Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-04-09

OSMAN D1GNA CAREER WIN re.
ference to the early life of Osman Digna,
the Suakim correspondent of the London
Times writes that he was originally a
broker and trader, and principally a
slave trader, in Suakim and Jeddah,
where he received a severe financial
blow when, some six years ago, British
cruiser captured two slave dhows full Of
victims on the way to Jeddah. Osman
Dignas trade then fell from bad to
worse, his house property in Suakim
was all mortgaged, and he became hope
lessly involved. Being of no great dis
tinction by birth, his selection by the
Mabdi to lead religious rebellion is
attributed to the accident that Osman
Digna, in one of his incursions far south
for slaves, met at the Mahdi, who formed
high estimate of his ability and of his
influence, acquired through successful
trading If his history be trustworthy,
passions for other objects than holiness
are the keynote of Osman Digna's char
acter and motives, and it is against all
probability that he will cast his goods
and his position into the broken balance
of battle He is no ignorant fanatic,
and he cannot himself believe the myths
which he multiplies in order to control
his followers.
The ARCTIC ExPEDTTToN.-It is pro-
posed TO send an advance-ship to the
Danish settlements previous to the time
fixed for the assembling of the expedi
ton at Upernavik. Should favorable
opportunity present itself, the vessel will
push northwarc and rescue the Greedy
marty. The rclief.ships will arrive at
Upernavik not later than May Is, and
will push northward, as soon as the ice
permits, toward Littleton island. The
natives will be communicated with, and
all possible information obtained as to
the whereabouts of the expedition.
When the ice is reached, one Of the
vessels will push its way through it,
while the other will maintain such q
cue the party on No. l, should that
ship come to grief. Should neither
vessel be crushed, and should neither
succeed in communicating with Lady
Franklin sound, one, it is recommended,
should winter in Franklin Pierce bay
and the other in the vicinity of Littleton
island. On the route northward various
points are to be examined and depots of
provisions eft at certain special quarters
-NeW York Herald.
A BENEVOLENT DOC GONE. -"Help,"
the famous Scotch dog, which distin.
guished himself by travelling about on
the trains collecting subscriptions for the
orphan fund of railway society, was
recently killed by being run over. In
his capacity as collector, he travelled
over greater part of the country, al
ways returning safe and sound to head.
quarters in London with the proceeds of
his charitable mission intact. Last
autumn Help paid visit to the Cont
nent, and was introduced by the captain
of the steamship Brittany to Her Males
| tvs vice consul at Dieppe, at which town
he collected 1907. On the return Journey
to Newhaven he got &c more. Alto~
gether the French trip yielded the
society the sum of G12. The dog was
trained to ''ofices of charity" by one of
the guards on the night boat on the
London, Brighton and South Coast line.
He seemed thoroughly to appreciate the
usefulness of his career, and never lost
an opportunity of adding to his employ
er's income.
ANECDOTES OF PRENTICE. This is a
story OF George d. Prentice which I
never saw in print and which is better
illustration of his ready wit than any,
thing he ever said, 1 think. The old
Journal office used TO be the stamping
ground of many Southern men, more or
less known, who liked to hear the veter-
an journalist tell story or warm up
presumptuous young man for lunch.
Among those who frequented the Jour
nal Office was Will S. Hays the song
writer.
Coming into Mr.. Prentice's Office one
day in that free and easy way of his, he
sat down in one chair, with his feet on
another and jamming his hat on the
back of his head. said, without consulting
Mr.. Prentice's leisure:
''Seen my last song, George?''
Mr.. Prentice ceased writing, sighed
heavily and looking up sadly and re-
proachfully at the young man, said:
Il hope so, Billy. Bill Nye.
16E EOh11-CECONO 11GHLANDERS.-
The Black Watch, mentioned so fire.
quently in the dispatches from Suakin
as having borne the brunt of General
Graham's last engagement, is the name
given to sthe Forty-second regiment
Highlanders. Into this regiment were
enrolled in 1877 the companies dressed
in black or dark tartans, that had
watched the highlands during the war
for the restoration of the Stuarts. Nearly
all of the older regiments of the British
army have familiar names, sometimes
derived from some incident in their
history. The name of the Black Watch
is significant and poetical enough when
its origin is understood, but without an
explanation is somewhat misleading and
it is probable that not many readers of
American newspapers have had the
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