The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1885-07-17
now GORDON DIED.
A CHRISTIANS story Of His Murder-shot
while Reading the Bibls.

| A CHRISTIANS Story Of His Murder-shot
while Reading the Bibis.
There Il still another account Of the death Of
Gordon. and this time II comes from Chris
tian. Rosti Penago, Greek storekeeper at
Khartoum. He tells his story half-deaantly,
quite desperately, as man VINO mas lost his
home and fortune, to the Dongols correspondent
Of the London Times;
When the steamers approached great cry
arose through the town "Ths English are com.
ing! The English are coming" The rebels
took their rides and commenced to fire at
them. "Ha!" said man to me, 'look at
thcn they cannot save you. y may nave
been arranged to deliver UP the city )ass before
the Rnglish came. ! don't know; Dnt shis
know, Il You had come three days or two days
sooner. YOU would have taken Khsrtoum east.
". Fsria moved away the troops gusrdis 8 the
gate that was entered the night before, and took
them to the other side OF the towa on SEINE pre-.
tsucs or ether, Gordon did not know of this
nor did any one, think, except the troops
themselves. We Europeans knsw there were
traitors, but We did not think they could do
an thiug, or, as said before, We should have
formed ourselves into band.
BOOM boom! boom! was the sound that
rreeted rs from dawn to sunset. We were sad,
sorrovful and depressed. Power was in the
magazine in the church, guarding and looking
after the ammunition. You say you know oil
am telling you. Do you know that woman
once 20. in and nearly succeeded IN blowing up
all tho ammunition She was seized, but after
q while Gordon released her. used to sit In
my shop all day near the barracks selling cot
fec. All spirituous liquor was gone. We used
to SIT all day gambling and playing cards; we
had tobacco. There were Al OF Us aad ten Jews;
| some OF vs. had our women with us-Grsek wo-
men-that we had brought with US, but not oil.
Cuzzi used to go and come With messages from
ana to Gordon. Gordon said If he came again
| he would hang him; after that he came no
| more. AID now the day arrived that was to
separate husband from wife, brother from sis
/ ter, and parent from child. The streets were
soon to run with blood. Twas not at my house.
| was with some Greeks-eight in sll-nsar the
MOSQUE, when we heard q hdsouS uproar, as
of men shouting and yelling, and Of women
! wailing around about on all sides. Nearer aud
| nearer did this long-continued roar approach,
| swelling as it were and now bursting close on
our ears. Men with frghtful gashes on their
! faces and limbs came flying by, and toward US
women with torn garments and dishevelled hair
shrieking, screaming "Jesu Christo!" shall
not forget that horrible din to the day OF my
death. ave are lost We are lost" we cried
''rhe place is taken!" But no one could tell us
exactly what was the matter. we ran up to the
l AA1, and
given up to massacre and blood-shed. we ran
to house, barricaded the doors and windows.
went upstairs, shut ourselves into room, aud
| determined never to surrender, but dl3 like
Creeks; for we, mindful OF our ancestors, fight
| to the last. Thus it was that our fathers were
surrounded by Turks; we are brave nation!
How we escaped I will tell you.
But listen, pray you. Have YOU not asked
me where Gordon Pasha vas slain 7 You say
everybody has said be WIS either killed on the
| courtyard steps Of the lace or outside, gong
to the Austrian a1nsus house They VII lie!
| II you choose to believe thcm, you may, 1t
| mattcSyflot to me. am a respectable Greek
mcfchaut, not an Arab You want the truth; I
| tel it to you. True. did not see Gordon slain;
| hit every body In Khartoum knows where the
| event happened. A Arab rushed up stairs and
shot him with gun as he was reading the Bi.
! BILE. Another ARAB cut Oft his head and put it
| on a spear; and so went forth into the city. car
rying it and brandishing it on high. The Copts
| in the palace in the rooms below were slaught'
cred at the same sime.y
The Arabs came pouring in; they slew every
man they could find no mercy was shown to
any one. There was no resistance ssds nc i don't
] or blacks. Men ran in and shut themselves up.
| in houses, but doors were burst open, and
| spesring, emitting xfa sAtsfing went on brsvely
Ia the streets, in the market square, in the ba-
xaars. 1t was horrible scene, this bazaar az
terward. went through it. Gay, curtains,
| crimson -colored and orange-striped, golden,
edged satins and musns, lay smeared ana
splashed with blood; everything was Upset anu
strewcd about and trampled on; every wnc.e
| was the widest disorder. You know now mar.
row it was and how it winds. One corner was
SO full OF corpscs and dying that we could not
get by, and fell several times in the ROAD, sup
perry with blood. The havoc went on I'LL elgns
O'Clock. Then Mahomet Achmet sent over woIo
from Omdurman that Allah had revealed 70
him that the slaughter must ceFe We were
told this. 1t was shouted about the streets, and
those that were still hidden were hidden to come
forth. OF forty.tEQ Greeks -OIfy eight escaped.
There were ten Jews tac!e were killed, think
Gordon's head saw ON speas. IL was taken
over to Omdurman and shown 10 Mahomet Acn'
met. 1t was laid before him. A grim, savage
smile passed over his face. He gazed long al
the countenance of his late enemy. "God be
praised" he cried, "can this ne MS lie QUO
not express anger at Gordon's death, as you
say has been reported-he made merry at MS
death when it was told him. The head was
them then borne away, and men pluched the hairs
out OF his head and beard, and spat in his face
His body was cut up into little pieces This
was bis end / omitted to say that Gordon
wrote to the Mahdi saying be might DC ylceroy
of Kordofar. The Mahdi replied: ~ am SEM
by God to be king OF ALL" and invited him to
Surrender. Gordon replied in insulting terms
saying he was false mahdi, and thst-he (Gor'
don) would never surrender to him.