New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-19
ATROCITIES, OR WHAT?
AN OXFORD DON'S STARTLING Aeon
Stations OF BARBAROUs PRAC-
TICES IN THE SOUDAN.
London. January A

! Review on the inhuman and barbarous prac.
tices of Anglo-Egyptian campaigning. It doe,
not confirm the startling charge that British
troops under orders from the Srdar Joined IN
the massacre Of the wounded Deryishes on IN.
| field Of battle. II quietly relterates the stats.
ment that the native battaions killed thu
.wounded along the line of advance, and that
swarm Of camp followers armed with clubs
! spears and old rifles and intent solely on loot
rushed forward and stripped the corpses OF arms
and clothing. These hidcous details Of soudan
csc warfare are described more temperately
and cautiously in the book than in the maya
zine article The horrors of warfare In the
deserts are passed over lightly. The assertion
that wounded Dervishes, unarmed and helpless.
were butchered from sheer wantonness and lust
Of blood Is repeated; but the details are not
enlarged upon nor Is an official investigation
challenged
Mr. Benefits startling accusations have been
ridiculed by Mr.. Burleigh. one OF the most e..
perienced correspondents with the Sirdars
army. as the fctons of schoolmaster inexperi.
enced in war. He was not favorite among his
associates in the field They looked upon him
with professional disdain as amateur; aud
although he had witnessed little Of the fight
ing In Crete he was raw recruit In the bud.
ness Of describing campaign for the press
AS he tells his own story In his book he Is an
oxford man, and Fellow and lecturer OF Hert-
ford College. He was eager to make coec.
ton of insects In the Soudan. and to copy the
inscriptions of the temples OF Meroe. He paid
his own expenses and accepted an appointment
as special correspondent for The Westminster
Gazette" in order TO have facilities for work
along the line Of advance. His professional a..
socates, who had been trained for their work
In series of campaigns, did not enjoy the -or.
partnership OF this Oxford don. Now that he has
described hideous occurrences respecting which
they themselves were either silent or unmpres-
sive with one accord they fall upon him and
rend him. Mr.. Burleigh contradicts his asser-
lions in detail. Another correspondent who lay
on the ground within a few yards Of Mr.. Ben
nett on the eve OF the battle, charges him with
giving currency to irresponsible gossip. and
with libelling the white troops. Mr. Bennett
has no defender among his associates who
might reasonably have been expected 10 see the
monstrous atrocities described bv him.
There is one point in Mr. Benefits favor-his
character as an amateur correspondent. who had
special for desiring active service befors
Omdurman, and no intention of renewing his
experiences in the field. He was In position
to relate without equvocation whatever fell
under his observation. since he had no motive
for securing the favor OF the military stan for
campaigning in future His professional asso.
cates would naturally have been careful not ia
compromise their relations with the military
authorities by telling superluous truths and
thereby impairing their usefulness in subse.
quent military operations. Mr.. Bennett is man
Of scholarly attainments and bears high repu-
tation at oxford. He is not to be coughed down
confined his energies to entomology and archs-
ology. and to have kept at safe distance from
the battle field
LACK OF DETAIL
Mr.. Bennett seems to have left Omdurmsn
two days after the battle, and to have neglected
to take full advantage Of his opportunittA ts
confirming In detail his astounding charsA
One accusation. which was inherently incredible
has been promptly denied on the authority Of
the SIrdar. The massacre OF the women and
children after Omdurman was not ordered BY
the sirdar. who did everything in his power to
protect them after the retreat OF the Dervishes
It may be assumed with absolute confidence
that no British officer ever gave orders for the
massacre of the wounded, and It is hardly
credible that English troops, even in dealing
with treacherous foe, had recourse, except In
that Of dispatching in cold blood helpless and
unarmed Dervishes. Mr.. Bennett seems to have
been incautious in making sweepino accusations
without adequate proof but on the other hand
some Of the denials made by the military au-
thorites and by his llow-correspondents are
clearly Irrelevant. His main charge is that
there was a horrible slaughter of wounded Der
wishes by black troops after the battle. There
are admissions by his associates which cor
roborate him in detail on this point.
THE Daily Chronicles" correspondent has
stated that he saw the native soldiers killing the
Dervish wounded. and that while the slaughter
was not wholly unprovoked It was excessive
and ought to have been checked. Mr.. Burleish
admits that the Soudanese troops in marching
through vigorous enemy had to make sure
Of their footsteps" but adds that they spared
thousands OF their foemen and dispatched only
those fairly suspected OF lying in wait 10 MUIR
der" References to these horrible scenes Gem
to have been cut out OF accounts teegraphed to
London by the war correspondents. whose work
was subjected TO rigorous censorship; but the
truth has been blurted out from time to time By
the publication Of soldiers lette-~ One Of the
most outspoken OF the correspondents was
Lieutenant Fison. OF the Northumberland Fus'
leers. who wrote Previous to the advance the
oHodE hdo issued oTueTs tnat all wounded De''
wishes passed over had to be bayonetted. ana
1t was absolutely necessary TO do this. as II one
was passed over alive he would turn round and
shoot at you. which event often happened dur
ing the advance" Here is direct proof from
an officer OF a white regiment that the impress
sion prevailed that orders had been issued for
the killing Of the wounded. 1t is incredible that
any orders of this nature were issued, but UNI
happily 1t cannot be doubted that there was .
massacre by the blacks, and that few OF the
white troopers under strong provocation. ana
possibly from necessity. bayonettcf the wound
ed.
THE Manchester Guardian" The Daily
Chronicle" and other Journals have taken up
this controversy with spirit and are urging 'ne
necessity for an Investigation OF charges wnicn
tarnish the honor of the British Army since re-