The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-06-09
From this time Theodore saw that he must
surrender or fight, and he determined to

From this time Theodore saw that he must
surrender or fight, and he determined to
| fight. -. $50
THE Ass2ULTfASD CAPTURE or M4GDALA-
| AByssINIAN STAMPEDE. u 49, ~ +
| Therelease of the prisoners did not satisfy
Sir Robert, who had given Theodore un-
til the 18th to consider the demand for his
surrender. On that day, not hearing from
| Magdala, he put. his army in motion. A
rumor having reached the camp that the
King had fed, a reward of $4,000 was
iofered for his head. gfpscr 30 s53r. .
The Thirty-third {Irish) Forty fifth Eu-
| ropean, PENIS battery mountain train
artillery, Tenth native infantry, the
naval brigade, the Rocket battery (which
Ibid immense execution on the 10TH !,
the Fourth Europeans, :, and & the Be-
lochees marched up the Kings road lead
ing to the heights and took possession of
| Selah, Fellah, and Salangani. These were
three villages on the heights, which were
at once by fight emptied of population of
some Is, 900. The hegira is described as
most strange letter, says0f it,. = ~ /
v" There were thousands of women, al
most nude, laden down with their children
L
barbarous jargon to each other, vending
down the hill to their new. camp on the
plain. Little children, crying Justify, tug
cling at their mothers only rag, toddled
along with terror-strieken faces, or were
trampled down in. the hurried throng of the
flying fugitiYes. Elderly men and young
warriors, proud in their manhood, submits
-sively laid down their arms, and with ashen
faces fled from our presence as If from
pestilence. There were mourners carrying
their dead and wounded, making the air
| heavy with their doIeful lamentations, and
as the prolonged echoes of the walls of the
women caught the eays of those who had
gone ahead or those who were still pressing
on behind, universal agonizing cry was
heard far above the din and clangor of arms.
One family drove their goats before. them !;
| another their couple Of COWS; another their
asses, weighed down with the household
furniture, consisting of a black tent, cook
| ing utensils, their little store of barley,
| -four, and grain yr
Theodorus was hastily endeavoring to
defend Magdala mountain, 400 feet above
| the plateau, but was little too slow. He
was in the act Of transporting his twenty
eight pieces of artillery (all he had) to the
top of the mountain, when detachment of
the Third cavalry hove in sight and charged
upon the party employed in the work, and
drove them off, capturing the guns. The
odorus seeing the action and the small num-
Der of cavalry engaged in it, rushed out
with fifty warriors and challenged the whole
company Of cavalry to battle. I" Come onl''
said he, ARE you women, that you hesitate
to attack men ON foot p No attention be-
ing paid to him, he retreated sullenly to his
fort, firing few shot at them as he with
drey.
The guns satisfied General Napier that
the King had not run away, and he imme-
| diately ordered his cannon to open on Mag
dala and the charge by the infantry under
cover of the guns.
The Thirty-third Irish had the honor of
leading. AS they assembled the hill to the
gate about midway, the Abyssinians open
ed fire upon them from behind large bould-
ers, which were scattered on the hillside.
The fire was also from behind hedges and
| lodges, and every sort of covert. The Thir-
ty-third charged steadily on, and in fifteen
minutes, says reporter, not one. of the de-
tenders outside the gate was alive, so deadly
was the fire of the Irish brigade.
DEATH OF THEoDORUs.
Theodorus, although in the midst of the
concentrated fire Of 700 muskets, was not
killed. Wounded in the left leg he retired
behind hay stack just as the Irish had
forced the gate, and were swarming up the
hill to the inner gate. This was also car
ried by the impetuous Irish, who leaped
like tigers through the breach, and swept
theAbyssinians before them.
The desperate King, seeing his fate, said
81 do not care for the bombs, but this
sharp-shooting cannot stand" Putting a
Derringer pistol presented to him by Queen
Victoria) into his mouth, he blew out his
brains! /" And" says o writer, "when the
victorious Thirty-third planted the flag
which had waved over the walls Of Badajos
on the heights of Talavera, and, later, on the
blood red field of Waterloo, they lifted uI
their voices in one long, loud cheer, which
was caught up by the advancing column
and reschoed along the slopes of Salangini
Fellah and Selasse down to the English
camp, fully two miles off, which made the
marauding Gallas, who were coming up t.
plumber the far famous Magdala, shake
their heads and retreat precipitately tt
their coverts in the hills beyond"
Magdala was taken, the King was dead
The losses were seventy-eight Abyssinian
killed and sixty-eight wounded !; the Eng
lish, none killed and fifteen qoounded. A
most ridiculous result, showing that Gene
raj Napier had really no enemy worth fight
ing, and that the only troubles he had were
the difficulties of his march. Still the ex
pednion was remarkable, and the sights
events, and strange characters Of King ant
people, make the narrative highly lnte
resting.
THE KINGS BODY AND ITS BURIAL.
The body of Theodorus was laid upon
stretcher, and conveyed to shelter, and b.
order of the British General, decorously ar
rayed. Before this it was nearly stripped b.
relic-hunters. When Sir Robert consulte
the Queen, she requested that the King shoul
be buried by the English according to tn
rites of the Abyssinian Church. A gray
was dug inside the little church Of Magdal
Height, and therein the body was lowered
After q prayer by an aged monk, the cart
was thrown in, and all that remained Q
Theodorus the Great, Emperor of Abysslnla
the tyrant and butcher, descendant OF Solo
mon, King Of Kings, Lord of Earth, Con
queror of Ethiopia, and Savior of Jerusa
lem, was forever closed from mortal sigh
"a LIBERATION OF PRISONERS.
Notwithstanding the great slaughter
prisoners by Theodorus, there were ye
many in prison who were set at liberty D.
the British, Chains were knocked of Q
hundreds Of the poor wretches, who wer
very grateful. Among them were Africa
nr;nces (1{l(l) and persons of high rank, oil