Evening journal., 1892-11-01
KING BEHANZIN ROUTED
France Conquers Dahomey AT
ter a Brilliant Campaign.
GAMMA AND ABOMEY CAPITULATR

Colonel DOdds Captures the Capital of /
the Duslsy AIonarch's Kingdom, and the
Barbarous Human Sacrifices in His
Domain VIII he Tolerated No Longer. /
PARIS, Nov LA dispatch from Porto |
Novo states that Colonel Dodds captured |
Gamma on Saturday and Abomey Sunday. |
This ends one Of the most brilliant cam
paigns that a European power has ever |
waged against the natives of Africa. The
French column, numbering 1900 infantry
and cavalry and several cannon, set out
from the coast Aug. l6, and the campaign
has therefore lasted two and a half months.
The usual route to Abomey is by road,
almost directly north from the coast town
of Wydah. The route, however, involved
crossing a wide lagoon. which would be
difficult for the artillery, and Colonel Dodds
therefore chose the route along the Wheme
river.
His artillery went ahead and broke
road along the river bank for the troops TO
follow, and the cavalry and part of the
supplies were towed up the river on trans
ports, while 2,400 native porters carried the
remainder of the provisions.
The advancing force had a number of
skirmishes with the enemy and three hard
fought battles before il reached the neigh
borhood Of Gamma and Abomey The French
loss on all occasions was trining but the
Dahomeyans suffered severely in killed and
wounded. The Amazons or women war
riors fought with ferocity, but their shoot
ing was very wild.
At the Mercy of the French.
Gamma. the place that was captured on
last Saturday, is eight miles from Abomey,
and has a sacred character in the eyes OF
the Dahomeyans, as it is the burial place
of long line of Dahomey's kings.
The capital AbOmey, could not possibly
offer any resistance to "A well equipped
force, though the king has for many years
possessed cannon of a more or less modern
type and a roughly disciplined army, the
most formidable members of which are the
Amazons.
The city is about eight miles in circum-
ference, protected 10y ditch five feet deep,
filled with dense growth of prickly acacia.
1t is entered by six gates, which are simply
clay walls with two openings built across
the roads leading into the town. Alto
gether the place does not contain more than
1900 inhabitants. Il is probable that un-
fee-Kalkalh of Ashanti under similar cir
cumstances, retreat into the bush.
The campaign somewhat resembles the
English invasion of the neighboring king
dom Of Ashanti The British forces, how
ever, were nearly all European soldiers
who suffered terribly from the climate,
while the present invaders are for the most
part SenRgalese troops, with Porto NOvO
allies oficered by Frenchmen.
The French will now doubtless seize
Whydah. the Dahomey seaport. The coun-
try is now at their mercy and they will
probably turn il into a French colony. One
good result viii be that we shall hear no
more of the terrible human sacrifices that
have marked the annual religious festivals
at the capital
Behanzin's Human Sacrifices.
King Behanzin, n young man very much
puffed up with his own Importance, has
brought his downfall upon himself He
has been on the throne less than three
wears When he became king he made a
treaty with the French promising to recog-
nize their rights TO the Port Of Kotonu. and
10 cease the customary raids into the
French territory of Porto Novo for slaves
and sacrifcial victims.
The French agreed to give him an annual
subsidy. and lived up to their engagement.
Last year, however, Behanzin resumed his
raids into Porto Novo and when the French
protested he repudiated the treaty, said he
would raid where he pleased; shat the
French had no business in the country
anyhow, and that he would drive them out
of Kotonu into the sea-
The rainy season was coming on, and as
the French were utterly unprepared to as
sumo the offensive, they utilized this
period to make preparations for the war.
They spent about seven months getting
ready to fight, but after they were ready
they moved with CELEBRITY and have had an
unbroken series Of successes. Colonel
Dodds is now in position to supply some OF
the famous women warriors for exhibition
at the Chicago Worlds fair