Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1894 — THE MATABELE KING. [ARTICLE]

THE MATABELE KING.

LOBENGULA THE CORPCLANT SOUTH AFRICA RULER. Me la Possessed of Great Force of Character, But la aa Excessively Cruel Mobavolu Lobengula, the Matabele King, wkose trouble with the British troops Tn South Africa has called general attention to that part of the world, it the son of the dreaaed Msselikatze, the conqueror of the satires who had long held possession of the oonatry now known as Matabeleland and the Mashona country. After they bed been subdued he took up his residence at Inysti and formed a large military kraal now known as Isyatias, where Lobengula was born. Maselikatze, known also sa Umselekatze, ruled his people with a rod of iron and kept an army of 8,000 warriors, and oould bring more into the field if required. He was a king who knew how to rule his turbulent subjects; a splendid warrior himself, he took care that his troops should be so likewise. He died in 1869. and at his death, after some dispute about who should be his successor, Lobengula was proclaimed King with great rejoicings. Warriors to the number of 10,000 assembled to do homage to their new King. From that time up to the present he has held undisputed possession of the throne. He took up his residence at Buluwayo, situated some sixty miles south of Inyatlne, which he formed into a large military station, and where he has since resided. Lobengula is a man of great foroe of character; his will is law, and it would be death to any of his subjects to dispute his authority. It is by this iron will that he is able to rule his people. He is tall and well proportioned, bnt very oorpu-. lent. His royal wife died many years age, leaving Lobengula a widower, with some forty or fifty wives to console him for his loss. There are no children living by his royal wife, although he has several daughters by his others. Some years ago he married a sister of Umzela, the King of Gaziland, which adjoins the Mashona country. Previously to this marriage his sister Nina ruled his household, and was devoted to her brother. Hot unnaturally, perhaps, she became very jealous at her brother’s marriage, a fact which displeased him. To get rid of the annoyance, therefore, Lobengula had her smothered. His oruelty, indeed, knows no bounds. It is by his orders that the constant raide upon the Mashona people are made. Upon the slightest pretext he orders certain regiments to prooeed to a particular kraal, where several indunas and some 800 or 800 Mashonas are living in supposed security. The regiments attack them in the night, killing all the men and women ana the ohtlaren over a certain age and bringing the younger ones back with them, together with suon booty and cattle as they oau lay their hands on. The King divides out the cattle to the regiments who have acted on the occasion, reserving a certain number for himself. The children are distributed among his people. They soon forget their nationality and aa they grow up are incorporatedln the Matabele nation. Yet with all this ferocity in his nature, and a cruelty surpassing imagination, one would fanoy, to see him sitting on the box in front of his wagon indulging in his lunch of fried bullock liver out Into immense pieces, that he was a fat but inoffensive old man. There is a certain look in his eyes, however, that is an unmistakable sign of the man. Lobengula is exceedingly clever, yet full of duplicity. He can read a man's character after a few minutes’ conversation with him, and will detect instantly if a man is playing him false. I only know of one good quality possessed by him—he is fond of children. Lobengula himself took a burning piece of wood from the fire and destroyed the eyes and nose of one of his men because he threw a stone at a child and knocked out its front teeth; this was witnessed by one of the traders.

A abort time ago ha ordered a young Kaffir to be killed for pulling a atraw out of the thatch of one of hia buta. No one ia allowed to touoh tbeae on pain of death. There is no doubt about hla ordering the deatha of Captain Patterson, Mr. Sargeant (aon of Sir W. Sergeant), and young Mr. Thomas (ion of the Her. Mr. Thomas, of Shiloh), while on their way to the Victoria Palls. They were warned that foul play was intended, but they would not believe the report. When their death was reported to the King he said to some of the white traders, ‘'Now Captain Patterson is dead the agreement goes for nothing." They had previously entered into some agreement with the King, which he afterwards regretted, and he disposed of the matter in the way we have just mentioned. No documents were found on the bodies. On another occaaion, which will be last out of many more I could relate, a large impi went into the Maahona country, where they killed ull the old people, making some of the women and big girls carry the plunder to the boundary, where they made them put the things down on the ground and then killed them, that they might not run away if brought into Matabeleland. The children, who soon forgot the land they had left, were preserved.