Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1896-05-14
AN ABYSSlNlAN ROMANCE.
'srhc Queen of Queens" Wife of the
Negus of Ethiopia.


-Srhe Queen of Queens" Wife of the
Ncgus of Ethiopia.
It Is said that much of King Meme.
lexis success In life Is due to his queen,
TNoti, u lady of 46 summers, and to an
experience which arouses the admira-
ton. Like Menelek, who is her cousin,
she is descended from Solomon. She
seems to have Inherited that mon
arch's propensity for marriage, for she
has been joined in wedlock, first and
last, no less than six times, her several
husbands including two neguses Tor
emperors), two generals, one governor
and an insignificant Abyssinon Croe-
sus. Aside from the fuct that they
were men of distinction, the five prede-
cessors of Menelek were not very de-
sirable husbands. She wns betrothed
to her cousin, Menelek, as far back as
1866, when she was only 1G years old,
and Theodore, who was then negus,
invited them to visit him-probably
ut Axuh. The moment Theodore set
eyes on Tnoti he desired TO marry her
himself, and told the young people so.
They demurred, but Theodore was per-
sistent. lie Immediately made Taoti
his wife, and consoled Menelek by CIV
ing him, out of hand, his own daughter,
Tofana. Menelels was then In no po-
sition to make row. He thanked
Theodore, and carried away Tofana to
Ankobar, the capital of Shoa, the king
dom of his fathers.
Theodore, they say, used to beat his
wife, partly from jealousy, for she
mourned for Menelck; but in the spring
of 1867, when Lord Napier and his army
stormed the grim fortress OF Magdnla,
in which Theodore had shut himself
up, she was released from him by his
suicide. A little while afterward she
married Ualde Gabriel, an Abyssinian
general, who year later was killed on
the field of battle. She quickly mar
ried another soldier, Ten. Tackle
Ghiorghis, commander in chief of the
army of the king of Tigre. She wear
led of him, and obtained divorce, in
order to marry the governor of Egiou.
Their honeymoon was interrupted by
Negus John, who, on political charge,
clappcd the governor into prison, and
presently made away with him. Taoti
evidently loved this husband, for she
shut herself up In nunnery for awhile.
But she soon found that she was
born for the world of affairs, and OBJ
tanned dspensation from the abouna
or archbishop of Abyssinla, which re-
leased her from her VOWS. Shortly
after this she met Mr.. Zcccarngagiou,
who had made substantial fortune
out of the slave trade, and other mcr-
camille ventures. Him she married
only to find that he was q worse wife
beatcr than Theodore of somewhat
dim memory. Telling him one day
that she was going to visit her mother,
she gathered together her belongings
and left him, never to return. In 1889
while she was living with her brother,
she met Mencleli again, utter 1G years.
1t was II case of love at second sight.
Menelek begged her to return TO An
kobar with MIN. She replied that she
did not propose to play second fiddle to
Tofana, her step-daughtcr. Menelck
vowed that he would manage that II
she would go with him. She consent
ed. 1t is said that when Tnoti and
Tofana met there was n scene. But
Mcnelck Gained the troubled waters
by obtaining divorce from Tofana,
whose death followed with an nlto-
gether suspicious rapidity." In 1885
Taoti was married to Menelek with i'm
posing ceremony. -Four years later,
OH the death Of King John, he pro-
claimed himself negus, but he has
never been publicly crowned negus
in the second capital Of Abyssinia,
Axun in Tigre. His coronation as
king of Shoa took place in 1889. His
cleverness in securing dominion over
ull the nntive tribes Of Abyssinia Is said
to he due to the sagacious and clever
counsels of his consort, and "the
shrcwdness with which he has man
aged for ten years pact to oppose all
the efforts made by the Italian govern
ment In the shape of intrigue and Of
armed attack to obtain possession of
his country is ascribed both by his peo-
pie and his foes to the remarkable clev-
erness of Empress Tnoti, Queen Of
Queens and sun and light of Ethio.
pia.'" The first dispatches announc.
ing the calamity of the Italian forces
stated thatGen. Baratieri forced the bat.
tie in order to dispersc body of Shoau
chiefs who were marching toward
Axun to be present at the coronation
of the negus. 1t Is evident, then, that
Menelek at last felt himself strong
enough to undertake this public cere.
monial, and 1t is most probable that
Taoti has been scheming and planning
for Ii these many ycnrs.-Bulfalo Cour,