The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-10-26

to try and escape when they were caught
and killed. The scenes were shocking. the
smells abominable overpowering to many
who sought to ride in.
rs that mean, dirty compound. with
those squalid mud huts, facing the Khali-
fa's big wall. Osman Digna's house?''
Yes" said my native informant, that
is the house of the robber-chief, Osman
/ Digna." There were only q few wretched
! slaves and poor Radendowas within. Os-
man, like the Khalifa, gave us the slip,
leaving behind such OF his people as ne
thought of no value, and hurrying away
/ with all his women and treasure towards
! the south. They mad horses and camels,
and so, upon the best of them, off they
set. As we, later on, rode along the
/ great wall towards the Nile, we passed
the northeast angle, where Lyddite SHELLS
/ had made breaches in the thick structure.
/ For a space of fifty yards there were
! gaps and three or four wide openings
through which infantry could have
! scrambled.
There was something like a reception
for the Sirdar upon entering near the
centre of the town. The women and
children. mostly slaves, filled the thorough
fare and in their peculiar guinea-fowl
| cackling fashion cheered the troops. Not
ables in jibbehs, which they had not had
time to turn inside out, as nearly every
body did afterwards, came and salaamed.
smote their breasts. kissed hands and the
hem Of the head-quarter garments, and
threw dust in some cases upon their al
ready frowsy heads. It was curious to
wtach the various recognitions extended
to Slatin, and how the latter did not for
get his old friends, who had been kind to
him, nor his eastern manners in exchang-
ing courtesies. When they realized that
We were not cannibals, as they did very
quickly, and that the Khalifa and others
must have deceived them they ran about
among the troops. 1t was with difficulty
that the troops were kept clear at times
Our leniency surprised them. Part of the
breach led into the beit-el-mal. or public
granary. A few wretched, hungry slaves
ventured to help themselves to the grain,
chiefly dhuro, that had poured into the
street. Within half an hour all the wo-
men and children in the town, apparently,
TO the number of several thousands, were
running pell-mell to loot the granary
Men also Joined in plundering the KhaIi-
fa's storehouse, which the troops had no
interest in preventing. They ran against
our horses, tripped over each other and
fell in their crazy haste to fill sacks. skins
and nondescript vessles of all sorts metal.
wood, clay, with grain. Women staggered
under burdens that would assure their
households with food for months It be-
came a saturnalia and jubilee for the long
mol 2 efo1
and by footing became more general. The
houses of Emirs who had run away or
were killed were entered and plundered
by the populace. Donkeys were caught
and loaded with spoils Of war, and driven
off TO nuts on the outskirts near where
the troops bivouacked after their long and
fatiguing day. During the earliest part
of the night there was more noise and
hubbub in Omdurman, and constant firing
of rifles. Maxweli's men, however assist |
ed by numbers of friendly Jaalin, sue |
ceeded in enforcing something like order |
and peace.
When it was found that the Khalifa !
had escaped by the south end of Orndur- |
man Col. Broadwood, with his two regi-
ments OF Egyptian cavalry and the camel |
corps. started in pursuit. Gunboats also |
proceeded up the White Nile to head off /
the fugitives. Unfortunately there had /
been considerable rainfall. and the des-
ert routes towards Kordofan were not |
absolutely waterless. The cavalry soon
found that they were upon a hot trail.
and men, women and children, who had /
been unable TO keep pace with the flying |
Khalifa and Osmsn Digna, were picked |
up. Some Of these. no doubt, had pur-
posely given their master the slip.
On Saturday. September s. 1 rode in
from camp and revisited Omdurman. Part
OF Macdonald's brigade had been brought
in to help 70 keep ghe peace. Already
measures were being taken to clean up the
horrible town. The dead Dervishes had
been buried in their native burial places.
and their wounded were being removed to
the spacious walled enclosure called the
mosque. Il was also turned into a prison
as well as a hospital. Gangs of yester-
days furious foemen. now quiet and sub
dued enough, were doing scaveuging work.
The dead animals were being hauled away
or buried deep where they lay when they
could not he moved I visited the two
passabie houses in Omdurman. the Khal-
ifa's and his son Osman's Both had
, t--A-fN "a L4A4litSS anu comfort. paved
courts. doors. windows with shutters. plas-
tered walls, and cuphoards. There we're
rooms IN both houses which were furnish
ed n rude style and articles Of Euro
peau manufacture OF glass. mirrors and
crockery there was plenty. The big nor
ror in the Khalita's favorite saloon va,
smashed into atoms by snsry Jaalin Nho
g1t IN. The kitchens. stables and out
houses were barbaric in their 6lrtiness.
but ,he scattered rooms in tue Khalita's
curious compound were dece1Gy clean.
There we're dead and great splashes az
blood around The Mahdrs tomb OF
10 who were praying IN ne vicinity when
: Lyddi,e shell burst, but eighteen emery
Cd awe, AID sorely wounded The tomb.
carefully succeed over ms sc and OF; IS
bulk Of stone and wei-5urued bricks. TIE