The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-01-27
A BLACK NAPOLEON.
SINGULAR CONDOLENCES WHICH
UNITE THE HOUSES OF BON
APARTE AND CHAKA.
Story Of The Rise Of The Zulu Chief

| NOIJOtE FTTySUIOU.
In the island of st. Helena, where
the white Napoleon ended his days 8
prisoner to the English, black Napol
con is living now also a prisoner. Il
is singular chapter of coincldencef
which seems to unite the fortunes o1
the house of Bonaparte and the house
of Chaka. Early in the century, when
Napoleon was overrunning Europe
with his armies and dazzling the minds
OF men with his genius, an English
sailor was wrecked on the African
coast and wandered into Zululand.
He was taken before the young
chief, Chaka, and to him he told of
the wonderful outside world, of which
the chief had heard rumors, and as all
the world was then filled with the
name of Napoleon, he told of the rise
of the Corslcan and how he had con-
quered nations and built up for him
self great empire. The story of Ma
poleon captured the fancy of Chaka.
and he resolved to be an African Ma
poleon.
Then began the rise OF the great
Zulu power in South Africa. and Chaka
spread his conquests over great terri
tories and subjugated neighboring
tribes and built for himself an empire.
It fourished until it broke itself to
pieces against the English, just as the
empire of the man whose name had in
spired its building did before 1t. The
empire established by Chaka stretched
along the whole southeast seaboard of
Africa, from Limpopo to Cape Colony,
and extended far inland.
When the English landed in Natal
in 1924 the empire of the Amazula
was the most powerful in Africa.
Chaka made treaty with the English,
allowing them to live in Natal, and tor
this he was killed by his brother, Din
gaan, IN 1928. Then began the strug-
gle between the white man and the
black man which was to end in the
destruction of the empire founded by
Chaka. Peace and war alternated, and
all the time the Zulus lost ground.
Finally in 1884 the British felt
bound to blot out the Zulu power.
Then it was that Cetewayo, the heir of
Chaka, summoned forth his whole
force and hurled his "impis' or regl-
ments on the British. At Isandulu
the Zulus broke the British squares
and routed the redcoats, but the end
was the capture of the chief and the
breaking of the Zulu power.
In this war the house of Bonaparte
again became mixed up with the for
tunes of the house of Chaka. The
Prince Imperial, granddaughter of the
man whose example had inspired the
building of the empire of the Amazulu,
went out to fight in the ranks of the
English and was killed by Zulu spear.
In 1884 Cetewayo died, and the quarrel
was continued by his son, Dinizulu.
Dinizulu was conquered, and now he
has been sent to st. Helena to end his
days on the spot where the man whose
example caused the building up of the
black kings empire died.
AS becomes the head Of great and
warlike line, Dinizulu is accompanied
in his exile by a numerous retinue.
His two uncles, several chiefs, ply
slcian and clergyman. with their
wives and children, make up house
hold as numerous as was that of the
great Napoleon when at St. Helena.
The chaplain of the royal exiles Is
Paul Hltimkula, "catechist," from
Cape Town, who was invited many |
years ago by Cetewayo to come to Zu-
luland and teach the people. He is
called by the Zulus Doctor Paul. He
the exlles to st. Helena
of his own accord. DR.. Wllby, an
Persons who are troubled with in
Digestion will be interested in the ex-
perience of VIM. III. Penn, chief clerk
in the railway mail service at Des
Moines, Iowa, who writes: cit gives