The San Francisco call., 1898-09-04
Story of Fearful Slaughter . Among the Opposing
 ArrDies Unconfirmed.
But It Is KDoWn That Ondurnun
 is Captured uDd Herr Neufeld => Rescued.

LONDON, Sept. 3.-A report which lacks confirmation is current here this evening that the Anglo-E Egyptian forces have captured Khartoum. It is said the loss of the Anglo Egyptian army is 2000 men while that ot the Dervishes is placed at 5000
 Up to a late hour this evening no in- formation of the capture of Khartoum had been received at the Foreign or War Office.
 CAIRO, Sept. 4, 2 a. m.-The follow ing. dispatch dated yesterday (Satur- .da,y) has just been received from Navy:
 Early this morning the Dervishes made most determined attack upon the Anglo Egyptian forces, but after an hours hard fighting we drove them off. At a. m. a general advance was ordered upon Omdurman, and again we were received with a determined at tack on our right, but the Dervishes :were once more repulsed with heavy loss. The army, under the personal command of the Khalifa, was totally dispersed by noon. At o'clock this afternoon our forces advanced again and occupied Omdurman. The khalifa fled during the forenoon and is now be ing closely pursued by our cavalry. The
  the Egyptian loss is probably about 200. Karl Neufeld was rescued unharmed." :"
 Herr Karl Neufeld, who is referred to in the foregoing dispatch from Cairo as rescued unharmed from the DerV- iShes, fell into the hands of the Mahdi' s followers in the neighborhood of Don gola in the late spring or early summer of 1887. He was the last European made captive of importance remaining in the power of the Dervishes. Various accounts are given of his early career According to the NeueS Weiner Tage- blatt Neufeld, shortly after the con- clusion of his college course at LeipSic, where he studied medicine, severely wounded an opponent in duel, and was obliged to go abroad. He settled as a physician at Assouan, Upper Egypt, where he practiced his profession from 1879 to 1881.
 When the rising of the Mahomed AchnIed took place in the latter year. Herr Neufeld was obliged to give up his residence at AsSOuan. While yet at the university he had given many proofs of his hardihood of character and love of adventure and he now joined the English troops.
 During the operations in the Soudan as an interpreter of the Arabic lan- guage, in which position his knowledge of the people and of their political re latiOns, together with his ShrewdneSs and courage, caused him to be highly appreciated. In 1888 he saved whole detachment of English soldiers by put ting the enemy on the wrong scent For this he was appointed purveyor to the British troops, in which capacity he set up business at Assouan and established branches in other parts of the country.
 In April, 1887, he set out on a journey .ostensibly for the purpose of trade with a caravan of over forty retainers. Various accounts were given of the ob- JectS of his expedition, one being that it was undertaken with view of res .cuing Slatin Pasha, then a prisoner of the Mahdi, while other accounts repre- sented that he was merely trying to ascertain the position of the enemy. : Evidently recognizing the danger he was about to run. Neufeld before leaving Assouan, deposited his money in. an English bank and sent his wife and only child to his relatives at Leip- sic. His apprehension proved to be but too well founded. Through the treach- cry of an Arab he and his whole cara van were taken by the Dervishes. The first report received after his capture was that the whole party were be- headed. A later report represented that Neufeld had been spared, but placed in letters.
 Finally a letter was received from himself, dated Khartoum, where he