Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-30
SAW GORDON KILLED,
THE ENGLISH GENERAL MURDEREDAT
KHARTUM BY Ell MAHDPS MOSLEMS.

KHARTUM BY Ell MAHDPS MOSLEMS.
Slatin Pasha, n Captive, Looked On-The
Egyptian Chief spurned Gordon's Gifts
and swore to Have His Head-The Story
Told Before the Geographical Congress.
Chinese Gordon's fate is explained at
last. "khartum fell the goth of Janu-
airy, 1885, and with it that city's bravest
defender, General Gordon himself, Killed
on the topmost step of the staircase of his
palace. His head, severed from his body,
was presented TO me with dcrision and
disdain, being chained and helpless
captive"
1t was in these graphic words that Sla-
tin Pasha told for the first time before
the geographical congress in London the
other day, the story Of the terrible climax
in GordOn's eventful life, which came over
a decade ago.
The story of Gordon and Khartum will
ever remain one of the darkest pages in
England's history For years the Turks
had been plundcring and expressing tho
people of the Sudan, slave trading in its
most horrible guiso enjoyed unexampled
prosperity and the country was ripe for
revolt. For many years tho faith of Islam
had been making immense strides in cen
tral Africa, and its converts had reached
the astonishing number of -, 600, 600. At
this opportune moment came Mohammcd
Achmet who proclaimed himself as Ell
Mahdi, the leader and prophet who should
rogencrate the earthly kingdom of Islam
by force of arms, and thousands flockcd to
his standard.
Battle after battle some severe and
bloody, was fought, and, despite the fact
that his divine authority and prophetic
power were discredited by the heads of the
faith at Cairo and Constantinople, Ell
Mahdi, the Dongola carpenters son,
found himself in 1885, less than four years
after his career began, the master of the
equatorial provinces and of upper Egypt.
Early in 1884 there were 8, 600 Egyptian
troops between Khartum and Asswan,
5000 in Khartum and 10000 to the
south of that city that were faithful to the
khcdivc, but the Mahdi and his Inyrinds
of savage fanatics ruled the land to tho
northward. The English government con-
cluded it would be cheaper to abandon the
Sudan and bring these troops down the
Nile to safety and finally yielded to popu-
lar opinion and sent General Gordon to
Khartum. He reached that city on the
18th of February and was hailed by its in
habitants as their dclivcrcr. He soon
found, however, that, though his authority
was absolute within the town, he was
powcrlcss in the region outside.
khartum is at the union of the White
and Blue Nile, and its natural strength
had been much increased by series of
strong Notifications on its landward side,
so it was well calculated to resist u long
siege.
Gordon first attempted to treat with tho
Mahdi and sent him presents and an APP
pointmcnt as governor of Kordofan. Tho
Moslcm Messiah, however, was not to bc
won over by such means as these and sent
two cmissarics back to Gordon with
drawn swords, who, in disdainful words,
gave him their masters message He did
not want the govGrnorship of Kordofan,
for he ruled it already; of costly robes,
too, his storchouscs were full. His answer
ended in these words: "Tell Gordon that |
have sworn in the name of Allah to have
his head and to distribute his gold among
tho poor who fight him."
Then the siege of Khartum began.
The forces under Slatin Bey, the governor
Of Darfur, had been reduced to 200 sick
and wounded men, and finally they surren-
dcrcd and Slatin was a prisoner in the
Mahdi's camp. Hicks Pasha-Colonel
Hicks, formerly of the Bombay staff corps
the leader Of another native army, was
annihilatcd by the false prophets hordcs
and none lived to tell the tale.
AS long as communication by telegraph
remained open Gordon continued to beg
the British government to send troops to
his relief, but his prayers were unhecded
General Gordon's journal of his days of
waiting and hoping in Khartum after
news from the outside world had ceased
to come has been published, and in its
plain and simple words tells the pathetic
story of the events which preceded tho
downfall of the city. The siege lasted 800
days, and there is no full and authentic &C
count of the final assault and awful car
mage that ended it. Perhaps it is better
there is not.-Now York World.