Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-07-11
THE MASSACRE AT kHARTOUM.
A Graphic Description OF n Frightful
Day-GOrdOn Killed While Reading
the Rihle

A Graphic Description OF n FriEhtful
Day-Gordou Killed While Reading
the Bible.
The military correspondent Of the London
Daily NeUs al Dongoaha received from kos'i
Penango, Greek merchant oil khartoum,
narrative of the fall of that city and OF Cor
don's death. which differs from any yet given
TO the world. or this Greek the correspondent
says: "Another voice from Khartoum Is
heard-a Greek who was made to wear the
mahd1s uniform, and in this costume walked
down to Berber, no man forbidding him. He
tnen resolved to escape altogether, ana then
MS troubles commenced. He had no money,
put begged his way from village to village.
sometimes he was hunted and had to niue
away at others he was made to work as a cap
Lured slave by men who knew him to be a
creek; AT length, after period OF twenty
eight days from Berber, he reached Aboudom,
Wnere, suspected at first as n spy. he was made
prisoner. de was then sent down by Col. But
yer 10 zen. Buller, aud arrived at Donsoia last
saturday. His very disjointed story Will give
you In MS own words, translated for me oy the
greek interpreter of the transport department.
ciares that Gordon was killed in and not out
side the palace.
The story of Penango is in part as follows:
10 you know that Gordon used to send OH
hundred OF letters, but these were always taken
to the mahdi? People used to come to him vol
erected close BY the kiosk where the band
the palace, used to fire at it all day long, and
stewart would reply to them. Gordon had
sand bags piled up on the roof. and from this
of the English. think he never slept. By
night he used to send up rockets. You ask me
about aoa the shops and magazines on the prone
cleared out for the English who never arrived.
We were starving. Gordon had some biscuit
and flour, believe, in the palace. Some Euro
peans ate grass, and cut down palms to extract
the pith from them. The Egyptians and blacks
ate ANYTHING they could get hold of,camels,
SSl, dogs, cats, rats. We were entirely sur
rounded for three months.
"And now the day arrived that was to sepa-
rate husband from wife, brother from sister,
and parent from child. The streets were soon
to run with blood. 1 was not at my house. l
mosque, when we heard hideous uproar as OF
men shouting and yelling, and OF women wall
Ing around about on all sides. Nearer and
nearer did this long-continued roar approach,
swelling, as it were, and now bursting close
on our ears. Men with frightful gashes on their
faces and limbs came flying by, and towards
hair shrieking, screaming 'Jesu Christor
shall not forget that horrible din to the day Of
my death. we are lost! We are lost!' we cried.
The place is takenr But no one would tell US
exactly what was the matter. We ran up to
the top OF the mosque, and saw that the town
was given up to massacre and bloodshed. We
ran to house, barricaded the doors and
windows, went up stairs shut ourselves into a
room, and determined never to surrender, but
cestors, Tight to the last. Thus it was when our
fathers were surrounded by Turks: we are a
brave nation! How we escaped will tell you.
me where Gordon Pasha was slain? You say
everybody has said he was either killed on the
courtyard steps Of the palace Or outside going
to the Austrian consufs house. They all lie.
An Arab rushed up stairs and shot him with
gun as he was reading the Bible. Another Arab
cut of his head and put it on a spear, and so
went forth into the city, carrying it and BRAN
dishing it on high. The Copts in the palace in
the room below were slaughtered at the same
every man they could ind no mercy was
shown to any one. There WAS no resistance 1
don't think hundred shcts Were fired by
themselves up in houses, but doors were burst
open, and spearng, cutting and slashng went
on bravely In the streets, in the market square,
Ear afterward. l went through it. Gay cur
tains, crimson-colored and orange striped, gol-
den-edged satins, silks and muslins lay smeared
aud splaShed with blood; every thing was up
set and strewn about and tranpled on.
Everywhere was the widest disorder.
how it winds. One corner was so full OF corpSes
and dying that we could not get by. had my
hands tied and fell several times in the road,
o'clock. Then Mahomet Achmet sent over word
from Omdurman that Allah had revealed 10
him that the slaughter must cease. We were
told this. 1t was shouted about the streets, and
those that were still hidden were hidden to
come forth. or forty-twO Greeks only eight es-
capped. There were ten Jews: these were killed,
/ think, Gordons head l saw on a spear 1t
wa, taken over to Omdurman, and shown to
Mahomet Achmet 1t was laid before him.
grim. savage smile passed over his face. He
gazed long at the cOuntenance oil his late enc
my. God be praised! he cried, 'can this be his?'
lie did not express anger at Gordons death, as
you say has been repOrted-he made merry at
his death when it was told him. The head was
then borne away, and men plucked the hairs
out of his head and beard and spat in his face
His body was cut up into little pieces This was
his end. I omitted to say that Gordon
wrote to the mahdi saying he might be
v1ceroy OF kordofan. The mahdi replied: Il
am sent by God to be king of ALL and in vited
him to surrender. Gordon replied in insulting
terms, saying he was a false mahdi, and that he
tiordon} would never surrender to him. The
Greeks, including myself were dressed in the
mahdi's uniform, and told that from hence
forth we were Mussulmans. but We were not
We were liberated, and We're
given 81 each, monthly allowance. Now
when we heard that our women were taken
over to Omdurman and divided among the der
wishes we proceeded there and craved an nter-
view with the mahdi. 1t was allowed. We had
to take oil our shoes, and when within the inner
q quarter of square mile-We
were made to crawl toward him on our knees
Every one has to approach him thus. We adj
dressed him thus: Kill us, we beseech thee; it
is as we'll Your dervishes and great men have
life is of no more value to us. Stay US. There
upon the mahdi took pity on our forlorn condi-
ton and ordered our women to be restored to
Us"