The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-06
Ell Maidi.

Mohammed Ahmed, the False
Prophet of the Soudan, was born at
Dongala, memorable as the place where
Ismail Pasha Saddyk, the Montettish
and late finance minister of the eX-
khedive, was put in a sack along with
some stones, and, the sack seWed up,
was thrown into the Nile. The Nah
dis father was named Mohammed and
was carpenter. Young Ahmed fol-
lowed his fathers calling and became
very skillful in the art of boat build
ing. When his father died he went to
Scenario the southeast of KhartOum
where he continued the carpenter
business, but where he Twas so lucky,
or perhaps unlucky, as to cut off the
ends of the fingers of his left hand.
This mishap, however, proved to be
the making Of young Ahmad, for he
now fulfilled all the conditions of the
prophecy alluded to elsewhere.
Ahmed knew how to read and write,
and possessed certain eloquence. He
gave up carpenteTing and took to
reading the Koran in the public
places and haranguing the crowd. He
then travelled all about the country
making stump Speecht S" on religious
subjects. The people used to listen to
him through curiosity. Soon he made
himself respected, and In few years
he made an enormous aSsendancy 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 second Peter the
hermit; but, unlike Peter, he
al
ambition. There was constant
rivalry among his hearers as to who
could lay before Sheik Ahmed the
richest offering. The prudent Sheik
stored up these presents, and,
having become wealthy, heset himself
up as prophet. The motto which he
adopted was, "The whole world shall
follow me and obey me-" Endowed
with no ordinary imagination, he ut
tered certain predictions to which his
credulous but already submissive dis
ciples attached implicit faith. Ac-
cording to one of his prophecies, on
November IL, the first day of the new
Mussulman century-1300 after the
Hegira-he himself was to be pro-
claimed, at Khartoum, Prophet
and Ruler of the Soudan.
Having convinced his follow
ers that 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 tosuch 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 l haye been
with Allah and his prophet. How 1
would like to tell you all 1 saw and
heard, but you would not be able to
understand it. His followers became
SO devoted to him that at a signal
from him they were ready to sacrifice
their lives. At last the Mahdi
announced that Allah had
definitely chosen him to be his prophet.
which caused such enthusiasm among
his adherepts that he seized the oppor-
tunity to surround himself by kind
of court. The expense incident there
upon was REALLY betrayed by his par
tisans. 1t was then that Rent PaSha,
at the time governor of the Soudan,
decided to arrest the Mahdi and put
an end to his proceedings. Atfirst an
attempt was made to disarm him by
persuasion, but afterward 200 men
were sent to take him prisoner. The
Mahdi had, however, already a large
number of followers, and the small
detachment of troops was ignomin-
iously put to fight. That was the
beginning of the revolt in the Soudan.