AN ENGLISH EXECUTION IN EGYPT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3530, 31 October 1882, Page 4

AN ENGLISH EXECUTION IN EGYPT.

A correspondent of the New York Herald says : —Aa I was driving to the Eas-el-Tin Palace, I met Major French of tho Eoyal marines, and about thirty Egyptian policemen, each with a blue ribbon tied about the left arm as a sign of loyalty to the Khedive. Behind these policemen were three Egyptians handcuffed and being led along by ropes tied around their necks. They wore nothing but long blue gowns —the galibich — and the middle Egyptian strongly resembled Barrabas as represented in the OberAmrnergan Passion Play. Behind the three Egyptians was a carriage containing a physician — Dr. Londonski — and three attendants. I told the driver of my carriage to follow the procession in order to see an Egyptian execution, and also to see how the Arab population of Alexandria would behave when they saw one of their brethren shot by Egyptian soldiers at the dictation of an English subaltern. The procession passed through all the streets of Alexandria, and before we had proceeded a quarter of a mile we were followed by about six hundred Arabs. In this ' Rue dcs Sceurs' —where the- famous massacre of Europeans commenced last month, and where the principle malefactor at the head ef the procession was proved by tho Mixed Police Tribunal to have murdered at least thre Europeans —we made a short halt. Proceeding again to the ' Place de Consver,' and marching through the 'Rue do Eamish,' we passed through the Eastern Gate and arrived at Pompey's Pillar, where another short halt was made. We then marched through, the email Arab village of Carmoos,

and arriving at a hollow among the Roman catacombs we found a newly made grave. The principle malefactor —the man who resembled Barrabas, was then blindfolded and forced to stand at the end of the grave that had been dug for him. At the English subaltern's direction five Egyptian gendermes advanced to within ten paces of the man condemned to death. The other two criminals, who had been convicted of stealing, were made to stand facing the grave and so that they could best appreciate the example that was about to be offered them. The five Egyptian gendarmes levelled their Remington rifles at the man sentenced to death. But at the command ' Fire !' from their sergeant the hammers of their rifles simply clicked upon the cartridges, which turned out to be damp and useless. After a delay of five minutes, which must have seemed five hours to the malefactor — new cartridges were obtained, and the five gendarmes again levelled their rifles—but with the same result. The cartridges turned out to be spoiled. New cartridges were then distributed. The command ' Fire !' wa3 a third time given. And for the third time there was only a click in the pan, and the wretched malefactor still stood at the head of his grave trembling with suspense. New cartridges were then obtained from the magazine—about a mile distant —and now for the fourth time the five gendarmes advanced, aimed their rifles at the unfortunate devil, and, at the command, 'Fire !' a rattling report was heard, and the convict fell into his grave. The doctor stepped forward and found that he had only been hit by two bullets—one tearing through his cheek, and the other making a hole in his leg. The man was now pulled out of his grave and pi-opped up so that he could be again be shot at. In the meantime be begged and implored for some one to come and run a bayonet through his heart. The five Egyptain gendarmes, however, again advanced, this time to within about eight paces of their target, and for the fifth time the command was given to fire. The result of this fusilade was that he was riddled with bullets, not one of which, however, had struck him in a vital spot, and the man was still writhing in the dust, covered with streams of blood. The sergeant of gendarmes then came forward, put the muzzle of a rifle to the poor wretch's ear, pulled the trigget and the cartridge happening to be a good one, the man's head was blown to pieces. Just as the remains of the convict were being buried a man quite near me shouted in Arabic, ' Now is the time to kill more Christian's !' Looking around me I found that besides three English officers, a few newspaper correspondents and some dozen European spectators, the whole assembly, of perhaps a thousand persons were all Arabs. There was no English posts within the distance of half a mile. A young employee of the Eastern Telegi'aph Company promptly collared the Arab who had uttered the dangerous cry and the gendarmes took him in charge, and, together with the two thieves who had been brought out witness the execution, he was handcuffed and marched to the police station in Alexandria.