RI
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THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH
THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH. SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 27. 1892.
THIRD PART.
PAGES 17 TO 24.
ill DARKBUFHICH
Desperate Battle Being Fonght
for a Slice of the Big
Continent
AMAZON WARRIOBS A FACT.
A Campaign That Has Placed Da
homey at the Mercy of France.
came to that city the more numerous they
found the lines of defense.
Behanzin knew just where to plaoe these
fortifications, lor, as the whites were using
the Whemeasahighway.heknewtheywould
ascend it until they reached Tohus, whencn
the only fair road to the capital leares the
rirer; and it was necessary for the French to
use this road because tlie forest is very dense
between the rirer and Abomey, anil the in
Taders could take no other route, save at
great cost or time and energy.
Colonel Dodds' first bard fight was at the
little hamlet of Takn, where bis column
was attacked by a small force. He cap
tured the town, and drove the enemy before
him as he still advanced along the left
bank. Fire more hard fights occurred be
fore the armv reached Tohue, when Colonel
Dodds turned west to Abomey.
In two of these battles the Dahomeyans
brought at least 4,000 men and women sol-
the French Government. From Porto Novo
they were telegraphed to the coast. These
dispatches have very concisely summed up
the progress of the expedition. The couriers
traveled with great rapidity and the dis
patch from Canna was cabled to Paris four
days after it was sent. This, however, is
not quite so expeditions as the time made
by Behamin'i runners who, stationed in
relays along the road between Abomey and
Whydah, have 'carried his messages to the
coast in a single dar. Details ot 'the fight
ing have been received from French officers
with the expedition.
Colonel Dodds has been promoted to the
rank of Brigadier Genera) tor the great suc
cess he has nohieved. His iamily tor some
generations bare lived in Senegal and his
grandfather married a Fulbe woman so that
Colonel Dodds has a considerable admixture
of native blood in his veins. He is CO years
old and has made a splendid record in the
COURAGE OF THE NATI7E FORCES.
ETtry Approach to Their Capital Eeslsted
to the Utmost
THE LEADER OF THE INVADING ABUT
C wiunut TOR THE DisriTcH.3
It is over three months since France be
gan her second war with Dahomey. Colonel
Dodds led into the field nearly 4.000 sol
diers, mostly Senegalese and Porto Novana,
"With only 125 miles between his camp on
the coast and Abomey he advanced with the
greatest caution, and in the last half of his
Journey the desperate enemy contested
nearly eTery step of the way. Colonel
Dodds has always been noted for careful
attention to the well being of his
troops. In one of his expeditions
..gainst Benegambian rebels, a lew
years ago, he provMea camels for all
nis European soldiers that he might spare
them the terrible discomfort of tramping in
that tropical region. After some ot his hard
est fights with the Amazons of King Behan
zin, Colonel Dodds kept quietly in camo
for day or two to let his men rest. Some
times also he found it necessary to halt for
a few days in order thathts porters, several
thousands in number, who carried food for
feP
ft i " zTttlszsyssjr
,$$''
MR. HARRISON TALKS
While Engaged in the Preparation
of His ilessage to Congress.
NO CHANGE IN TARIFF VIEWS
Because of the reverses f nstained in the
Becent Mection.
PREFERS PENCIL TO STENOGRAPHER
TKB XUTO AUD HIS AMAZON OUXKD.
-
Cdtm&Do&dt.
the army, conld go to Porto 2Tovo and re
turn with fresh supplies.
"Colonel Dodds becan on August 17 to as
cend the Wheme river. This is the first
time the Wheme ha been nsed as a high
way by an invading armr. The Kings of
Danomey have always regarded the Wheme
as defensively the weak point of their coun
try, ana lor generations they kept It closely
guarded so that no stranger might use it as
highway into the interior.
An Exploration of the River.
It was not until 1875 that Father Baudin,
of the French Missions, eluded the Daho
mevan Guards and paddled about forty
miles up the river. Since the natives
became better acquainted with the
whites the Wheme has been ascended
by several officials and explorers, inclu
ding Ballot and Skertchly. These trav
elers found that light draught steamers
could easily ascend the tortuons stream to
within 25 miles of Abomey; and .when the
French decided last winter to punish fool
ish young King Behanzin for his arrogant
threaiB and disregard ol treat r obligations,
it was decide'! to use the Wheme as a nigh
way to the neighborhood of the capital.
His three little vessels, two of them gun
boat', could notcirrya third of Colonel
Dodds' force and supplier The cavalry
horses and their riders, for the most part,
ascended on the boats; heavy artillery
wazons dragged by natives went in advance
crushing a road through the jungle and for
est along the river bank, for the greater
part of the expedition. Two or three
thousand porters were always on the march
between strong detachments of soldiers
carrying the supplies; and other large bands
of carriers were tramping to and fro along
the road thus made, replenishing the com
missary department from the abounding
markets of Porto Nova
Colonel Dod Is had been onl v five days on
his journey when the trouble began. The
well-wooded district through which the in
fantry were marching affirmed the best ot
shelter for the enemy, and for days hardly
an hour passed that the ambushed soldiers
of Behanzin were not firing into the ad van c-
Dahomty Soldier.
fng column. The enemy did not appear in
strong force, however, and were easily forced
back.
The Native IIan of Defense.
Behanzin had thoroughly planned his
defense. He did not intend to offer serious
battle until the French were far inland. If
he then succeeded in defeating them he
hoped to ii ipe them out before reinforce
ments could reach them or they could flee
to the coast. It was not until .Colonel
Dodds had adaaced about 50 miles uothe
river that he came within sight of the first
earthworks which the enemy had built
crossing the route along which the invader
was advancing. If defeated in his first
terioni stand, Behanzin intended to fall
back 10 or 12 miles to another line of
fortifications, and in this way he had pre
pared for a possible retreat of his array all
the way to Abomey. The nearer tat Frenoh
diers into action. The loss of the natives
was heavy, for the French had the best of
rifles and artihery. The Dahomeyans
fought with the greatest o-mrage, and at
the battle of Dogba, where the King's
brother led the charge, 30 of the women
warriors were killed almost at the muzzles
of the cannon. They had a large supply of
ammunition,but wasted tne most of it. Their
guns, contrary to many reports, were of in
ferior quality, and they were slow in load
ing them. In firing they held the butt of
the weapons under their arms and blazed
away, most of their shots whizzing above
the heads of the Faench forces.
All these battles occurred in the timber,
and on two occasions the natives surprised
the French early in the morning by rushing
unheralded npon the advancing force. This
is their favorite mode of attack. When pos
sible they always endeavor to swarm in up
on and overwhelm an enemy early intheday
belore he has stirred from camp. It was
estimated on October 2 when Colonel Dodds
left the river and began his overland march
to Abomey that Behanzin had already lost
a third of his fighting lorce. About 5,000
men and women had been killed or
wounded. Behanzin had been compelled to
keep a large force on the road between his
advanced posts and the capital to replenish
his tood supplies. He had also found it
necessary to return to the capital himself
tor a fortnight to quell a revolution that
broke out in his absence. His uncle and
elder brother were leaders of the revolt and
their party fled to the North when the King
with all his reserve troops suddenly ap
peared on the scene.
The young man exhibted the most des
perate courage. Probably long before Dodds
reached the neighborhood of Abomey, the
King bitterly regretted his foolhardy reck
lessness in making enemies of the French.
It was too late, however, to retrieve the
blunder.
With the Utmost Desperation.
All he could do was to fight with the
utmost desperation for his throne and that
he did. He had no sooner returned to his
force at the lront than he sent word to
Colonel Dodds that unless he at once turned
back to the sea he would annihilate him.
He said he bad held the flower of his army
and the best of his equipment in reserve,
and would not permit the French to ad
vance another inch into his country. This
was purebraggadocio. Colonel Dodds paid
no attention to the empty threat, but as soon
as his force and supplies had been landed at
Tahue, he started h est for the sacred town
ot Canna and the capital.
Then Behanzin's lrantie efforts to stop
the invaders were redoubled. Fortifica
tions had been erected every three or four
miles across the road. The entire Dahom
eyan army was now at the front. Every
day for five days the native army threw it
self with the utmost desperation upon the
enemy. The French vigorously repulsed
each attack and the natives suffered great
loss. As a result 91 this lighting Behanzin
asked for a parley. Colonel Dodds said
that he would talk with the King provided
he would first evacuate the deienses which
he had erected along the Koto river.
Behanzin refused to give up this
line of defense and next day the
column again advanced. It had been
reinforced by fresh arrivals from the coast,
and in two days more it had captured the
strongest lines of fortifications it has yet
met on tne n.o;o river ana naa also scaled
two lines of entrenchments beyond Akpa.
In these later aSairs the French lost 87
killed and wounded and in the first 20 miles
ot their march from the Wheme the French
loss was 27 killed and 161 wounded.
A Practically Continuous Battle.
Colonel Dodds' forces were tired out with
almost incessant fighting, and four miles
lrom Canna he paused to give his troops a
rest. A large number of his carriers were
provided with hammocks and carried the
wounded back over the hard-won road and
down the river to Porto Nova A strong
force of soldiers went with them as an
escort, Dodds did not intend to advance
again until 1,000 porters who were supposed
to be on the road from Porto Novo with
supplies reached him. Three days later the
supplies came and then Colonel Dodds
easily drove the enemy out of the sacred
town where the bones of a long line of
Dahomey's Kings are buried.
Behanzin now retired to the new lines of
fortifications with which he had surrounded
ADomey eignt mues beyond: Canna, One
of our pictures shows the plan ot the most
important part of the city. About the
middle of November Colonel Dodds began
the siege of Abomey. He had found that
in the last two or three battles, culmi
nating with the evacuation of Canna, the
resistance of the Dahomeyans had become
less and less serious. They had time and
fttrftin .n thlr pnmrt(Ti mn J.... !.
o - - .... ... .... uwnu UUVVU UY
grape shot at the muzzles of the French
guns, and had become greatly dis
heartened. Behanzin had a few Krupp
and cauister guns which were badly
served and some of them were disabled by
the French artillery. It seemed evident,
however, that the enemy would make a des
perate attempt to save their cause by pre
venting the French from entering the capi
tal. Colonel Dodds' plan was to invest this
town ol 12,000 people and wait until addi
tional forces were sent to him from the
coast belore attempting aggressive measures.
Caution is one of his most admirable char
acteristics; and having- carried everything
before him to the gates of the capital he did
not intend to risk all in the final battles
without a force adequate to insure his
victory.
Progress of the Expedition.
All through the campaign Dodds has
been able, every week or so, to dispatch
couriers to Porto Novo with dispatches for
wars which France has waged both in Sene
gal and in Tonkin.
The French nation has watohed the pro
gress ot the campaign with the greatest in
terest, and not a few canards have been
manufactured in Paris to meet the demands
foi news. Some of these sensational lie, as
the alleged murder of Behanzin, the fall of
Abomey, and the execution of the white
men tound in Behanzin's service have been
cabled to this country. France now has a
once powerful native African state at her
feet. Bhe can and undoubtedly will make
the conquered state owe ot the most valua
ble of her African possessions.
Cybtjs 0. Adams.
rcomxsroirnxirci or the dispatch.
Washington, Nov. 26. The President
has almost completed his annual message
to Congress. For two weeks he has been
working on it as steadily as' the other de
mands of pnblio business would permit;
and within the next week it will have been
rounded off, read to the Cabinet, approved
and will be ready to go Congress. It will
probably be sent to the Capitol in the hands
of Assistant Private Secretary Prnden on
Tuesday, the day following the Monday on
which Congress meets.
The President has followed a new me'.hod
of work in preparing his annual message
this year; a fact which makes the work of
preparation more interesting. This mes
sage is of particular interest, too, because
it will be the last annual message which
President Harrison will send to Congress.
A gentleman who called at the White
House found him with a little pad of
"scratch paper" in front of him, a pencil
in his hand, working out an idea. It has
been the custom of the President in past
years to write his messages to Congress in
this way sitting at his desk in his office 'at
the White House or in his room, writing
when his fancy seized him or when some
idea was suggested to his mind.
Working as Never Before.
The attitude suggested the annual
message, and his visitor suggested it and
asked the President if he was working on
it. The President said: "I am doing some
thing 1 nave never acme belore. x am dic
tating my message to a stenographer this
year. I find that the physical effort of
writing on this pad of paper" and he
picked up the pad and held it in his hand
as he spoke "its exhausting. It wearies
me."
The President looked weary as he spoke.
There is not an unhealthy look in his face,
but there lies in it to-day the expression ot
deep sorrow. It is seamed with wrinkles.
Tne visitor noticed, too, that on the pad
where the President had been writing the
lines were not straight and the letters were
straggling and ill-formed. Ordinarily the
President's handwriting is as clear, precise
and neat as that? ot a woman. The
great strain of the long davi of
Mrs. Harrison's last illness has told
MR. MEANTWELL AND -THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY.
1 Contemplation.
U- m -
AFTER A HEW STATE.
Part of the Kansas People Want to
Leave the Calamity Crowd.
Commencing Action.
In Fierce Combat.
upon him. Before they came, he
was a man of tireless energy. Work never
seemed to exhaust him. Particularly was'
this true of mental labor. Like Mr. Mil
ler's (the Attorney General) the President's
ideas flow slowly and steadily and be
grasps bis subject with a completeness tht
is wonderful He used to sit for hours at a
time at his desk writing steadily, never
changing a word or altering the position of
a comma, so perfectly and so accurately did
bis thoughts frame themselves.
Prefers Pencil to Stenographer.
"I prefer to write my message myself,"
said the ..PresMent, continuing. "My
thoughts flow more freely from the pencil
and my words as thev appear on the paper
arr.an inspiration to me. But, I find nor
that I become exhausted. And I find too
that I cannot fix my mind on my subject so
steadily when I am writing with a pencil.
My thoughts wander away from the subjeot
before I have written down the words that
come to me. I would greatly prefer to
write out my message, tor I find that my
language is stronger, my sentences better
rounded wnen 1 put them on paper mvselt.
Heretofore I have always sat down at my
desk when I felt like writing and worked
for a time. But I found that people inter
rupted me constantly when I was in the
middle of a paragraph and so distracted me
that I have been obliged to set apart a cer
tain time for my work and to sit down with
mv stenographer then and dictate to him." I
Th nniriininan nf ihn TTnita1 Gfat.
are taking a great interest in what you may
say on the tariff question," said the
visitor. "It looks as though it were Mo
Kinleyism that bad defeated the Republi
can party, and they were very anxious to
know whether you will modify your views
on the subject of protection in this mes
sage." No Change In Tariff Views.
The President had thrown himself into
his chair, prepared to take up his work
again. He leaned back and, looking his '
tyl
A Fruitlea Charge.
W
THE WESTERN END ALL EIGHT,
And the Yoters of That Section EepudlaU
Simpson and refer.
A PE0P08ED APPEAL TO CONGRESS
$
A Reinforcement
visitor squarely in the face, he said: "The
newspapers of the United States ought to
know me well enough to believe that when
I advocate a' system I am not going to
change my views merely because of a de
feat in election."
With that the interview closed.
The President gives up two hours to his
visitors every morning. These are men
who call to. see him about public affairs.
When he has disposed of their business,
the President shuts himself into his office,
summons his stenographer and continues
the work of preparing his annual message.
The PresMent sits at the big desk which
was made of the timbers of the ship Beso
Inte and presented to the President ot the
United States by Queen Victoria. Mr.
Tibbott sits at one end of the desk, his
note book in front of him. Before the
President arc the notes which he has made
at odd intervals when thoughts have come
to him suggesting ideas to be developed In
the message.
Scotch and Irish whisky by the quart, gal
lon or cask at Max Klein's.
HOLIDAY SNAPS AI
Solomon St Rnben's.
An Immense assortment of smoking
Jackets, dres-lnr (towns ami house ooms In
fancy silts, niixtnreo, attractive olalds, Bed
ford cords and velvets. Prices from ti 50 up
to us.
Foot Floors and as Many Galleries
Filled with Christmas good'. Every one a
girt useful as well as ornamental.
P. C 'CIIOEXECK ft Sox,
711 Liberty avenue.
M3 suits or natural won and camel's hair
underwear, heavy weights. sell to-morrow
at 86 c-ntsa suit, at Sailer's, corner famith
field and Diamond 'streets.
TOPZKA, Kaw., Nov. 26. A great sur
prise was sprung on the people of Kansas
by the announcement that leading Repub
lican politicians of Western Kansas have
organized lor the purpose of dividing the
State. The plans are well laid and
the matter will be urged on the
Legislature the coming session. It Is be
lieved that body will be favorable to tha
scheme. The organization includes a strong
committee of Democrats anil Republicans,
who will go to Washington early in the se
sion and lobby the matter through, to the
end that favorable action may be taken
there as soon as the Kansas Legislature acts
and prescribes the metes and bounds of the
new State.
The movers in this matter set up that
Western Kansas has always stood loyally
by the Republican party, and beat back
calamity because the success of that party
in the State would affect the West mora
than any other section, for the reason that
they are 'building and improving on bor
rowed money from the East. The calamity
party in power 'in the State, ail capital
would be withdrawn, mortgages fore
closed when due, and the people's
homes, that they have worked hard to savo,
would be sacrificed. They further cite that
in 1890 the new connties of the West saved
the Republican State ticket from defeat,
and the credit of the State, bv giving !t
majorities sufficient to overcome the Al
liance majority In the Eastern end.
They propose to divide the State on tha
west line of Jewell, Mitchell, Lincoln,
Ellsworth, Rice, Reno, Kingman and
Harper counties, mading West Kansas 200
miles square. The vote of this part ot the
State at the recent erection shows a Re
publican majority of 5,000, and if the
scheme goes through tbey figure on a popu
lation sufficient for three Congressmen,
who, they claim, will be Republican, no
matter bow the new State is districted.
W. R. Hopkins, member from Finney
county and one of the originators of the
scheme, is making his canvass for Speakei
on this issue, and the further fact that
the West saved tha House to the Republic
S,
W
hen in doubt where to
buy IT'S SAFE TO
GOTO ..;...
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WE MAKE COMPARATIVELY LIT
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THUNDERS OF APPLAUSE. 1 i
A SUNDAY THOUGHT
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DeSt Selected StOCk Of HoUSftflirnifirnrtCrs in t.hlH nit.TT Dlir TirVinla acarvr.ma-n-f-. TMiaonno n 4--r, ffTi. rU;U -rr,'n o4A-isf- nf nr, lioT-M-if-rt TTTn V,t u
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: 4 ;
BEDROOM
m
mr
We know the value of room and are willing to make
a sacrifice in price to get it at this time of year when
an immense stock of Christmas goods is being un
packed. In our mammoth stock of Bedroom Sets you'll
now find some . splendid opportunities. They are
all perfect, the styles are new and we have them in
all desirable woods and finish.
There isn't a store in town can show you the
variety and assortment to choose from, and if you
think to match our prices for a similar high class of
goods you will simply waste time.
We Sell for Cash
Or We Give the Most
Liberal Credit Terms
Obtainable Anywhere.
You can get the goods you need at once and pay
for them as you can spare it Hundreds find this a
great convenience. We don't charge an excessive
price for the accommodation as some do.
THE
HOLIDAY
BAZAR
Is getting into shape fast Most of the goods are un
packed and a truly elegant assortment we shall show you
this season. "Too early," say you. Not a bit of it
Now's the nick of time' to cast about look at, compare,
get a knowledge of what your money will buy, so that;
in the near future you may spend it judiciously. I
AN ARTICLE OF FURNITURE
Makes an elegant and appropriate Christmas present
and is almost sure to be appreciated. We have added
to the regular stock hundreds of artistic and beautiful
pieces from those costing only a dollar or so up to the
most costly made.
Carpets
BOOK OASES.
DESKS,
PIGTURES,
LAMPS, '
SIDEBOARDS,
Our Level Best
That's our way of get
ting hold of the public
confidence. We do
our best and it is fully
appreciated.
0L00KS,
BRONZES,
ONYX TABLES,
R00KERS,
t
LAOE CURTAINS.
And scores of other useful and ornamental suitable for presents..
The old saw, "competition is the life of trade," has
never been more forcibly illustrated than at the pres
ent time. Never is any previous season have we sold
so many Carpets. We are not at all alarmed at your'
getting prices elsewhere, for if we cannot do better by
you than others we can't honestly ask your patronage.
We know we can; we know the Carpet market
thoroughly, and have implicit confidence in our ability
to serve you as much to your advantage as our owa
Our immense' stock includes everything in the Car
's pet line that's 'worth handling, Late, pretty, striking
styles that please the eye, and qualities that will more
than satisfy. Pleasing prices.
Don't Let Go
Of your dollars until you have tested who sells the
cheapest and where you can do the best Don't trust
to newspaper advertising. Come and see for your
selves. We can convince you of the truth of every
claim we make, and when you see how well prepared
we are to serve you you'll say the half has not been told.
323, 325, 327
PENN
AVENUE.
I f
We touch the sensi
tive pocket nerve of
the public by our low
range of prices on
really reliable goods.
1
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