for the service they perform for their employer. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary...
with $5000 from the Société Anonyme Belge pour le commerce du Haut Congo Brussels. In 1894, he was awarded honorary membership of the Société Royale Belge de Géographie
Société Royale Belge de Géographie
The Société Royale Belge de Géographie is a Belgian learned society which works to promote the geographical sciences. It was founded on 27 August 1876 as the Belgian Society of Geography a few days before the opening of the Brussels Geographic Conference to promote the exploration of various...
(Royal Belgian Geographical Society).
Mohun stated that his priority in Congo was to improve conditions for the inhabitants by bringing them within the Belgian sphere of influence
Sphere of influence
In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence is a spatial region or conceptual division over which a state or organization has significant cultural, economic, military or political influence....
. He also stated that the popular image of Belgian brutality in the Congo was a lie spread by missionaries - a statement contradicted by evidence of unnecessary cruelty by Belgian troops in the region. Mohun was concerned about his public image, and wrote a diary, with publication in mind, that includes little self-criticism. The diary does, however, record an incident where punitive action was taken against a Chieftain by burning his village. Mohun reflects on his own responsibility in this: "[I was] satisfied in my own conscience that I had rid the country of a brute and unnecessary member of society."
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
was, perhaps surprisingly, not displeased with Mohun's undiplomatic conduct in assisting the Belgians. This may have been because he did not receive a salary for his work and assisted in making the Congo more commercially stable. Mohun was appointed US Consul to Zanzibar on May 25, 1895. His appointment, which he then held until November 22, 1897, may have been a reward for his work in the Congo. During this time, he became involved in the Anglo-Zanzibar War
Anglo-Zanzibar War
The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. The conflict lasted 38 minutes and is the shortest war in history. The immediate cause of the war was the death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the subsequent succession...
, as an intermediary between the Sultan of Zanzibar and the British authorities. In return for his services, he was decorated by the new Sultan. During the course of the war Mohun compiled a portfolio of photographs that he later published.
Belgian Government work
Following the expiration of his contract with the US government, Mohun returned to Congo to work as a mineral prospectorProspecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
. He was then contracted by the Belgian government, which had been impressed by his work on behalf of the United States, and worked alongside Francis, Baron Dhanis
Francis, Baron Dhanis
Francis, Baron Dhanis was a Belgian civil servant born in London in 1861, the son of a Belgian merchant and of an Irish woman named Maher. He spent the first fourteen years of his life at Greenock, where he received his early education...
, vice-governor general to the Free State. Mohun continued his work to eradicate the slave trade, made several surveying expeditions, governed 5 million native inhabitants, established new trade markets, and assisted in the suppression of cannibalism. He estimated that there were 20 million cannibals in the Free State, and spoke of witnessing both a cannibal feast, and the practice of burying people alive.
Tanganyika-Nile telegraph expedition
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
line from Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
to the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
. He advertised among the Askari
Askari
Askari is an Arabic, Bosnian, Urdu, Turkish, Somali, Persian, Amharic and Swahili word meaning "soldier" . It was normally used to describe local troops in East Africa, Northeast Africa, and Central Africa serving in the armies of European colonial powers...
of Zanzibar for volunteers to provide the escort required by the expedition, and received more than one thousand responses. From these, he selected one hundred men to accompany him, twenty of whom had served with him in the Congo expedition of 1894. His escort was placed under the command of Captain Verhellen.
In order to negotiate with the local population along his route, Mohun took "100 boxes [of] trade goods consisting of bells, knives, locks, mirrors, music boxes, watches, clocks, fezzes, and other odds and ends". His diary also notes that spectacles, Arab-made incense and American-made cloth were popular, and that he used the latter to pay his Askari escort. The expedition also included porters
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
to carry the equipment and to lay the telegraph line.
A ship named Sir Harry Johnson took them from Zanzibar to the African mainland in the German colony of Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
. The expedition then proceeded to the northern tip of Lake Nyasa
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
before moving along the western bank of the lake to the settlement of Karonga
Karonga
Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2008 estimates, Karonga has a population of 42,555.-History:...
in North-Eastern Rhodesia
North-Eastern Rhodesia
North-Eastern Rhodesia in south central Africa was formed by and administered by the British South Africa Company as the other half, with North-Western Rhodesia, of the huge territory lying mainly north of the Zambezi River into which it expanded its charter in 1891...
. The expedition probably used the Stevenson Road which connected Karonga to Zombe
Zombe
Zombe is a settlement in Kenya's Eastern Province....
at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika. From there, they began laying the telegraph line, heading north along the western bank of the Lake and entering the Congo Free State before turning west to meet the River Congo at Kasongo
Kasongo
Kasongo is a town and territory in Maniema Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies east of the Lualaba River, northwest of its confluence with the Luama River, at an altitude of 2188 ft . Kasongos population is approximately 63,000. The town is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese...
. Mohun's party followed the river north to Stanley Falls
Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani/Boyoma in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.At the...
where, after three years, the expedition ended the line some distance short of the Nile. Mohun was the only white survivor of the party (whose medical officer
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
was Dr. Castellote) and as a result, Mohun claimed to be known amongst the indigenous peoples along the route as "Big master of the telephone".
After the expedition
Upon completing the expedition, Mohun moved to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he prospected for minerals and rubber. He also acted as an agent for the Rubber Exploration Company of New York and undertook exploration and prospecting expeditions to Equatorial Africa
Equatorial Africa
Equatorial Africa is an ambiguous term that is sometimes used to refer to tropical Africa, or the region of Sub-Saharan Africa traversed by the equator....
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. In December 1905, on the recommendation of King Leopold, he was appointed director of the Abir Congo Company
Abir Congo Company
The Abir Congo Company was a company which harvested natural rubber in the Congo Free State, the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. The company was founded with British and Belgian capital and was based in Belgium...
. The Abir Rubber Company was the only company mentioned by name in a Congo Commission report, which reported: "the imprisonment of women as hostages, flogging to excess, and various acts of brutality are not contested. It is the black spot on the history of Central African settlement." Mohun was appointed to institute reforms addressing these practices. He also devoted much time to an attempt to exterminate the tsetse fly
Tsetse fly
Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which...
. He returned to his home at Royal Oak
Royal Oak, Maryland
Royal Oak is an unincorporated community in Talbot County, Maryland, United States.-References:...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to recover from wounds he had received during his twenty years service in Africa. Aged 50 and without any prior signs of illness, he died on July 13, 1915. Although he was alone when he fell ill at two o'clock in the morning a non-Catholic woman made a 26 miles (41.8 km) journey to fetch a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
to conduct the Last Rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
.
Personal life
Mohun was married to Hariett L. Barry from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, who accompanied him to Zanzibar but spent much of her time in Belgium where communications with Africa were very quick. He had two sons, one of whom was born in Zanzibar and the other in Belgium. Mohun received honours from the British, French and Belgian governments and—though never employed directly by their armies—often wore a uniform to maintain discipline amongst his followers. Mohun was a member of the Royal Geographical Societies of Britain, France and Belgium.