The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-08-31
Tho Abyssinian Captives.


The following letter contains about the
latest accounts from the captives in Abys-
s;n;a. 1t is an extract of letter from the
Rev. n. S. Stern, dated "Magdala Prison,
June l9th":
"The strange and unparalleled events
with which my own and my felioW-cap-
;ives mournful history is bound up, IKE
the thrilling scenes Of drama, now De-
come more complicated and terrific as We
approach the close Of the last act. Cheer-
ing hopes and depressed fears, glowing
nn,icpations and whitening disappoint-
ments, have hitherto alternated during the
monotony Of our prison existence, and en-
sbrned the elasticity Of our now ana then
dropping spirits. Within the last few Gays
the shadows which forewarncd Us OF the
coming crisis have assumed more tangi-
bic and palpable form, and the long-ex-
pccted crash, which will probably bury
the abominable tyrant beneath the ruins
of his tot,cring empire and exhausted
mower. cannot be far distant. For some
time the elements of disaffection and re-
bclIion had infected the peasantry Of Bege-
mcder and the troops belonging to the
revoltcd provinces; tho dread and terror
inspired by the tyrant's uDsparing severity,
however, prevented the smouldering ele-
mcnts of discomfort from bursting into q
fame. Occasional defeats inflicted by the
cnraged villagers on the pilage-loving
soldiers gave them confidence in their own
strength, and prompted them to offer a
bold and undaunted opposition in the only
province which, till now, had apparently
been loyal. One might have imagined
this would have induced the tyrant to
adopt wiser and more conciliatory policy
than that of the fire, the spear, and the
mutilating knife but no--impelled by an
Unsuitable thirst for blood, he withdrew
from the burning homesteads Of the ven
geance- breathing peasantry, and in lit of
frenzy commenced the work of destruc-
ton among his own pusianimous adhe-
rents. On the It'll instant it is said that
upward of go of these cowardly crime
stained ragamufiins were butchered in cold
blood. A panic Immediately spread through
the rabble ranks, and on the evening Of the
same day on which this revolving tragedy
was enacted, Ras AdaloD, the chief
of Gedshon, with all his followers, and
a considerable number from all the other
districts bordering on the Wello Gala
country, (Which is in close proximity to
the mountain on which the Magdala
stands,) deserted their royal masters SER
vice. The well. known defections in his
camp, the constant desertions from the
impotent bands, and the woeful fate &C
corded to every one who strays behind his
hut or tent and falls into the hands Of the
rebels, has at last dismayed the Wanting
tyrant. He is at present in Debra Tabor,
where, it is reported, he is erecting q
strong fence around his insignificant camp.
Provisions he has in abundance, as noun
tain of corn is heaped upon the top of the
hill but even such attractions have
ceased to keep his lawless companies to-
gcther. All the great men have been either
killed or have sought refuge in flight. His
own sou, Ras MeshisLah, with Ras Engeda,
one of his most obscQuious creatures,
are in chains. Atrocious deeds are
constantly perpetratcd, and blood is
shed in prolusion. The savage tyrant
IS quite furious, and to allay the storm that
is raging in his breast, he flogs and tOrtureS
and burns in wax-dipped dresses the wo-
men and children OF absconded soldiers
and chiefs. About the European artisans,
with Flad, Mrs. Flad, and Mrs. Rosenthal
and children, who are in bis camp, we
have no reliable information. That they
are IN prison Is CERTAIN, DuC WuctueF III
chains or not we are still in doubt. Their
position must be dreadful indeed. If the
mere report Of the Debra Tabor horrors
creates in us loathing sensation, what
must be the reality of living in the midst
Of the yels, shrieks, and moaus of that
indescribable pandemonium2 Our safety,
humanely speaking, lies in the possibility
that the tyrant will not be able TO reach
this Amba. Some weeks ago he sent orders
here to the effect that in case this place
was attacked all the prisoners in irons were
to be indiscriminatcly executed. A few
weeks later it is rumored that another
royal messenger was dispatched from
Zebra Tabor TO Magdala, with a mandate
that the garrison were to kill the prisoners,
bury the treasures, fire the houses, and
then quit the Amba and seek to join their
ruler at Debra Tabor. This monstrous de-
cree fell into the hands of the rebels, who,
we arc told, burnt the papers and beheaded
the bearer. We are at present watching
with intense anxiety the tyrant's move
mcnts. Should he come here, and be-
lieve his enemies dare not dispute his pro-
gress through their territory, we shall have
a hot and dangerous position. If, on the
contrary, he waits until he is too weak to
start from Zebra Tabor to our prison, our
friends in his camp will have to encounter
many serious and severe conflict, even
if they escape alive out of tho hedge in
which they are enclosed"
----------oe.------