The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-29
QUEEN OF CONGO.
Beautiful White Woman Who Rules a
 Horde of Blacks.

From the Cnleago IrlDule.
 In the Pilado mountains, near the head waters of the Rembo river, in the French Congo, there has been found the woman who is declared to be the most beautiful In all the world.
 One European traveller, the only one who has seen her, declares that her beauty is almost superhuman, and throughout the Ishogo nation, over which she has es- fablished her rule the men VOW that she Is "the spotless one" and they worship her. Two legions of gigantic blacks chosen from the most perfect men Of the tribe, guard her home, which Is situated in the mountains. overlooking the river.
 The woman, wearing Parlsian gowns reigns as an unauthorized Queen over the tribe of blacks in the tropical equatorial country, almost in the heart of Africa. Who she is. what she Is, and why she IS there, no one knows. From the trlpes around, from the missionaries. the ivory dealers, the Arab traders. there have come to the coast the widest and most fantastic stories in regard to her She Is described as a reincarnation of some ancient Egyptian goddess, as wealthy woman who seeks to convert the entire Ishogo nation to Christianity. as a beau tlful murderess who has fled from Flu rope to escape punishment for her crime. and as a. society beauty, tired Of the world, who seeks change and relief from ennui among the most savage tribe In all Africa.
 Leon de Cambri, the French explorer, is, so far as is known, the only white man who has obtained a personal interview with this mysterious beauty
 ''TIer beauty" he says. lis dazzling and astounding. had heard among the peo- ple-the Bantou especially, who inhabit the nearby country-of a beautiful white woman a goddess, who dwelt among the hills near the headwaters of the Rembo river, but in Africa one hears many such stories. which are conjured from the i'm aginations of the superstitious ones. When I asked among the 1shogo, with whom I was trading, and to the woman, I was met with soowls and threats. They would tell me nothing. and that more than anything else, convinced me that there was some truth in the story. How ever, I was utterly unprepared for what I found. With my party Of natives l had been padding up the stream that pours from the east Into the Rembo, near the foot of the mountains, when suddenly our party was surrounded by a fleet of war canoes that shot out from either bank
 "Outnumbered we saw that resistance was useless. My men were held captive at the river bank, and I, surrounded by half dozen glorious specimens or hu- manity, naked except for breechclouts, but wearing heavy gold anklets and neck let's was hurried through the forest. We ascended a small mountain, and near the crest beside a small lake in the middle Of the forest we stopped. Just fefore me was small house made of bamboo. yet not fashioned at all like any house l ever had seen in Africa. A long mat was laid on the grass under a sort of porch in front.
 My guards prostrated themselves on x.,it bot heads touching the ground, and while yet I wondered there emerged from the hut, or house, the most beautiful woman have ever seen She was gowned perfect ly, all in white, with small high heeled white slippers, and she carried a white lace parasol. It was as if she suddenly had stepped from her carriage on to the lawn at the race course at Auteuil- She advanced, smiling, with hand extended to greet me.
 "She is small, petite, blonde. her hair like molten gold, her complexion per feet, her figure faultless. Her eyes are large and brown her lips curved perfect ly and her features without fault. Every movement was grace itself, every gesture was joetry, and as she spoke l stood as if in a trance.
 I've talked all afternoon-of Paris of London. of Vienna and St. Petersburg She talked wisely of the politics of Flu rope, and asked as to certain statesmen, as if she knew them well. Yet never a hint could I get as to her and late in the afternoon, growing bolder, l asked about herself I asked many questions and she evaded them. Finally, clapping her hands sharply, she turned away, and before l could ask another question was seized by crowd of her blacks and hurried away
 "She is French. I know from her &C., cent. She speaks Russian, and Ger man, and English, and evidently has trav- eled much. Indeed, she spoke to me of many things that puzzled me, as if she possesses secrets of life that the lost to others, and once she spoke of ancient Egypt a if she had lived there thousands of year ago."
 The stories told by others bear out in part, yet in part contradict. the story of De Cambrl. One English missionary de- clares that he was told by natives living to the northward, but in touch with the 1shogo people, that the woman maintains an army of blacks who obey her slight est order and that she is an Italian woman, the wife Or former wife of Portuguese army officer, who, disgraced by an intrigue, fled to Africa. carrying with her a great sum of money.