The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-14
Ell MAHDl.
The Mighty mosl'm-uls Progress to
Pirnii,ude of Power.
His Personal Appesranee-The Secret
Of His snceess.
Tho Napoleon OF the White Siie'

thai A m "a, Il iimins ~ he tina later ilrt'
siah oi Itl m tnr successor OF the MohHni'
med, the ohief oi a new crusade, hiu mau'
his appearance south ~ ths Nublnh u.ser .
What gave greater Importance 20 the Iu-
NOR was, thst Tor ssnerauohn tn'io nau
Qoated In the enAt saving thAt III t'e
laitsr mari of this century new pfophsi
would arise; would y, her tn Nun lhn scat
tered forces oi toe t,'thiu ana would fti 20
tore the Mo,lcm iaiih And power 10 thef
ancient height, A.. - ..,t,,,i.a
"Mahdih was -, hrs, diofedited. At Con-
.,aniinopl. and At "A rcct tn. nawf was re-
ceiyed with indifference and o1it 'mpt,
Mnny an impo,tnr has thus ATTEMPTED 10
Impose hims II with prophetic authority
ON Islam, only 10 he Overwhelmed win
di,a,t n aud 10 be driven Into oh unity aud
di.graes. But the sofirs OF the latest
Mnndi kept coming from the barbar-
ous regions OF the upper 5 iudan. IL was
said that n large, though savage, army
had flocked 10 his standard; that the tribes
on the banks Of the Blue and Whit .
were giving In their allegiance 70 him' nhd
that Toe dis, Election which he had stirred
up was spreading even among the war ike
Bedouins between the Nile aud the Red
BeA.
ING sirep.t, of tn Mshdi could NJ last no
longer be ignored NJ tn, ceniefs oi the no
Mammalian authority. A serious alarm
prevailed at the court oiths Sulian-Caliph;
and grave councils we're hill In the great
temple ut h.cc, Then the Grand Cherlt
at Mecca the highesi OF tha high priests NJ
I,lam issn-d bis pr tl,mation. declaring
the new 81 um II ~ M IN impostor, aud
warning the aithful t. avoid his stnAdafd
ana to re,i-t bis pr tensions, it was sup
po,ei that TINS decree would at once act on
The supersiitious minds OF the Airictl Mo-
bsmmedsns. aud the eel -claimtd Mahii
would be deserted, aud | W. previous I'M
postors, disappear But this result did not
follow. Tue Chcrlfs iuminstion did not
serve IN the ! asst ~ check the CROWN OF NE
Mahdi's cuus.. Gradually his blowing
Increased, and nov, assuming the miiittit
role OF Mohammtd he began an aggf,sve
campaign He set Ia .imsell the 'sKe. iifst
OF wrest ing The S'udan from the rule OF
Egypt: and did MT hesitate to prOcl ,im
that he intendet /, uursue the conquest oil
all tho African Mohammedsn states.
The Mahdi's career seems u have been
attended. from tue first, with tlno,t I'M
VARYING good tJriune. More tlan one
Egyp,iau stronghold Tell into the hands OF
his rabble and !rauSic horde: st last the
Egyptian khe live, miserable as his situa-
tion was, hal no alternative but to attempt
the impression oi this fresh revolt AGAINST
his authority. The defeat Of Arab Pasha
At Tel.Ie X, Dir ny the English, had do
priyed E.ylt oi the flower OF her army. ana
the khedive wss forced to send an inferior
army against the rebslious prophet.
force Of 10000 Esvpti,ns aud Nubisns an-
der commalt If Hicks Pashs, al English
man, marched sgaiuss the Mshdi, VINO vas
already threatening the fortress OF the PIPER
Nile. The hostile armies met at IL Ooeid
weet of The White Nile. The encounter
was short and savage lts appalling result
was that Hicks Pasha and his orce were
not only overwhelmingly defeated, bnt
were eli ost To n min destroyed on the IL
of battle BY the enraged legions OF the
prophet
All Enrone and the east shuddered a.
this friphtfsl disaster which was terfihc
blow at the rule of the khedive. IL also
shook the suit ans throne, snd carried dts
may to the huly III ices vf Mecca; The
prestjge OF the NJ ihhi was immenaely in
creased by bis success. II iell win t'llinR
effect upon the ears anl imilina'ion OF tho
Mohau,medan race. ViC'oiy ReemCd -
give sanction TO tho Mnhffs clsinl. IL ws>
said that Ills army M III Obtid comprised Il
least 800 eco men, comprised al dervihhes'
BedeuiGs mulsttoes ana some regulr
troops su nplied WITH fir arms. or course
his followers rapidly increased after the
oyerthr " OF HICKS Z sha's army; and now
the Mahdi seriously threatened knartuum
and the Esvpt,u iot tr-sses protecting TOE
Soudan NJ Dongols. B-rb-r, SEMINAR, aud
other places between the upper Nile ara
the Red Sru
As we are likely 10 hear much Of the
Mahdi. and NAV perhaps wit iess, in the
near future, more of MS irumphs IN the
course OF crusade thus far unchecked,
some account OF him II DO interesting 10
the re1ctr.
The Mahdi's nsma 10 Mohammed Ach.
mat He isa native o! the provl CO OF
Donpoll "A fortified town on the Nile, b,
tween the third aud fourth cAiaracts, and
hardening up II the great Nubiqn desert.
He ia said 10 be Of pure Arab blood f; and
this is fortunate tor him, siuce ho1e h.t an
Arab could ever hope to inlnose prop &c
authority upon l'lnm HIS granun ier
wasa Mosem priest. HIS father, Abdu
lab, was n carpenter. Euiy IN Nj 'hdis
boyhood the family novrd 10 place csli.d
Sbindi. not far from B'tber Here the
Young Achmet was apprenticei u his
uncie, y noatnaH. THIS uncle having one
day be,t,a him, the boy ran away 10
free school kept, by iskir
Ue, rped rian, mead OF sect OF der
yishes). Achme, stud ed hard, aud especi- |
ally sbsor bed bims'l II In l'araiog the doc
trnes of MonanirA edan'sm, as taught by
the Sheik OF the shrine OF Hogall lie then
removed /, similar school near Befber,
attached to in ther shin. much rsver. |
anced nv the nniivs After passing some |
time At this aud other school IL, Achmet was |
himself ordained as n sheik. 4. village |
called Aradup, In the year 1870, and ne at
once took up bis abode la this sacr-d capac' |
itv on the Island of Aoba, In the White
itwas at Abba that Achmet entered uprn |
those prac ices ant began, no doubt, to pre-
mare ms / Tor that mission which have
aimee attracted to him the allegisDce OF
such rmidsble numbers OF Mohammod-
ans. He excavated a deep cave on the rs
land, and made II a habit to retire for
Il nj IA
darkest recssses. There he would
repeat for hours together one
of the names of the Deity, which ex-r-
else vas accom- panied bv tasting. the ourB-
ing Of incense, and attitudes OF ahject hu-
miliiy. His renown ss . man OF SAMMY
character spread far and wide. He grew
rich on the offerings oil the pious, aud mat
ried seyerrl wives. being always careful to
choose them in influential aud wealthy
A. lat. in the yesr 1881, he openly an-
noupced himself to be the Mshdi forsto ID
bv Mohsmmed, aud whose advent had been
medic ed fur tbet very year. He sent mes
sces 10 the sheiks aud fakirs round about,
Del airing that he had a divine mission 10
reform Islsm; to establish universal
eonality. a universal law a universal re-
lisiou, and community az goods, ana 10
destroy all-whsi her Mohsmmeden or
Chris,ian VINO refitsd t. be ieve hin ara
accept him asa true pr phe', Jus, %
Cbri. tisp tv, Christ superceced the Mosaic
di.pensation, 90 the NJ hdi cl inns 10 have
ben sent by Allah 10 r,new the Oh cove
nnnt OF God with msr. By these bpld rs
eer,iops the Mahdi soon secured hearinv,
then q following. MaBv OF the she'ks. VINO
had long observed his aus ere piety, were
easily persusded 10 hsl'.ve him inspired.
and adop ., Il his cause with Oriental srdor
and en- 1T asm. nd he coon found himsel'
accepted. not OF l. by large numbers OF me
popti alton H. tae regions of the Blae nnn
Whit Nile, bul even among the wsnne'-
Nil fan J