The Blandford and Wimbourne Telegram. — 1885-11-20 (Blandford, Dorset, England)

ESCAPE FROM KHARTOUM.  AN INTERESTING NARRATIVE.  The Standard correspondent has just had a long and most interesting conversation with a refugee from Khartoum, by name Dimitri Zigada. He left Omdurman 31 days ago in company of two Sisters of Mercy, one of whom, a white woman, is named Marietta, and the other, a black, Fortunata. They report that the four nuns still remaining in the camp at Omdurman are now married to Greek prisoners. Zigada made his escape by the help of an emissary sent up by his brother with the promise of a large reward. He was at one time a wealthy merchant in Kordofan, and acted as contractor for supplying meat to the Egyptian army. Naturally, he has now lost everything, having been for the last two years a prisoner with the Madhi. He says that the prisoners were not badly treated, but were very closely watched, and foiced to pray five times a day. He made his escape at eight o'clock one evening, just after the time of the last prayer. A violent storm was then raging. His account of Oliver Pain dispels all the ridiculous stories hitherto in circulation. Having left Emile!' with two attendants, Pain, on his arrival at Kordofan, learnt that the Mandi had left on the march to Khartoum. He followed in his track, and came up with the force at Egella, where Zigada first saw him. He was then in good health. H did not speak Arabic very well, and was forced to call an interpreter if he wished to ask a ques thin, or explain anything beyond his daily needs The Mandi believed none of his protestations, and at once made him a close prisoner, and forbade the othe European prisoners (who were allowed to see each other) all intercourse with him. Nevertheless, Pain, Slatin Bey, and Zigada managed to cut out various lines and slips of newspaper, making, in all, a letter of encouragement for Gordon with news of the approaching Relief Expedition. Pain was led in the train of the Mandi for fifteen days to Shat, where he fell ill. Tho Mandi stayed twenty days at Shat, and while there Mustav, an Austrian prisoner, was put in chains for 10 days for attempting to reach and inquire after Pain. From Shat they marched to Duam, and thence down the White Nile to Omdurman. It was about one-and-a-half days' march from Omdurman that Pain died. He had twice fallen from his camel from exhaustion the day before, and once again on the day (if his death. Finding it was impossible to rally him, the Arabs dug a grave beside him and, with the assistance of Zigada, buried him. Zigada says he was still warm when they covered him with earth. The grave is close to the White Nile, and Zigada says he could find it blindfold. Slatin Bey was mt told of Pain's death till half-an-hour later on the march. Just before the fall of Khartoum all the rebels were extremely terrified at the approach of the Vnglish, except the Madhi himself, who kept up his courage. Directly after the surrender the Mandi went across the river in a steamer, and made his evening prayer at Khartoum, returniug, however, the next day to Omdurman. Gordon's head was hung up on a butcher's hook in the bazaars of Omdurman for five days. Every passer by threw slippers, stones, or mud at it, and spat upon it. All the papers and such like things were burned, but the clothes and decorations were sold by auction in the bazaars, The linen shirts fetched five piastres. Seven Greeks found in Khartoum were massacred. The death of the Mandi took place on the 9th Ramadan. No one knew what he died (ruin; but he had grown so enormously stout that it needed five men to raise him from his seat. Zigada first heard the news of his death from a few people in the bazaar. Not believing it, he went to inquire, and met the Mandi's chief eunuch, who had been Zigada's own eunuch. He confirmed the story. The Mandi left one hundred and forty-five wives— amongst whom were many members of Zigada's own former harem, and a European girl named Klein, daughter of a tailor murdered in Khartoum. Khalifa Abu Laik took the command on the Mandi's death.