The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-22

lAASNt hAS AotAAAAN ICY III hAEItA-
This was the man who imprisoned Gen
eral Gordon and was responsible FOR his
death. The cruelties and atrocities per-
petrated in the masacr which follow
ed Gordon's death are beyond descrip-
tion.
But in the midst Of this reign of ter
ror the Mahdi was seized with typhus
fever and shortly before his death he
nominated Abdullah as his khalifa, or
vice regent. This is the man who is
now being pursued by the British cav
airy, and whose capture viii probably
put an end to the difficulties in the
Soudan. Slatin Pasha describes him
as a man of middle stature, with "a
light-brown complexion, a sympathetic
Arab face on which the marks OF small
pox are ~traceable. an aquiline nose, a
well-shaped mouth. slight moustacne,
| ami \ fringe OF hair on his checks. but
rather thicker on his chin, AMI with 4
row of glistening white teeth. which
! are visible when ne smiles. The khalt-
fa's Iride and confidence In his own
powtrs were in describable. and he
firmly believed that he was capable OF
doing anything and everything, as he
aid he acted solely by divine guidance.
After the Mahdi's death this khalifa
addressed a letter to the queen Of Eng
land. requesting her majesty TO submit
to his rule and embrace Islam.
His character Is a strange mixture Of
malice and cruelty. He delights to
annoy and cause disappointment, and
is never happier than when he is rob
bling families wholesale and seiZing
and executing all persons of Influence
and authority. 1t was this Abdullah
who gave the order for no quarter at
the storming of Khartoum, and IL was
he. and not his master. the Mahdi. who
authorized the wholesale massacre of
men. women and children at the fall
Of the city. He has caused the deaths
of thousands of innocent people. and
Slatin Pasha says that when he was in
prison the Khali.a had the right hand
and left foot of a certain general cut
off in the market place because he had
been unsuccessful in an expedition. Blu,
in spite of his tyrannical nature he is
said TO be devoted to his eldest son. Os-
man. who Is now a young man of %
years of age.
The Khalifa's harem consists of 400
wives. In accordance with the law of
Islam he has four legal wives. but, ac-
cording TO this law, he is allowed n
have any number OF c~oncubines. who,
as Slatin Pasha says. vary I'm color from
light brown to deepest black and rep
resent nearly tribe in the Soudan
These women are almost entirely cut
off from intercourse with the outer
world, and doubtless have hailed with
Joy the arrival OF the tbflllSn HptTdlbIE.
During his residence at Omdurman
the Khalifa conducted the public pray
ers five times a day according to the
injunctions OF his religion, and immedi-
ately after the night prayers he would
sit I'm the niche of the mosque and re-
ceive visitors. On these occasions sew
eral thousands would be present and
the Khalifa would be very careful In
selecting persons whom he desired to
honor.
Every Friday at midday prayer the
Khalifa would preach a sermon i'm Ar
able, beginning with the salutation
Peace be upon you, O friends Of the
Mahdi."
The Khalifa is really a Wahhabi In
his religious sentiments, and conse-
quently he regards many current Gus
toms OF Islam as idolatry. Smoking is
forbidden. as well as the wearing OF
silken garments and gold ornaments.
After the fall Of Khartoum the Mahdi
selected Omdurman as a temporary
camp. but the Khalifa made IL the sa-
cred city Of the Moslems and regarded
the tomb Of the Mahdl as equal in point
OF sanctity To the tomb Of the prophet
at Medina. The city covers the length
Of about six English miles and consists
Of thousands and thousands Of straw
huts. The great mosqu is a brick
building about 500 yards long and $50
yards broad. The Mahdi's tomb Is a
domed building whitewashed and 10y
no means a structure Of beauty. South
OF the tomb is the great enclosure ol
the khalifa's palace. which Is surround
ed by a high wall built of red brick.
The town OF Omdurman is built for
the most part on fairly level ground.
but here and there are n few small
hills. The population of the city Is dis
ributed entirely according to tribes.
The Arabs live in the southern quarters
and the Nile valley people I'm the north
ern portion. A number Of new wells
have been dug, and while those I'm the
southern quarter Of the city are mostly
hraCkish. there are a few wells 90 feet
in depth which yield very good water.
The common city prison Is that I'm
which Charles Neufeld has spent 50
many years, subject to the greatest
privations, and merely kept alive by
the occasional supplies which reached
him through the black servants ne
brought with him from Egypt. with
the exception of Sister Theresa Grigo-
lini, the Roman Catholic missionaries
succeeded i'm escaping. but the British
conquest Of the city has brought free
dom to both DIR. Neufeld and Sister
Theresa.
Tn state Of things in Omdurman for
the last 10 years or so has been a dis
80 ~ ~ A'hA'AA y - NV 6ANAA
powers of Europe ould act as one man
against the combined influences Of the
semi-savage armies Of the Soudan
such a condition of things as that
which has existed in Omdurman would
not be endured. But ,as matters now
stand, the armies of Christendom do
not show a united front. and. conse-
quently. every Mohammedan ruler i'm
the world, whether he he the sultan
Of Turkey, the hey Of Morocco. the
Of Cabul. the shah OF Persia.
sheriff Of Mecca. the sultan Of Fan
zibar, or even the Nahdi himself. con
siders II his first religious duty to pray
and work for the subjucation of the
world to the religion OF the prophet.
General Kitchener's victory over the
will strike terror into every
Moslem army and will be a set-off
against that conquest of Thossaly which
undoubtedly induced the Moslems on
the Afghan frontier to combine for the