The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-04-25

4 OF the name OF Bray should Dc
the leading spirit OF the insurgeni
Junta, will surprise no orE who possesses
| any acquaintance with the barbarons OF
semi-civilized races in various parts OF
the world. Even in this country stories
/ have been current % white men assoel2t-
( ing themselves with Indians in the out
| RACES 2erpetrated BY the latter. and in
| Africa. In Asia, and liz the various is
| ands. great and small CT the Pacific
Ocean. wherever the forces OF civilized
| and Christian nations have found them
| selves engaged in more or less mortal
conflict with barbarism and savagery,
| the latter have almost invariably been
| assisted and directed by white men, rene
| gades in the worst sense of the word, and
| deserters from civilization. II is difficult
| TO find WORDS sufficiently strong 10 coz
| denim these enemies OF their O%n race, ar
| no mercy whatsoever should be shoD n
| 20 them whenever they are caught arms
| In hand against their fellcwwhites. For
| in nine cases out of ten they have cast
| aside every restraint of civilization and
| have adopted all the vices and savageTy
! Of the worst and most degrading types
1 of the natives among whom they have
/ cast their lot. endeavoring. Ii would seem,
| to surpass the latter in cruelty and dew
| iltry.
| Thus, in Cochin China. where the
| French have for nearly twenty years
| been carrying on a relentless warfare
| against the bIood-thirsty pirates who in
| fest the coasts and especially the great
| rivers. the naval and military forces ev-
| cry now and again discover that the
| pirate chiefs whom they succeed in cap
| turing are European renegades. some
! times Freuchmen. I remember IN par
| ticular the case Of man of the name OF
/ Caussade. who was shot at Hanoi on the
l occasion OF my visit there. cad who. hav-
| ing deserted from the French army, had
| become ore OF the principal Lieutenanis
| Of the Black Flag, or pirate force OF the
dreaded chief and mandarin Doc Tich.
| Doc Itch had Just made his peace with
| the French. and had surrendered to the
/ latter the French deserters who had been
! his allies, and was likewise in the act
OF revealing the manner in which he had
| managed to obtain all the arms and am
| nunition that he had needed throughout
the several years that he had carried Oh
his piratical operations.
| How Pirates Secured Arms.
| For quite a time prior to the compro-
! mise effected with Doc Itch, one of the
most prominent ard popular figures of
| French eoci5ty in the far East had been
Danish merchant or finaneier of the
| name of Oberg. He mao. his home in
| HonSkonS, but also maintained handsome
! establishments at Saigon. Hanoi. and
| Haiphong, where he entertained in the
/ most hospitable manner, ryceiYing all the
| leading French officials from the Gov
ernor General downward, under his roof
| His French friends trusted him blindly.
| granted him all kinds of favors in connec-
I ton with the passage of his goods through
| the custom houses, and never had any
hesitation about discussing Official mat
| tiers. even OF the most confidential char
| acter, In his presence. AS soon as ever
he learned that peace had been arranged
between Doc Itch and the French he
| hurriedly took his departure from Hong
! kong, and shortly afterwsrd the old pi-
| rate chief was able to show by means Of
documentary evidence that he had been
! kept supplied, not only with arms and
ammunition. but likewise with news by
VI. Oberg throughout the entire period OF
| his hostilities against the French, and
! that the war material had, in many in
stances, passed through the French Gus
tom houses at Hanoi and Haiphong right
| under the very noses of the officials, the
goods coming by steamer from Hong
kong and being transhipped into Chinese
junks at Hanoi, Haiphong, and at Sal
gon. Oberg, whose hospitality |. too. had
occasion TO enjoy at Saigon, being taken
to his house by some French officers with
| whom | was acquainted, has of course
never set foot since on French soil.
When last l heard Of him, three years
ago, he was living in great style at Ma
Mia. Possibly he is there at the present
moment carrying on the same little game
in the conflict between the Filipinos and
the Americans as he pursued during the
warfare between his piratical friend, the
Black Flag chief, Doc Itch, and the
French. In that event, / commend him
to the very strict observation of Admiral
Dewey and Gen. Otis AS for the
French deserter, Caussade, above
mentioned he was shot much as
one would a mad dog, and with
out any Of the solemnity that usually
characteriZes military executions. If the
soldiers could have had their way think
that they would have torn him 20 pieces,
for it is impossible to describe IN print
the fiendish cruelties perpetIatCu upon
those of their comrades who rad the
misfortune to fall into the hands OF the
Black Flags and the idsa that French
soldier should have participated in these
denominations practiced by the sayases
upon his own fellOw-countrymed excited
them to frenzy.
ReBegades la the snudau.
In the Soudan the Khalifa has quite
large number Of European renegades IN
der his orders, including the ex-Prussian
Sergeant of Artillery, KlotZ and an eX-
Austrian officer. who now bears the name
of Inger, while his principal Lieutenant
is the celebrated Osman Digna, the most
clever OF all his Generals. and who, as
the son of a French shopkeeDer Of the
name of Joseph Nsbet. was born at
Rouen and baptized ln the magnificent
cathedral OF that ancient capital OF Nor
mandy. His father Jailed in business
and migrated TO Egypt, where. after his
death his widow married q well-known
Mona mmedan merchant Of Alexandra.
Digna by name. Having no children o.
his own. he became exceedingly fond OF
his French step-son, insisted upon his be-
coming converted 10 the faith OF the
Prophet, and entered him under the name
OF Osman Digna at the military school
al Cairo. gnere the led received care
full training al the hands OF the DIS
tingulshed French, German. and British
officers attached 10 the college a. pro-
fessors. II Is 70 this trairing az the mill
tary school at Cairo that must be a.
cribed the remarkable skill which Osman
Digna has displayed IN the construction
OF for;lncatiOns and Entertainments In his
numerous encounters with the Anglo
Egyptian forces. and the very circum-
stance that the Khalifa should nav y
strongly insFenched on the shores Or Lake
sherket, about 10 miles from Khsrt0Um.
leads 70 the belief that he has with him
his best General. the French renegade.
Osraan Digna. who only reJoined hisl
after the battle OF Ondurnan.
Quite a nun Der o. other Frenchmea
have endeayOTed 20 join the Dervishes
In the soeaa7 fight against the English.
nc il may be remembered that ths Mar
outs de Nores. who married the daughter
OF Banker Louis Hoffman, q New York,
lost his life while on his way 10 Khar-
tourn for the purpose Of placing his seTy-
ices at he disposal 81 the Khalita. Anolh-
er case which came undeF ny notice s.
that Of Olivier Pain. one Of the most prom
inent leaders Ct the French Commune %
1871. conaemred e death for his part.cs-
pafion in that insurrection. his sentence
was subsequently cowmuted 70 one for