A HORRIBLE STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6099, 4 June 1881, Page 7

A HORRIBLE STORY.

Cairo has recently been plunged into,profound consternation by..the discovery;'of an appalling crime—or rather series'of perpetrated- in that city by a religious recluse, Shiekh Haumda Burda, hitherto enjoying a high reputation for sanctity, and even popularly credited '.s'ith supernatural powers of extraordinary efficaciousness in the way of curing,female, patients ; by lioly spells, imparted to. him by the prophet.' Women were wont tp make pilgrimages from all parts of Lower Egypt to the house of this supposed saint, in order to solicit his intercession with Allah on their behalf. A few weeks ago the wife of an Egyptian officer betook herself to the.Shiekh's residence for: this purpose. When,' however) several hours had elapsed without anything have been reen or heard of her since she entered Hamuda's doors, her' husband applied to the Cairo police for assistance to discover her whereabouts, and a rigid, search was forthwith instituted 'in the holy man's domicile. To the horror of the unfortunate.officer, his wife's body was found, with several other female corpses, thrust into a huge cistern standing in the Shiekh's garden. This cistern, in fa.ct, was brimful of murdered women. Hamuda Burda," arrested on the spot and conveyed to prison, subsequently confessed to the, Cadi that it had been his practice for some time past, whenever consulted by a female possessed of rich' jewels or other, portable property of value, to invite his visitor to take a turn with' him in his garden, where lie would then proceed to strangle her, despoil her remains and fling them into the cistern.; Egyptian justice has ■probably by this time made an, example of this saintly personage by hanging him up in front of his own house door.—London Telegraph. ; • ■ : ■