The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-09-07
M'KINNY VISITS SICK SOLDIERS.
A DAY AT M0NTAUK.
srssts the Men in the Hospital wsrd-esn. shansr
Too III 10 Msvs-Prssidsnt visits . Dying
Lieutensnt-A Patriotic Speech.

Between eight and ten thousand Der
wishes were killed last Thursday at
Omdurman, on the Nile, Nubia, when
they come forward to give battle to
the advancing British Army.
The srdar, Gen. Sir Herbert Kitch-
cner, with the khalifa's black stand
ard, captured during the battle. enter
ed Omdurman, the capital of Mahdism,
Thursday afternoon. at the head Of the
Anglo Egyptian column. after COM
pletely routing the Dervishes and deal
Ing q death blow to Mahdism.
Roughly the English losses were 200,
while thousands of the DerVishes were
killed or wounded.
Wednesday night the Anglo-Egyp-
tian army encamped at Agaiza, eight
miles from Omdurman. The Dervishes
were three miles distant. At dawn
Thursday the British cavalry. patrol
ing toward Omdurman, discovered the
eremy advancing to the attack IN nat
tie array. chanting war songs. Thelr
front consisted Of infantry and caFal-
ry, stretched out for three or tour
miles. Countless banners huttered
through their masses and the copper
and brass drums resounded through
the serried ranks Of the savage war
riors who advanced unwaveringly,
with all their old time ardor.
OF the battle Gen. Kitchener wires
the following; At 7:4o our artillery
opened fire, which was answered by
the Dervish rifemen.
Their attack was developed on our
left. and in accordance with their ira
ditional tactics. they swept down the
hillside with the design of rushing our
flank. But the whitening fire MAIN
tained for fifteen minutes by all our
line frustrated the attempt; and the
Dervishes baked; swept toward our
center, upon which they concentrated
a fierce attack. A large force of horse
men. trying to face continuous nan
of bullets from the Cameron High
landers, the Lincolnshire regiment and
the Soudanese. was literally swept
away. leading to the withdrawal of the
entire body, whose dead strewed the
field.
AS our troops surmounted the crest
adjoining the Nile, the Soudanese on
our right came into contact with the
enemy, who had reformed under cover
of rocky eminence and had massed
beneath the black standard of the
khalifa in order to make a supreme ef-
fort TO retrieve the fortunes of the day.
A mass 1900 strong bore down on the
Soudanese.
Gen. Kitchener swung round the GEN.
ter and left of the Soudanese and SELF
ed the rocky eminence, and the
Egyptians, hitherto in reserve, Joined
the firing line in ten minutes and be-
fore the Dervishes could drive their at
tack home.
The flower of the khalifa's army was
caught in a depression and within a
zone of withering cross fire from three
brtgades, with the attendant artillery.
The devoted Mahdists strove heroical-
ly to make headway, but every rush
was stopped, while their main body
was literally mown down by a sustain
ed deadly cross fire.
Defantly the Dervishes planted their
standards and died beside them. Their
dense masses gradually melted to COM
panies and the companies to driblets
beneath the leaden hail. Finally they
broke and fed. leaving the field white
with Jibbah-clad corpses, like a snow
drift-dotted meadow.
Among the chief incidents of the
battle was a brilliant charge by the
Twenty-first Lancers under Lieut.
Col. Martin. Galloping down on a de-
tached body of the enemy, they found
the Dervish swordsmen massed behind
and were forced to charge home
against appalling odds. The Lancers
hacked through the mass, rallied and
kept the Dervish horde at bay. Lieut.
Grenfell, nephew or Gen. Sir FRANCIS
Grenfell, was killed, four other officers
were wounded, twenty-one men were
killed and twenty wounded.
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
conspicuously leading and spurninp
death. Even when wounded and in
death agonies they raised themselves
to fire a last shot.
Karl Neufeld, the famous German
who had been a captive of the Mahd
since 1887, was rescued.
The London paper editorials resound
with congratulations upon the aveng
ing of Gordon, and are full of eulogy
of Baron Cromer. the British financial
adviser to the khedive. Gen. Kitchener
and all concerned in the splendid sue
cess. All day Sunday impressive
scenes were witnessed at Gordon.
statue in Trafalgar square, London.
Early In the morning the statue wa,
wreathed and decorated with a placari
bearing the words: AT last" Tn
police removed altogether three sucl
placards, but the demonstrations con
tinued.