The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-22

Five Hundre Of the Khalifa's Body
Guard cpOrte Slain.


Copyright, 1896, by the Associated Press.)
CAIRO, April 21.-Dispatches received here
to-day from the front say there has been
fierce fighting at Omdurman, near Khar-
toum, the headquarters Of the Khalifa- De-
tails of the engagement or its cause are not
at hand. but it is said that 800 of the Khal-
ifa's body guard have been killed and that
a general feeling Of unrest prevails among
the Kha,ifa's forces.
TIL work of sending troops to the front,
supplying them with food and ammunition.
building the strategic railroad and fortify-
ing Akesheh. is being carried on with ad-
mirable promptness and machine-like
smoothness.
When the order to send reinforcement
south reached Cairo. March IA. nobody was
any department, and two weeks later the
War Once had a small army firmly estab-
a lishe S,v at m asasheh 5rom aD9 wad slg hsIfa mi bsreto OF
fore the extreme post. This army consisted
of three Soudanese battalions, numbering
about twenty-five hundred men; one Egyp-
tan camel corps of some five hundred men.
two squadrons of Egyptian cavalry (say six
hundred mem and a British battery of screw
eunh; @ran f SINCE then ram the north noa tsannopd.
shire (British regiment has been sent TO
Wady Halfa and three more battalions Of
Soudanese and six battalions of Egyptians
are either there orc n their way to the front.
with more cavalry, artillery and camel corps:
1t is believed that the real campaign Will
not commence until the fail when, 1t IS ex-
troops, including several battalions OF the
guards, will be sent here and the reconquest
of rhe Soudan Will be In order. Nobody here
believes that the troops viii stop at Don
COLA; Great Britain, 1t Is said, Will not rest
until she controls a railroad line from Egypt
to her possessions in South Africa and Ii
is to lay the first part of this road that the
present campaign Is undertaken. The intel
ligence department of the British army Is
some time to come. In Egypt the intelli-
geace department has a small army Of men
at work; they are out scouting openly or
ular reports TO headquarters, Wady Halfa.
Slatin Pasna. the Austrian officer who was
a prisoner of the Mahdi for about seven
years and who only recently escaped from
captivity. It attached to this department and
Further reports from the front received
here this afternoon say that beyond an oc-
casional volley at long range. the Dervishes
are very quiet. Well-posted military men
are inclined to the belief that the Dervish
leaders are preparing for a sudden move
ment Of Importance. There has been even
greater activity to-day in the pushing for
ward of troops and supplies TO the front,
and from the remarks dropped here and
there Ii would seem that fighting is expect
ed before long. The friendly Sheik. Abdul
Aim, has returned to Murad Wells, after
having made a demonstration with his
horsemen, south Of the Nile, below Hebbeh.
He found no trace OIL the Deryishes. but
heard there was a force OF the enemy at
Abuhama.
a dispatch from wedy .Halfa says: 1t Is
difficult 10 appreciate the full importance OF
body guard is a standing army of 1000 half
blacks and There is a constant
struggle for supremacy, and the present con-
hict is likely TO be the precursor OF other at
n