The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-02-13
THE FALL OF KHARTOUM.
The False Prophet in Possession
of the City.
Treachery Acoomplishes Genera.
Gordon's Downfall

Stewards victories on his march to the Nile
and his success in reaching Gubat has
| given place to feeling of depression on
the receipt Of the news that Khartoum is
in the hands of the Mahdi, that General Cor
don is prisoner to the rebels if he is not al.
ready killed, and that the object Of General
| Lord Woseley' expedition bas been defeated
Lord Wolseley has telegraphed to the war
department that Khartoum has fallen but
he says that he does not consider that the
British position at Gubat is in any immediate
danger. When it is considered that General
Stewart, in order to gain his position at Gu
bat, had to fight two desperate battles with
the Arabs-one at Abu- Klea wells and another
at point about five miles south of Metem-
neh-and that in each of these battles he lost
number of men, it will be realized that the
! fall of khartoum is matter of great i'm
portance to the British force at Gubat Tho
! march across the desert was perilous one to
I sen. Stewards army. The return march
! will be still more perilous. The garrison
of khartoum was expected to take part in
| this march and to make up for the men lost
| in General Stewards army in its passage to
| the Nile Now the general is left at Gubat
| without any hope of renforcements from
| Gordon, and unless a relief expedition from
| Great Britain can reach him in time he and
his army will be destroyed.
The war office received news of the fall of
! hhartOum. the dispatch coming direct from
! General Wols7ley. The general announces
| that the town of khartoum fell into the
hands of the Arabs ON January 26 Colonel
| Wilson after the victorious march across the
desert which ended in the encampment of
| the English at Gubat on January Is,
started up the Nile for Khartoum to
communicate with Gen. Gordon He went
in ono of the steamers which Gordon had
sent down the Nile with news that he still
held hhartoum, and was able to hold it
for years to come. Col. Wilson arrived at
surprise that the town was in the
hands of the rebels. a native reported
to the colonel that the Mahdi
had $1,000 men in the vicinity of
khartoum, and that number of these
managed to make their way into the city on
the plea that they were friends of General
Gordon. These emissares mingled freely
with the soldiers of General Gordon and by
bribes threats, and working on the religious
feelings of the soldiers, induced them to sur
render the garrison Seven thousand of the
garrison deserted to the Arabs, leaving
to General Gordon but 2,5OO faithful
soldiers With this small force he
attempted to hold the city against tho Nah
di great army. but after n severe battle in
which great numbers of the rebels were kill
all that Colonel Wilson could learn of the
events attending the surrender of Khartoum.
Whether General Gordon was prisoner in
the hands of the Mahdi or whether he had
been killed in the battle he did not learn.
When Colonel Wilson found that Khartoum
was in the hands of the enemy he concluded
that it would not be wise for him to attempt
to land, and he started at once on his return
down the river toward Gubat
On his way down he was subjected
to nntnfin H., IL
his steamers passed through this fusil
lade unnjured until they reached the Shub-
laka cataract A few miles below this cata-
ract the steamers of the British expedition
were disabled by the fire of the enemy, but
the soldiers managed to reach an island in
the Nile, where they are now securely en-
trenched. From here a dispatch was sent
TO the British camp at Gubat giving
the news of Gordon's surrender ard
the wreck of the expedition,
and a steamer has been sent to the island to
rescue the shipwrecked soldiers General
Wolseley, in his dispatch to the war office
says that he does not know whether General
Gordon is dead or alive. He has still some
hopes that Gordon may be holding the cita-
del in the town, but these are based simply
on Gordons wellknown characteristics for
daring, and not on any information which
Colonel Wilson was able to obtain.
The first news of the fall Of Khartoum
received by General Wolseley was brought
by messenger, who left the island where
Colonel Wilson was stranded and came on
foot to Gubat. Two messengers were dis
patched to korti via Abu klea and Oak
dul. They reached their destination in
safety, owing TO the fact that the news
of khartoums fall had not reached the
desert Intelligence of the disaster, how
ever, has since spread far and wide. Some
of the tribes that have hitherto profesSed
friendship for England have declared for the
Mahdi. The Arabs still hold Metemneh. The
garrison there received the news of the fall
OF hhartoum with repeated salvos Of ar
tilery. When Colonel Wilson's
hotilla approached Khartoum it
was compelled to run the gauntlet of
a heavy fire from both banks. The rebels
had four krupp guns on the river banks at
Halfsy to lombard the steamers When the
British force reached Omdurman, numberso
rebels continued the fusllade Things looked
worse when it was discovered that the
enemy was in possession of the island Of
Tutti, just outside the city. The English
still pushed ahead, but We're dismayed to
ind that tho garrison commenced firing upon
them. No flags were flying from the public
buildings, and the town appeared to be in
undlsputed possession of the enemy. The
palace seemed to have been Quilted. Finding
it impossible to land in the face Of the over
whelming numbers of the rebels the British
were obliged to retire.
The rumors concerning the fate of General
NOlupl dIe many anu Nullel' buJ all dSIeH
that the Mahdi captured Khartoum by
treachery. The most trustworthy reports
point to one Faraz Pasha as the traitor.
1t Is said that he, being left in charge of
the ramparts opened the gates on January 20
and admitted the enemy. Some rumors state
that General Gordon, together with a few
Levantines is cooped up in a church Others
say that General Gordon has been seen wear
ing the Mahdi's uniform. The majority
agree, however, that General Gordon has
been killed.
The excitement in London and every
where throughout the British Isles where
the news had penetrated is at fever heat.
The clubs and public resorts of every de-
scription are thronged with crowds of
people eager to catch the last syllable of
intelligence from the Egyptian desert.
The position of Gen. Stewart is well un-
derstood to be one of imminent danger,
and unless something is done promptly for
his relief he will be sacrificed, with his lit
tie army, to the Arabs who surround him.
Fleet street and the Strand are so crowded
that 1t is almost impossible 10 push ones
way through them. Most people take q
gloomy view of the position of the British
troops in the Soudan, and the gladnesswhich
has been felt in England ever since the news