The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-23
An Army Variously Estimated at from Ten
to twenty-five Thousand Men Swept
Out of Existence.
A Fierce and Bloody Struggle I'm
paralleIed in Modern History.
Minister Lowell Elected Lord Rector of St
Andrews University-The German
Grown Prince at Valencia.
A CRUSHING DEFEAT.
The Forces of Hicks Pasha Annihilated by
the False Prophet,

Tne FORCES OF Hicks Pasha Annth1lated by
the False Prophet.
LONDON, Nov. pa dispatch to the Reuter-
Telegram Company, dated Cairo, S:25 this
morning says the army of Hicks Pasha has
been destroyed by the forces of Ell Mahdi,
the False Prophet. Intelligence of the dis
aster was brought to Khartoum by Coptic
official. The fighting is said to have con-
tinued from the 3rd to the 9TH inst, and to
have resulted in the complete annihilation of
the Egyptian troops 1t is stated that a
European artist was the only person who es-
capped
The forces of Ell Mahdi comprised, it is es-
timated, 1000 men, anG included dervishes,
Bedouins, mulattoes and regulars. The bat
tie was fought near Ell Obeid Ell Mahdi first
sent forward his dervishes, declaring they
would vanquish the ensmy by divine
aid. Subsequently the regulars joined
in the attack, and later the engagement
became general. The army of Hicks Pasha,
which early in the battle was divided in to
two bodies, was subsequently reunited and
formed a square, which the forces of the
False Prophet broke, after three days des-
perate fighting,
A council of ministers has been held, and
it has been decided to concentrate at Khar-
toum what Egyptian troops remain at Duem,
Goba, and other places in the Soudan.
The force under Hicks Pasha comprised
25, 600 men. He had with him ten British
officers. O'Donovan, of the London Daily
News, and an artist connected with German
illustrated paper, also accompanied the
army.
Evelyn Barring has advised the Egyptian
government to abandon the Soudan and es-
tablish strong frontier line from Khartoum
to the north of Seminar, and thence to Soua-
kim, on the Red sea.
1t is reported that the recent orders for the
evacuation of Egypt by British troops have
been countermanded.
A CORRECT STATEMENT OF HICKs's FORCE.
Notwithstanding the above reports as to
the numbers engaged in the battle, the mill
tary correspondents of English papers have
written that on the Sth of September Hicks
Pasha marched out of Khartoum with 1000
regular infantry, 400 cavalry-of which 100
were cuirassiers and the remainder bashi-
bazouks, one battery of Krupp guns two
batteries of mountain guns and one battery
of Nordenfeldts. AT Berair and Duem, on
the route to Ell Obeid, Hicks Pasha was re-
inforced with 1,600 regular infantry and
1900 additional bashi-bazouks, making to-
tai command of only 10000 After leaving
the Nile, en- route to Ell Obeid, some eight
posts were to be established to keep up the
line of communication, which would need
total detail of nearly 5000 men, leaving 1000
90 900 men reported under Ell Mahdi. Prom
inent sheks under El Mahdi, in September,
claimed his forces numbered 200, ,O0O that
they had Remington guns and rockets, which
they mad taken from the Turks, but Ell
Mahdi has forbidden their use. Only spears
and swords were to be used by his fighting
men.
Official accounts state that the force under
Hicks Pasha aggregated 10000 men.
1t is believed that the correspondent of the
Graphic accompanying Hicks Pasha was
killed.