The times., 1899-10-08
HOW GORDON DIED.
A New Version of the Tragedy at
Khartum.

From the New York Evening Post.)
The killing of General Gordon at Khar-
tum, in January, 1855 closed drama for
the finale of which the English-speaking
world had waited breathlessly. His death
was not known in England until long af-
ter it really occurred; but it brought an
unexampled shock of sorrow to her high
est minds. How it struck home to Ste
venson's heart we have only lately read
in his letters; and an endless anthology
of grief stricken and indignant utterances
could be culled from other writer's. The
political effect of Gordon's tragic taking
off was also considerable. But exactly how
he met his fate is matter of inference
All of his English companions whom he
could send away in advance, he urged to
escape the doom which he saw impending;
and no English speaking eyewitnesses sur
yived to tell the tale.
This fact lends extraordinary interest
to the account Of the matter contained in
Charles Neufeld's "a Prisoner of the
Khaleefa," Just published in this country
| by the Putnams. A captive at Omdurman
! for nearly twelve years, knowing Arabic
| we'll, and in contact with many native sur
yivors of the siege of Khartum in 1885, he
! processes to have entirely new and perfect
| ly authentic evidence as TO the way in
| which Gordon went to his death. His
| story Is in fiat contradiction of the ac-
cepted account. That as built up on the
narratives of Slatin Pasha, Father Ohr-
walder, and others, represents Gordon as
coming out to the top of the palace stair
case, when the Dervishes broke in: placid
| ly asking them what they wanted; then
suddenly felled by a spear thrust from be-
| hind, dragged down the steps and decapi-
| tated But now hear what Neufeld says:
"Those who knew Charles George Cor
don will believe me when / aver that he
| died-as they must all have believed that
| he died, in spite of the official and semi
official accounts to the contrary-as the
soldier and lion hearted man he was Cor
! don did not rest his hand ON the hilt of
| his sword and turn his back to his enemies
to receive the mortal wound. Gordon drew
| bis sword and used it. When Gordon fell
hih sword was dripping with the blood of
| his assailants, for no less than sixteen or
seventeen did he cut down with it. When
| Gordon fell his left hand was blackened
with the unburned powder from his at
least thrice emptied revolver. When Cor
| don fell his life's blood was pouring
from a spear and a pistol-shot
wound in his right breast. When
| Gordon fell his boots were slippery
with the blood OF the crowd of dervishes
| he shot and hacked his way through, in
his heroic attempt to cut his way out and
place himself at the head of his troops
| Gordon died as only Gordon could die. Let
| the world be msinformed and deceived
| about Soudan affairs with the tales of So
| called guides and spies, but let it be told
the truth of Gordon's death.
Each day at dawn, when he retired to
! rest he bolted his door from the inside,
and placed his faithful body y-servant-Kha-
leeI Agha Orphali-on guard outside it. On
| tal Dio had ,ol l,ar
his vigil on the roof of the palace, sending
and receiving telegraphic messages from the
lines every few minutes, and as dawn crept
into the skies, thinking that the long
| threatened attack was not yet TO be deliv-
cred, he lay dawn, wearied out. The little
firing heard few minutes later attracted
no more attention than the usual firing
which had been going on continuously night
and day for months; but when the palace
guards were heard firing it was known
that something serious was happening. BY
the time Gordon had slipped into his ole
serge or dark tweed suit, and taken his
sword and revolver, the advancing der
wishes were already surrounding the pal
ace. Overcoming the guards, a rush wa:
made up the stairs, and Gordon was me-
leaving his room A small spear wa.
thrown, which wounded him. but very
slightly on the shoulder. Almost before
the dervishes knew what was happening
three of them lay dead, and one wounded
at Gordons feet-the remainder fed
Quickly reloading his revolver, Gordon
made for the head of the stairs, and agair
drove the reassembiing dervshes off
Darling back to reload, he received a stall
in his left shoulder blade from dervisl
concealed behind the corridor door. and OF
reaching the steps the third time. he re-
ceived pistol shot and spear wound in hi:
right breast, and then, great soldier as hC
was, he rose almost above himself. Witt
his lifes blood squirting from his breast
not his back remember-he fought hi!
way step by step, kicking from his patti
the wounded and dead dervishes-for Or
phali, too, had not been idle-and wa.
passing through the doorway leading int
the courtyard when another concealed
dervish almost severed his right leg Will
a single blow. Then Gordon fell. Tht
steps he had fought his way-not beer
dragged-down were encumhered with th
bodies of the dead and dying dervishes
No dervish spear pierced the live and quiy
ering flesh of PROSTATE but still con
| scious Gordon, for he breathed his last a
he turned to face his last assailant. hal
raised his sword to strike and fell dea
with mis- face to heaven
This is the account which Neufeld say
he gathered from various khartum sur
vivors In an appendix he gives the testi
. mony of the very body-servant of Gordon
Orphali, which he received after hi
I escape to Cairo and which differs from hi
own story only in unimportant details
Even so, it would no doubt be rash to &C