The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-09-24
City Man, Veteran of Italy's Last
African Clash in 1896, Thinks Duce
Can Wipe Out Stigma of Old Defeat
But 0Id-Time Sergeant
Fears They Won't Let
MuSSoIini Go.
OWES LIFE TO MULES
WryIy Recalls Fantastic
Expedition and Tits
With Bandits.

Sergt. Gaetano Di Carlo sailed
for Ethiopia to fight for Italy, in
February. 1896, on a windjammer
with a hold full of mules.
No sooner were they at sea than
the mules started running from one
side of the boat to another, caus-
ing it to list dangerously and fright
ening the mules out of their wits, if
any.
Realizing that that couldn't go on,
the captain put in at Sicily and for
three days waited there while they
carted the dead mules off and fixed
pens for the others.
Meanwhile, Sergt. Di Carlos regi-
ment was far ahead of him and
so the general headquarters de-
cided to attach him and his men
to another.
The fact that Sergt Di Carlo is
alive today, and is working in the
tailoring department at L. Strauss
81 Co., he attributes to that mass
indiscretion of the mules that were
riding tourist class when he went to
war.
"YOu Wait and See" o
Mr.. Di Carlo lives at 1888 NJ Oh
ney-st and follows avidly the new
adventures italy is having in Ethio-
pia. He believes that Mussolini will
be victorious this time, if they let
him CO." Then Mr. Di Carlo shrugs
his shoulders and says:
But they won't let him go. You
wait and see. italy no take the
territory England take him with
out a fight. If the black people was
a-use him, that's different. But
they don't, so why shouldn't we?"
Getting back to the previous
campaign, Mr.. Di Carlo invariably
involves mules in his explanation Of
why it was unsuccessful. He says
that after they had landed in Africa,
they would form caravans of mules
to penetrate the interior.
ArtiIlery-1896 Style
Field pieces would be roped onto
the backs of the beasts and parties
would start out. Then bandits would
come from the hills, take the mules
and all, and gradually the italian
artillery was almost completely in
possession of Ethiopians who didn't
know how to fire the cannon.
There is, even now, he says wryly,
Italian artillery in those hills, and
who knows-maybe the enemy has
learned by now to use it?
His outfit finally penetrated 300
miles into the interior, he says,
when the regiment (the one that
had been his until the mule trouble
aboard ship was attacked and
routed by the enemy.
They fell back to a fort at Adj
grot after most of their officers
were killed and his outfit advanced
to their aid. They finally agreed to
exchange the fort for Italian pris-
onerS, and that was the last en-
counter he took part in.
He Puts 1t Plainly
But they still had trouble with
bandits, and he says Mussolini is
right in demanding the disarma-
ment of Ethiopia, in spite of peace
treaties and the like.
If they are not diSarmed. he says,
they will keep jumping out of the
hills at the coloniSts.
During his campaign he said
there frequently were food short
ages, and that soldiers from North
ern Italy suffered and sometimes
died of the heat. He was from
Southern Italy and didn't mind it
at all.
Mr.. Di Carlo sees eye to eye with
MusSolini about that business Of
occupying Ethiopian territory with
League of Nations troops, too.
Whats the good he asks, "of
you giving me a piece of property
and then staying there and watch
ing it?"