The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-20
EMPEROR FOR GUEST
Anna Gould to Entertain Men
elk of Abyssinia.
FRANCE CULTIVATES HIM
Desiring an Ally Against Eng
land in the SOudan.
FRANCE CULTIVATES HIM

conferred upon an american Will De the
visit of the Emperor Menelik of Abys-
sinia to the Countess de Castellane, form
erly Anna Gould, of New York
Not only will the Emperor visit the
Countess but it is hoped also, that his
wife the Empress Taitou.
The Duchess of Marlborough entertain
ed the German Emperor and Empress,
but the Countess de Castellane will en-
terrain the Emperor and Empress Of Alb
yssinia, who are much more out of the
ordinary than their Teutonic majesties.
The Emperor of Menelik is going to Wis
it the great coming Paris Exposition as a
guest Of the French nation In his case
as that of several other foreign potenta-
tates, the French Government will assign
the duty of entertaining to some citizen
of wealth and high social position. 1t
has been decided that the honor of en-
tertaining the Emperor Menelik and his
wife shall deyelope upon the Count and
Countess de CastteIlane
The Count and Countess are eminentlv
fitted to entertain thir imperial maiisties.
INCEST daughter of late Jay Gould, from
whome she inherited more thans15. 900 COO.
She married the Count Boniface de Cast
elaine, eldest son of the Marquis de Cas-
tellane, who is related to the Tallevrand-
Perigords and other historic French fam
lilies. The young Count has scattered his
wifes great fortune NTH both hands. but
among the other things he has retained
from his extravagen is a magnificent
house in Paris looking out upon the Arc
de TriOmphe.
This house is an exact reproduction of
the Grand Trianon at>versailes. the Pal
ace which delighted Louis XIV. most
splendid of all monarchs The Count de
Casteilane has even exceeded the splendor
Of the origonal in his reproduction. He
has applied the entire decorations of an
ancient place at Verona to its interior.
He has a beautiful theatre and superb
collection of works of art,
1t is here that the most powerful of all
African monarchs viii be entertained by
a queer sprig of the French aristocracy
and the daughter of an American multi
millionaire who rose from peddling mouse
traps Here he will be the guest of hon
or at feasts which are the climax of
French luxury and of American extrav-
agance. Here he will be awaited upon by
hundreds of liveried servants doing the
bidding of his American hostess Here
he will examine with curious eyes the
male and female representatives of cosmo-
poitan high society, who will be gathered
together for his benefit.
Menelik is q born leader of men. With
the borbarous magnifcence of a savage
king he combines a single-minded patrio-
tism and a strong common sense which
would well become the president of an
ideal republic.
He is the Emperor of Ethiopia, a land
which has been famed since biblical times
Abyssinia is a name given to it by the
Arabs and not appreciated by the natives.
The Ethiopians are a mixture of negro.
Arab, Egyptian and other races. and VIII
lie exhibiting the negro companions in a
marked, degree are fare above the negro
es intelligence and force of character.
Menelik is the Negus Negusti, or kings
of kings. His country is full of second
rate neguses. who command his troops
and do his bidding. He is the only Afri-
can monarch who has defeated European
troops. His victims were the Italians
He defeated them so thoroughly that in
one battle out of 2l,O00 Italians only 1000
escaped. All the rest were either killed
or prisoners. Having crushed them utter
ly, Menelik astonished the Italian prts-
oners by treating them kindly, a thing ne
yer heard Of before in an African mon /
arch
You have broken faith and drawn the /
sword without Justification" said Meme /
Xix, but it shall not be said that men
were treated crully in my Kingdom, /
which is Christian"
After being kindly treated the Italian |
prisoners were liberated by Menelik who !
granted remarkably leanient terms of .
peace
AT one battle the Italians held posi- |
ton which they considered impregnable |
on three sides. and defended by heavy |
artillery on the fourth. The Abyssinians |
with bare feet as prehensie as monkeys
clibed up the imDregnable sides and cap
tured all the Italians. At Adowa. the f. |
nal battle, the Emperor Menelk charged |
at the head Of his army through a hail
Of mauser bullets.
Menelk Is fifty-five years old and wei |
CHS go pounds. his face is marked with !
the smallpox. He has a fierce. determin-
ed expression. but his face lights up with F.
a pleasant smile when ne talks.
Ordinarily he wears a broad brimmed .
felt hat, a burnoose or cloak Of black silk
trimmed with gold, tight white linen
breeChes and patent leather shoes. He is
very fond OF European hats and shoes.
For cerimonial occasions he has a triple
crown and more splendid robes
He is interested in all civilized inven-
tons and especially in optical instrum
ents. He has telescopes. field glasses /
and an X-ray apparatus. He uses an au- /
tomobile and causes his young men To .
ride bicycles. There is a telephone from
Adds Abeba, his palace. to Harres. his /
commercial capital.
lie welcomes all Europeans, but will not
allow them to bring any inventions they
please into his domains He absolutely I
prohibits the importation Of alcohol and f
Tobacco into Abyssinia-
All Europeon nations are anxious TO pie
ase Menelik. since he thrashed the Italia /
ans The French and English are espec-
ialy strenuous in this direction. Meme
lik's country adjoius the Soudan. recently
conquered by the English. and thew are
naturally DESTROYS OF retaiug his friend /
ship, while the French have hopes Of in
ducing him TO make raid into the Brit /
ish sphere. From these facts it viii be /
understood why the French Government
treats him as a very distinguished CUES,
at the Exposition. and why II is so great
an honor for the CastelIanes 10 entertain
him.
Menelik Is in al thIngs q ra.ric.i- - l