The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-05-30 00:00:00

THE CAPTURE OF MAGDALA.

Lieutenant Stumm, the correspondent of the (7, forme
Gazette in Abyssinia, thus describes the taking of
Magdala, :--
About nine o'clock on the morning of the 13th of April the
"storming cottipani“," as they ti iiiiiiphantly called them-
selves liegan to advance, tool after:lll leelentel aim:triers
cult climbing we reached tire ridge whit.licomovis Fiala with
Setasslein.W'e suddenly fiord fitnwilves, without meeting
the slightest resistant, in the midst of TheislOre.S our-
roundel by thousands of tacit. WOlllee and children, sire ,
have been living here for months in the inounteralile straw
huts Wlliell orieee the plateaux :mil reek,: Eleven chit
with 1,5d0 men, at once gave up thtie.ll,ll,ll hastened Cl ,
show us the way te Ylagilala, which now fiirthetirst t itne, like
sin nmecesAgide ea_ le's vest lay icier our t• . liefol.o th
fortress hi In level spare lilsait one English mile trig, which ,
tionnects 3lagilala with the two other hills, and here was
the hemi,ntarters of the Fiapcmr. At ow approach the in•
habitants fled 11l all dirt•ctions. Only at the fist of the
fortress there was a body of Ire,'. by whim a slot was tired
at us from time to time. When our vanguaril. remitting of
forty. cavalry, halted_ friar liiir,enien suddenly spront riii....4
felon the side of the enemy. The nest We% Illolle•4.kislit,l by
• the shining metal ornaments in his shield and siiiiille, and
! when the brave warriors approached It; the natives harried,
I with erie: of •• N egos migus r' behind the red, fee shelter.
It was the Euiptitor lihustif. who, Si ills three eompaoions,
was performing In, Igst militate aillicetnitint. and en-
cottraging his hi sitating followers to fe.dit At a ili-tanee
of gin, fr..: us Mrs- halted, fired tlii•ir gaits, end e:111,11.ed
lack as quickly as they had come Nleittla)tite -ir
Napier earns up with the artillery. A teeollll,li,,lllee was
carefully lAguit, and :davit two our fire e.:l, opele.,l im
ag lola from four different points, chiefly ill the diret thin
of the western tilde of the furriers,. The Armstrong guns. the
conveyance fri'rich hail given sio much trouble, came into
use at last, thisigh, &Witless liningo to the unfavouratile
manner in which they c etc placed, they did not lie'' ,to
much effect as the small mountain orarns When the lire hail
lasted two hours, and the tanoke if the liardilig beeanie
Visdila It ill-eel; 11, Lotscs of .1 1 .e
43th regiment in (yen,. tin ,10.111 the PIM,. 'tine
Empecor had succeeded, N, itil elliyilincteve fnil t,ioer,, Ini•CVll-
- Ils the whole day. and witnthrin he defended the en-
trance to the fortresi up to the last moncitt. I joinvil the
storming column. 0 hitt, pelt, eted by a steady tire of small-
anus, began to climb op lit•• steep path. The gate. als int live
fret wide, was not pi. Tetrated by our lite. and there ant, no
powder to blow it up. A campany id soldiers timid tin en-
trance by climbing up the trucks on the right, stank others
tried to get to ce the Morn hedges With ladders. There was
a desperate resistance, and ten of our men were wounded.
rile heave defenilt.es id the gate were shot dOWII by the tem ips
as they climbed over, and the gate was t lICII I yelled 11'0M tile
inside. A second gate was passed without resistant*, and
here we suddenly fount ourselvet behiee the linndy nit the Em-
peror, who had just shot himself with it pistol. . . .
We leave the Maly and burly on, a drooping fire showing
us that the resistance was not yet over We reach
801110 large round huts, which are carefully covered with
black cloths and skins. This was the Elatitiriir's treasury.
. . . Silvery and golden ranters, swords with richly jewelled
handles. English toms, valuable vases, and utensils ni every
kind. photographs, silken stuff,. illustrated hooks, chinch
ornaments, and even a case of champagne, lay here in the
greatest confusion Our commander now appeared
with numerous troops, fool all congratulated him 011 tile
brilliant close of the expedition.