The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-26
THEOLOGICAL SUPPLIES
RUSSIAN BIBLES FOR MENE.LEIx
TURNED OUT TO BE RIFLES.
How LeOntieH, the Cars Agent, De-
ceivcd Diplomats and Carried
Arms to Abyssinian Fling.


| London Letter in New York Press.
| 1t now appears that Leontieff has been
making a fool of the English all the time
that they thought they were making fool
of him. Leontieff is one of the worlds Wis
| ionaries who fall into a niche where the
methods of the visionary are practical,
! while ordinary practical methods are vision
| airy. Nobody knew anything about this man
until after the victory of Menelek and his
| Abyssinians over the Italians. Then his
| name was mentioned as the head of Rus
| sian expedition of five priests and civilian
| followers which was going with several
boxes of Bibles to pay their respects to the
| black conqueror, whose religious creed is
| closely allied to that of the church of which
| the Car is the head The English govern
| ment lent to its st. Petersburg embassy to
| find out the manner of man Leontieff was
and his exact intentions.
| ooh, he's perfectly absurd replied the
| embassy. Hes a fifteenth century swash-
| buckler a Don Quixote-a man who dreams,
| formuates one great project to forget it the
next moment in another. Once he was a
Buddhist Now he has become a most ar
| dent Christian and rides his new hobby with
| customary enthusiasm. He thinks If he
| takes one hundred Bibles and prOstrateS
himself at Menelek's feet the Abyssinians
/
| is impossible to think that the Car would
| trust a fellow of so little discretion on a
| diplomatic mission"
THE Gar is bringing you many books,
was the word that the guardians sent for
ward by runners to Menelek, 'along with
holy men who come to felicitate a core
''Humph books!" exclaimed Menelek,
| thinking OF the guns he needed to complete
come. 1t will amuse my Queen to look on a
! foreign priest
At his first audience with Menelek. when,
| with the priests standing by without sus-
| picion of smile the King gave start
ana then grinned.
/ You Russians have very fine taste in
| Bibles, - he said. he caressed the gold
mounted pistol Leontieff had placed in his
hands, and ran his eyes approvingly over
| the layers of Martini rifles
| Then, bowling with the grace of a fif-
| teenth-century courtier, LeOntiem presented
the Queen with fan of marvellous bauty.
THE HIDDEN TEXT.
IF you will allow me- your Majesty" he
said, II will open your Bible to a text"
He pressed spring and out came a needle
dagger of the finest steel.
'"rhe poit is poisoned" Leontieff added,
and the two priests looked straight ahead,
| solemnly.
The Queen was so delighted that she was
| tempted TO kill a waiting woman on the
| spot. This present settled it, so far as the
| QhCtil Wdo tOHCcIHSu I10 ndu Sdlueu IL
place in her heart that no other foreigner
may expect, and Menelek obeys her orders
as faithfully as the soldiers obey his.
Henri of Orleans might present her with
| French shoes and laceS. and the English
| expedition with fine silks, but the Queen
| only says: These others are not like my
| Leontien, and their gifts are poor, indeed,
| compared to my Leontieff's fan"
Moreover, she has proved that the dagger
| IS equal to all that Leontieff claimed for it..
| she killed waiting-woman, who aroused
| her anger, with a single blow-to say moth
ing of the babies she has stabbed to make
| blood to battle her face.
We'll treat this English expedition as
you say my good friend, Leontieff." said
Menelek So he did. Leontieff withdrew
| some little distance from the court Meme
| lex mentioned him to Colonel Rodd as an
| odd Russian who had come with Bibles and
gone again. He covered the English with
| ftattery, and said of course he wanted to be
on the friendliest terms with Queen Vic
toria.
Rodd departed under the conviction that
all the talk of Russia and France having
| made Menelek puppet was sheer nom
sense. Then Leontief returned from his
! retirement and with the King and Queen
| had a good laugh over how they had fooled
| the Englishman who was chuckling to him
! self over the fiacso of a certain Russian
| clown.
| Leontieff has been in England this week
| 10 remove the embargo placed by the port
authorities on more boxes of Bibles which
he had bought in Birmingham. In this he
| succeeded, because he said if Birmingham
| refused his trade he could just as well buy
ms Bibles or EnglandS hated commercial
| rival Germany. He got the first cargo out
or port and made arrangements for an
! other
THEOLOGICAL SUPPLIES.
London reporters have been asking him
if Bibles were not really "a polite name for
rifles and ammunition.
Sir, why should l want rihes?" was the
injured reply. Il am no soldier. OF course,
they are Bibles. Truly What object should
have in deceiving your"
He is buying large number of field guns
in France. At present he is staying in
Paris, where he has for friends Frenchmen
as mysterious as himself. The English
| have awakened to the meaning of his work
The papers admit now that he is no clown
but fearless, cool adventurer 1t is his
ambition TO have Abyssinia extend her do
\ main as far as the Nile and over territory
/ which the English have long claimed as be-
| longing to Egypt He is importing Russians
/ to train Menelek's soldiers. The Abyssnian
/ army numbers 100000 men. Fully armed and
| organized-their courage was proven in
| their battles with the Italians-they are a
torce which can give England any amount
Of trouble.
Leontieff's ambition to move them against
| the English whenever England and Russia
| come to blows flatters at once his violent
hatred of EngliShmen and all things Eng
! lsh except good English rifles his love of
| his own country and his peculiarly mediae-
val talent and disposition. Thus he has
suddenly sprung into great Importance.
If Russia and England clash in the far
| East this mounteback, whom the English
] embassy described being perfectly alb
I surd will become the Cars trump card.
| The semi-barbaric life of Menelek's court is
more pleasing to him than that of a civil
| lied country. His fifteenth century man
! ners and methods are naturally congenial
| to MeneIek's. He is the ideal man for the
work he is doing. Menelek and the Queen
| trust him everything and they will trust no
! other European in anything. Whenever a
| traveller wants to take the Kings photo
/ graph the King always says: You must
| take Leontieffs, tooH'
Leontieff often sits on the Kings left
| hand, with the Queen on his right. when
! the King receives his vassals. In short.
| Leontieff is the dictator of Abyssinia's for
! eign policy-Menelek Bismarck.