Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-07
EHARTOUM'S MASSACRE.
COMMON SHOT WHILE READING
THE BIBLE.

don DgiW Ne1CS at DOngola mas receINeu
F-on, Rosti Penago. a Greek merchant OF
Ensrtoum. a narrative of the fall of that
oirv and OF Gordon's death, which differs
rom any yet given to the world. OF this
Greek the correspondent says: Another
voice from Khartoum is heard-a
Cock who was made TO wear the MahdPs
'1,torn and in this costume
lied down to Berber, no man
torbiddiug him. He then resolved to
osoane altogether. and then his troubles
commenced. He had no money, but
begged his way from village to village.
Sometimes he was hunted and had to hide
evTav at others he was made to work as
a cantured slave by men who knew him
N ba a Greek. AT length, after period
~ u DAVIS from Berber, he reached AbOu
dom. whore, suspected at hrst as spy,
be was made prisoner. he was then
.o,t down by Col. Butler to Gen. Butler,
ond arrived at DOngOla last Saturday.
Ms very disiointed story l will give you
in his own words, translated for me by
The Greek interpreter OF the Transport
nenartment. 1t will be observed that he
emnbatically declares that Gordon was
tiIied in and not outside of the palace"
The story of PenagO is in part as fol-
lows. The only reason the MahdPs power
Is IN the wane is because the people see
hat he. or rather his derVishes, spoil and
nhnder and carry OFF the women of the
tribes. He will have difficulty in getting
the triDes 10 follow him again, but if he
csn he viii, in spite of what you say, enter
Epypt. The derYishes are perpetually
presching that ne the Mahdi) must ulti-
m3tey reach Morocco, Mecca and STAN
bou, but that the time has not arrived.
The teuets of the Mahd's religion are very
strict. If a married man is guilty of sex
ual immortality he is put up TO his waist IN
the sand and stoned TO death. II he steals
hisbaud is cut of. Singing and iasciyiOus
dancing. such as used to be in Khartoum,
are put q stop to. Every man must pray
five times day. Gordon only went about
the town on Friday. Stewart used to live
in the Old house in the square that Gen.
Hicks lived in when he first arrived. No
one lived in it when | lett, nor did any
one live in the palace. The stencil is too
great. There are dead bodies in it.; none
were cleared away. Gordon'5 COptiC
clerks were killed and left there. A fear
iul stencil of putTld cOrpses perVades the
whole atmosphere of KhartOum. The
house YOU dwelt in with other officers,
over the post Office, where are the
drawings on the walls-yOur dining
sal00n-that now presents "a horrible
sight 1t is stTeWn with corpses. For,
YOU remember. there was a guard there
over stores. The guard ran from the gate
after closing it up to your diniug-rOom.
They We're all m8ssacred there. That
poor Old man, the Italian Postmaster, was
slam below. Had we, the Europeans,
supposed that this treaChery was going to
take place we should have formed our
selves into a corps for self-iefense. AS it
was, we had all agreed, and Gordon con-
seuted, to hold out i've days more, and
then To jump into the steamer Moutniah
aud run the gauntlet down the river. 1t
was kept ready for this purpose.
''Do you know that Gordon used to send
of hundreds OF letters, but these were
always taken to the Mahdl? People used
TO come TO him volunteering to take let
ters, and Gordon, believing in them,
would give them good backsheesh. Stew
art used generally to be at a battery he
erected close by the kiosk where the band
played. The rebels, knowing Gordon
llYed 10 the palace, used to fire at it all
DAY long, and Stewart would reply
70 them. Gordon had sand bags piled up
on the roof, and from this he was watch
ug day and night for the arrival Of the
English. | think he never slept. By
hight be used to send up rockets. You
ask me about the shops and magazines on
zoe promenade over the Blue Nile. Cor
lun nad all these cleared out for the Eng
lsh VINO never arrived. We were starry
ns' Gordon had some biscuit and flour.
believe, 10 the palace. Some EurOpeans
a~ grass, and cut down palms To extract
i9e pIth from them. The Egyptians and
yiacAs ate anything they could get hold
4 l-camels, dOnkeys, q have known
4 lonkey' tail sell for So, dogs. cats. rats.
we We're entirely surrounded for three
months.
The English could have come up with
great case. If one Englishman had
sao"n me whole population would have
sneefed up out Of its dependency. Ma
yves outside, who We're starving, 100,
4 W,,ouiu nave Joined us, aud | believe the
nbahI' forces would have melted away.
ellapa YOU would have had one fight
uore' As for Berber, that was weak;
i tuu could nave taken it easily. | don't
1'oh mere We're more than 1000 men
acre when khartOum was taken.
Ile steamers arrived at Halfay. |
"a" lhem about one mile and halt from
Sa'I loum. They turned back directly;
ou1 say thls-if they had come on then
NJ man would have been DESTROYED.
i 7olulers pointed them out to me, ieer-
my there are your Englishr they
IVY but must go back. Stewart used
y plaee iougasses all around the town.
+. 5. g'lh Tue tops OF cartridges and filled
s ain n WIN matches-so fitted on TO the
b sS ,udI any one walking on them would
e4pode them. Gordon often wanted m
Vn Doard the steamers himself. but the
g'u"ol'ants would not let him; his life
..',5, oil7idered far too precious to risk.
D., " men lhe steamer approached "A great
,,1 ",'se through the town: The English
B T oHihS. the English are comingv
n n V"e's took their rifles and commenced
4loot az l"eh. HAP said Il man 10 me.
n,, '' mems they cannot save you.' Ii
,+r nave been arranged 10 deliver IN tine
q l33 !-9i before The English came. | don't
p," out this know, II you had come
bsv.. ""Es or TWO days sooner YOU would
no,. '"hen hhartoum easily. FarIr
lb,, away the troops guarding the cate
ionl q, as entered the night before and
so,ro '' ,', 10 The other Side of the town ON
.kp,,y P,Dfnse or other. Gordon did not
cent Nh '.,'s nor ala any one think. ex-
INV ttl"op7 themselves. We EurOpeans
ihius ,G1e'e We're traitors, but we ala not
heior. ,.'' olHu 40 anything, or, as said
INTO band. law ioi'nVu ourselves
8n,t ,,g' boom Boomi was the sound
were .a .,'eo us from dawn to sunset. We
& IVA. i a. soirowiul aud depressed. Power
4 guardi, vAe magazine in the church.
&inp ana looking after the ammuni'
eou. bo 9" say you know all am telling
s gor Il, N you know that a woman onns.
q n. u.. "nu nearly succeeded In blowin~nn
& s0.r ammunition? She was seized buf