Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-02-15
A CAREER OF CRIME.
REMARKABLE HISTORY OF 4 MODERN
 cHEVAHER D'lNDUsTRle

or, Once Prime Minister and Prao4icsf1,
 King of Abyssinia, Now Tn Prison For
 Fraud-A Spectacular ssooundrel.
 There has just been lodged in jail the only man who has tasted the sweets of power that a prime minister yields and has run the gamut of crime that con cluded with the oonviot's stripes. Will liam Houghton is the individual to whom has fallen this remarkable expe- rienoe, and the distinction is accorded him of being one of the most brilliant criminals and baoksliders that history is oognizant 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 tho 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 adyenturer For years he maintained his power, and when ct last fortune forsook him he turned to the capitals of Europe for fresh tributes to his genius as a swim dler.
 Houghton Arsb achieved notoriety in 1876. In that year he journeyed from England to Egypt, a 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. 4 man named Major Barlow, who had been an officer of the Yorkshire (Eng- land) yeomanry, was his companion. Both had planned out q 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. h fact, so slender was the tie that it needed but the weight of a diplomatic straw to break 1t altogether. Houghton and his partner made their way into Abyssinia, and in a 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 very excellent appointment in the military service. King John WAS more than willing to have his troops re- oeivo 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 No sooner had he gained this point than he began to labor with the king in the in- terests of Houghton. with such excel lent results that the English adYenturer 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 TO, 900 to 80, GOO warriors under his oom- 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 q 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 iean- 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 CT they must conform to the native cus- toms, decided to impress the fact of their high power and favor with the king by a series of ceremonies both long and weird. For a week the soldiers of the army danced and feasted, the oere- mony being witnessed by the king, Houghton and Barlow, the latter two deokod 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 fair way to se- cure. They deliberately appropriated gold and silver and ivory from the stores of the kings subjects, sparing no one but tho 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 adventurers turned their atten. tion 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 auzerainty was snch 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