The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-17
HE FELL WITH GORDON.
Loaded Down With Heavy
Chains He Endured Eleven
Years of Hardship.
EIGHTEEN DAYS IN HIDING.
Eight Times Before He Had Tried
to Get Away, but Was Always
RecaptureG.

SASSOUN, Egypt, March 16.--Slatin Bey
has arrived here, having escaped from the
MahdIs camp at Omdurman, Khartoum,
after eleven years of captivity.
CAIRO, Egypt, March 19.-The follow
ing are the particulars of the escape of
Slatin Bey from the Mahdi's camp at Om-
durham, Khartoum where he has been a
prisoner for eleven years past: Slatin es-
capped with the assistance of Soudan
and merchant named Eyail, who arrived
here from Omdurman some months ago
bearing letter from Slatin Bey, in which
the latter asked if some arrangement could
be made with Eyail so as to enable him to
escape. Eyail was placed in communica-
ton with the Austrian Consul here, Baron
Won Egeregg-Syrgenstein, who made con-
tract with the merchant, the latter agree
ing to try and effect the escape of Slatin
Bey.
When the arrangements were completed
Eyail returned to Omdurman and laid his
plans to get-Slatin away, but the first at
tempt failed. Eyail, however, persisted,
and eventually succeeded in getting Slatin
Bey out of Omdurman. The merchant
closely followed the plans of Abdallah, the
native who was succe ssful in bringing
about the escape of Father Rosignoi from
the camp of the Mahdi. He obtained pos
session of camels and when the proper
time arrived rose out OF the camp at night
and made at full speed for Berber, follow
ing the Nile as closely as possible by night
and hiding in the hills in the daytime.
For eighteen days, suffering great pri-
vations, the fugitives journeyed through
the desert to Sassoun. 1t was three days
after they left Omdurman before their
escape was noticed. When the alarm was
given there was a hot pursuit and a body
of pursuing dervishes reached Kokrels,
sixty miles from Suakim, last week
Slatin Bey made nine previous attempts to
escape.
Slatin Bey, who is an Austrian, was the
Egyptian Governor of Senaar when Khar-
toum fell and General Gordon was killed.
At that time he was led in chains to Khar-
toum, where he has been in prison since
In the early part of 1889 family living in
Vienna named Slatin received a letter from
Khleffir Abdallah, who succeeded the late
Mahdi as chieftain of Egypt's rebelious
provinces in Soudan. The letter stated
that Slatin Bey had adopted the religion of
HE lives with u.s. the letter continued,
"honored by our friendship, one OF our
valued advisers, and is perfectly content
and happy in the highest degree. We see
neither grief nor chagrin; but on the con-
trary he is perfectly healthy and is looked
upon as our own son and one of the most
honored Mahdis."
The letter invited any of Stains rela-
tives or any Austrian to visit him, assuring
them they could do SO in perfect safety in
consideration of Slatin's faith in Islam
and that he had become one of the most
eminent and highly esteemed Mahdis. AT
about the same time letter was received
from Slatin, which established the anthem
ITCHY of this communication.
Reports concerning Slatin have been
contradictory, but it is believed he was en-
ployed in the most servile capacities while
in captivity.
After Father Oherwalder effected his
escape in December, 1891, he stated there
were forty Europeans still held at Obdur-
man; that they were kept loaded with
manacles and were often cruelty beaten
and were so strictly guarded that they had
lost all hope of ever escaping. He also
stated Slatin Bey was still alive, and be-
longed to the bodyguard of the Mahdi's
successor, but that he also was closely
watched