The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-01-20

modern rifles, the wounded will al
ways largely outnumber the killed
In fact, a proportion of four wound
ed to one killed would actually be far
under the mark. How, then, was it
that no wounded We're accounted for
at the Atbara?"
Again Mr.. Bennett says: "No justl-
fication whatever exists for the BUTCH
cry of unarmed or manifestly helpless
men lying on the ground. This GER
tainly took place after the battle of
Omdurman. Dervishes who lay with
shattered legs or arms, absolutely
without weapons, were bayoneted and
shot without mercy. This unsoldierly
work was not even left to the ex>
elusive control of the black troops;
our own British soldiers took part in
1T. At one place on the western slopes
of Surgham 1 noticed fine old der
wish with gray beard who, disabled
by a wound in his leg, lay PROSTATE
beside small bush. He had appar-
emily attempted to escape towards
Omdurman with the rest of the Kha-
lifa's forces who survived, but his
wound prevented this, and the fugi-
tive had sunk down on the ground
about eight yards behind his son, a
boy Of seventeen, whose right leg had
also been liberated by bullet.
Neither the father nor the son had
any weapons at all, yet Highlander
stepped out of the ranks and drove
his bayonet through the old mans
chest. The victim of this needless
brutality begged in vain for mercy,
and clutched the soldiers bayonet,
reddening his hands with his own
blood in a futile attempt to prevent
second thrust. No effort was made
by any comrade or officer to prevent
this gratuitous piece of butchery, nor
of course would any officer have in
terfered very well if the soldier, as
was said to be the case, was only
acting in accordance with the wishes
of the general in command"
Surely" continues Mr.. Bennett,
''the bombardment of tombs is rather
unworthy of British artillery. But
what followed was still greater out
rage upon Moslem sentiment and re.
ligious feeling. No creed pays more
profound respect to the dead than that
of Mahomet. The violation of a grave
or the removal of headstone is most
repugnant to Orientals of that faith.
yet at the close of the nineteenth CEN
tury British commander, not con-
tent with desecrating tomb, actually
orders dead mans body to be torn
out of it's grave! The embalmed body
of the Mahdi was dug up, the head
wrenched off and the trunk cast into
the Nile. 1t is almost incredible that
the dfsfnterment or mutilation of a
dead body which had been in its grave
for more than ten years should have
been possible under a general whom
Christian England is now delighting
to honor. The act is nothing more or
less than a return to the barbarism
of the Middle Ages"
This is the Anglo freshman who is
practically in command Of. the British
forces in South Africa, and fortunate
it is for the Beers that they have
British prisoners at Pretoria, or those
Of them who may fall into the hands
of Kitchener's butchers would be
treated like the Mohammedans of the
Soudan. The Lancers who slaught-
cred the handful of Beers at Glands
laagtc, after they threw away their
arms and craved for mercy, must
have been with Kitchener in the Nile
region. And yet the British parlia-
ment rewarded this modern Cromwell
with grant of $15O,OOO. The noble
John Morley protested against honor
ing the murderer and eloquently con.
demned his atrocious acts. If the
bloodthirsty Nero who acts as Lord
Roberts chief of staff practices his
barbarities on the wounded Beers or
Uitlanders who may become his pris-
oners, we hope that Joubert and
Cronje will bring him to his senses.
We regret exceedingly that Ireland
has given birth to such a military
monster. Nothing would give us
greater pleasure than to hear that
Roer bullet has put an end to his san.
culinary career. AS for Roberts, we
regard him as humane man who is
incapable Of cruelty to a fallen foe,
but he is merely figurehead in the
campaign, owing to his advanced age.
Through the courtesy of an esteemed
subscriber of the Irish Standard at
Great Falls, Mont, we are enabled to
present to our readers in this days is
sue the splendid Grafton delivered by
Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher at Vir-
GINA City, on March II, 1866. 1t is a
brilliant address which is we'll worthy
OF preservation. 1t appeared in the
Boston Pilot in May, 1866, and was
given in an Anaconda paper last year.
We are not aware that it finds a place