Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-11
THE MAHDIsT TYRANT.
Reported to Be d-charactcristcs Of This
Strange Sovereign.

DelNishes against whom an English
expedition is now operating is dead
Adbullah ct Taishi. Khalifa, was the
most powerful and successful of the
three khalifas of the three leading
Arab tribes that in 1882 helped the
Mahdi to overthrow the government of
Egypt in the eastern Soudan and es-
tablish the Mahdist despotism in it's
place. Each of these Khalifas COM
manded distinct section of the
Mahdi's army, and Abdullah's force
had most to do with the annihilation of
General Hicks and his army. Abdullah
was the favorite of his master. The
Mahdi believed that if he died Abdullah
vas the only man who could maintain
the strange empire he had raised and
keep the upper hand of the rapacious
Soudanese tribes. Before the death the
Mahdi nominated the khalifa Abdullah
Is his successor, and thus the cruel and
yrannical Arab tribe of the Baggaras
whose leader was Abdullah. became
he masters of the Egyptian Soudau
md ruled if With rod of iron
The Mah9i died on June %, 1885. afte,
hree years of power. and Abdullah ha
since been known as the Mahdi's sue
| cessor.' There was intense jealousy
md disappointment on the part of the
| Danagla and Jaalin tribes. who had
| cen the rulers, butnoW became the ruled.
| IVil war on account of Abdullah's
| accession was narrowly aVerted. but he
! vas too strong for his enemies in the
| other tribes, and they finally chose the
| part of discretion just when all had
| leen made ready for battle. The new
| uler then made it his business to rem
| Ter the other tribes harmless. He re
| luced the power of the two other
| <halifas, and they became men of lit
| lie influence. He sent many of the
| Taalin and Danagla Emirs in chains
| hundreds of miles up the Nile, and h,
| permitted his Baggara to plumber the
| 'ther tribes without mercy under the
| nreteXt of levying taxes. There has
cen only one ruler of the Soudan for
| he past II years. and he has been the
| \halifa Ahdullah He maintained his
| policy of cruelty depressing all the PEG
| lie except his own tribe until three OF
| our months ago. Then he was fright
ned very badly by the news that
| England and Egypt We're getting ready
| invade the country and overthrow
| lis power. After that news reached
| )mdurman he made great show of
| eNersing his policy. He pardoned the
| Imprisoned Emirs and tried in many
| Ways to win back the disaffected peo-
| lie. We have not yet heard of the re
| Ult of these efforts.
| The khalifa's empire within which
lot particle of European influence
| 9as "ermeated since the Mahdi cap
ured khartoum. extends along the
Nile from Dongola on the north to the
1eighborhood OF I.ado on the south. d
distance of about thirteen hundred
niles. Omdurman the capital just
across the Nile from the ruins oil
Nhartoum. is about midway between
hese points. The Khalifa lost Darfur
ut still his empire extends from tn,
Western limitso kordofan t0Abyssinia
n the east. and embraces about 700 00l
quare miles. During the II years h.
las controlled the destinies of tn i
Egyptian Soudan it is estimated thai
aearly three-tifths of its inhabitants
ave persisted through var and famine
'onstant warfare has greatly dimin-
he'd the male population Omdurman
or years has been full OF women who
ad neither husbands nor male rcla
ions. Owing to the state Of affairs
he khalifa decreed, some years ago |
hat every unmarried woman in ON
iurman must be provided With a hus-
and within three days or she would
20 handed over to a Baggara as 4 |
slave or concuhine. There was great
giving in marriage in the next thre.
lays. These forced maria yes We're for |
he most part i'll assorted and many |
# the couples separated in a few |
months.
If Abdullah is dead he has fallen !
while still almost young man for he !
vas only 46 years old this year Hell
vas Baggara. with dark. coffee
colored CompleXiOn his face much |
marked by smallpox. He had a long
and prominent nose and wore a short !.
beard, according to the Moslem Gus
tom. When he helped conquer the
,ountry he was very thin. but of late
ears he had grown exceedingly stout
and his skin hung in folds under his
eyes. He could never conceal his
Raggara accent and dialect in speak
ing Arabic. He was gifted by nature
with tremendous energy ana common
sense, but he had no education what
ever. He could not read or write. and
for this reason he would never accept
4 written petition. He was very cruel
by nature, While the Mahdi was natur-
ally humane. In the terrible days OF
The famine, when bones We're ground to
powder, made into a sort of bread, and
eaten with eagerness in Omdurman
he Khalifa showed no mercy pity, or
desire to relieve these terrible suffer
iEgs. He did not care iot for any of
the people except his Baggara, and he
made sure that they were all we'll fed.
lie treated the white prisoners in his
hands with great cruelty except a few
whom he could make useful to him.
and their enjoyment of his favor was
SpaSmodic and uncertain
Like the Mahdi, Abdullah wished to
destroy even the recollection of the old
regime under the Egyptian government.
This is the reason that they DESTROYED
so many of the old towns which had
attained some measure of prosperity
under the Egyptians. Old Berber was
deserted and a new Berber was built
by the Khalifas command Just north
of the old town. This is the reason and
the only one why by far the finest city