Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-05
HEADLESS BODY THROWN.

Regarding the disinterment and mutila-
ton of the remains of the mahdi by the
English after the battle of Omdurman the
Manchester Guardian has a. story from it's
special correspondent. The story was
officers on the Nile gunboats. who got it
from the men who actually engaged in
this piece of diplomatic barbarism.
The day after the Omdurman battle.
where the Dervishes died in their thou
sands, Major Gordon, they say, went on
board one of the gunboats and then took
with him a small party OF royal marine ar
tillerymen to the land. None Of the F1gyp-
tians on board were taken.
"They chatter too much" explained a
sergeant. "When you have experience of
them they are a poor race of beings. A
Dervish is in all parts altogether more of
a man. The Egyptian cannot stand alone"
The little party marched directly to the
tomb of the mahdi The tomb was de-
scribed as like a big square barn. built of
half-baked bricks and slabs of mud NOR
tar"
1T had a round dome on the top, which
had been so worked as to fit the square
building below. The body of the mahdi lay
Oh a platform perhaps half the height of a
man, set up in the middle of the tomb. IT
had en- cncircling rail made with pieces Of
brass taken from English implements or
furniture, and was decorated with other
trinkets. perhaps religious symbols. The
body was wrapped in white and coiored
cloth. sew together. but whether ii had
been embalmed.' said another Of the ar
tillerymen. II could not say, having no ex-
perience of how bodies look after undergo
ing that process
Nobody cared to describe what happened
inside the tomb. "That is n matter for
those in authority,' one was told. How
ever, it was presently said that the order
was given to take the body from where 1t
lay and to sever the head from the trunk.
Tho corporal went to that end. On lifting
the head it broke clean away from the
body, and he held it in his hands"
The body was then wrapped UP, Weighed
and carried across the three miles that lay
between the tomb and The Nile and at once
cast into the river. II never heard that
anything was seen Of it again." said one
artilleryman. 'and the fact is it must have
been washed away along the bed of the
river" Another added that the Dervishes
are. of course. essentially superstitiOus
and that they might in the future. no
doubt. be imposed on by the production of
another dead body. But he added.
whatever may be said of the body. they
will never get the head of their mahdi."
what became of the head?'
ut is Il very short story. The head was
carried on board the %gunboat and put into
an empty kerosene can-one of those
square cans. YOU know, that Oil is kept in.
1T stopped there a few days. The other
officers used to come aboard and say, Cor
don. show us that head and the corporal,
under orders, would then lift it out. None
of them would touch it. 1t was not nice. I
might say that the mahdi must have been
a fearfully ugly man. The lower jaw pro-
truded further than in any man l have ever
seen. The forehead was not particularly
high-for an Arab. His hair was jet black.
The lower part of one side of the face was
neutrality-suspicious. we took off part of his
beard. 1t is here in Eastney. l have a
piece myself-a fine, glossy black, appar-
emily the hair of a man in his prime.
"After the head had remained a few days
in the can a wooden box was made, and it
was packed in that. 1t was sent to Cairo
for dispatch to England, and but for tho
Discussion in parliament it would. no
doubt, have been on view before now in
some museum or another. The war office. l.
should think, will know where that box is.
l must say no more
After the body of the mahdi had been
''disinterred" and disposed of his tomb was
destroyed. Lyddite was used, as it is still
necessary to note the action of that eX-
plosive owing to the sometimes peculiar
conduct of lyddite shell. $50 that we had
an experiment of two kinds said one of
the artillerymen. W. experimental in re-
| ligion on the poor mahdi' and in gunnery
| we tried on his tomb. 1t certainly seems a
little above the mark to try conclusions
with a dead body"