Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-10-27
KITCHENER AN FRESHMAN.
Born in Kerry and Has Fought in
Three Wars.

Like Wellington, Wolseley and Rob-
erts, Maj-Gen. Horatio Herbert Kit
chener is an Irishman, having been
born in the kingdom of Kerry" some
Al years ago, says the London M A.
P" He is tall, standing fully six feet
in his stocking feet, and dark-skinned
which latter is but natural after 20
years Of service in Africa. Finding
his commission in the royal engineers
too peaceful, he fought as volunteer
in the two great European wars of
recent times-against the Prussians
with Gen. Chanzy's army of the Loir,
and against the cars soldiers, in the
Balkans, under Baker Pasha. But
most of his service has been in the
east, where he first went in charge Of
party of surveyors in Palestine.
Here he began to acquire his re-
markable knowledge of oriental lang
uages and tribes, Of which many
stories are told. For example, at
one of his army's camps on the Nile,
two Arab date-sellers were arrested as
suspected spies, and confined in the
guard tent. Shortly afterward a third
Arab prisoner was hastily bundled
! into the tent. An animated jabber-
| ing ensued between the three, and in
few minutes, much to the astonish-
ment of the sentry, the latest arrival
drew aside the doorway and stepped
out, remarking: "All right, sentry;
| I'm going to the general" 1t was
Kitchener. Again, only a few min
| utes passed when an orderly hurried
up, and spade was handed to each of
| the two Arabs, who were marched
outside the lines, dug their graves,
and were shot. They were dangerous
spies and Kitchener had detected
! them.
But once the generals skill in dis
| guises was nearly fatal to himself.
He was working at a water mill with
some natives, whose conversation he
wished to hear, when Tommy Atkins
who did not approve of ''niggers"
cnanced to pass by and expressed his
dislike with a stone, which struck
Kitchner on the head. But rude as
Ills experience was, his adventures in
II4C II am VI oLI1ChIduu odulD, III
Kipling's fiction, and of the late Sir
Richard Burton, in real life, have
proved of yeoman service to him in
his brilliant and uncheckered African
career. But it were ungenerous to
forget that he has had as chief ad-
wiser Slatin PaSha, whose IS years
captivity in the Soudan has given him
an intimate knowledge of Soudanese
| tribes.
Probably because he has thus been
wanderer on the face of the earth
a modern Ulysses, who has very lit
orally seen many men and known
their minds"-perhaps also because
he has been terribly busy man from
his early youth, Sir Herbert has never
married. In the 18th year he is still
a bachelor. But perhaps marriage
will come in the near future with al
LIE other desirable things that his
grateful country is preparing for him
1t is stated in some quarters that his
| hOnOrs for Omdurman will include a
heavy money grant, in addition to a
peerage.
Kitchener began his career by very
slow steps, taking u years to gain
his captaincy in the engineers. But
directly his chance came his GOODNESS
and self-command, his indomitable
energy and his miraculous capacity
for hard work, marked MIN out as
a man of action. The turning point
in his career came when Gen. Sir
Evelyn Wood undertook the reorgani-
zation of the Egyptian army. He took
service under Wood in 1882, and in
1885 his marvellous knowledge of the
native mind and language brought
him to the front. He was sent ahead
of Sir Garnet Wolseley to deal with
the native chiefs and officials whose
attitude was uncertain. The following
picturesque account Of him when en-
gagged on this ticklish mission was
written by an enthusiastic admirer of
| the sirdar soon after the victory of
Atbara:
THE first time l saw Kitchener he
was alone and unarmed among the
semi-hOstile Arabs, endeavoring to
persuade them that their interests
would be best served if they took part
with British and Egyptian forces
against the dervish rebellion. It was a
strange sight to see this tall, slim,
blue-eyed Irishman, armed only with
illimitaDle self-confidence and fear
lessness, arguing with, and some
times threatening, the powerful chiefs
who, for aught he knew, might have
been sworn allies of the tribe that
had just murdered Col. Donald Stew
art and Consul Power not many miles
farther up the Nile. When per-
Suasive reasoning failed, he did not
shrink from telling those people what
their punishment would be when the
white emir and his legions came upon
them, battalions that were then tolung
slowly up the Cataract. Those brave
words, in which there was no doubt a
touch Of boastfulness, pardonable in
the circumstances, frequently gave
rise to angry murmurs and sullen
looks, but they were met by the
glance of eyes that would not have
quailed if looking at grim death
eyes that in such moments glow so
curiously that the light in them seems
fixed as if suddenly frozen"
1t was Sir Herbert Kitchener who
went ahead Of Sir Herbert Stewards
column with two native guides in the
first dash for the wells of Gakoni.
Near there notorious robber leader,
who had accompanied the mahdists in
their merciless raids, was surprised