The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-11-03
CROWN RULER
OF ABYSSINIA
ELECT OF GOD
Descendant of Solomon
Takea ne Amid Bar
b. ,uern Splendor.
NAMED KING OF KINGS
Guns Boom and TrumpetS
BIare in Honor of New
African Emperor.
BY BRAINARD c. SALMON
United Press stan Correspondent

BY BRAINARD G. SALMON
United Press stan Correspondent
Adds ABABA, Abyssinia, Nov. 3.
The east and the west, the ancient
and the modern, mingled in a part
ly Europeanized African capital to-
day for the festivities attendant
upon the coronation of Ras Tafari,
crowned Emperor Halle Selassie.
king of kings, Lion of Juda, and the
Elect of God, in a spectacular cere-
mony Sunday.
The coronation was mixture Of
modern and barbaric splendor.
Soon after a crown of AbysSinian
gold studded with diamonds, rubies.
and sapphires had been placed upon
the emperors head and he had
driven with the empress to open the
doors of Ghobi palace, soldiers
rushed into the palace courtyard
and slaughtered herd of oxen with
swords and daggers, drinking the
blood and consuming the raw flesh
of the beasts.
Descendant of King Solomon
Foreign representatives in mod
ern court dress and brilliant uni
forms, witnessed the coronation in
st. George cathedral.
Outside, guns doomed, thousands
of dusky natives beat tomtoms and
sang weird native songs, and print
tive trumpets blared in honor of the
descendant of King Solomon and
the Queen of Sheba who had as
cended to the lion throne of Abys-
sinia.
The coronation ceremony lasted
from $50 a. m. until noon.
The duke of Gloucester, repre-
senting King George of England,
and Marshal d'Esperey of France,
were seated beside the empress, and
the prince OF Udine, Italy's official
representative, sat beside the en-
peror's throne.
The emperor was carried inside
the cathedral in a regal chair on
the shoulders Of twelve stalwart
Abysinian warriors.
The Abuna, head of the Ethiopian
church, raised the magnificent
crown, valued at $500, 900, and placed
it upon the head of the short.
olive-skinned ruler of the last
African empire.
Traders and Hawkers Gather
Strictest secrecy surrounded the
night of prayer which the emperor
ond fI7a oy,1y11-acc Grant i, fI,o m
thedral before the coronation. The
emperor and his wife were hidden
by a screen while 230 priests prayed
necessarily for their future.
Beneath the electric lights which
Ras Tafari had ordered strung
across the main streets wiry Arne-
mans bearing carpets from Persia
bargained with chiefs from the heart
of the dark continent.
SWarthy Hindus silently proffered
perfumes and incense.
Traders and hawkers, a conglome-
ration from all parts of the world,
displayed bales of American cotton
goods to ebony hued natives of Har-
rar.
Tourists After Souvenirs
American, British and Italian
tourists threaded their way through
the crush, seeking souvenirs and
trinkets.
Hermits from Waldeba in ochre-
yellow and priests from Mount Ia
Dor in skins dyed dull red stared in
amazement.
Mounted troops wearing lion skin
robes and crowns made from the
names Of lions kept the crowd out
of the path cleared for the royal
procession
A fanfare of trumpets announced
the approach OF the royal party. 1t
was led by a picked body Of troops
and a band. Then came the king
of kings, resplenndent in gold EN-
broidered robes and riding in the
state carriage once owned by the
German Emperor William I.
Picked cavalry and the represent
atives of thirteen nations followed.
H. Murray Jacoby of New York
headed the delegation representing
II CSlQCuG A4OOfCA VI bliS OnlbEh
States.
Seyen-Day Fete Begins
After the coronation, the royal
procession passed through the
streets again to the palace built by
Menelik II after his victory over
the Italian army at Adowa in 1896.
Seven days of festivities began
when tie emperor opened the ma
tional games on 2 broad plain out
side the city.
A vast assembly Of men on horses,
camels, and mules attended him,
and the entire population of the
capital formed a circle about the
natural theater.
The emperors guests will par
ticipate in big game hunting and
other sports during the week Of
Abyssinia, a member Of the
League of Nations, is a fuedal state.
Five million native blacks keep al
most 100000 black salves, captured
~ A f-s~