The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-03-20
Ell Mehdi's RIGHT Hand.

One night of May, eleven years ago,
a dingy back room of an old brick
. house in Wooster street, l met a young
Frenchman who even then had played
a part which had doubtless prepared
him for the extraordinary adven ture
in which he is now engaged. He was
amid group of his friends, and had
lust reached this city as a refugee.
He had been an actor in the Paris re-
volt of March, 1871; he had escaped
Me massacre that followed the sup
preston of the commune; he had
afterward been arrested and condemn
ed to death; his punishment had been
changed to that of punishment to the
penal colony of New Caledonia, in
the Pacific; he had there, with few
companions, got up a daring plan of
escape; they had carried out that plan
amid dangers as great as ever were en-
countered, and in May of 1874 the lit
tie party of fugitives had arrived in
San Francisco, from where Mr.. Olivier
P4in FASTENED to New York, where he
spent few days prior to his departure
for England as a place of safety.
When here he looked about 30 years
of age. and was tall, 1.-THE, and hand
some, possessed of both the vivacity
and tho gravity of an experienced
wording 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 the revolt of
Rris; he had suffered the hardships
81 French convict life, and was then
in full flight from one kind of peril to
another; but, withal, he demeancd
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
Yhe British invaders of Egypt and the
Soudan; and it is this same Frenchman
who led the storming party that captur-
ed 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 fugi-
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 a mysterious French
S&an who was reported to be IN the
Arab camp, and was high in the con-
fidence of FL Medhi; but it was not till
last January that we were assured of
Mr.. PAINS being in command of thir-
teen thousand of the medhi's troops in
Metemmeh; now we have the news of
his victory at Khartoum, under which
Me 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 |
Ehe 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
correspondent that he penetrated to |
the camp of Ell Mehdi, where his
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 Summons PdDer