Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-02-03
The British Captiyes- Imprisonment Il
AbVssini0. ~

Mr.. @. Duncan Cameron, British Consul
in Abyssinia, has submitted q long report
TO Lord Stanley, narrating the causes that
led to and the sufferings consequent upon
his imprisonment and that Of his fellow
EnRlishmen. There is little in this nara
tive Of 'strict interest to American readers,
but that little we give
| Speaking of his course, Mr.. Cameron
says that he was as moderate and concilia-
tory as the circumstances and his instruc-
tions would permit, and that Theodorus
was courteous and respectful in all the
diplomatic correspondence that passed be-
tween them.
The reasons for his imprisonment, he
says, we're his interposidop In behalf oi
Mr.. Stern, an Englishman who had been
bastinadoed, kept in chains and otherwise
ill-treated by the Abyssinian Emperor.
In consequence of these efforts in favor Of
his srountrymen, Mr.. Cameron says he was
arrested and cast into prison, and plumber
of all his property. E
81 was taken out of a sick bed to be
chained, says Mr.. Cameron; "huddled in
to tent with my own servants, and a
crowd of Europeans, fettered to dirty
native and guarded by others covered with
filth and vermin, who not only shared my
bed, but 10y across me TO prevent my es-
cape Afterwards, was fettered with ankle
chains, which were so mercilessly hammer
ed on as to swell one leg to such an extent
as to threaten modification.
"The next phase in this wretChed histo-
nv was torture of the most cruel kind, with
ropes, our arms being lashed tightly from
wrist to arm-pit, then brought together as
close as possible, by main force, behind
our backs, the ropes beng wetted at inter
vals to produce the effect more completely,
while our chests and stomachs were like
wise tightly corded so as just to allow OF
breathing. Our clothes were at this tor
ture torn off our backs, and we were left
naked for some weeks.
Then the rainy season came. This we
had to meet in our tent, which was mere
rent rag, that no stitches could keep to-
gether.
"Our tcnt, shortly after the beginning of
the rainy season, was pitched among the
common prisoners, and the change, accom-
panied rs it was with the greatest rigor in
regard to our servants, kept us in con-
Stant State Oh telTOr.
"We were in momentary dread, and not
without reason, of death in the most fear
full forms. We were afraid in fact, even
to buy meat, lest our money should be
taken away when starvation would soon
have finished us, as the only token of his
Majestys remembrance during those rainy
months was a handful of parched peas for
each, doled ont to us for few days.
Hunger daily exposure to tropical
rains, and constant terror, not unfounded,
at the slightest movement around, wholly
unnerved us.
m, Bardel was out of his senses during
this period AS for myself was so pros
trated as to be barely able to sit up, and
was often delirious from sheer weakness. -
Mr.. Kerans was reduced to skeleton by
diarrhea. The remainder of our party
looked like the inmates Of madhous9.-
Those of us who were weak with illness
were covered with vermin.
"At the close of this, our first rainy sea-
son, we were dragged in chains from Con
dar to Magdala, distance of, perhaps, two
hundred miles, exposed to the gaze OF
thousands of the Kings soldiers, then put
into the common prison hedge, and re-
peatedly obliged to share hut with forty
of the refuse of the prisoners, the better
class being considered too good for us to
be mixed with.
"On the 4th of July 1865, our right
hands were chained to our foot-fetters; and
we remained thus doubled up, without in
termission, until we were temporarily re-
heved from our chains on the Oath of Feb
ruary, 1866.
After joining MI Rassam, I, in COM
mon with the other captlves, gotpermission
to leave for England. We were arrested
on the road, and brought to the royal
camp in chains. ] was then plundered for
the second time.
"On reaching the camp our chains were
taken off but we were prisoners, never be-
ing allowed to leave the royal enclosure
without an armed guard
From the 10th of August, 1866, until
our delivemnce by Lord Napier on the 10th
of April, 1868, was in ankle-chains at
Mapdala"