The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-12-16
A CAREER OF CRIME.
REMARKABLE HISTORY OF A MODERN
cHEvALlER prNDUsTRIE.

CIR, Once Prime Minister and Practically
King of Abyssinia, Now In Prison For
Fraud-A Spectacular ScoundreI.
There has just been lodged in Jail the
only man who has tasted the sweets of
power that prime minister wields and
has run the gamut of crime that con.
cluded with the convict's stripes. Will
liam Houghton is the individual TO
whom has fallen this remarkable expe-
rience, and the distinction is accorded
him OF being one of the most brilliant
criminals and backsliders that history
is cognizant of.
In the course Of his career, the dis
tinguished portion Of which began
with the year 1878, he has ruled a king
dom. He was the prime minister of
Abyssinia, the chief adviser Of King
John. His word was law, and he could
order the execution of the kings i'm
mediate relatives. This height of power
Houghton reached from the plane of
life OF the ordinary adventurer. For
years he maintained his power, and
when at last fortune forsook him he
1
fresh tributes to his genius as swim
dler.
! Houghton first achieved notoriety in
1876. In that year he journeyed from
England to Egypt, q crusader, as much
as Richard the Lion Hearted, who made
the same journey centuries before, but
this latter day crusade was for fraud
and theft instead of for the cross A
man named Major Barlow, who had
been an officer of the Yorkshire eng
land) yeomanry, was his companion.
Both had planned out programme Of
/, adventure that was as daring as it was
| dangerous.
Just at that time the relations be.
tween the khedive and the king Of Abys-
sinia were very strained. In fact, so
slender was the tie that it needed but
the weight Of diplomatic straw to
break it altogether. Houghton and his
partner made their way into Abyssinia,
/, and in manner that no one seems to
be thoroughly familiar with ingratiated
themselves with King John. Major Bar
low was the first of the two to gain
prominence, for he induced the king to
give him a very excellent appointment
in the military service. King John was
more than willing to have his troops re-
ceive the benefit of the military knowl-
edge of an English officer, and it was
/. not long before Barlow was placed at
the head of the Abyssinian army. Nc
sooner had he gained this point than he
began to labor with the king in the in.
terests of Houghton, with such excel
became King Johns political adviser
and later on prime minister of Abys-
sinia.
By this time Major Barlow had so
won the king over that the title of gen.
eral was created for him, and he was
formally appointed commander in chief
| of the Abyssinian forces, with from
| 20, 600 to so, 900 warriors under his COM
mand. Included in this force was the
famous brigade of amazons, who were
placed in such state of efficiency by
this man that they became tremen-
dous power in themselves and won fame
that to this day has made them well
known.
| While Abyssinia is in state of semi
civilization there is yet strong lean
ing toward the barbaric, and at the
time these events occurred that predi-
| lection was even greater than now. So
the two Englishmen, quickly perceiv-
ing that to maintain prestige and pow
er they must conform to the native Gus
toms, decided to impress the fact OF
their high power and favor with the
king by series of ceremonies both long
and weird. For week the soldiers of
| the army danced and feasted, the cere-
mony being witnessed by the king,
Houghton and Barlow, the latter two
decked in paint, beads and feathers and
portions of uniforms of English officers.
| This had all the desired effect. The
Englishmen found themselves thorough
ly established with royalty and people.
Power was not all these gentlemen
were looking for. Their mission to
Egypt and to Abyssinia was principally
to gain tremendous wealth, and this
they seemed now in a fair way to Sc
cure. They deliberately appropriated
gold and silver and ivory from the
stores of the kings subjects, sparing no
one but the king himself. How much
| they managed to secure no one will ever
know, but certain it is that the amount
| was enormous Wealth achieved, this
pair of adventures turned their atten.
ton to politics, and very soon had the
Egyptian government and King John
by the ears. They stopped at nothing.
Their daring was sufficient to overcome
any obstacle. Their advice, no matter
how extraordinary, was always taken,
and the commotion Abyssinia created
under their practical suzerainty was
such that all the nations of Europe had
their attention called to the matter. De-
bate followed in the various parlia-
ments, and it looked for time as If
the very peace of Europe had been
jeopardized by the marvellous effrontery
of two English renegades
While all this was going on Houghton
and BARLOW lived as we'll as Abyssinla