Show 1 KING OF AinSRIXIA j MBNKUEK TUB BECOND HAS PACBED AWAY j 1 eve the Mat 1Mtnrsgx rigs J AUKUS the < UHt sots or frlm j lie taw s rngnmlra mill sled 3107 t espnrerau I j HR DON CI1I8CI ote Del of Home announce + 1 that the report that j King Monelek of 1 Ablol bu been 1 killed by a drake of lightning to l am dolly confirmed e King Menelek H s1 wan the molt Inter rating and Important Import-ant nttlvc ruler In Africa He was king ot flhoa south of Abyaalnla long before he ascended the throne of the larger l kingdom Ills people are of the game rare and tprak the same language oa the Abialnlnna Their country li I tlm ply I n part of A by tain la whose chief be rime powerful enough to be practically 1 Independent nf the ruler further north When King John wa kilted by th I Mahdlrt In 119 It was known be his with that hli nephew ihoud aucoted him Mrneek howevcrproclalmed him wit klnR of Abyetlnta and no faction woo strong enough to oppose him except ex-cept that Tlnre the mct northern pro vine wan very slow In yielding allo Fiance About fiftyfive year ago King line lou filer of Shoo heard one day that n t woman of striking beauty woo seeking aim al the doors ot the palace 110 1 cent for her nnd wan to greatly Im I preued with her charms that ho Intro I dared her among tho women of lily ratablltrmeul When n little boy wa 1 born the king old ho would not recce nit him es hla ton unleaa In the course of yrnrn he showed n striking rem blne to hi majesty Aa the boy grew up he came to look very much like hIs royal father and the king named him De hli heir though he bad other ions who thought they had n better right to tbe throne The boy Will Menelek Tho f leading native ruler In Africa therefore there-fore was lilt win of a beggar as well at I of a king It was his ancient lineage however of which be was chiefly proud It was bit boast that ho was lineal de I nrendant of King Solomon and the Jueei nt Shed lhlrally Iho king was not nn Ira preulve person Ho Wilt almost coal black abort nod dump Unlike his uncle Haa Darihe and others nmong his chief adv Isere he was very friendly to Europeans until his recent trouble with Italy and wanted to Introduce their aria In hli country He had re mjrkiblo fnndncM for nnchlncry nail iSipIcmentt I I of nil sorts I and hit greatest great tirt w r Ii i MDNULUK II meth III Ism Tourists say be ruined about damn watches and alarm clocks taking them apart and trying to put them together again Ho became at last imvtner qulto n proficient watch tlnkerer Several > enra ago Mr Chcfncux took tho king na n present from the French government a mitrailleuse Ior con vcnlrnco of canning It bad been taken to pieces and compactly packed Tho weapon reached the king eoicrnl days befom the traveler did nnd very much to Mr fbefneuxa nitonlahmcnt I he lr On i found the weapon properly put together nnd mounted Tho king had mado a careful atudy of tho mechanlam ot firearms fire-arms nnd with tho aid of n picture of n mitrailleuse ho had prepared this lit tie aurprlae for tho wblto man Tho king was gentle and nmlablo to tli00 who hail his friendship but ho 1r lao ta was guilty I ot acts of gram cruelly and I injustice to conquered enemies Ho largely widened tbo boundaries of Shoa by conquering tbo form Galla tribe around him Ho waa distinguished nbovo all I hla advisers for bla faith In the iilvnntago of drawing useful lea son from civilized countries 110 did not Ilkn missionaries however In 1585 ho Icept two Swedish missionaries prao llcnllj prisoners In hli chief town for I ten months and then sent them back to the coast Sinco then ho has expelled ex-pelled nil tbe Trench Catholic and German Ger-man mlMdonarloa from his counlrj The king woe very nngry nt tho do clilon of the great powers to forbid tho Importation of firearms and gunpowder I Into tbo Interior of Africa He was lion over In n 1 measure Independent as ho made his own gunpowder and hnd a grant number of Improved firearms In 1ST9 be Introduced soma Swiss end Rlneem carpenter en-d machinists Into I Hhoa for the purpose of carrying out I I various work Among their undertaking undertak-ing was tho building of somo atone lioiitea and aa there were neither atone masons nor carpenters In the country the handful of wblto men made alow progress Nobody volunteered to take vip the tone hammer and chisel The king thereupon decided to net hit subjects n good example Ho put on working clothe and with hammer In hand tolled for several dupe by the aide of the SwlM while nil subjects I looked on In blank amazement Then little by little they began lo think U would be a good Idea to Imitate the royal example They went to work with the tool the while iuppllcd and before long a number of them had become I came very fair mon and ttoneeut ten The king alto had several very good IOn roads built between tome ol Isis chief town There was not a bridge In the cotta try and Mr Ilg the Swiss enlner told the king that he ought lo have a brIJg over a river leading to the recently re-cently conquered Oalla province which In flood time could not be I forded Make me a model of what you rail abridge a-bridge the king uld I The amp day anti of Mr llf aulat I ant appeared before the king with the proposed plan stoke bridge Tbe king wa mueh plaanl with It and ordered that the work be carried out al once The dlfileultlca were very treat U was necessary to trnM trunk ot tress a distance of ten mile In the burnIng burn-Ing run When the bridge was completed com-pleted the king and lilt ubjceti would not risk their live on It until the Swiss had glen proof of Its aolldlty by drawing draw-ing very heavy loaded wagona over It I i OrnU was Ihe Joy of the king when hand h-and hla people were able to utilise the I bridge I loiter the 8w Isa I built n bloat furnace I for the ameltlug of Iron n Hour mill and baking oven from time to time r + q k t 0 ii w f Tlll KINGS MOT1trtt the King cent one or the other of them to Muropo to purchase material It ha I looked us though the work of these few Europeans would give civilisation a considerable Impetus nmong tho health tut hlghlfndi of Kthlopla Hut King Menelek hat not lived on good term with the Italians Ho has never ceaaed to rcgrit tho day In HBO when ho tinned a treaty practically placing AhMlnla under tho protection ot Inly Ho hap sold In later years that tbe Italian asked an Inch and took nn ell Ho has accused them ot attempting at-tempting to absorb hi country and make him merely n figurehead That It 1 tho cauao at the present war In which the Italian from the atari lure rapidly getting the beat ot tho fighting Tbo Italians ns ert not only that lho King violated his treaty but alto thai be prevented Italian traders from doing business They havo Kono Into hula country to buy Ivory nod they my tint thin King cent his agent far and wide lo Intercept Ivory caravans and when they reached tho Itallnni they had no fiery to sell became tbo King had bought over ttitk Now that the King Is dead tho Itallani will probably have no dim Bully ns far ni the native are concerned con-cerned In doing what they please with AbysalnlaNcw York Sun |