The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-12

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 RaS Nasibu heard the report calm ly, ordered further Qualification of Jijiga and the trails leading to 1t, and departed for the bombarded sector.
 ''The only way the Italians ever will conquer this country" he told me. 'is to Kill every one in it."
 I was sent to this front to see and describe the fierce, primitive, uninhabited mode of war of the African native. am convinced by Ras Nasibu's words and the prep arati0ns for battle that saw, that my mission is on the verge of ful- 1illment.
 I asked the army commander whether he expected that the League of Nations would succeed in stopping the Italian advance before a major battle occurs on the south- ern plateau. His black eyes flashed and his lips trembled with anger.
 We Fight and Die
 "The League of Nations!" he ex- ploded. we fight and die while the league talks!"
 "The league had plenty of warn- ing" he continued.
 "Mussolini told the world from the beginning what he intended to do. They in Geneva told us he was bluning. He was making fools of them"
 In an unprintable metaphor com- pairing Mussolini to one of the semi wild dogs of the putrescent Ethi- opion village streets, he emphasized his disrespect for diplomats.
 We are facing an invader who uses the most fiendish methods of warfare" the warrior said bitterly, because he is angered that we pro- tect our home and lands"
 The scene is set at Jijiga and along the Fafan and Webbe Shibeli rivers, leading southward to Ital- ian Somaliland, for the greatest bat tie since the World war. Ras Nasibu has drained the entire country of men to dam the stream of invaders moving up the rivers. Even women, wrapped in colorful red and orange overall garments, stream along the mountain trails toward the front.
 Villages Deserted
 Villages I visited were deserted except for old men, the hundreds of dogs that infest every community of natives, and the children.
 Outside Jijiga, a mud and brush hut community of normally few hundred inhabitants, thousands of men perspired in unaccustomed la bor in the killing sun to prepare trenches, entanglements of wire and spiked stakes and huge pits into which tanks, horses and even whole platoons of men might fall. The pit bottoms were filed with spiker logs.
 Iven the populace of Harar, prin- cipal city of Ogaden, felt the fever of approaching events. Dozens of rcsidents fled during the night to Addis Ababa or Djibouti.
 I and two other sun-burned, sweating newspaper correspondents, and six photographers cursing at the weight and responsibility of their equipment, moved from the Imperial hotel to 8 hillside dug out after the fat Greek hotel pro- prietor abandoned it to us and 40,- O0O,OOO or so heaS. The Greek was afraid to sleep even one more night under his own roof because of re- ports that bombing planes might momentarily appear. He sold to us cheerfuly and at profiteer prices the last of his pantry supplies.
 Terror Stricken Groups
 Terror stricken, haggard groups of old men, women and children pour ed into Harar from the southland through 8 filled night. They cried and cursed as they told of bombs from Italian planes that smashed villages of non-combatants and left scores of mangled human form 1T. smoking wreckage.
 Tine way was clear to move up the Webb Shibeli river, which passes close by Addis Ababa, and the Fa- fan, that has its head within days march of they ital Djibouti-Addis Ababa railroad.
 If the invaders cut the railroad at any point they have, in eco- homie effect, conquered Ethiopia.
 Ras Nasibu estimated that he had more than 100000 men, many of them equipped with rifles but most of them ready to meet tanks, ma chineg uns and grenades with spears and clubs. He confirmed, in dis patches from his subordinates down the river valleys, reports that Ital- ian air bombers have used gas bombs in attacks on villages and concentrations of warriors.
 Suffering Terribly
 "'We are suffering terribly but stil holding the Ogaden front at terrific cost" he said. Tt is impos- sible 70 tell how many men are now rot Ting on the ground they foughe to defend for their families"
 T don't know why talk to you of this. Will the people who read your newspapers care? Once I thought so but am now convinced we must fight alone against over- power,ng forces"
 The warriors and the women pouring into Jijiga and on south- ward expressed his sentiment in more fortnight words. AS they logged barefooted through the sun an dust they chanted;
 "Shanko Ingular Lega." .
 s.asazsyaln,isssulzs lzssls1zllss.uusaa,slsssaeAz