St. Landry democrat., 1882-09-02
DR.. Schweinfurth's Narrow Escape at
Alexandria.

The traveller DR.. schweinfurth narrowly es-
capped losing his life at the hands of the Egypt
ian mob during the bombardment of Alexan-
dria. He gives a graphic description of his ad-
ventures in a letter to his brother, published in
the Cologne Gazette. Schweinfurth and a friend
were watching from the terrace of their house
the course Of the British missiles when a crowd
gathered in the street, who accused them Of
giving signals to the fleet. All attempts to con-
vince the Egyptian soldiers of their innocence
were futile, and they finally underworld to es-
cape to the Coptic Church., about two hundred
feet distant, by lowering themselves from the
rear window OF the balcony into the garden.
Their flight, however, was discovered, and the
crowd pushed angrily toward the garden,
where, fortunately, a wall eight feet in height
lmpeded their progress. "Shoot them,'' the
moi shouted, and three soldiers leveled their
guns at the two men, who now stood on the
balcony. revolver in hand. Five of you shall
die before me-" Schweinfurth exclaimed, and
then attempted to appeal to the reason of the
mob, telling them that he and his fir. ends were
not Englishmen, but Germans, friends of the
Sultan; that they had been twenty wears in
the country, and remained, relying on the
good faith of the Mohammedans, trusting to
the proclamations of the Khedive, of Ragheb,
of Arab Pasha, etc. "Why do you try to es-
escape, them" shouted the mob again. "Wedo
not flee from the soldiers was their reply,
but from the mob, who four weeks ago
chased Europeans in the street like so many
wild beasts" By similar %harangues and a lib
eral t1ourishing of their revolvers Schwein-
furth and his companion kept for some time
the mob at bay, who repeatedly ATTEMPTED
to force an entrance. Suddenly a Police Cap
tain and a spy in the guise of a Consular en-
nlnva Qnnnar hafctSa thu 1op~ +Lo
of their eyes plainly indicating a desire for
''bakshish.' The door is carefully opened.
and the two worthless are dispatched with a
few gold pieces. Not relying on their graft
tude, however, Schweinfurth and his friend
now barricade the door, and again retire to
the balcony. The crowd, growing more furi-
Gus, shout to them with curses to surrender
their revolvers. Schweinfurth throws the
leather case into the garden, and a yell of
triumph from below proves to him how little
would be gained by surrender. Again the re-
volvers are hourished, and again the heads
disappear for a moment. Now S~chweinfurth
shouts at the top of his voice to the trembling
in the Coptic Church:
. Listen, Christians! We are going to die
here, but you are witnesses of our miserable
death; you will tell the Sultan, the Khedive.
and the Consuls that we, innocent Germans,
friends Of Egypt, have died through the
and the police" These words at last
had their effect, and the mob slowly dispersed,
quarreling with the police, whom they 40
cused of having been bribed by the Christian
dogs. Hours of anxiety followed, but the
danger was over, and the next. day, July IL,
Pasha came personally to SchWe1n-
furth 70 advise him to seek safety in the
of the Deaeonesses at the Moharrem-
Bey Gate. There Schweinfurth and bis friend
spent two days, until the arrival of the Ger
nan marines, the hospital sisters meanwhile
displaying wonderful GOODNESS and energy.