New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-02-22
.M|ENELIK alive,
But P0WERLESS'
Dominated BY Scheming En-
!. press, EngNshman Reports.
ABYSSINIAN REVOLT CERTAIN.

.ts
f. Marguerite. who for three years
was employed as general mining di.
rector by the Emperor Menelik Of
Abyssiuia. has just returned to Eng
land. His description Of the state Of
affairs in .Abysslnia is gloomy. In an
interview he told an amazing story Of
the conditions that prevail at the court
and the intrigue for power conducted
by the empress.
'Thc emperor" he said. lis certainly
alive despite the many rumors Of his
death. but for all practical purposes
he is dead. For very many years he
has been the victim Of an insidious
disease, which has played havoc with
his mental faculties.
'Menelik at lis best was probably
never anything more than a somewhat
astute aboriginal. and unfettered by i'll
health and domestic millstones about
his neck he might have carried through
the task of reclaiming the country
from savagery Now it is too late.
Revolt Seems Certain.
"When the emperor dies the major.
ity Of the tribes in the kingdom will
instinctively rise up in revolt against
the Abyssinian section, numbering
about one-tenth of the population, and
a new form of government will be es-
tablished.
"At any moment Menelik II. may
succumb to his malady. He has been
at deaths door many times in recent
years, and on each occasion one has
cleaned something Of the remarkable
precautions taken by the empress to
remain one Of the dominating powers
in the land. .. E, ...a IT,,
1.-THE emperor, tall, hard faced, but
decrepit figure. played his cards very
we'll until the empress crossed his
path. She IL one of the widest women
/ have ever met Add to her cunning
the whole gamut Of unscrupulous de-
vices and you will get somewhere near
an approximate estimate Of the lady's
character. For diabolical subtlety the
emperor cannot compare with her.
HE still Yields sufficient influence,
mainly armed, to carry his point when
occasion arises. but for the rest he is
cajoled into doing the bidding of the
empress, whose domination is very
hard to explain She is neither young
nor pretty.
MeneIik Her Tenth Husband.
"Before she cast the bewitching spell
of her dusky personality over the EN-.
peror she had been married some nine
times. even according to her own reck-
Oning From the moment of this
singular combination Menelik's power
waned
The empress gathered around her a
court clique. making her position Sc
cure. and thenceforth the emperor has
Had to pay due regard TO the foibles of
his royal consort III the matter Of royal
FrcrngltiveS."
Mr. Marquordt has II very low. opin-
ion of the morality Of the Abyssinian
"'rhc capacity for thicving is the
Abyssinian hallmark" he says. 1.-The
people thieve from the cradle to the
grave and vary career Of dishonesty
with almost every k2own vice.
1.-The king apparently enjoys the
privilege of being able to dishonor his
obligations. and the queen invariably
tries to 60 one better. As general min
ing director to the emperor develop.
ed one Of his gold fields and showed
that it would produce as much as nine
ounces Of pure gold to the ton. thereby
ranking as one Of the richest gold
centers In the world. Love Of gold is
one Of his majesty's weaknesses.
have seen in his treasure house no
fewer than thirty bags Of gold. each
bag sufficiently capacious to hold a
couple Of hundredweight Of coal.
Debts Are Rspudiatsd.
1.-THE gold was probably worth mil
lions. but instead Of regarding 1t as a
national wealth Menelik, backed by
his wife, perceived source Of danger
in mining success. Every form Of Sc
curity was thereupon destroyed. all
compacts denied and there was an end
Of the matter. The Abysslnian court
enjoys the possession Of immensely
rich gold fields, but no one will invest
q penny for their development have
a deed bearing the emperor's personal
seal, but the document is not worth
anything beyond what curio dealer
would put upon it."
Mr.. Marquordt is equally severe
upon the legal system of Abyssinia.
which he declares is as vile as any that
can be found. He says:
"The person accused Of theft is
branded on the forehead: to be deemed
a purveyor of court gossip ends in the
culprit's tongue being cut out. and ev-
cry one suspected Of having overheard
unpleasant truths is deprived Of bis
ears. For various accusations, how
ever i'll founded. the punishment may
mean either poisoning, decapitation
hanging or stoning to death.
: ''The cutting out Of eyes or the am
putation Of hands and feet are also
among the barbaric modes Of melting