Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-27
A REROOIOUS MONSTER.
How King TheOdOrus Massacred mis-

How King TheOdOrus. MRssaCred HIS
Prisoners. Fs9aE ~.
The New York HsnaId's correspondent
In Abyssinis describes the late King The
odorus' massacre Of his prisoners 81
He had them drawn up in two lines
numbering two hundred and seyenty-fyG
men, five women and twenty-eight boss.
One Of them, Ras IngeEta, Gala chief
defied the King 10 single combat, deelarine
| himself able, chained as be was, 10 cope
with the King. The latter sayagely de.
elined and cried, "Spear the Gala doe
nigeria, spear him say" and Ras Ourary
Eurie, ever ready to obey Theodorus, lev
eled a spear and flung it at his breast.
Thou hast done well . said the King, as
be saw the weapon had gone deep into bis
bosom but Ras Ingerta plucked it out Of
the wound and flung il contemptuously At
Theodorus' feet. " Another one" shouts
Pheodorus, spear him again" and six
chiefs Immediately sank their weapons into
his body. - ~. -. e-s,t
The wounded chief stood up bravely, and
drew them all out oae after another, the
blood squirting from his wounds in crimson
streams, when he fell down and died.
impatient AZ the Glow progress OF the
execution. the King shot ten dead with bis
own hand, and, throwing his revolver
away, he drew his sword and leaped to-
ward the trembling prisoners. Eyeing
them moment, he seemed to choose one
for whom he entertained perfect hatred,
for he said to one, "Ah, your hour has
come. / am going to drink your blood"
and raising his sword, he cut his head OFF
at one blow, and then drew it again across
his abdomen. -
Theodorus' face and clothes we're COW
cred with blood, and like a tiger who had
tasted blood, this seemed to increase his
fury. He foamed at the lips and his eyes
became blOodshot. After stabbing and cut
ting about fifty with his own hand, he
rested, and ordered that his chiefs should
try their hands. Many of them had per-
sonal hatreds against the captives, and
they proceeded with an astonishing aiac-
rity with the awful task of massacre.
Whenever he witnessed dexterous blows he
applauded, but when be saw blows given
that but MANNED the poor wretches, the
King would spring Hp and demonstrate
what an easy matter it was to send the
head clean off the shoulders by choosing
strong sturdy prisoner and decapitating
him with his own hand.
A young and beautiful woman of high
rank, perciylng that her time was coming
rapidly, ran up to where Theodorus leaned
upon his dripping sword, and throwing
herself at his feet, entreated 10 piteous
tones that be would spare her life. MOP
hundred Theodorus, you came to my
camp twice as spy. Once l spared you,
because one of my chiefs asked, that you
might be his wife, Now, by the Savior
of the world, you shall sleep below the
cliff Of Magdals tonight" SO saying,
while she yet bent with her face to the
ground, with his whole might he delivered
blow which almost severed her in two.
Horrible as it may seem, a child gushed
out Of the womb, and many of the Euro
pean women sickened and tainted at the
sight.
A boy prince, son of one of the rebel
lious Governors who was still at large, was
next killed by a sweeping blow, which
took his head and left arm off.
In about an hour and half from the
commencement Of the wholesale execu-
ton, the massacre was completed, and as
fast as each one had been slain the body
was taken to the edge of the cliff and
thrown down height of fifty feet or
more. At the bottom of the cliff were
several great rocks scattered here and
there, and these we're covered with brains
and blood. A CHASTITY heap of corrupting
flesh was all that was left Of 308 human
souls, who but shortly before had been the
friends in captivity of the Europeans. The
4 l. -fI l..
and gore, in several places, nearly a foot
dam .H