The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09
WHITE LEADERS OF SAVAGES.
ONE OF THEM NOW AIDING THE
MAD WULLAR IN AFRICA.
Britain's Worst Foe I'm SOmalllanh Said
10 he karl hnscr. Former Austrian
OnAcer--FamOIs Osman Dlsna Called
n ScOtchman--A Dream or Empire.


scOtchman-A Dream OF Empire
In nearly every war between savage tribes
and civilized Powers to-day the savages
are assisted by white men who have become
traitors to civilization. Such renegades
are scattered through all the remote corners
of the earth.
The British troops campaigning in
Somaliland are learning to their cost that
the Mad Mullah is assisted by white man
familiar with the art of modern warfare.
His name liz Karl Inger. He was an officer
in the Austrian army until year or two
ago.
An English officer. Capt. Thorp, of the
Yorkshire Light Infantry. who knew him
at Budapest, speaks of him as an excep-
tionally brilliant soldier, with natural
gift for tactics and for commanding men.
lnger used to speak bitterly against the
English and was fond Of expressing SYM
pathy with native races in their struggles
with civilization. He would rail by the
hour against the treatment of the Indians
in the United States, Of the Kaffirs in South
Africa and of the Hindus in India.
He disappeared from Budapest shortly
his acquaintance were not surprised to
hear that he was fighting AS a lieutenant
OF the Mad Mullah. Native spies reported
! that he adopted the Mohammedan religion
! in Cairo and was taken to the Mullah's
| camp through Italian Somaliland by some
| Arab pilgrims whom he met in Cairo ON
| their return from Mecca II is asserted
that he had much TO do with stirring up
| the recent war and persuadng The Mad
Mulah to defy the British.
! turiously enough his old acquaintance
! Capt Thorp, has been seconded" from
! his regiment and attached o The SomaiiIand
+, field force as special service officer. Thus
they may meet face to face in battle. In
that case one or the other is likely to go
| under, for Capt. Thorp. in common with the
other officers of the British force has vowed
to risk the uttermost peril to STAY this
traitor to civilization, who is held re-
sponsible for the cutting up of Col Swayne's
expedition some months ago.
1t is said that Lord Lansdo wne, the
British Foreign Minister, confidentially
asked the Austrian Government whether
1t was true that lnger had joined the MulIah.
The Austrian Government replied that
there was reason TO believe he had, and
added a hope that il he was caught, he
would receive no mercv
1nger appears to be gifted with the quail
| ties that Impress the savage mind. He liz
| skilful in planning ambushes and strata
gems. and is especially valuable to the
Mullah because, knowing the effects of
rife and Ma kim fire, he prevents the Soma
l Il foA (, l>...
down like corn. as the dervishes were at
| Omdurman.
He takes care that they shall fight the
British troops in the jungle under condi-
tions which make the superior arms Of
the latter ineffective. British officers say
! that the trouble in Somaliland would have
been over long ago but for Karl Inger.
| If he were caught by native troops I'M
controlled by an officer he would probably
die by slow torture. A Zanzibari spy who
has penetrated to the Mullah's camp asserts
that Inger has made up his mind to shoot
f, himself rather than be captured.
/ Another renegade from civilization. and
/ one Of the most notorious, is Osman Digna
the De Wet OF the Soudan. He was the
! right-hand man Of the Mahdi and after
ward OF the Khalifa. Ever since 1882 he
| has been thorn in the side of the British
, For many years he was supposed to be an
f, Arab chieftain, but Slatin Pasha found
that he is white man, born Of Scottish
parents in Cairo. 1t is said that he was in
J the employment OF the Government Of
, Egypt in his youth, but was cashiered
! for theft and blackmail ON the complaints
f.. of some European merchants in Cairo.
Burning for revenge, he went south
and Joined the Mahdi Immediately the
latter raised the standard Of revolt against
Egypt in 1882. He soon became known as
! the best general Of the dervishes, infict-
ing defeat after defeat on the British and
| Egyptian troops, massacrng whole armies
| capturing cities and devastating many
hundreds OF miles of country.
He took no prisoners, spared no neutrals
Wherever his swift cavalry and camel
corps went they left tail OF desolation
behind them
Many efforts were made to capture or
! kill Osman Digna. but ali without success
former captive in the camp Of the Khalifa
saws that an Abyssinian whom he had
in ured stabbed 0sman violently over
the heart.
The knife broke in two, but Osman was
uninjured, Naturally the ignorant Der
wishes thought he was invulnerable. The
simple explanation is that he wore a coat
of very fine chain armor under his burnouse
British officer recently told how he
fought in hand-to-hand combat with Os-
man when the dervishas broke the British
square at Tel-e- kebir.
II got thrust with my sword right
home on his chest, said the officer. and
it should have gone through him, but his
COMPOUNDED chain armor turned the point
OF the weapon. A rush OF the dervishes
| then swept us apart.
II remember him as very all and power
f,l man. with a most ferOcious expression
He fought like mailman. His skin il
tanned brown by the sun but he looks
like white man, and | noticed that his
eyes are light blue
When the power Of the Khalifa was utterly
broken al Omdurman In 1908, Osman Digna
escaped the slaughter, riding ioff the field
with small body Of picked horsemen
before the battle was over. Lord Kitchener
was bitterly disappointed and sent ex-
petition after expedition in pursuit of him
Most of his comrades, including the Khalifa,
were captured and slain, but 0sman always
escaped.
He s now dwelling with the Mabas,
Mohammedan negro race, who are the
ruling tribe in the Kingdom of Wadai.
found refuge there he conspired with
Wadai, to assassinate the regning King
The conspiracy was successful.
| Abu Said now rules over Wadai, with
Osman as his Prime Minister. They are
supported by hordes OF the finest and most
ax-t.k