THE FATE OF GENERAL GORDON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3281, 2 April 1885, Page 3

THE FATE OF GENERAL GORDON.

The last sad 3cene of the Biege of Khartoum is thus described by the various newspaper correspondents. The Daily News correspondent at Gakdul, telegraphing on Fub. Bth says : — Natives who escaped describe Gordon a3 having been killed m coming out of his house to rally his faithful troops, who were taken by surprise. They were cut down to a man. For hours the best part of the town was the scene of n mei'ciless massacre. Even the women and children were not spared. All the notables except the treacherous Pashas and their followers, were put to the sword. All this seemed too probable from the first, when Sir Charles Wilson with his steamers went up us far as Tuti, and saw beyond the trees that the island and the streets of Khartoum and plains outside were crowded with dervishes with flaunting banners, and no friendly sign was given from the palace or Egyptian ensign was flying anywhere. Had Gordon been > holding the fortified monastery, as some ! averred, he would certainly have fired some shots as a signal- to the steamers. Gordon's other boats and nuggars were seen lying beside the banks on the Omdurman side, which was occupied by rebels. Kashim Elmoos, Gordon's most trusted officer, was true to the last, but doubts were entertained of the fidelity of Abdul Ahmed, the second m command, and he justified these by deserting. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent, m a long telegram dated Abu Kruh, near Metammeh, February 9th, gives some further particulars. He says that it appears on the best authority that the fall of the ill-fated city was due entirely to the treachery of Faragh Pasha, who commanded General Gordon's Soudani troops. It is alleged that General Gordon had always mistrusted this man, treason having been proved against him on a previous occasion, m respect of which he was condemned to death ; but yielding to Faragh's reiterated prayers for pardon arid professions of devotion, forgave him. For many months Faragh's conduct was above suspicion ; but it is thought that fearing on the arrival of the English punishment would overtake him, he entered into negotiations with the Mahdi, and on the 26ch of January he opened the gates of the city to the Mahdi's troops. Upon hearing the unwonted commofciou caused by the irruption of the False Prophet's troops into the streets of Khartoum, Gordon, rushing out of the palace to ascertain the cause, was slain upon the threshold. A Eeuter's telegram from Korti says that according to a messenger from Colonel Boscawen "one of tho treacherous pashas marched the Khartoum garrison to the Omdurman side of the city, telling them that an attack of the Mahdi's troops was expected there. Meanwhile the other pasha opened the gates of Khartoum, allowing the rebels to enter. The messenger adds that General Gordon was stabbed while leaving the Government House." The Daily Chronicle's correspondent, describing the scene which followed Goidon's death, says : — " The Mahdi's troops — the wild hunters of Kovdofan and those Cossacks of the Soudan the Baggare Horsemen — rushed m swelling hordes into the devoted city, and the word was given to slay. A massacre of indescribable ferocity followed. Those who had remained faithful to the gallant Englishman who had 3tood between them and the knife so long, regardless of age or sex, were ruthlessly butchered. The women, for the most part, were murdered m cold blood, and little children were spitted on the Arab spear 3 m pure wantonness. All those relatives of the faithful five hundred under Nursi Pasha, who met and assisted us at Gubat, shared the general fate. From the accounts of an eye- witness who boarded Sir Charles Wilson's steamer on the return voyage from Khartoum it would appear that " for an entire day the streets of the city ran with blood," but allowing for Oriental exaggeration, there can be no doubt that the scene of carnage which followed the entry of the Mahdi's fierce warriors into the city which had defied them so long was one of unparalleled horror since the days of Tamerlane. The bulk of the troops, however, willingly joined the Mahdi and his chiefs, speedily organised a complete system of defence for the city, throwing up outlying redoubts arranged on a sound military principle, and commanding the approaches of the city from all points. Into these outlying fortifications immense numbers of marksmen have been thrown, together with vast quantities of arms, cartridges, and shells. If all this be as described, and the Mahdi be well supplied with provisions, the taking of Khartoum will be a most wearisome and arduous task, and will have to be conducted on those principles which govern the conduct of sieges m European warfare. The Manchester Evening Mail says it learns on unquestionable authority that General Gordon told a Devonshire friend before leaving for the Soudan that he had all his life been affected by sentiment, and that never, even iv the worst times m China, had he the least expectation of being killed ; but on this occasion he had a distinct presentiment that he should never return from Khartoum, and he actually distributed a few trinkets as mementoes.