Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-08
LIGHT UPON AFRICA.
Continued from First P1oe.

day, and meeting occular proof, hearing
witnesses tell how they were done into such
a desperate state, can any man in his senses say
that the censure cast on the officer of the rear
column was harsh or undeserved, assuming that
these terrible facts were trne?
Merely His Own Bitter Thoughts.
Nobody can read through this diary without
observing that Major Barttelot began very
early. for some special purpose. to write and
put down many things as facts which were
merely the result of his own bitter thoughts,
till he came to believe that events such
as he described had actually occurred
to cause this bitterness. whereas the truth is
no special incident worthy of note happened
from Zanzibar to ambuya The SOudanese in
cident, mentioned as occurring near Parabsa,
was of no more Importance or noteworthy than
happens in every expedition at its beginning
There would be 4 complaint. hearing and
Judgment would be given according to the oc-
casion, and the matter was too trivial to be re-
tanned in memory But with the Major
it seems to have become an object to exagger-
ate and enlarge upon every incident
Probably he thought something might be made
of it; if not it might be added to a string of
triyialities, like bead to a necklace. No i'm
mediate purpose is visible. but the young
man has evidently a theory to sup
port He seems bent upon jotting down
every incidental circumstance having bearing
or not on it. He was simply a goddess young
man to whom the Bible was only "a ripping
book" and friend 'a rattling good fellow"
My silence about what the expedition might
possibly effect in the future seems TO have
acted on his vanity as gangrene. see it re-
ferred to frequently. 1t strikes me. however,
on reading tn, Sc pages, considering the num-
Der OF letters he wrote to his friends
about everyth nc connected with the expedi-
ton. that ouc hit to admire my own prudence
though why Il S ould talo 4 man of this type, as
be is represent d in the pa-as of his book, to be
my contidant is more than can see.
Nota Shining Light.
He had no speciI aptitude for anything
beyond being useful in d fight should it be
accidentally necessary. In the meantime he
could exist as a member of the expedition
and a nominal second until he should
develop meritorious qualities. No
can regret more than 1 do the disclosures of
the revelations, for IN my sad story of the rear
column all that could possibly be urged against
him by charitable people would be that he COM
mitted an error of judgment.
Mr.. Walter BartteOt was warned by Mr..
Bonney to let the body of his brother rest in its
grave at Benaya. The othor officer
specially warned him that it could do no good
to probe this question, but Mr.. Walter
Barttelot seems to have been driven on by
fury. and his friends of the press have unan-
imously demanded that some explanation
should be given. 1 have told these facts as
they were told 10 me.
Whether any one of them was true or
not have no means of knowing.
are in official reports which L bent
on saving the expedition from scandal, was
bent upon suppressing If necessary / shall be
glad to go into d court of law, where the whole
matter can be fully ventilated.
HENRY NJ. STANLET