The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-08
.ETH|OPIANS CLAIM CAPTURE
OF ITALIAN TOWN; NATIVES
DESERVING IL DUCE, REPORT
$4,000 Black Troops in Motion to Meet
Invaders on Aduwa Front Emperor's
Son-in-LaW Leads Attack.
Continued From Page One)

of the Italians into Eritrea. There
had been no indication of an off
cial plan for an operation by force
numbered in thousands.
Behind the Eritrean frontier, ir
the hills of the plateau awaiting the
next move of the Italian invaders, is
a big Ethiopian force numbering
into the hundreds of thousands.
Challenge the Eagles
The announcement that Ia:
Seyyoum's warriors had crossed
the frontier to challenge the eagle;
Of the Fascist legion was calculated
TO be Of great moral stimulus tc
the Ethiopian army.
Yet the very success of the DARING
operation was a cause of anxiety
TO Emperor Halle SelaSsie and his
advisers here.
The mcager reports of the dash
into the enemy's territory indicated
thct there was no real Italian re-
sistance. This despite the fact that
it is known Italian forces are placed
at intervals all along the northern
frontier to the frontier of tbs
Anglo-Eglyptian Sudan on the west
and that Italian bombing planes
have been active in Ethiopian points
all along the frontier.
Hence there was some fear that
the la ~ of Italian resistance was a
matt, 'rategy and that Ras
SeyyOums -. ght be permitted
to penetrate Erlt,.d and then to be
attacked by a force which would
seek to cut them off and anrihilate
them
Natives Have Advantage
But the attackers were operat-
ing with some advantage in that TO
them the country is familiar and
that their very existence is one that
makes up the ideal soldier. They
can move with almost incredible
agility through the broken country
they can carry rationS for days;
they can subSSt with little water;
they can take advantage of bits of
cover which would be of no use TO
most trained soldiers, and they can
disappear like Wraiths into the hilly
Businesses when they like, to return
and Snipe and raid in darkness.
Whatever its outcome, Ras Sey-
mour's daring exploit was a chal-
lenge to Italy which FasciSm was
not likely to forget.
J was timed perfectly, both from
the military and political stand
20. ITS.
1 rom the military standpoint it
wa effected while all the world
was awaiting the fall Of Aduwa
while people were reading the re-
ports of the irresistible movement
forward of a great Italian army on
ne two lit,le towns Of AduWa and
Adigrat. whose capture meant to
Mussolini removal of the stain
a defeat 80 years ago, while the
Italian authorities in Rome were
waiting to announce AduWas fall as
the signal for a national celebration.
Italy Becomes Aggressor
From the political standpoint Ras
SeyyOum'S thrust was not started
until two full days after Italy pro-
claimed to the world that 1t was
moving its army across the ETH
opian frontier, thus to start an "un-
declared war" which has caused the
League of Nations to declare it an
aggreosor and a violator of the
League covenant.
AS the Italian strategy is being
developed, officials here are inclin-
ing to the belief that the Italians
will concentrate almost exclusively
IN the north in any real operations,
Despite knowledge of activity on
several fronts, all the way around
the country from the Sudan in the
northwest to the Kenya frontier in
the southeast, officials suggested
that the real Italian advance will
be in the rich northern provinces.
1t was announced at the same
time that Italian native forces on
the northern front were beginning
to desert to the Ethiopian army
The Communique said that 80 Fri
treans had arrived at Makalle, be-
hind Aduwa and 200 on the Agame
front in the northeast. Since the
outset of the crisis, Ethiopians had
asserted that such assertions were
inevitable.