Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-08

fairs when in April last year irretrievable
| disaster overlook the expedition.
Crampel, with Marine and his handful
of men left to him was among the Arabs of
Ell Kouti. in the southern part Of Wadai.
Biscarrat, with 25 porters and part of the
| supplies, was about 100 miles south.
Nebout, with eight Senegalis, few port
ers and some supplies, was still further
south. MessIs. Lauziere and Orsi, the
other white members of the party, had died
Of fever. Crampel was received with the
most friendly manifestations by the Mo-
hammedans, who told him, however, that
he must seek means of transportation
further north. On the day that he renewed
his journey came the beginning of the end.
A crowd of the apparently friendly Mo-
hammedans suddenly overpowered and dis
armed the Senegal soldiers.
Brave in Her Masters Defense.
At the same moment another throng at
tackled Crampel and Mohammed- -ben-Said,
his Arab interpreter, and stabbed them re-
peatedly with knives. Then as the dying
men lay on the ground the Arabs shot them
through the head. All their clothing was
then stripped from the bodies, which were
! dragged through the bush and finally aban-
doned bv the murderers. The black men,
bers of the expedition were kept as slaves.
One of them escaped, and he tells this story
of the part little Marine took in this fear
full scene.
He says that when the attack came, as
unexpected as thunderbolt on sunny
day. the young girl seized gun, shot dead
one OF the men who was stabbing her mas
ter, and moment later she fell dead with
bullet through her body. Mr. Dy bowski,
who led the search expedition, tells an
other story, which he believes is the true
one He says that all the native and Arab
versions of the affair that he could gather
agreed in saying that the girl seized a gun
to defend her master, shot an Arab, and
was Immediately knocked down and dis
armed; that she recovered from the severe
injury she received and was taken further
North in Wadai as the slave of one of the
murderers.
Only One White Man Escaped.
The Arabs at once sent party south to
attack Biscarrat. On the morning of MAY
25 last he was suddenly surrounded BY 20
men, one of whom stabbed him in the side,
and his body was then riddled with bullets.
Meantime larger party had surrounded his
escort of Senegalis and Dorters. The terror
stricken blacks were told that they would
not be harmed, as the Arabs wished only to
kill the whites. They were, however, re-
duced to slavery. Vague rumors of these
tragic affairs reached Mr.. Nebout He
wisely decided that an attack on the Arabs
would only be to court further disaster. He
therefore ordered retreat. He returned
to France on April 8, this year, the sole
survivor of the five white members of the
ex2edition; and the Is men who returned to
the coast with him are the sorry remnant of
the il-fated party.
Vengeance has already overtaken some of
the murderers.. As soon as possible after
the rumors of the disaster reached the coast
Dybowski was dispatched with a strong
force to follow up Crampel's route, in the
hope that the explorer was still alive. He
had pitched battle with the Arabs about
100 miles south of the place where Crampel
fell The enemy finally scattered, leaving
Is dead and quite a number of wounded and
prisoners in Dybowski's hands In their
baggage were found many relics Of the
Crampel party.
The end is not yet. France is determined
to reach Lake Tchad Mr.. Maistre left
France in January with ample provisions
tor the strong reinforcement of Dybowski,
and with orders to carry out the mission
that was defeated by the Crampel disaster.
CYRUS Q. ADAMS