A FORGOTTEN MAHDI.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5885, 24 July 1884, Page 3

A FORGOTTEN MAHDI.

TWe promises before long to be a complete literature on the subject of Mahdis, and M. G-agniere, the historian, is reconstructing for his part the history of a forgotten Mahdi from the town archives of Turin and the Pretender's own family papers. The story of the renegade Sheikh Ogan-0010 is hardly more interesting from the light which it throws on the credulous enthusiasm of Mahommedanism than as illustrating the importance of unreasoning fanaticism as a political force. In the year 1785, at the beginning of the sacred month Baraadan, an unknown pilgrim appeared m a remote village of Kurdistan, wearing the green, turban of the Prophet's house. From his commanding stature* hie asceticism, and his impenetrable reserve, he soon became the object of superstitious reverence among the villagers. Not till the end of the month did he break silence, and then he suddenly proclaimed himself in the bazaar to be a Mahdi sent from Heaven, and denounced the doom of unbelievers on all who disobeyed him. He announced himself to be the regenerator of Islam, and the appointed deposer ol ft False Caliph, -while he formulated hia reforms in twenty-four articles. The whole district followed him, and the first feeble resistance of a Turkish official wae at once suppressed. From Kurdistan, with an army continally swollen with new converts, the Mahdi drew westwards into Asia Minor. The garrison of Erzeroum attempted a defence, bat the populace was already caught with the fever of the new gospel. The walls were etormed and the defenders put to the sword. Other towns threw open their gates, or shared the same fate, and before" two years the Mahdi was almost within sight of Smyrna. Seriously alarmed, the Forte, which had at first attempted half-hearted measures, now despatched envoy after envoy to treat. The first was cut down in the Prophet , 8 presence for questioning his mission. A fourth was more successful. What were the arguments which prevailed is not on record,butperhapstheMahdi'sfuture career sheds some light on the subject. He turned back from Smyrna, and led the faithful on a new crusade against the Busaians in the Caucasus. The Sussian General Aprazis who advanced to meet him was overthrown, and the range passed. But the clans, like Highlanders, had little stomach for expeditions into strange lands. Four years of fighting told seriously against the Mahdi, the charm of his success was broken, and doubts were whispered about his mission. At last in a supreme effort he was crushed by the united efforts of Aprazis and Potemkin. The Empress Catherine was generous to her captured foe. He was assigned a pension and imprisoned in an Armenian Catholic convent. Once more his mouth became closed, and he gave himself up to the asceticism and devotions. Bat two years before the close of the century he was seized with a sudden sickness, and hurriedly demanded writing materials. His papers were examined after his death, and transmitted to his family. The Sheikh Ogan-0010 sigaed himself Fr. Giovanni Battista de Beadicatori. The history of the Mahdi who went far to execute a plan which floated before the imagination of Napoleon himself, is briefly this. The son of a Turin notary, Giovanni was driven from home by the tyranny of a step-mother. He wandered about South' Germany for a time as a sort of Caglioetro, and as he successfully combined the character of Don Juan with that of a charlatan he was bought off by the friends of a fond but foolish widow in Strasburg for a handsome sum. This he seems to have speedily consumed in rietoua living in Italy, and, finding his credit gene, he entered the Deminican College at Bavenna. In a few years the exemplary conduct of the new brother and his assidnous study of Arabic encouraged his superiors to send him out as a ! missionary to Asia Minor. Before very long, however, he quarrelled ; with the Bishop of Bagdad in partibus infideliuni,aXL& was expelled the Order. A_c- | cording to his own story, S3 he wrote it in his last hours, he then spent several years wandering about Asia Minor learning the language of the different district*, and studying the fortifications of the different towns. At la3t, thinking the time to pnt his fortunes to the test was ripe, he ac- j ; sumed the green turban, appeared in Knr- , distan as the Sheikh Ogan-0010, the Mahdi sent from heaven. i