The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-04-08
Beers as King.Makers.

A Cape Town correspondent of the
London Standard publishes the follow
ing curious story: eft was in the early
part of the present century that Chaka,
the great Zulu conqueror, placed over
two of the tribes which had fallen under
his sway young chief named Mosele-
katse, in whom he discovered great
ability. Moselekatse was himself of the
royal blood of one of these tribes, and
he ingratiated himself with the other by
marrying the two daughters of the
chief. He soon became sufficiently
powerful to throw off the yoke of Chaka,
and, after some years of wandering
campaigns, in the course of which he
made an unsuccessful attempt upon
Basutoland, he finally settled in the fer
tile country between the Limpopo and
the Zambesi, where his name soon be-
came as terrible as that of Chaka in
Zululand. Projecting further conquests,
he essayed to cross the Zambesi with his
army, leaving at home his sons, Kuru-
man and Lo Benqula, who had been
born to him by his two royal wives. A
petty chief, who dwelt by the great
river, complied with his request to be
ferried over, but discerning an oppor-
tunity of Kidding the country of Mosele-
katse, he prevailed upon him to have
the army first ferried over by detach-
ments to an island in mid-stream. To
this Moselekatse consented, and no
sooner were the troops concentrated on
the island thar the canoes made off and
left them to their fate. What happened
there had better not be known. Those
who tried to swim across we're either
drowned or eaten by crocodiles; those
who remained were driven to cannabal-
ism. The few who had not embarked
waited in vain on the southern shore for
many weeks, and then, returning to the
capital, reported that Moselekatse and
his army had persisted. His eldest son,
Thurman, was thereupon proclaimed
King; but hardly was he installed
when Moselekatse, with . rem
nant of his warriors, turned up.
He Immediately put to death the chiefs
who had crowned Kuruman, and the
Prince himself was sent to live in seclu-
sion. In 1868 Moselekatse died, and
search was Immediately made for Kuru-
man, but in vain. Lo Benqula, his half
brother, although repeatedly presented
with a kingly crown, not only refused it,
but at his own cost sent messages to
hunt up his missing brother. In 1870,
however, the people would brook no
more delay, and Lo Benqula was duly
crowned. No sooner was this done than
q " Claimant" arose, who declared him
self to be the missing Thurman. His
antecedents when examined were, to
say the least, peculiar. He had been
shepherd to Boer; he had been q serv-
ant of Sir Theophilus (then Mr. Step
stone in Natal. The general opinion
was that he was q son of Moselekatse by
q concubine. Only one section of the
tribe espoused his cause, and Lo Ben
qula, personally heading his army, at
tackled the rebels and destroyed them
almost to q man. Since then nothing
has been heard of the missing Kuruman.
But it seems that at the time of the Lam
galibalele affair he got away from Natal,
and he is now said to be in the hands of
Paul Kruger, one of the triumvirate who
direct the movements of the Beers. 1t
will be seen at once what prize has
fallen to them in such claimant. They
have only to carry him across the Linn
popo to secure almost their own terms
from Lo Benqula, who would see that he
could not contend against them, sup
ported as they would be by all the dis
contented and disaffected If his own