The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-09-08
DECISI Y B B A LE.
Anglo Egyptian Army Captures
Mahdist Stronghold.

|
An1ni1'ilatess Dervtsh Army ana Drives
the Remnant Into the Desert
"a Fatal BLOW Dealt to
Mahdism.
London, Sept. 5.-sThe war Office has
received he GLOWING .
omdurm an. Opposite Khartoum, on
tne-Nile,- Nubia. Sept. 2. by Camel Post to
Nasri-Ihe sirdar. Gen. Sir Herbert Kitch-
eher, with the khalfa's black standard.
captured during the battle entered Omdur-
man. the capital Of Mahdiam, at four
oclock this afternoon at the head Of the
Ane!o-Egypt1an column, after completely
routing the Dervishes and dealing death
DioW 70 mahdism. Roughly, our losses
were zO0. while thousands Of the dervishes
were killed or wounded. Karl Neufeld wa q
rescued unframed. =.
Last night the Anglo-Egyptian armv
ehcampeo at Agatha, eight miles from Om-
u 1.L Inc Dervishes were three miles
ulstant. AT dawn to-day our cavalry ma
ironing toward Omdurman, discovered the
enemy advancing to the attack in battle
array, chanting war songs. Their front
consisted ot1nfantry and cavalry, stretched
OUT Tor three or four miles. Countless ban
ners huttered over their masses. ana Tho
copper and brass drums resounded throngh
the serrled ranks of the savage warriors.
VINO advanced unwaveringly. with all their
old-time ardor.
our infantry formed up outside the
camp. On the left were the First battalion
Northumberland :fusileers. the Second hst
talon lancashire fusileers and the First
Dattallon grenadier guards, with the Max
I'm battery, manned by the ROYAL Irish
tuslleers. In our center were the First
battaio Warwickshire regiment the First
m h;er11 -
First battalion Lincolnshire regiment. with
MaAlms worked by a detachment of the
Royal artillery; under Maj William. On
our right were the Soudanese brigades.
com manded by Gen. Maxwell and Gen. Nc
Donalo. Inc Egyptian brigades held the
reserves, ana both TANKS were supported
by the Maxim-N ordenfeldt batteries
AT 7:20 a. m. the enemy crowded the
ridges above the camp and advanced
steadily in enveloping formation AT 7:40
our artillery opened fire. which was an
swered by the Dervish riflemen. Their at
tack developed on our left, and in accord
ance with their traditional tactics they
swept down the hillside with the DESIGN
Of rushing our flank. But the whitening
Ire maintained for L minutes by all our
line frustrated the S4et empt, and the der
wishes baked and swept toward our CEN
ter. upon which they concentrated fierce
attack. "A large force of horsemen, trying
to face continuous hail Of bullets from
the Cameron 'highlanders. the Lincolnshire
regiment and the Soudanese, was literally
swept away, leading to the withdrawal Of
The entire body. whose dead strewed the
field.
Among the chief incidents of the battle
was brilliant charge by the Twenty first
!ancers under Lieut.. Col. Martin. GAL
loping down on a detached body of the
enemy, they found the Dervish swords
men massed behind, and were forced to
charge home against appalling odds. The
ancers hacked through the mass, rallied
and kept the Dervish horde at bay. Lieut..
Grenfell, pephew of Gen. Sir Francis
1renfell, was killed; four other officers were
wounded, q men were killed and 20
wounded.
when the Dervishes withdrew behind
the ridge in front of their camp, the whole
force marched in echelon of battalions to-
ward Omdurman AS our troops sur
mounted the crest adjoining the Nile, the
Soudanese on our right came into contact
with the enemy, who had reformed under
cover of a rocky eminence and had massed
beneath the black standard of the khalifa,
in order to make supreme effort to re-
trieve the fortunes of the day. A mass,
$4,000 strong. bore down on the Soudanese.
Gen. Kitchener swung round the center
and left of the Soudanese and seized the
rocky eminence, and the Egyptians hith-
erto in reserve, joined the firing line in ten
minutes. and before the Dervishes could
drive their attack home.
1.-The flower of the khalifa's army was
caught In depression, and within a
zone of whitening cross fire from three
origades, with the attendant artillery.
The devoted mahdists stroVe heroically to
make Roadway. but every rush was
stopped, while their main body was lit
orally mown down by a sustained deadly
cross fire Defantly the Dervishes planted
their standards and died beside them.
Their dense masses gradually melted to
companies and the companies to driblets
beneath the leaden hail Finally they
broke and fed. leaving the field white with
ibbah-clad corpses, like a snow-drift dot
an advance, and. our whole force in line,
drove the scattered remnant Of the foe into
the desert, our cavalry cutting off their
retreat to Omdurman.
1.-The heroic bravery of the Dervishes
evoked universal admiration. Time after
time their dispersed and broken forces
reformed and hurled themselves upon the
Anglo Egyptians, their emirs conspicuous
ly leading and spurning death. Even when
wounded and in death agonies they raised
themselves to fire last shot. Among the
wounded is Col. Rhodes. the correspondent
Of the London Times and brother of Cecil
lthodes.''
Herr Karl Neufcld, who is referred
TO in ths foregoing dispatch from
Cairo as rescue unframed from the
Eervishes, fell into the hands of the
mahdi's followers in the neighborhood
# Dongcla, in the late spring or early
summer of 1887. He was the last Eu-
ropean male captive of Importance re-
naming in the p"wer of the dervishes.
London, Sept. 5.--The war office has
received the following dispatch from
Gen. Kitchener, dated Saturday even
ing: 'The remnant Of the Khalifa's
force has surrendered, and have now
very large number of prisoners on
my hands. Our cavalry and gunboats
are still pursuing the Khalifa and his
chiefs, who, with only about 40 fight
ing men, are apparently making for
Kordofan."
London, Sept. 5.-The war CORE.
spondent of the. Daily Telegraph with
the Anglo Egyptian forces says:
'Khalifa Abdullah. with his harem,
and Osman Digna, his principal gen
eral, managed to escape, but Abdul.
labs banner and thousands of pris-
oners are in our hands. 1t is estimated
that $4,000 of the enemy were slain.
Our total casualties were about 500.
Mr.. Howard, the New York Herald COR
respondent, was slain by shell in
Omdurman."
Died to Escape Arrest.
-. Saginaw, Mich, Sept 5.-Charles F.
Rice, alias Edward Lause, was dying at
the central police station when dep
uty United States marshal arrived there