Obituary.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11789, 6 April 1900, Page 2

Obituary.

Cnited Press Association.— By Electric Telegraph. — Copyripht. Received April 5, 10.20 a.m. London, April 5. — Obituary : Osman Pasha, the hero of the siege of Plevna. [It is not a little strange that immediately following the death of Archibald Forbes, one of avliosc greatest feats as a Avar correspondent Avas tho description of the assaults upon Plevna and the final surrender of the toAvn, should come the ncAvs of the decease of the hero of that siege. Marshal Osman Nubia Pasha Avas born in Asia Minor in 1832. After a few years spent in Lha Constantinopolitan Military Collego he Avas attached to the staff of Omar Pasha, Avith Avhom ho Avont through the Crimean War. In 1860, 1867 and 1874 ho Avas actiA r e in tho rebellions in Syria, Crete, and Yemen. In 1875 ho Avas tho Gcticr.il charged to encounter the Servian army at Widdin, beating it on several occasions so completely as to bovpromotcd as Marshal. When the Russians came to the forefront to replace the Avarlike but imperfectly organised rebels, Marshall Osman, still commanding at Widdin, went Avith a huge battery to defend the Danube crossing at Sistova, Avhich he Avas unable to do. Forced to fortify Plevna, and hold it as a coA r er to the Sultan's capital he offered a stubborn resistance. BetAvecn Sept. 7th and 13th (1877) the Russians Avere repulsed Avith ailoss of 18,000 men out of 135,000 employed in tho assault. They, howcA-cr, obliged Osman Digtia to surrender on December 10th. In 142 days tho assailants had lost 40,000 men and the defenders 30,000, the latter having to surrender 400 guns and 40,000 prisoners. Osmau Digna was himself seriously Avoundcd.]