The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-05
Which Was One of the Most Merciless Butch
cries That Has Ever Taken Place in Modern
Warfare-Desperation of Fanaticism.
BarbarOus Tactics Pursued by the Brit
ish Generals Throughout the War.
The Queen of England Made Colonel in the
German Army-Great Interest in the Naval
Review of TO-Day-Other News BY Cable.
Terrific Though Hopeless Fighting Zone b.
the Dervishes in Saturdays Battle.

Terrific Though Hopeless Fighting Zone by
the Dervishes in Saturdays Battle.
Special to the INDIANAPOLIS Journal
CAIRO, Aug. 4.-The official report OF
General Grenfell of the battle near TOski,
yesterday, has been received here. Ac-
cording to this report the Dervishes wore
themselves out by desperate and repeated
charges. The brunt of the assault was
borne by the infantry line of the Twenti-
eth Hussars, but the Egyptian cavalry and
the Egyptian horse artillery rendered ex-
cellent service. The report places the num-
Der of fighting men brought into the en-
gagement by Wad-el-Jumi at 5000. The
British troops will return to Cairo at once,
there being no further need for their serv-
ices on the threatened frontier.
The number of casualties suffered in yes
terday's engagement by the British and
Egyptians is surprisingly small. Their
total loss is seventeen killed and 131
wounded. A thousand Derv ish prisoners
were captured.
General Grenfell has decided that the
permanent occupation of Saras will be
necessary to protect the frontier from in
cursions such as the one just repulsed. A
movement upon Dongola he deems useless
The government assent to the view ex-
pressed by all the British generals. that
Berber should be held as the true key to
the Soudan.
LONDON. Aug. 4.-England is drawing
long breath of relief to-day after the news
of the complete rout of her enemies in
Egypt on the banks of the Nile early yes
terday morning. Further details of the
battle received here to-day describe it as
scene of revolving slaughter, such as could
scarcely occur where both combatants are
civilized soldiers. Nor does the response
bility of the butchery rest upon tie En-
glish troops and their English allies. Long
after the fate of the day had been decided,
after all hope of recovering their lost
ground must have been abandoned by the
fanatical Dervishes, they continued to
hurl themselves upon their foes, only
to be mercilessly moved down as
ripe grain before the reaper. They refused
all quarter and gave none, but with grim
determination that knew but two issues to
a figbt-yictory or death-they feaglt
bravcly and as stubbornly when the dead
ly fire of their enemies had cut great
swaths in their ranks, and when every
movement was hampered by the piled-np
bodies of their own dead. as when first,
with unbroken front and confident of VIC
tory, they faced the guns of their foes.
1t was while leading the scattered rem
nants of the brave warriors in this f0rlorn
hope that the DeIvish leader. Wad-el-J -Jumi.
followers, nothing daunted by his fate,
dashed themselves over and over again
upon the pitiIess and unbroken line
of rihe-barrels In front of them, and kept
up the fight long after every vestige of
organization among them had been de-
stroyed, and when nothing was left for the
scattered fanatics but to sell their lives as
dearly as possible. So it came that fully
one-half of the invaders force was left
dead upon the field. The small number of
into the ngagement was complete sur
prise. All estimates heretofore credited
him with an available force of no less than
5000 men, while it turns out that he could
not, at any time, have had more than half
that number. The whole Dervish force is
now completely wiped out, and all imme-
diate danger of an invasion from that quar-
ter Is at an end.
Barbarous Tactics of the British.
LONDON, Aug. S.-As the days go by, Eng
lands little war with the Dervishes be-
comes more bitter and barbaric. Recently
Colonel Wodehouse had the west bank of
food as far as Assouan, distance of about
one hundred miles. The cavalry, having
occupied the enemy's deserted camp, found
a number of men, women and children dy-
ing of exhaustion, the result of this order
General Grenfell, considering the effects of
Wodehouse's order good. issued a proclama-
ton that natives along the from
tier are forbidden to traffic with
tho Dervishes under pain of DEATH
The intention is to reduce the
whole of Wad-el- l-Jumi's force by exhaustion.
The Nile is rising steadily. but the thirsting g
Dervishes may not drink. The date palms
are loaded with fruit, but they must be
stripped, SO that no Dervish woman or
child shall eat, and. when desperate with
hunger and thirst, the invading hordes, for
whom no cOmmissariat wagons carry food,
shall send their emissaries to the river side
to beg the man who yields for one instant
to compassion shall be shot. This is war in
its primitive barbarity. According to Gen.
GrenfelPs official report the Dervishes
number 5000 fighting men. while the
English army of occupation numbers 4 600
and the Egyptians and SOudanese. under
his command, number 1900 fighting men.
Yet General Grenfell refers TO Colonel w ode
house and his orders as necessary in order
to arrest INVASION" and as two of the in
cidents of the long-enduring struggle be-
tween barbarism ana civilization"
Besides" cOldly remarks General Gren-
fell, lin this instance the aggression is not
ours"