Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-07-05
TIE FALSE PROPHET.
The Personal Peculiarities of the
Man of the Soudan.
Life Ina a straw Hut-Thirty.nlne
Wfves-The Black Mans
Prophet Total
AS'''ne.'. III ~
[Dongola Cor. LONDON News. ]

| Ab.''ne.'. III -
1Dongola Cor London News.
Mohammed Ahmed Is in person tall and
powerfully built, but somewhat inclined to
corpulency. His complexion is between
brown and red-what the Arabs call aedet-
that is, green. The expression of his coun-
tenance is agreeable, and when in repose his
face Is lighted up by constant placid smile.
If the statements of his enemies may he
trusted, tlis outer aspect Of benevolence fur
nishes but a deceptive key TO his character
Against those who refuse to recognize the d.
vine nature of his mission he can be severe to
cruelty. He is credited with Jeffreys' trick
of weeping over the fate of those victims
whom he orders to execution, so rs to create
the impression that he Furnishes dissent and
disobedience with personal regret at the com
mand of Allah. In barren discussion as to the
nature or authority Of his mission he loses
no time. II any man be bold enough TO
challenge its Givine origin or express disbelief,
he is permitted to choose between sub
mission, open acknowledgment. and decap-
tation. This method of reasoning has the
advantage that it is brief and effective. Few
men are bold enough to sacrifice their heads
for their opinions, and the result is general
acquiescence in the divine authority of Mo-
bammci Ahmed's mission. On the other
hand he protects and encourages those who
voluntarily accept him as the true msdhi-
the man sent by Allah 20 reform mankind.
HIS DIVINE MISSION.
Beyond question Mohammed Ahmed is a
man Of considerable intelligence and extra
! ardinary force of character. No ordinary
man could have raised himself from an
humble position and made himself master
over the FESTIVE and jealous Arab tribes, as
Mohammed Ahmed has succeeded in doing
III has been customary to represent HIM as
the instrument or tool Of other men, but if
he ever occupied that position he has ceased
to do 50. To-day Mona mined Ahmed is the
absolute master OF the life and property of
| every man from Obeid 70 Fashoda He
| boasts some education, as il Is understood in
tine east; that Is he reads and writes, and is
well verse1 in the koran and commeHta-
tors. He speaks both the Rarabar and
Arabic languages. Some Catholic priests
who have met him personally state that he is
10y no means a vulgar ippostor, but, on the
| contrary, impressed them as man thor
oughly convinced of the divine nature Of his
mission and wholly devoted to carrying out
the religious reforms which he claims he has
been sent TO effect. The more intelligent
| part Of the population do not put any faith
| in his divine mission; but among the mass
of people, who are sunk in almost absolute
| ignorance, Mohammed Ahmed is undoubt-
edy regarded u prophet sent by Allah,
whom it is sinful to resist. Had he declared
himself king" said an intelligent merchant
the other day, mo one would have followed
or oheyed him. but because he comes as a
prophet the people fear to disobey him lest
they should expose themselves to the divine
vengeance" 30 2 =
IN A STRAW HUT.
Mohammed Ahmed's life is simple in the
extreme. He INDUCES in none of the luxures
or vanties of life, except, perhaps, weak
ness for large number Of wives He is
credited with the possession of thirty-nine of
these aids to happiness, though the orthodox
number allowed by the Koran is only four
! By system of temporary divorce il seems
he keeps within the letter of the Mohammelan
law, the ladies taking their turn to be
divorced and taken on again. Perhaps
| the object of this little family arrange
ment is to enable him TO strengthen his in
iiuence by alliances contracted with the fam
| lies of the most powerful sheiks, from among
whom lie is careful to select the partners of
| his joys and SORROWS. He has several chill
dren, but none old enough to take any part
in his political or religious work. Since the
capture of Obeid the mehdi has taken up his
residence at the Moudrieh, or governors res
idence, a fine stone building in the center of
the town; and here, III the audience hall, he
sits every day transacting the necessary bust
ness and receiying the visits If his followers.
His wives occupy abuilding situated behind
the Moudirieh, but communicating with it
by garden.
In this garden the prophet has had con-
structed for himself hut of straw in which
he sleeps, or is supposed to sleep, and passes
the time not occupied in business or public
prayer. This he does because one Of the
tenets of the new Mosem reform as preached
10y Mohammed Ahmed is that it is unlawful
that is, contrary to the ordinances of God
| to construct houses or live in them. Houses
are effeminate luxuries, and therefore must
he destroyed. In accordance with this new
| dispeusation the Bedouins, on the
capture of Obeid proceeded to wreck
| the houses of the inhabitants, and
an order was issued forbidding the
| townspeope longer TO dwell in them. The
result of this ordinance is that the population
| have been obliged TO construct buts of straw
| after the approved Bedouin fashion in the
court-yards of their houses, and in these they
| live, or pretend to live, in what is correctly
enough styled by the mehdi his camp at
| Obed In this climate the hardship Of living
in a straw shelter is not very great, it
scarcely ever rains except during the fierce
4 beat OF the autumn months which really cor
respond with our springtide, in so far as they
are the season for planting the single crop on
which the people of the Soudan depend for
existence.
THE CIVILIZED ELEMENT.
The people here and at kordofan who call
themselves civilized, that is TO say have
money and live commodiously, regard these
socialistic reformers with much the same
feeling that the Quarter st. GERMAN looks
upon the communist of the outer boulevards
This, however, does not much affect the
situation as the "civilzed element is, after
| all a very small section of the population,
| and as n rule not over well liked by their
| reighbors who resent their airs of superb
Gritty and their affectation of European
manners and dress. To the vast mass of the
| people it is matter of utter indifference
whether they live in mud-cabins or straw
III 3 xIs,a