The Portland daily press., 1894-01-08
WAR and RUMORS OF WAR
Germany Worrying Over a French
Invasion Of Sicily.
DA CANA LOSING MAN DAILY IN
THE FIGHT AT RIO.

to Do Battle-The Collision Between
French and English Forces in Africa
May Have Been Due to a Mistake But
1t Proved Costly Blunder-How
France Might Move on Italy via Sicily.
Berlin, January 1.-THE foreign Office
is gravely preoccupied with the uprising
in Sicily in view of its probable effects
on the European situation. Little has
transpired beyond dubious reports con-
Meeting supplies of French money and
arms with the cause of the insurgents.
The Emperor has conferred with Chancel-
lor Won Caprivi and Freiherr Won Mar
shall Blernstin on the subject of
Frances responsibility. The Giornale
di Stella in Palermo and IL Roma in
Naples, both Crispi newspapers, charge
directly that France is using the social
ist exiles Cipriani Martino and Malat-
esta, as media through which to excite
Silly to general revolt. The Giornale di
Siilia says the centre of this plot is
Marsellles where a band of Sicilian
malcontents and intriguers supplied
agents have been stirring up socialist
exiles for some time to rouse Sicily to
rebellion. 1t is said the uprising may
reach such dimensions as to tax Italy's
military strength. The Giornale says
France would at once act to achieve her
main object in the whole plot and would
pour troops suddenly into Sicily and
Southern Italy from Tunis where her
military force in North Africassis said to
be in course Of concentration. To guard
against such sudden invasion continues
the Giornale, the Italian government is
at Castroggiovanni on the central
Sicilian table land also concentrating
such a numerous army in Sicily and
sending such strong feet to Sicilian
ports as will render any descent upon
the island by French troops an enterprise
OF supreme risk.
These utterances of the Giornale di
Stella probably exaggerate the facts
yet it is felt here that the situation in
Sicily is full of peril and source of
weakness to the Triple Alliance. Military
opinion is that the forces now ready to
operate under Gen. Nora di Lavriano
are much more than sufficient to suppress
the. anti-tax agitation and that the
Italian government must have good rea-
son for concentrating such an army in
Sicily besides the doings of isolated
Agrarian mobs. Officials here reiterate
the familiar words I'VE are again enter
ing a period of supreme anxiety" They
add it is certainly time to look ahead
when semi-official French journals like
Sicily is the land of the initiative in
European revolutions.
Palermo, January PALERMO has
been filled with rumors since yesterday
morning that an attempt would be made
to mob the prison and release Deputy
Guiesseppe de Felice the socialist lead er.
Last night the guard at the prison was
increased but there has been no sign OF
an approaching attack on the building
The renewal Of the attempt to cut the
cable from Palermo to Italy has caused
Gen. Nora di Lavriano commander-in-
chief in Sicily to put mounted guards at
the cable landing. 1t is expected that
decree postponing the maturity of bills
of exchange will be published. Measures
tracts in Sicily are said to be impending
Rome, January 7.-Premier Crispi
communicated to the council Of ministers
today the last news from Sicily and gave
assurance that the conditions there
would be bettered at once. A priest was
arrested at his house yesterday with
compromising papers in his arms but
box was given him for safe keeping and
that he knew nothing of its contents.
The result of general search in which
the priest suffered is said, by the police,
to be the discovery of an anarchist plot
in which Deputy de Felice is concerned
with foreign anarchists or socialists. A
letter from the socialist exile Criprani,
Felice to the priest. In it Criprani
urged de Felice to work in Sicily as he
himself would take care of the socialist
movement in Central Italy.
About $50 anarchists began parading
the streets this evening with red flags
shouted, "Hurrah for revolution" When
they were ordered by the police to dis
perse, one fred revolver. The police
charged the anarchists who tried to
stand their ground. During the fight a
policeman was stabbed in the arm and
three anarchists were arrested. The rest
were put to fight. A company Of in
ming. No general apprehension wasscaused
by the demonstration. Anarchists in
Naples gathered in the streets, 200 men
shouting, Down with the taxes, hutrah
for the revolution. They were dispersed
with little difficulty after having Slight
ly injured a soldier who refused to echo
their revolutionary cries.
King Humbert has called out the third
section of tine army class of 1869. This
section numbers $1,000 men. All of them
are going to Sicily.
The Fighting i'll Africa.
London, January THE government
received today dispatch delayed in
transit, concerning Reinforcement of Col.
Ellis's column of West Indians prior to the
attack of the French forces at Warina in
Sierra Leone. The column left Kon-
mendi, December 16, and marched north
east. The column found an area thirty
one miles wide devastated by the Sofas.
On the 18th. they surprised q rrparty OF
Sofas, put them to flight. Lieutenant
Gwynn of the engineer corps end one
West Indian were wounded. The tewn
of Sidu was captured on the Goth.
Lieutenant Margesson and three West
Indians were in the attack. ThesBritish
force marched over Kore mountain on
the 1st and captured Warina. Eight West
Indians were wounded. The main body
of the Sofas was then at Karavemma
and Col Ellis intended to advance on the
camp in few days.
The attack by the French was made
before daybreak on the 23rd and lasted
forty minutes. Col Ellis in his account
of the affair says the French attacked
the English believing them to be Sofas.