Evening star., 1935-09-15
LAWRENCE ALIVE,
DECLARE ARABS
Briton Reported Seen on
Way to Eritrea and
Abyssinia.
BY LINTON WELLS.

SUEZ. Egypt.-Lavrence OF Arabia
Is not dead.
So say the Arabs.
Here, as in Alexandria. Cairo, Is
MALTA, Port Said and elsewhere in
Egypt, this correspondent has found
a definite conviction among the Sons
of the Prophet, and not a few lin
f1dep foreigners, that the fabulous
Col. T. E. Shaw-or Aircraftsman
Shaw-is alive and "at it again"
Wherever the followers Of Mahomet
congregate, be 1t in the seething ba-
zaars Of the cities or about the quiet
desert oases, the story is told and
retold that the Uncrowned King of
the Arabs Is somewhere in Eritrea
or Ethiopia. rallying the true be-
levers to the Anglo-Abyssinian cause
In an effort to thwart Premier Benito
Mussolini and preserve the water
rights Of Great Britain In the ancient
realm Of Sheba.
An Agence d'Orient dispatch, cabled
from sacred Jeddah and published
widely in the Egyptian and Near East
press, supports the belief by saying:
THE rumor has spread that Col
Lawrence has crossed the country
(soude Arabie) on his way to Eritrsa
and Abyssinia. The denials of the
authorities have had no effect upon
the belief Of the population"
Perfidious Albion, say the Arabs.
again is living up to its name Months
ago, they aver with gusto, Whitehall
foresaw the need OF I,awrence's mas
terly services in Ethiopia and adjacent
territories wherein the sulky and in
creasingly refractory MoslemS must
be humored and allied with the Brit
ish rather than with the Italian
cause.
Conflict Of Purposes.
On the one hand was Mussoliui,
offering them tangible Italian silver
in return for at least non-support Of
Emperor Halle Selassie If not active
support Of Roman aggression On
the other hand was Great Britain,
| forced to overcome oft-broken prom
ises to the Arabs by simply making
more promises in the hope Of MAIN
tanning an integrated Ethiopia with
the consequent probability of preserv-
ing vital English rights" in the
country, chiefly the right to irrigate
the Soudan and Egypt from Lake
Tana via the Blue Nile. Who better
than Lawrence. ask the Arabs. could
persuade Mahomet's followers to be-
lieve once again in Perfidious Albion?
Lawrence. they point out, Of course
could not undertake such a mission
openly. So, having had experience
with Great Britains oblique diplo-
matte methods, the Arabs have be-
come convinced that it was not Air
craftsman Shaw who was killed so
tragically on the Essex Downs in a
motor cycle accident last May. They
believe that the leader Of their re
volt in the desert" was prevailed on to
take advantage of a fortuitous acci-
dent and to disappear, and that to-
day he Is continuing his romantic
career in East Africa as British
secret agent.
THE world may believe Lawrence
dead. but we don't" they say with
| cynical smiles. When reminded that
! government officials. medical officers
/
| attendance at the kings" death,
they shrug indifferent shoulders and
assert that these persons became par
ties to the deception for the welfare
of the British government.
But have you seen Lawrence?"
this correspondent has asked per-
sistently.
Depend on Hearsay.
'No," they admit, but We know
those that have"
And then, to clinch their point,
they will tell another story concern
ing British diplomatic skullduggery
| in Ethiopia and affirm by the beard
Of the prophet" that it is true be-
yond contradiction. That is the
story of how England manipulated
the deposition of the Emperor Lei
Yasu, predecessor Of the present En-
peror Halle Selassie and youthful
| grandson of the great Emperor
| Menelik II, who died in 1913.
AS events subsequently proved one
is reminded, Lei Yasus departure
was of no great loss to any one but
| himself, so no tears are to be wept
! for him.
1t was in 1915. say the older Arabs
with amused and somewhat reminis-
! cent smiles, that the British became
| excessively annoyed over tendency
| on the part of Lei Yasu to coquette
with the Germans. This was, Of
| course. a most heinous offense, for
/ an alliance between Ethiopia and
hot Ix-
| have had disastrous consequences in
British East Africa, but conceivably
| would have wreaked havoc in the
Sudan and Egypt. Any diversion Of
the precious waters Of Lake Tana
| from the Blue Nile-well. the British
still shiver over the possibilities.
Whitehall decided. say the Arabs.
that Lei Yasu must go. But how?
He was on fairly good terms with
! his Christian tribal chieftains and
was making strenuous efforts to mol
lily his Mohammedan tribesmen.
There didn't seem to be much Of a
chance or an uprising until some one
busted of the age-old formula Of
| playing religions against each other.
Ethiopia is the Oldest independent
nation in the world, its history dating
from about 4470 B. C. 1t is also the
| oldest Christian nation in the world.
It was in 1915. as it is today, domi-
mated completely by the Coptic Chris
tian Church A large proportion Of
| its 100000 population are priests.
enjoying the benefits of tithes and
other profitable perquisites.
Development OF Unrest.
So British agents, the Arabs relate,
began to circulate among the priests,
dropping a hint here and thought
there to the effect that Lei Yasu. their
Christian emperor, was about to be-