The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-20

Adowa, under pressure from the crown |
prince, who told him the dynasty was
in danger. But Menelik believes that
fresh attack. He is in league with the
British, who are advancing from the
Soudan. The Abyssinians want to clear
the Italians out Of their country alto
gether, and they can never do that
while Hmnbert is alive. That is how it
stands, isn't its'
Meneiik's agent. The A~byssinian an
swered by a smile that showed his for
midable white teeth.
"The king of Italy is the enemy, of
Abyssinia. The king Of Italy must die.
If an Abyssinian tries to kill him, he
will be suspected, and stopped; there
fore he must be killed by a European.
The negus sent me to find a Euro
pean who will do this for money. |
have been in Italy and France and
there they told me that it was best for
me to apply to the followers OF your
| religion, which teaches that all kings
ought TO oa be killed hded. 4 Is t it mot b%ea sGo mnsTss
Of your sect. If one of you will &C
cept the task, on that day I pay hin in
the money Of this country $1,000. On
the day I hear that King Humbert Is
dead I pay you $4,000. Divide it how
you like; that is nothing to me. !,
Improbable as a fairy tale tho az
this sounded, I could not resist the evl,
dence of my own senses, which showed
me the Ab~yssinian envoy. there In the
flesh. I knew, of course, that assass1na-
ton has always been one of the recog-
nized political methods OF Aslatlc
and African states, but this alliance
between a half-ciyilized .despot and
1HRi S precedent TIN IN the history 81 the
world. Certainly my own experience,
fertile as it naturally had been in sur
prising Incidents, had never brought to
light a more singular intrigue h this.
My position now became an extreme
Nv difficult one. I had practlcally
saassinate the king Of Italy, but it was
not that which troubled me: l fore
saw that as soon as Menelik's agent
realized that he had been played with
bv me he would endeavor to find some
other and more trustworthy tool. To
denounce him to the police Of New
York would have been perfectly, Idle;
in the first place he could buy the pc
lice, and in the second place, no no,j Amer'
conspiracy, unless, indeed, it were
against the United States. ,
I contented myself for the momen
with formally undertaking the required
murder. The Aby~ssinian arranged tc
bring the first installment Of the blooc
i money to the Matchmaker house or
the following Saturday night, and We
! all three parted apparently on the bes1
of terms.
], The next day I sent off a long tele
. graphic dispatch summarizing tn
whole situation. The proposal l mad'
!. was that the Italian government shoult
; cable me authority and funds to enabl!
!, me to have the Abyssinian envoy PR
0 vately kidnapped, and returned to hi
4 own country, via Massowah:
They had the incredible folly t.
wire instead to their minister in Wash
ington, instructing him to demand tn
: arrest and expulsion OF Menellk,
agent.
The net result Of this iIl-considere'
t action was to food the Italian quartz
g Of Jersey City for several days wit
s sham detectives, to cause a thousand o
two dollars to pass into the pockets o
g the local Tammany, and to compel m
to hasten my departure for Europe o.
. my supposed mission, in order to rebu
the suspicious of the anarchists-anc
in fact, to escape their vengeance.
The night before my departure Their
was a little supper at the club, at whic
the four were present. No open refer
e ence was made to the object Of m
u Journey. But after supper the halt
IS witted Bresci, who had been one Of tn
Y party, asked leave to walk home wit
me. -.
ri wish I were going with you,'' h
n said suddenly.
% 1T wish I could put you In an asJ
u hum, where you would be taken cal
is off," was my thought in answer
st said aloud that I had reasons for g
mo a1one-
l. ri know those reasons" the enth,
siast declared. "Let me come wit
..e you. I am not afraid.'
IS For a moment I hesitated. A king
g life was in the balance, tho [ did ne
"a know it.
e T made the clever mans commo
mistake-I moderated the strength {
20 20 the fool.
- "Take my advice" I said to Bresc
w. leave this work to men like me. Yc
are not suited for it.; you would b
N tray yourself DIRECTLY
in His face became overcast, and ]
relapsed into a sullen silence whit
a. lasted till I parted from him at n
or own door.
An hour before stepping on boa
the steamer that was to convey me
10 Havre, I sent off a final wire: ga
leaving today for Europe, pledged
We kill King Humbert.'
at This bitter shaft of contempt rouse
he even the Italian police into activit
er On landing at the French port I W
-~vYa-~ --~---1