A Gruesome Story

Southland Times, Issue 14287, 2 March 1899, Page 4

A Gruesome Story

Bat no justification whatever exists for the butchery of unarmed or manifestly helpless men lying wounded on the ground. This certainly took place after the battle of Omdurman. Dervishes who lay with shattered, legs or arms, absolutely without weapons, were bayoneted and shot without mercy. This unsoldierly work was not even left to the exclusive control of the black troops ; our own British soldiers took part in it. At one place, on the western slopes of Surgham, I noticed a fine old Dervish with a grey beard, who, disabled by a wound in his leg, had sank down on the ground about eight yards behind his son, a boy of seventeen, whose right leg had also been lacerated by a bullet. Neither the father uor the son had any weapons at all, yet a H’ghlander stepped out of the ranks and drove his bayonet through the old man’s chest. The victim of this needless brutality begged in vain for mercy, and clutched the so’dier’s bayonet, reddening his hands with his own blood in a futule attempt to prevent a second thrust. No effort was made by any comrade or officer to prevent this gratuitous bit of butchery, nor, of course, could any officer have interfered very well, if the soldier —as was said to be the case—was only acting in accordance with the wishes of the general in command. Ou the other hand, lam certain that many officers heartily disliked the slaughter of the wounded, and would have forbidden it, if left to their own initiative. . . , As the soldier above-mentioned was drivitg his Lee-Metford bayonet through the old man’s body, the son raised himself and gazed with dilated eyes on the cold-blooded butchery of his father. He clasped his hands together in suppliant fashion, expecting, no doubt, the same treatment. Two soldiers from another battalion gave some biscuit and water to the boy, who, to show his gratitude, offered them his blue and white gibbeh. No attempt was made, either on the day of the battle or next day, to do anything for the wounded Dervishes. Thousands of these, who had feigned death or else escaped it by having fallen well out of the line of our advance, were left lying on the desert without food or surgical help—and, worst of al), without water. To lie for two days without water in the heat of a Soudan August is bad enough, but when the natural thirst is augmented by the fever which invariably accompanies gunshot wounds, the torture must be terrible. On September 4th, a number of British soldiers were sent out to count the dead, and they carried with them water for the wounded. This somewhat belated generosity helped to alleviate the misery of several hundred Dervishes who were found to be still alive, but no attempt, I believe, was made to afford them surgical assistance, or to convey them to & place of ■' shelter.—Mr Ernest N. Bennett, in Contemporary Review.