The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-09-20

out us the only NuAt ioi hlS ih'f'ti"'s
lying. All later versions OF the Incl
dent have been based apparently upor
the tale related by this man after he
reached Cairo. Gordon. the world
has been made 10 believe. died az a
coward. for what other construction
may be placed on the assertion that
he turned his back upon his assallants
and In his back received his mortal
wound. But. although both Ohrwal-
der and Slatin have repeated this
libel, Neufeld has no doubt that
those who knew Charles George Cor
don will believe me when I aver that
he died, as they must all have be-
leved that he died-in spite OF the Of
ficial and semi-official accounts 10 the
contrary-as the soldier and lion
heartei man he was. Gordon did
not rest his hand on the hilt Of his
sword and turn his back to his enc
mics to receive mortal wound. On
the contrary he drew his sword and
used II. When he fell his sword was
dripping with the blood Of his assail-
ants, for no less than sixteen or sew
enteen did he cut down with II. When
Gordon fell, his hand was blackened
from the unburned powder from his
at least thrice-emptled revolver.
When he fell. his life's blood was
pouring from spear and pistol-shot
wounds IN his right breast. When
Gordon fell his boots were slippery
with the blood Of the crowd Of der.
wishes he had shot and hacked his
way through In his heroic attempt to
cut his way out and place himself at
the head of his troop" p
II seems that, week before the
fall of KhartOum. Gordon had given
mp hope. Calling Ibrahim Pasha
Fauzi, he ordered him to provision
one OF the steamers, get all the Euro
peans on board and set off for the
north. To their credit. be II said, they
refused TO leave unless Gordon saved
his life with theirs. Finding him OBJ
durate, plot was made to seize him
while asleep, carry him off and save
him in spite of himself; but he some
how heard OF the plot smiled. and
said II was his duty to save their lives
If he could hut IL was also his duty
TO "stick TO his post" AS the troops
must be near, you should sail north,
he told them. and tell them to hurry
up. Each day at dawn. when he re-
tired to rest he boted his door from
ha tnutIn ,.t,nnI 20 Pal
body servant Khaleel Agha Orphali
on guard outside IL. On the fatal
night when Khartoum was taken by
the Mahadlsts. Gordon had. as usual,
kept his vigil on the roof of the pal
ace. sending and receiving telegraphlc
messages from the lines every few
minutes, but, as dawn crept into the
skies, he assumed that the long
threatened attack was to be again de-
ferred, and he lay down. worn out
The little firing heard a few minutes
later attracted no more attention
than the firing which had been going
on continuously night and day for
months, but when the palace guards
WIZ h'"At ~ ihNt II was pain 'hdN
something serious was happening. By
the time Gordon had slipped into his
old serge or dark tweed suit. and taxi
en- his sword and revolver the ad-
vance posts OF the dervlshes were
already surrounding the palace. Over
coming the guards they made a rush
up the stairs, and met Gordon as he
was leaving his room. A small spear
was thrown. which wounded him. but
only very slightly, on the left shoul-
der. Almost before the dervishes
knew what was taking place, three of
them lay dead and one wounded ut
Gordon'S feet, the remainder fled.
Quickly reloadlng his revolver Cor
don made for the head OF the stairs.
and again drove the reassembllng
dervishes off Darling back to reload,
he received n stab I'm his left shoulder
blade from a dervlsh concealed be-
hind corridor door, and. on reaching
the steps the third time. he received
pistol shot and spear wound in his
right breast. Then. great soldier as
he was, he rose almost above himself.
With his life's blood pouring from
his breast-not his back. remember
he fought his way step 10y step.
kicking from his path the wounded
and dead dervishes-for his body ser
want Orphalia. too had not been idle
and, as he was passing through the
doorway leading into the courtyard.
another concealed dervish almost
severed his right leg with single
blow. Then Gordon fell. The steps
he had fought his way down were en-.
numbered with the bodies of dead and
dying deryishcs No dervish spear
pierced the live and quivering flesh OF
a PROSTATE but still conscious Gordon
for he breathed his last ms he turned
10 face his last assailant. half raised
his sword to strike. and fell dead
with his face to heaven" We are told
that the Mahdi had desired TO spare
Gordon's life. and that he was ex
tremely angry with the dervishes who
csme to tell him Of the murder. Neu
field says that during my twelve
years among all shades OF people oi
the Soudan. | never heard n slngl,
word against Gordon. nor did heai
one until / came among his own fesl
and blood"
Brave Little Corporal.
During the active troubles of tn
allied Powers with China the Japan
ese troops excited the admiration o