The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-08
HIS LIFE EXCITING
Famous prisoner of the Mahdi"
Visits Medina.
Mar Held In Chains for Twelve Years
by the Mahdi and Freed by kitch-
ener Has Had Most Roman
tic Career.

Medlna, the molly city or the Moham-
medans. recently returned here. The
pilgrim was DR.. Karl Neufeld, the IA
nous prisoner of the Mahdi," who
was liberated by Lord Kitchener In
the Sudan many years ago.
Few men have had a more romantic
and exciting career than this celebrat-
ed traveller. AS a physician. teacher,
merchant and contractor he went to
the Sudan in 1886. When the uprising
of the natives began he was taken
prisoner by the Mahdi and kept in
chains for twelve years. Freed by
Kitchener, he returned to Germany.
but after a lecturing tour he made
his way back to the Sudan. Shortly
after the outbreak of the present wal
he had to leave his adopted country
again, as he was expelled by the Brit.
ish authorities.
After his return to Germany he was
sent to Constantinople. where he
placed himself at the disposal of the
Turkish government. He was used
as an emissary to the Arabian tribes,
and for this work probably no man is
better qualified. AS he speaks the
dialects of all the Bedouin tribes,
knows their customs and has EN-.
braced the Mohammedan faith, he
wins confidence wherever he appears
in the world of Islam.
After organizing the Arabian tribes
on the Peninsula of Sinai for an in.
vasion of Egypt this strange man
went to Damascus and decided to visit
Medina.
Accompanied by four Arabs he left
Damascus in June. After his train
passed Maan and Ell Ulla the Turkish
officers with whom he travelled became
distrustful and they even kept aloof
from him When they saw him say his
prayers like every pious Mohamme-
dan. When he reached Medina, the
Ramadan, the great Mohammedan fes-
tival, had just begun. He placed him
self under the protection of a promi-
nent native who has charge of the pill
grims from the Sudan and his host
conducted him to the Harem-es-Sher
ia, the temple where Mohammed is
buried with his favorite daughter Fa-
TINA and his son-in-law.
When he stood before the crypt Of
the prophet the German traveller was
surrounded by an angry mob. His po-
sition became quite critical until two
Arabians made their way through the
crowd and declared:
I'VE know him; he is the effendi of
Omdurman and Assuan, a good man
and true Mohammedan."
even this did not entirely satisfy
the mob and Doctor Neufeld was only
permitted to stay in the temple after
he affirmed his faith with a solemn
oath. For two or three weeks he was
continually watched by natives who
were not convinced by his religious
professions and by Egyptian spies in
the service of England.
The latter tried in every way to in
flame the natives against him by call
ing him an infield and Christian dog
At a meeting of the scribes and sheiks
he was asked where he came from
and there was great excitement wher
he calmly said: From Germany"
The priests and chiefs were salts
fed, however, when he related how he
was converted to Mohammedanism by
a pious sheik in the Sudan.
Doctor Neufeld remained in Medina
nearly two months in continual inter
course with the sheiks, ulemas anC
prominent pilgrims from Tripolitania
Tunis, Morocco, Persia, A~fghanistaI
and India. He obtained much valuable
i .H~,-.-At-n TNAAra tGA nf11ntrno n,
learned that the Jehad (holy war
movement is fast becoming genera
in all Mohammedan countries. H,
found that the Arabs are especial.
bitter against the British, because tn
English government has closed tn
Red sea and stopped the great an
nual pilgrimages from Egypt an
India to Mecca and Medina. Still NOR
bitter were the Mohammedans over tn
fact that the English have proclaime
the new ruler of Egypt appointed b
them Sultan of the two holy places,
because all of the faithful insist tina
this title only belongs to the caliph a
Constantinople.
by their attempt to establish a
Egyptian caliphate the British hav
made one of their greatest mistakes,
Doctor Neufeld said on his return I
Constantinople. THE Arabs will neve
forgive them this interference wit
their religious affairs. and the blocl
ade of the Red sea.
THE population of the whole ives
ern part of Yemen is in uprisin
against the British. In this part {
Arabia only the sheik Ebesi is in tn
way of the English and he possesse
al little power and influence"
All Arabs are fervent admirers {
Germany, he said, and every one
them knows the name of Field Ma
d. shall Won Hindenburg. When the tel
d. graph brought the news of the fall
g. Warsaw to Medina there was q grei
o. celebration. The whole population a
d. sembled before the house of Doctt
le Neufeld to express its joy. An o
priest, who mildly protested and e
pressed doubts in regard to the RICH
s, eousness of the sultan's alliance wit
of the German infidels, a howled dow
by the mob.
Ola. I-.u.. "A nLt..A