The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-03-03

(CopNright 1907, by Frank C. Carpenter) H LIDAH. Algeria.-Long before this Tx letter is published the cable dis I> patches will have announced the death of Behanzin, the famous king ot Dahomey. whose army of Amazons sent cold thrills If terror down the backs of the best soldiers of France until about twelve years ago. He fought battle after battle with the French and caused them no end of trouble His wars with them costs millions and at one time the cham Der of deputies at Paris made single appropriation of $G00, 000 To carry them on He made treaty after treaty With france, only to break them. and it WAS long be- fore they were able to subdue him and take possession of his kingdom This was along in 1S95, and since then they have Leld the king in captivity and prevented hls having any connection with his coun- try and people.
 They first carried him off to the West Indies and imprisoned him in Martinique, Il little island belonging to France. Later he was given q villa there and allowed to drive about with his faYorite wife and one of his sons, and il was just about one year ago that he was brought from Mar unique to this place. The cause or his transfer was largely due to his ill health and his fear of the volcano Mont Pelec.
  came terribly excited. and every earth tremor thereafter sent him into fits Of fear that the volcanic disturbances might extend to his home His nerves became so shattered that the French feared he would die and it was ordered that he be transferred to Algeria and kept under surveillance here at Blidah, about thirty miles from Algiers.
 Behanzin's Prison in Algeria.
 Blidah is a military station with bar racks inside and great fort on the foot hills of the Atlas mountains nearby. It has the chief army stud of the Algerian cavalry and its surroundings are such that it would have been useless for the king to have tried to escape. He Was given villa outside of the city walls. but he was always surrounded by spies ami police. The king very well knew that it was useless for him to think of making his way off to the sea, and also that the POGO miles of desert between him and Da- honey were patrolled by French soldiers on Camels. While in Martinique he had made all sorts of promises of good be- havior if he were allowed to go back to his own country. He continued 10 make such promises here. and it is believed that the chief cause oi lis death was his lomesickness for the land of the Amazon.
 King Behanzin's Last Interview.
 | have the honor of having had the last newspaper interview with me notorious monarch The interview was not full ut meat, and as to the honor. l doubt much 1T that term applies to the meeting with one who had probably offered up human sacrifices who had killed many Chris tfans and who had likely often shapcrcd his ivory teeth upon the human flesh Of tho Caucasian race. At any rate, | saw and talked with the king in his prison Nil- Ia without the walls. The audience took place several weeks since. My WdY la inc villa was oyer a road fenced in by high walls. ahoNe which the green branches of olive and orange trees waved. We passed gardens filled with roses. yjnevards loaded with fat blue grapes, and by enough liz trees, verify believe, to have clad the 6000 Eyes of Behanzin' $ \ Amazon army
 Finally we came to a gate labeled La Paisible'-"The Peaeeable." It was in- deed a facetious name for the dwelling place of this, the bloodthirstiest of kings. Nevertheless it was there that Benazin was living with his four wives and his numerous children. The villa is large tWo-story structure, surrounded by a veranda twelve feet wide, with the rooms epening out upon 1t. The house stands