New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-19
HE FOUGHT IN ABY SSINIA.
GIOVANNI TELLS OF THE HORRORS OF
HIS CAPTIVITY.

HIS CAPTIVITY
Ligurlan correspondence Of The London Daily News.
The soldiers who have fought in Africa are re re-
turning to their villages now sent %oTI sbdnld
feel thankful if he would come ana leil me ABOUT
the war The African hero said as ne WAS WAS
stories of him and four other soldiers, whose
fear nav Voice spoke to him of surprise and dis
appointment; for Giovanni rushed INTO comical eX
S Se0 sad bis mn linen Uniform o is in the
wash and had TO put on my oid reg nnt
away-a little body shrunk away from the tunlc
ana d fRndns rye a G scsrce the
of smile possible 10 his poor lace Eser and bas
a flashing eye when interested in conversation
80 You You Tough fought at Abukarma?'
campaign He best liked to reel off his story in
Originally French-having worked in Paris before he
recalled for his military Tsry NsG r,rcbed and
marched twelve hours at a stretch, think Then
lay down Blu, at mdnisht we we're n pS"se We
I'VE had beautiful position The Gala cavalry
was on our left. We were posted along the ridge of
a hill, on the right was what we thought an empty
rane Very very soon we kneW n ,na h some e We
knew it, We said to each other: Never mno' 'ne
tide may turn again. ,o.,.. /, -.
ravine and ut was full of Abyssnans as an am
THE word came: Fix bayonets! And we went to
the charge We surrounded, however MY
DriseneFs And SO we were"prisoners Of Ras Man
gasca; and remained so for f3rtyone aays d n nn
wounded lay among the dead and dying, firing, mr.
ing. till they could not hold gun for fatigue Ihen
they pilcd I'D the OF our felOW-sOd1erS-
three bodies one over ano,her-to make gun rest
They took cartridges from the dead around about,
and leaned against their dead gun rests, hrlns loI
twelve consecutive hours But we were lnaTcileu
off to ree sd square Of an to creep
throughten prisoners together: some oil us MI re
chained close to the ground by the wristIchaleu 10
a stake in the floor l was never chained that
way way; w.. n III, afternoon and we had had no
food for twenty four hours tGd our sGar Of wv, we
ground barley and lentils. and the same OF
dried peas; and between every three OIL US one eee
sS% OF anS mae ha our into paste with the
water and it raw. Ients and peas we put INTO
as the hunger drove us. Those were the rations
every day for forty-one days.
I'VE were told that Ras Mangascia had sent , Woro
General Baldissera that as he was burning Aoys-
sinian huts at Adigrat the has would pur nd US rs
dread and some OF us wep the enemy stak oi bs
him on his stake. Ny General Brimontei ANA, Was
killed Abukarima but he was shot In fair nS Sn1 he
WAS il true" l asked. that they mutiiateo the
Wounded IT., c,o,.on, &, HE oven
hollow tones "They cut off their hands and their
feet and burned the poor fellows afterward ana IN
hosptal--a small hOspital-there were ocV Win
out the left leg ana the righl arm AttoI ,i1 nS
the enemys cavalry would gallon over me ieu ana
And he told these horrors without any show Of
special emotion What curded his blood and nearly
teeth-ong and white-of the Abyssnians. They
are long shs Is, mgTmEreG Giovanni marking
why did they not try to ransom you?' asked.
800 ire i per head for his. prisoners; But who
could give that Not the Governmen and r Ger
for soldiers of the Ras that Ba!Gissera had maze
prisoners" ,,,
one Of the msfortunes that befell young Italian
soldiers was to be struck with idiocy when they
found themselves under FIRE Giovanni sad IT nap
few days ago He being taken by another sol
9S TO ef of nse G mad but
idiot. And another danger that they all ran was
you must have prayed well in Africa to have
escaped sound in mind and body, some one Said,
was my mother praying in Italy that brought me
! know not II ever Giovanni had any martial
ardour He has none whatever now; Al he talked
ing quarry. and his face fell, his eyes looked
shade more hollow-the sound awakened AFRICAN
soldering Though he has wasted so AS 70 look Ike
an undeveloped lad of nineteen he must be twenty
army before he embarked for Africa six months
Next in horror after the white; great. long
Abyssinian teeth" comes his remembrance of the
Epanthers lions ieopards some tigers land terrible
creatures with unknown 'patos' names came close
close close by~a hyena probably. ! saw panther
spring upon a comrade, and take piece out OF me
back Of the neck and head of man OF another reg-
ment. 49,. - -. -
leased he said. 'thc wild beasts were not so bad.
You see they had been gorsed with camel flesh.
I'VE tock twenty-three days out OF Ras
Mangasca's hands 10 Adkayeh-a straggling com
Giovanni told it all in the same sad monotone.
onn linen a listener struck in with ignorant
"mesti"n and once when he cheered by some
kind expressions. .o, - q, 1877. H.. ,.o,,
,,,,st mai trouble about Oh. wine, Too much
trouble you take have only tod you what r tnii
one mat can tell the tale that have told you. Few
could live through It all Nearly all the others are
And the saddest part seems 10 me that Giovanni
inst hack from the wars-GiOyanni VINO mas su0crcd
50 much for his country-cannot ma a living IN
Italv but must go off tomorrow 10 MarseiIles 10
An,,l nl.nrnr In Erancr.