The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22

operate In tho manufacture OF some Worthless
saltpotre Few fairmindod persons, We believe
will read his story without acqur ing the con-
yiction that he is deeply injured man, slandered
by mon who had taken advantage OF his imprison-
mont 10 defrnud him.
Tho description OF prison life In tho Salor or
prison at Omdurmnn will be found In the eighth
and tonth chapters. This prison, In which Neu-
field spent many years consisted OF common
COLL the "Umm Hagar." or House Of Stone, In
which tho captvcs were herded: this was sur
rounded by largo zareeba, enclosure. shut
In by hedge Of thorn trees about six feet high.
There were thirty keepers, each armed with q
'courbag or rhinoceros hide whip There wero
no sanitary arrangements, even of the most prm
tive kind All prisoners had TO be fed by their
friends or relatives: II they had neither they
starved 10 DEATH for charitable some of their
comrades might have been by nature mono OF them
had any food TO give away. the greater part Of the
supplies being confscated by tho keepers. AT
sunrise every morning the door OF tho common
cell opened and the prisoners were allowed
70 shufIio down to the banks OF the Nile. few
yards distant for their abuuons and TO obtain
drinking water Next they assembled for the
first prayer Of tho day in which all had TO Join
When not working they had to read the Mahdi's
-rotib,- kind OF prayer book containing extracts
from tho Koran with interpretations by the Mahdi.
An tho faithful ordered to learn this 'raub"
by heart and for this purpose, each had 70 pur-
chase or write out copy. At noon came second
prayer followed by third midway between noon
and sunset and by fourth at shutdown. Tho
so-cailed nghtprayer should have been made
whsn tho night had set ill., but, as the prisoners
wero driven into the Umm Hagar" at sunset
tho time which should have been given to this
invocation was taken up with brawls. fights and
tho comprehensive curses Of the Arabs, which,
beginning with the second PERSONS father go
back for generations and include all his female
ancestors
According TO our author, II is not possible, in
even the most guarded language. to give a truth
full life picture Of night in the Safer Tho scenes
OF bcstiality and dizziness the means employed
for bringing the most powerful man to his knees
with single blow. the nameess crimes COM
mittod night after night and year after year may
not DO recorded in print At times, for weeks in
succession. from $50 TO $50 prisoners would be
driven into that small room: they were literally
packed in: there was scarcely room TO move tho
arma As the heat grew moro oppressive. and
the atmosphere always vile with the ever present
stonoh OF the place. grew closer from tho perspir
ing bodies and from other Causes. all semblanco
Of human beings was lost Filth was thrown
from ono side Of the room to the other by any ono
90. and this disgusting element was
introduced, the mass. in its efforts to avoid being
struck by il, swayod from side 10 SIDE fought
bit and struggled as far as their densely crowded
condition would permit, and kicked with their
bars and chains the shins of those next TO them
until the scene became one that only a Dante
might descrtr. No prisoner who went down on
such nissnt ever got up again alive his cries
would not be heard above the pandemonium Of
-. Al.
curslngs and any attempt To bend down TO assist
him would mean death to his rescuer also In
tho morning, when the prisoners were allowed
70 stroan,out of this cave, five or six bodies would
be foundon the ground with the life crushed out
OF theni Occasionally, when the uproar at night
80 Inuder than usual, the guards would open
tho door and. standing on the Threshold lash
at the heads of the prisoners with their rhinoceros-
hide whips. Always when this incident occurred
death would claim Ave or six victims trampled
by their comrades in the effort to escape the lash
The usual food Of the prisoners was "asseeda, !"
tho Soudan dourra tsorghunD roughly pounded
when moist and mixed into a thick paste. Ac-
cording to Neufed. II feels and tastes like saw
dust 1t was not a very nourishing DISH but il
was nlling one and stayed the cravings Of
hunger. a flavor might be impaired to II by al
lowing quantity to stand for day OF two until
fermentation set in. Occasionally. sauce made
from tho pounded SEED OF the badmld hybiSCuS,
and called "mulakh" could be obtained and this
with the fermented asseeda made a vcrtable
banquet Friends in the town would sometimes
sond tho captives, when such luxuries could be
obtained. little wheaton bread. bit OF cheese
or butter, and few pinches of coffee. As we have
said. all the food sent for the prisoners did not
roach them: what little passed the gates of the
Saier had to be fought for those having long
chains or bars connecting their anklets stood
tho best chance in the for the food, they
were able TO take longer stride. 1t may be
asked why did not the captives knowing that
tho guards would purloin the greater part Of the
food. arrange for the sending Of a larger guam
Gty? There WERE II seems two reasons: In
the first place, the guards knew what was the
minimum amount Of food required TO keep the
prisoners alive and Just that quantity would
be permitted 10 pass the portals Of the Safer Sec
ondly the sight of more or better food being brought
to a prisoner proved one Of two things either
tho prisoner himself had received some money,
OF his friends had, and extra chains would be
put upon him until the TAILOR was bribed We
heard" writes Neufeld, that cannibaism was
being practised in the town, but none took place
In the prison. There, when once the despair
engendered by starvation and cruelty took hold
OF prisoner, he would lie down and wait for death
food he would never refuse il offered but if water
without food was offered it would be rejected.
Day alter day for months the bodies of eight
or ton prisoners who had died Of starvation would
DO thrown into the Nile, and thousands must
have died in the Safer The population Of the
prison was always kept up owing to the hourly
arrivals OF starving wTetChes committed for trying
TO stoal food in the market place and it was from
such as these that the fighting for food in the
prison chiefly emanated II can be well imagined
how tho most civilized being might be driven
to desperation and madness when, as the result
Of his trying to steal bit OF food, maybe for him,
self, maybe for dying child he is committed
to an Oriental prison, and there, as he is taken
to tho anvil the body Of the last victim Of starya
ton is dragged up to have the shackles knocked
of, only to be fitted on the newcomer, This
happened not twice not scores, but hundreds
Of times in the prison during the terrible famine
which, at one time, prevailed in Omdurman Il
must not DO supposed that the prisoners had NJ
feelings for each other, and especially for those
NoTAe of in the matter n food than