The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-04-24
El Mehdi's Right Hand.

One night of May, eleven years ago,
in dingy back room of an old brick
house in Wooster street, met a young
Frcnchman who even then had played
part which had doubtless prepared
him for tho extraordinary adveD ture
In which he Is now engaged. He was
amid group of his friends, and had
just reached this city as a refugee.
He had been an actor in the Paris re-
volt OF March, 1871; he had escaped
the massacre that followed the sup
preston of the commune; he had
afterward been arrested and condemn
ed to death; his punishment had been
penal colony of New Caledonia, in
the Pacific; he had there, with few
companions, got up daring plan of
escape; they had carried out that plan
amid dangers as great as ever were en-
countered, and in May of 1874 tho lit
tle party of fugitives had arrived in
San Francisco, from where Mr.. Olivier
Pain hastencd to New York, where he
spent few days prior to his departure
for England as place of safety.
When here he looked about 80 years
of age. and was tall, 1.-the, and hand
some, possessed of both tho vivacity
and the gravity of an experienced
worldling Of Paris. He had done duty
on the press as an assailant of the en-
pire; he had done service in the field
during the Franco-German war, and
subsequently during tho revolt of
Paris; he had suffered tho hardships
of French convict life, and was then
in full flight from one kind of peril to
another; but, withal, he demeaned
himself as though his resources had
not yet been tested.
Well, according to the cable dis
patches, this young Frenchman, Mr..
Olivier Pain, has for the past year been
the military adviser of the ''false
prophet" who is now leading his wild
hordes of Arabian spearmen against
tho British invaders Of Egypt and the
Soudan; and it is this same Frenchman
who led tho storming party that captur-
cd Khartoum and put an end to the
career of Gen. Gordon. 1t is long
distance from Paris to New Caledonia,
and from Wooster street to the Soudan,
but Mr.. Pain has measured it; it is a
queer change from convict and fug;-
tive to his present rank in the host of
the "faithful," but he has undergone
it. As far back as last year the dis
patches told of mysterious French
man who was reported to be IN tho
Arab camp, and was high in the con-
fidence of Ell Mcdhi; but it was not till
last January that we were assured of
MIR. Pains being in command of thir-
teen thousand Of the mcdhi's troops in
Metemmeh; now we have the news Of
his victory at Khartoum, under which
the British government is now reeling.
Mr.. Pain had varied experience
after leaving New York. He went to
London, and next to Geneva, where he
was concerned in several newspaper
ventures. When the Turko-Russian
war broke out he entered the Turkish
service, was captured by the Russians,
and condemned to death as spy. but
the sentence was not executed, and he
got out of prison in time to return to
France and to Partisan journalism un-
der the amnesty of 1880. 1t was as a
correspondent that he penetrated to
the camp of Ell Mehdi, where his
knowledge of the art of war brought
him to the front. The English papers
have given notice that he will be hang
ed as soon as Lord Wolselev gets hold
of him.-John SUinton's Paper.