The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-04
CAPTURE OF oMDURMAN.
?out of the Khalif-Karl Neufeldt
Rescued Uniniured.

Cairo, Sept. 4, a. m.-The following
dispatch dated yesterday Saturday
has, just been received from May:
Early this morning the dervishes
made a most determined attack upon
the Anglo-Egyptian forces, but after
an hours hard fighting we drove them
off.
''At $50 a. m. general advance was
ordered upon Ouidurman and again we
were received with determined attack
on our right, but the dervishes were
once more repulsed with heavy loss.
THE army, under the personal com
mand of the khalif, was totally dis
persed by noon. At 2 o'clock this af-
ternoon our forces advanced again and
occupied Omdurman. The khalif fed
during the forenoon and is now being
closely pursued by our cavalry.
THE British loss is estimated at
about 100; the Egyptian loss is prob
ably about 200 Karl Neufeldt was res
cued unframed"
Herr Karl Neufeldt, who is referred
to in the foregoing dispatch from Cairo
as rescued unframed from the der
wishes. fell into the hands OF the
mahdi's followers in the neighborhood
of DOngola, in the late spring or early
summer OF 1887. He was the last Eu-
naming in the power of the derv.sheS.
Various accounts are given of his early
career. According to the Neues Weiner
Tageblatt, Neufeldt, shortly after the
conclusion OF his college course at
LEIPZIG. where he studied medicine, Sc
Verely wounded an opponent in a duel
and was obliged to go abroad. He set
tied as a physician at Assouan, upper
Egypt, where he practiced his profess
G nfl ffrrr n he les,
Of Mahomed Avhemed took place in the
latter year. Herr Neufeldt 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 Ian
guage, in which position his knowledge
of the people and of their political re-
lations, together with his shrewdness
and courage, caused him 10 be highly
appreciated. In 1888 he saved a whole
detachment of English soldiers by put
ting the enemy on the wrong scent. BY
this he was appointed purveyoT 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 q jour
ney, ostensibly for purposes of trade,
with caravan Of over 40 retainers.
Various accounts were given of the OBJ
jectS of his expedition, one being that
il was undertaken with a view of res
cuing Slatin Pasha, then prisoner of
the Mahdi, while other accounts rep
resented that he was merely trying to
ascertain the position of the enemy.
Evidently recognizing the danger he
was about TO run. Neufeldt, before leav-
ing Assouan, deposited his money in an
English bank and sent his wife and
only child to his relatives at LEIPZIG.
His apprehension proved to be but too
wei founded. Through the treachery
Of an Arab, he and his whole caravan
were taken by the Dervishes. The
first report received after his capture
was that the whole party were behead-
ed. A later report represented that
Neufeld had been spared, but placed in
letters.
Finally, a letter was received from
himself. dated Khartoum, where he !
said he was being treated in a very
friendly manner by the Mahdi He |
nearly lost his life when the Mahdi |
was told that Neufeld was an English |
n Egyptian spy sent to ascertain /
whether Mudir Mustapa Pasha was IA
yorable to the English. The Mahdi, |
highly incensed. declared that lie re- |
sretted not having hanged Neufeldt, |
md had him loaded with chains and
asst into prison, where he remained /
.our wears.
Ultimately a scarcity of powder
arose in the Soudan and Neufeld's
of chemistry was brought
nto requisition for its manufacture. 1t
appears that he collected saItpetre and
made the explosive, but the same mar
'atives that gave this information de-
icribed him as still in letters and car
wing iron rings upon both feet. His
lext clever exploit was subsequent to
he death of the Mahdi and under the
'ule of the Khalif. Neufeldt decorated
he tomb of the Mahdi, whose dome
he British gunboats have just partial
y demolished. and did the work so eff
ectively that according to the Father !
RossiSnoh. who escaped from Khar-
cum in 1894. the widows of the prophet
we're quite touched
After that he became a mechanic.
ind still, according TO Father Rossig-
loli. tried all sorts of inventions and
ook the great trouble TO construct a
machine for making coins"
Meanwhile. he appears to have