Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-03-24
in ETHIOPIA.
THE soRcERY ev WHICH AN AssAs-
SIN WAS TRACKED.

DIN WA0
His Trial Before King Menelek's
Criminal Court The Abyssinian
Method of pr0cedure-The Sentence
and the Execution.
In order to get clews in difficult cases
the Abyssinians resort to extraordinary
methods. In detecting criminals they en-
ploy q young boy, whom they put into a
certain condition of somnambulism.
They Gull him the liebacha.
The liebacha is made to sleep at the
scene of the crime. Early in the morning
the seance begins. During the night he
Is supposed to have become thoroughly i'm
pregnatcd with the fluids which the Grim
inal left In the astral atmosphere. Conse-
quently he has a clew which he follows as
one might follow footsteps upon the sand.
But before he starts u he must drink,
fasting, the "magio draft" This bever.
age, like those employed by the sorcerers
of the middle ages, is composed of vegeta-
bic and animal Ingredients. It is said. that
Of daybreak they add three drops Of the
blood Of q male child.
NVuCA U11o 44SUdCuh uttS U6k6u GQlB
strange morning cocktail, he becomes ex-
ira lucid. He sets out on his journey, fol.
lowed by an anxious crowd watching all
his movements. Some time ago your cor
respondent had the privilege of seeing q
liebacha started on the scent of an assassin
who had murdered the Abyssinian carrier
OF the French mails. Tho young somnam-
bulist at first ran to the camp of the mer-
Nhnnfo Thoro ho orkoNoA n hut ND ~ock
ed. Tho crowd understood that the GRIM
inal had stopped there, and, Us a matter Of
fact, the woman Of the house, on being in
terrogated, replied that a man the day be-
fore took shelter there, but left at sunrise,
forgetting his gun. Tho gun was exam
ined and recognized us the one that be.
longcd to the carrier. Evidently the scent
was good.
The licbacha rose, ran along rapidly
and soon entered another house, where
they found that the assassin had asked for
q drink and had just left. The liebacha set
out in pursuit, but the horsemen, anxious
to seize the assassin and get the prize offer
ed by Menelek, dashed at q gallop along
the road n soon brought back the fugi-
tive.
A few days afterward the members of
the French colony Of Adds Abeba were in
vitcd by Menelek to be present at the trial.
1t was q spectacle never to be forgotten. It
is in the open air that Menelek holds his
criminal court, under the perpetually blue
sky Of Abyssinia. On the steps of an i'm
mense banquet hall the emperor was squat.
ted, oriental fashion. At his left was the
French colony, at his right, seated on steps
covered with carpets, was the affa-negus OF
"mouth of the king as he is called, the
chief justice Of the empire. Below him
were the judges with their white turbans,
and oil around, forming a semicircle on
each side Of the tribunal, were the specta.
tors. The criminal was brought forward.
According to the Abyssinian custom he
was chained to two freemen. This is q
precaution against any chance Of escape or
suicide. 1t is also hoped that his two
guards by chatting with him may induce
him to confess his crime.
The prisoner was q little. lame man.
He advanced into the vacant spot in front
OF tho negus. He knew the fate that
awaited him, but he appeared to be per-
fectly calm and looked plaoidly into the
face of him who was about to Judge him.
"Heaven save youl'' cried an Abyssin.
ian.
"Keep your prayer for yourself" " replied
the prisoner. II don't want it,"
"You have committed a MURDER" said
the emperor. "Why did you do itp"
"To ROT" was the reply.
"Did your crime have any other motive
in vicwp"
"No; I am a beggar. The courier had
thalers and I wanted them"
swell, you shall DO punished, - said the
emperor. "Have you anything to ask9"
"Yourc lemency would give you immor.
tai rcnown," pleaded the murderer. ''Ii
you pardon me you will be like the good
God"
Then the emperor turned toward the
crowd and consulted tho notabilities. Al
old man advanced md declared that dur
ing his long life he never heard of such Q
dreadful crime and that the criminal de,
served to be hanged.
Another said that he should be burned,
A third spoke loud and for q long time,
making furious gcsticulations and con.
Guiding that if the assassin had ten lives
he should be executed ten times. All were
unanimous In p%ronouncing the crime
abominable. Each n ~endeavored to be
as eloquent as possible, SO as to att ct the
attention of the negus. They were moi
lawyers, and, by the way, it is not safe to
call a man Q lawyer in Abyssinia, because
lawyer in that country means ''vende,
of words" They were ordinary subjects
who had come to the trial, the jury in all
its purity. They were graceful in their
movements Of sincerity and indignation;
but, like all orientals, they were too en-.
phatic and extravaganza.
The fa-nep came down from fhe