Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-15
HOW GEN. GORDON DIED.
THE STORY TOLD BY ONE WHO
WAS AN EYE WITNESS.

THE STORY TOLD BY ONE WHO
WAS AN EYE WITNESS.
A Greek Who Saw the Cowsrdiy Murder
Of the English Hero at the Fall of
Khartoum-Refusing TO Save Himself
by Flight-Treacherou Farig.
The mail from Suakim brings dispatches
from Gen. Grenfell, among which Is the lat
est, and this time the absolutely authentic,
account Of the last hours Of Gordon, the
hero OF Khartoum, whose lonely tomb In the
center Of Soudan is now venerated, even by
the Mahdi's followers, as that Of a saint
The account, which has been collected with
various documents and reports and officially
declared TO be true, is furnished by Dimetrio
Georgia, Greek, who recently arrived at
Sualdm from Khartoum Georgia was born
at Berber, and was present at the capture
told to Gen. Grenfell
SMOKING A CIGARETTE.
was at Khartourn the night 1t was taken
The ME had gone back so that part of the
city was open Gen. Gordon did not con-
struct fresh trenches and ramparts, because
he thought there were sufficient troops there,
5000, Think. The gaps and all round about
were held by large force under Farig Pasha
That night Farig moved his troops, especially
the blacks, from the gaps, saying the soldiers
were wanted on the other side. Gordon had
perfect confidence in Farig. The attack took
place ut two points At the largest gap there
was no resistance. II the British army, or
even a few of them, had arrived even one
hour before the attack the place would not
have been taken and Gordon's troops would
have fought to the last. Farig had sent word
to the Mahdi: Unless you attack tonight all
Is lost" That night all was blood and flames
The city had passed over from the command
Of Gordon to the Mahdi 1t was a dire and
dreadful night. / shall remember 1t to
my dying day. The air echoed with hor-
ribls shrieEs, yells, lamentations, wall
ing and smell Of blood | had three friends,
Greeks. ! fastened 10 rescue them.
had two Mahdist uniforms given me by an
Arab friend. One gave to one friend, put
daybreak when I took my friends to my
house. Some Arabs rushed In telling me
ought to 60 TO the government house at once,
as all the great officers of the Mahdi had gone
there to kill Gordon Pasha. When they saw
my third friend had no Mahdi uniform on
they slew him. We were then taken into
the court yard. ! saw Gordon Pasha snok-
ing . cigarette on the balcony facing the
river. We bad entered at the back of the
palace, entering at the yard where the syca-
more tree is. Georgia Dimetrio the princi.
pal medical officer of the Soudan and the
provinces, and Nicola Lemindit, the Greek
consul, were with him. Five hundred der
wishes, who had been sent by the Mahdi with
special orders TO take Gordon alive, stood at
the foot Of the staircase | went up stairs,
eaing sent by the men below, who were vo-
cifsrating Gordon Pasha" Gordon coolly
lift the balcony.
STANDING BY HIS POST
Fly" said the other two, while there is
yet time. Go in ut the Hetle door and take
the boat"
"Shan / fy and leave my postl" Gordonr re-
piled, Indignantly. That, indeed, would be
. Disgrace. ! shall not fly
He then went into his inner room and
donned his full uniform and sword Then he
came out and grandly drew himself up TO his
full height. On his visage was a look of
scorn-
Whom seek yei" he asked, on gazing at
the zen Of angry faces of tho dervishes.
Gordon Pasha," they cried.
"You want him, do youi am be. Come
up hither," Gordon replied
On being again urged by Dimetrio and the
Greek consul TO fly, Gordon replied: For
shamel Would you have me abandon my
post ignominiouslyr
he could easily have escaped at the rear.
Than, as Gordon stood boldly facing the der
visha, several superior Mahdist generals
came up. The dervishes allowed them to
paa They ascended the stairs and asked for
the pasha. Gordon met them, saying, II am
her, and handed them his sword in the mill
tsry fashion, intimating that he knew they
bad taken the place, and that consequently
be surrendered according to the usages Of
war, but Nassas, one Of the generals,
matched hold Of his sword, at the same
time, In brutal and most cowardly manner,
striking Gordon an unexpected blow The
paaha would have fought desperately had he
thought he would not have been treated in
an honorable manner He fell, rolling down
ths stairs As he rolled another general
psarsd him on the left side, inaicting q
grisvous wound
Thus died Gordon. I was there, a specta-
tor to the CHASTITY deed, and got out of the
way when he rolled down to the bottom Of
the staira Some say Gordon was cut up to
httls pisces, but others relate that they en-
balmed his body and took it to the Mahdi
Thsrs were some bodies cut up, but am in
clinsd to believe these were the bodies of the
consul and the doctor. London Telegram
Destroying Illusions.
A Boston lady visiting in this city recently
told some friends that her son being now K