Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-12-27
The False Prophet.


Mohammed Ahmed, the False Prophet
of the Soudan, was born at Dongaia.
memorable as the place where Ismail
Pasha Paddyk, the late Finance Minister
of the ex-Khedive, was put in sack
along with some stones, and, the sack
being tiedup was thrown into the Nile
The Mehdi's father was named Moham-
med, and was a carpenter. Young
Ahmed followed his fathers calling and
became very skillful in the art of boat
building. When his father died he went
to Senaar-to the southeast of Khartoum
where he continued the carpenter bust
ness, but where he was so lucky, or per-
haps unlucky, as to cut off the ends of
the fingers of his left hand. This mis-
hap, however, proved to be the making
of young Ahmed, for he now fulfilled
all the conditions of the prophecy al
luded to elsewhere.
Ahmed knew how to read and write,
and possessed a certain eIoquence. lie
gave up carpentering and took to read
ing the Koran in the public places and
haranguing the crowd. He then
travelled all over the country, making
''stump speeches on religious subjects.
The people used to listen to him at first
through curiosity. Soon he made him
SC14 ACotCCICGS anu III d lew 1CCAS Lie
acquired an enormous ascendencY over
his ignorant followers, who had never
before heard such an orator People
used to come on foot hundreds of miles
to see him. The Sheik travelled about
like a second Peter the Hermit; but un-
like Peter he gave himself up to
personal ambition. There was 81
constant rivalry among his hear
ers as to who could lay be-
fore Sheik Ahmed the richest offerings
The prudent Shiek stored up these pres
ents, and, having become wealthy, he
set himself up as a prophet. The motto
which he adopted was: 'tThe whole
world shall follow me and obey me.
Endowed with no ordinary Imagination,
he uttered certain predictions to which
his creduious but already submissive dis
ciples attached implicit faith. According
to one of his prophecies, on Nov. u, the
first day of the new Mussulman century
One thousand three hundred after the
Hegira-he himself was to be proclaimed,
at Khartoum, Prophet and Ruler of the
Soudan.
Having convinced his followers thai
he was in direct communication with
the Almighty, he used, while addressing
them, suddenly to become silent, and,
! closing his eyes, to remain motionleSs
for several minutes He carried this
| trick to such perfection that not the
slightest movement was perceptible
while he simulated coma, after which
he appeared to recover from a state Of
profound lethargy, cast wondering
glances around him, and exclaimed
with an air of conviction:
81 come from Paradise, where
I have been with Allah and his Prophet.
How [ would like to tell you of all l saw
and heard, but you would not be able tO
understand it. His followers became
so devoted to him that at asignal
from him they were ready to sacrifice
their lives. At last the Mehdi an
nounced that Allah had definitely chosen
him to be his prophet, which caused such
enthusiasm among his adherents that he
seized the opportunity to surround him
self by kind of court. The expense
incident thereupon was readily betrayed
by his partisans. 1t was then that Ruef
Pasha, at the time Governor of the
Soudan, decided to arrest the Mehdi,
and put an end to his proceedings. At
first an attempt was made to disarm him
by persuasion, but afterward two hum
dred men were sent to take him prison
er. The Mehdi had, however, already
large number of followers, and the
small detachment of troops was igno-
miniously put to flight. This was the
beginning of the revolt in Soudan.-M
7. Times.