The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-03-01 00:00:00

ANOTHER VERSION OF HICKS
PASHA'S DEFEAT.

The following has been published in Paris in the
Journal des Debats :

"The latest information which has reached Cairo
regarding the disaster of Hicks Pasha's army is so
singular and so very tragic that it could at first be
hardly believed possible. But it is now confirmed by
so large a number of trustworthy witnesses that it is
no longer possible to doubt the fact. It was not the
Mandi who conquered Hicks Pasha; the latter and his
men perished in an intestine struggle victims of an
error which threw Egyptians against Egyptians. The
Mandi and his bands only took a secondary part in
the battle. They only arrived in time to increase the
butchery and reap the fruits of victory. This is
what happened. You know that a conflict had arisen
between General Hicks and his Egyptian colleague.
Alaidin Pasha. The first wanted to march directly
on El-Obeid, the second proposed to follow the hilly
route, more difficult road, but a safer one, and
which offered the advantage of allowing the troops to
rest during the day near the Melbass wells before
attacking El-Obeid. The rumour was spread that in
consequence of this rupture Alaidin Pasha had aban-
doned General Hicks with part of the army, and
hopes were long entertained that he had been saved.
Alas! this separation was destined, on the contrary,
to become the cause of the ruin of the Egyptians and
of the loss of the Soudan. The two Generals having
found it impossible to come to an understand-
ing, it was resolved that each should take the
road he considered best, and that in the event
of one of the corps being attacked by the enemy the
other would hasten to its rescue. This plan was carried
out. Alaidin Pasha reached the mountain, while
Hicks Pasha marched straight towards El-Obeid.
Both corps were passed by soldiers of the Madhi, who,
without giving battle, harassed them incessantly on
the flanks. The troops had left towards mid-day. At
midnight sharp firing was heard in the direction of
the mountain. Hicks Pasha at once ordered his men
to advance and support Alaidin Pasha. It was pitch
dark. The sharp shooters fired without knowing what
they were about. After an hour's hurried march the
troops reached the middle of the mountain. The
vanguard announced that all the heights were occupied
by the enemy. Suddenly a shower of bullets fell on the
army. A part took to flight, while the other stood firm.
The fighting continued desperately until daylight, when
a horrible spectacle presented itself. Hicks Pasha's
troops were almost annihilated, and at the top of the
hill the Ex itian uniforms were in sight. Alaidia
Pasha and : icks Pasha's corps had been butchering
each other ever since midnight. The central column,
commanded by General Hicks, had suffered the most.
A'small plateau where it had halted was strewn with
dead and dying. The bodies of three Europeans lay
where the staff had taken position."

The account then assumes a most sensational
character, and the details concerning the Mandi's
appearance are so fantastic as to lead to the belief
that the whole story is a fabrication.