The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1885-02-12
FALL OF KHARTOUM.
The City in Possession of Ell
Mahdi's Hordes.
General Wilson Arrives a Few Days Toe
Late-The Fate of General Gordon I'm
known-Either Dead Or Prisoner
Fears For stewart.
FALL OF KnARrouM AND CAPTURE or COR

LONDON, February 5.--A decided sem
sation was created here to-day by the re.
ported capture Of Khartoum. The news
spread throughout the city, and,cgoWds
gathered in front OF the War Office, news
paper offices and other news centers for
the purpose Of obtaining the latest lnfor-
nation.
The report was subsequently confirmed
by the announcement that dispatch had
been received at the War Office from Cen
eral Wolscley, dated at Korti, which states
that native courier from Metamneh had
arrived at headquarters with information
that Colonel Wilson had returned from
Khartoum, to which place he had been
dispatched with a small force ona steam
er found at Metamnch upon its capture,
and reported that khartoum had been
captured by the enemy, and that Gordon
had been made a prisoner Of war.
Wilson said that all along his retreat
from the ill-fated city he was constantly
harrassed and subjected to a heavy lire
from the enemy's guns. Many shots
struck the steamer without doing serious
damage.
Everything went comparatively well
until within short distance Of Metamneh,
when the vessel ran ashore on one of the
many islands, and was a total wreck
/ Colonel Wilson states that khartoum
fell on the 26th of January. lie arrived
off the city two days after the fall. He
expressed the belief that the capture
was brought about by the treachery of
some Of the natives that Gordon had
| pressed into service.
| Wilson, with a light force at last ac-
| counts, was still on the island on which
he was wrecked, awaiting steamer to
take them to Metamneh.
"The courier reports,n adds Wolseley,
| THAT the fall of Khartoum caused a gen
cral feeling Of gloom throughout General
Stewards camp, and fears were freely
expressed that unless reinforcements
soon arrived their fate would in all prob
ability be soon sealed.
EXCITEMENT fN LoEDoH.
LONDON, February 5.-The confirma-
tion Of the fall of Khartoum has caused
the widest excitement throughout the
city, far exceeding In intensity any that
has been reused by any of the startling
events of the past few weeks. Govern
ment officials and sympathizers hope the
news will turn out to be greatly exagger-
ated, and express the belief that Gordon
has not been driven from the citadel, in
the center Of the city.
The streets are throDged with people
anxiously discussing the ominous intelli-
gence, and grave fears are entertained
that none Of Stewards little band will
ever Iecross the desert.
Not since the passage of the Dar6a-
nelles by the British fleet, during the
Turco-Russian War has there been such
excitement in this city. On every street
corner groups of excited people discuss
and speculate as to the result Of this new
disaster and the action of the Ministry
in the present emergency is eagerly
awaited. Many predict it will result in
the fall of Gladstone's government.
TWO THOUSAND MEN SLAUGHTERED AT
KHARToUM.
CAIRO, February Ga rumor has
reached here that two thousand men
were massacEed at Khartoum. The
news of the disaster has cast gloom
over the entire European colony in Egypt
GoRDoN's FATE-EL MAHDl's PROMISE.
LONDON, February 6.-Opinions differ
greatly as to the fate Of General Gordon.
He has always averrcd that he would
never be taken alive, and those who
know him best believe that he has been
killed Still it is known that the one
point toward which FL Mahdi has de-
voted his best energies during the past
year has been the capture of Gordon
alive.
AS long ago as August, 1884, Gordon
wrote his sister in London that she need
have no fears for his personal safety, be-
cause he had a charm for his life which |
he would not explain to her beyond that
it arose from his trust in the Almighty.
Other private letters received at about
the same time, and only now made pub
lie, say that El Mahdi had ordered that
all his soldiers must shoot wide of Gem |
eral Gordon, and that any of his soldiers
that killed or even wounded the great in |
ideI should be punished with death.
The battlefield at El Obeid, where the
army of Hicks Pasha was slaughtered is |
staked off with posts to show where va
rious officers met their fate, and III |
Mahdi has solemnly assured his followers
that he would some day show them Gem
eral Gordon chained to the post which /
marks the spot where Hicks was killed. |
But those who know General Gordon |
believe that before he is chained TO any |
post there will be many men killed, and |
he will be among the number. The be- |
lief among army officers is that if the |
fight which resulted in the surrender Of |
Khartoum occurred after mutinous up /
rising of ative troops, General Gordon |
is dead.
MUST DROP PARTY SPIRIT.
LONDON, February 6.--The Stdndaro
says that all party spirit must be drop
ped, and one supreme, united effort be
made to save Gordon in crisis which