The record-union., 1898-11-15
THE TERRIBLE MAHDI.
Suffering of Some of His Prisoners
Sister Gregolini.

Sister Gregolini belongs to a good
family in Verona where she soon hopes
at last, after eighteen years, to rejoin
her aged mother, sisters and brother
She was the Lady Superior of the mis-
sion convent at Ell Obeid from 1880 till
1883, when, on the capitulation Of that
town, she, with all the other nuns and
fathers, fell into the hands of the
Mahdi.
They were first marched several days
journey to Rehad deprived of their
shoes and barefoot The sharp stones
cut their feet to pieces so much that
their toe-nails come off, and they were
obliged then to continue the march on
their hands and knees. At their cap
ture, one nun, Sister Elizabeth Ventu-
rini happened to have a pair of Scis-
sors in her pocket. The Khalifa used
them to slit the center of all their noses
up between the nostrils. After this, by
refusing them water, he endeavored TO
force them to become Mussulmans; but
they replied that he was not their mas
ter, and that they would only answer
the Mahdi. Seeing that they remained
obdurate, and fearing to lose such valu-
able prisoners by death, he doled out,
not sufficient water to Quench their
thirst, but just enough to keep life in
them. When they were eventually
brought before the Mahdi, he urged
them with threats of death by torture
to embrace Mohammadanism- They
again refused, being frequently beaten,
not only on their bodies, but across their
faces, with whips during their three
years confinement in. prison.
At the end of that period, seeing he
could make nothing. of them, the Mahdi
forced them to become slaves Of various
Greek fellow prisoners, and to be con-
sidered as married to them, Sister Gre
golinis partner being one Kohorombo.
They escaped being taken into harems.
After this they were allowed freedom,
and to reside in a certain quarter or
Omdurman set apart for all the Euro
peans called 1.-THE Muzzulmania." Here
they eked out precarious existence by
Matchmaking, weaving, baking, etc.
Several of the fathers and sisters sue
cumbed to typhus, smallpox, etc., ana
the two remaining nuns, Caterinal Chin :
carini and Elizabeth Venturini, effected
with Father Ohrwalder their marvel
lous escape in 1891, thanks to the ef-
forts to of Colonel Wingate and Mon
seigneur Soggaro. These two, having
been apportioned to Greeks as slaves,
but not having any membranes in
the way of children, were received
back in the church, and are now work
ing as sisters in the Mission Hospital at
Cairo But poor Gregolini's case was
different. and the Archbishop could
make no efforts to rescue her. She has
had five children, but all, except ten
months old baby, are dead, owing TO
climate and want Of proper nourish-
ment She spoke with great sadness of
the loss Of her children, and with ex-
treme bitterness of the cruelties of the
Khalifa, repeating many times that. ne
was "molto cattivo, motto motto catti-
vo," whereas the Mahdi had been COM
paratively humane, and apparently re-
Hgious according to his views.
I shared once their midday meal
small brown loaves and hunks of meat
In a large basin AS I hesitated to use
my fingers, my attentive hostess provl-
ded fork, which might have been once
nickel plated, but now was yellow, and
as my efforts to pick mouthfuls off the
| Joint" were still unsuccessful, she most
kindly produced a tiny lady's penknife,
which formerly had been adorned with
mother-of- pearl casing, as little Dit
was still held by the pin at one end.
| With this assistance I managed to ply
| a fairly good knife and fork" while the
rest of the party looked on. / made my
| farewells as soon as possible to allow
them to eat in their accustomed way,
without gene, but with natures imple-
| ments.
| Sister Gregolini's family. who are
well-to-do people. have several times
during her captivity of the last fifteen
years attempted to send her large sums
of money, through Italian agents ano
| messengers Not farth1ng ever
reached her and in one case the Italian
intrusted with a considerable remit
tance spent the whole Of it in Cairo and
died there. She received and showed
me one note from Colonel Wingate en-
| couraging her to patience, dated NO
yember. 1870. on a half-sheet OF thin
paper, which appeared quite blank IN
| til held over hot cinders, when the
writing became perfectly legible, van
| ishing again the moment 1t was re-
moved from the warmth. She said that
If this had been discovered by the Der
wishes it would have meant imprison-
ment again and beatings for herself
and all her belongings.
| None of the European colony had ven-
tured outside their houses for fully ten
/ days before the arrival OF the expedi-
ton, fearing by showing themselves to
/ a~ ~vrn- rnrn ~ nNE nav