Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-01-17
STORY OF THE MAHDL
Account of the Life of Ahmed Sulei-
man-From Slavo-Trader 30 Prophet.

Il ne SO-CalleQ hduOl name IS All
med Suleiman. The true story of his
life, as told in these parts, is like a
romance. His father was an officer
of the force sent into the Soudan by
old Mehemet Ali, Pasha of Egypt, tc
punish the Malek ell Memo for having
burnt the Governor Ahmed Sulei-
man was brought up at the school of
Khedive Abbas, of which Riffai Bey
became the principal, when expelled
from Cairo, where he had been direc-
tor general of the College of Foreign
Languages founded by Mehemet Ali,
and banished into the Soudan. Young
Ahmed Suleiman quickly proved
himself the ablest OF Ratfai's pupils.
On leaving school he entered the gov
ernment service and soon rose TO the
post of Accountant General of the
Soudan AT the very outset Ahmed
Suleiman thus found himself on the
high road to q brilliant future, HIS
master, Ritfai possessed immense in
tluence in the Soudan and the admin
istration of that province is now al
most entirely IN the hands of his for
mer pupils. He greatly affected
French authors of advanced political
views and wrote book, the title of
which, "Foutouhot Mekke, -" he Dor
rewed from the Arabic work of GER
tain Mouhidden Elriel Arab. Its
motto was He who rules as tyrapt
is undermining his own power. "
Mustapha Bey Sarrag, one OF his
school-fellows and also employed in
an important post reported on his re-
turn from the .Soudan that the chief
accountant was a man of rare capacity
and well versed in Mohammedan law
and history. Finally thrown on his
own resources, and possessed of con-
siderable capital, Ahmed Suleimaa
started in partnership with certain
European commercial houses as a
merchant in slaves, elephant tusks,
gum arabic and ostrich feathers. He
was reputed honest and straightfer-
ward in his dealings, and rapidly ac-
quired the confidence of Mussulmans,
Christians and Jews. So great was
the influence which he acquired that
he was constantly asked to act as
judge in DISPUTES, the parties concern
ed preferring to accept his decisions
to appealing to the courts of justice.
sULEnIAN AS A REBEL.
On the conclusion of the treaty be-
tween England and the ex-Khedive
Ismail for the suppression of tho slaye
trade, Raouf Pasha, Governor of the
Soudan, began a campaign against
the slave dealers, his principal attack
being directed at Ahmed Suleiman,
whose position and capacity had mark
ed him out as natural leader of these
traffickers in human flesh. Bashi-
Bazouks were sent to effect his arrest
with orders to bind him hand and
foot. These irregulars, as a matter of
course, tried to turn their mission to
a good account. They frankly pro
posed to Ahmed Suleiman that he
should buy them off with hacksheesh,
which TREY offered to take in negres.
SEES, if not convenient 10 pay in
money. Ahmed Suleiman refused
the conditions, and a free fight en-
sued, in which five of his own follow
ers were killed, but the Bashi- Bazouks
retired with loss of eleven slain, in
GLIDING an officer. Startled at the
unexpected issue of this attempt to
seize the rebel, the government sent
against him q battalion of regulars.
Ahmed Suleiman was not daunted.
He collected all the men he could and
fought the troops from behind ram
part of camels with signal success.
The upshot of this victoy was the
pasor,itio,, Of A b,,,aI G,,1o;,,,r,, =, c. Il, n
chief of the slave traders, who entered
into a formal compact to obey him
while he resisted the Cairo Govern
ment. Such was the state OF affairs
when Gordon Pasha appeared on the
scene. AS a Christion be could only
have succeeded by force, and even the
-Mussulmans were dead against
him, owing to his uncompromising
hostility to the slave trade. During
the whole OF this period the Soudan-
ese obtained supplies of arms and am
munition from Europeans.
sULEnIEN GETS To THE MAHDI.
Up to this time Ahmed Suleiman
had advanced no sort of pretensions
to a religious title. 1t was his foes
who first compelled him, so to speak,
to avail himself to the idea. Riaz
Pasha, who became President of the
Council of Ministers after the deposi-
ton of Khedive Ismail, seems to have
been responsible for the blunder
Thinking to rob the chief rebel ofall
Moslem sympathy he branded him
with the epithet False Mahdi. The
effect of this step was the reserve of
the sanguine anticipations of Riaz
Pasha. Ahmed Sulelman's followers,
who had already mooted the subject,
immediately protested to find fulfill
ed in his person the signs of the true
hahdi. 1t is moreover estimated
that no less than four thousand per-
sons who had been expected by Riaz
from Egypt straightway came under
his flag. On the outbreak of Arab
and the colonies in 1881, Riaz en-
deavored to send the famous First
Regiment with the mutinous colonies
to the Soudan. Later on the Khe-
dive authorized Arab, the War Min
lister, to carry out the intention, and
kilograms were produced stating
urgent need of achievements in