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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1898)
TTTR ( TM-ATTA T > ATT/V TVF/Es TTTTIISDAY. SEPTEMBER 15 , 1808 , THE NEGRO AS A SOLDIER , How Ee Carrier Himself in Barracks and on the lield , DESERVED TRIBUTES TO BRAVE MEN S ] > linill < l Conduct of the Colored Trooim nt the HnttlcM of 121 Cnncj- ntitl San Jiinii Testimony of Artur "Men. There has been hitherto among the officers of the army a certain prejudice against nerving In the negro rcclments. Dut the other day a lieutenant In the Ninth Infan try said to a Now York Tribune reporter : "Do you know , I shouldn't want any thing better than to have a company In a negro regiment ? I am from Virginia nnd have always had the usual feeling about commanding colored troops. Uut after Bee * ing that charge of the Twenty-fourth up the San Juan hill I should llko the best In the world to have a negro company. They went up that Incline yelling and shouting just as I used to hear them when they j wore hunting rabbits In Virginia. The Spanish bullets only made them wilder to roach the trenches. " Officers of other regiments which were near the Twenty-fourth on July 1 arc equally strong In their pralso of the no- grocs. Their jells \vcro on Inspiration to their white comrades and spread dismay among tbo Spaniards. A captain In a volunteer regiment declares that the Twen ty-fourth did more than any other to win tbo day at Son Juan. An they charged up through the wlilto soldiers their en thusiasm was spread and the entire line fought the better for their cheers and their wild rush. Spanish testimony to the effectiveness of tbo colored troops Is not lacking , continues the Tribune. Thus an officer who was with the troops that lay in wait for the Americans at La Quaslna on Juno 24 said : "What especially terrified our men was the bugo American negroes. Wo saw their big black faces through the underbrush , nnd they looked llko devils. They came forward under our flro as If they didn't the least care about it. " TinClinrne lit ni Cniioy. It was tbo Tenth cavalry that had this effect on tho' Spaniards. At San Juan the h > f , Ninth cavalry distinguished itself , its com mander , Lieutenant Colonel Hamilton , being killed. The fourth of the negro regiments , the Twenty-fifth Infantry , played an espe cially brilliant part In tbo battle of El Canoy on July 1. It was held in reserve with the rest of Colonel Miles' brigade , but waft ordered to support General Lawton's brigade toward the middle of the day. At that .hour marching was an ordeal , but the men went off at a fast pace. With almost no rest they kept in until they got Into nctlon. The other troops bad been fighting hard for hours and tbo arrival of the Twenty-fifth was a blessing. The negroes went right ahead through the tired ranks of their comrades. Their charge up the hill , which waa surmounted by Spanish ride pits end a stone fort , has been told. It was the work of only ft part of the regiment , the men coming chiefly from thre'o companies. Colonel Miles had intended tobavo his uholo brigade maka the final charge , but the Twenty-fifth didn't wait for orders. It was thcro to take that hill , and take the lilll It did. Ono of the Spanish officers captured there Boomed to think that tbo Americans were taking an unfair advantage of them in hav ing colored men who fought like that. Ho had been accustomed ( o the negroes In the insurgent army , and a different lot they are from those in the United States army. "Why , " he said , ruefully , "oven your ne groes flght better than any other troops I ever saw. " The way the negroes charged up the El Cancy and San Juan hills suggested inevi tably that their African nature had not been entirely eliminated by generations of civili zation , but was bursting forth in savage yells and In that wild rush. Some of them wcro fairly frantic with the delight of bat tle. And it was no mere crazlncss. They nre excellent marksmen , nnd they aimed carefully and well. Woo to the Spaniard who showed himself above the trenches when the colored regiment was In good range. llurily ( o nmlurr. In the entire Santiago campaign the four negro regiments showed themselves of the greatest value. The men endured the hard- Fhlps and the labors with the greatest forti tude. They withstood the effects of the heat admirably , as was to bo expected. They were cheerful under all kinds of trials and privations. Their powers of physical en- diiranco were remarkable. Altogether , they fully Justified every expectation of those who believe that the negro makes a first- class soldier. Of course , battle Is only a small part ) of a Eolillcr's life ; In peace the colored regi ments are as admirable as In war. The men are a picked lot and represent the best of theirrace. . It Is no wonder that their huge frames struck terror Into the hearts of the Spaniards. In a platoon of one com pany of I'be Tvscnty-flfth Infantry only three men are appreciably under six feet tall. The other twenty-seven range In height from n trifle under six feet to six feet four Inches. Compared with the rather under sized Spaniards , such men were giants. They arc nearly all educated. Since the present regulations governing enlistment liavo been In force no Illiterate men have been accepted. There remain a few sol diers whose scrvlco Is older than the law who cannot read or write , but that class Is dying out. Indeed , some who never had any schooling bavo roamed to sign their names to the ray rolls BO as not to be shamed by their more enlightened follows. The signa ture Is a mechanical copy of the pattern which somebody wrote ; It is made with a deal of pains , but the soldier receives his money in the proud belief that every ono believes ho can read and write. H Northerner * Chiefly. Most , of the recruits of the Twenty-fourth nnd Twenty-fifth Infantry and the Ninth nnd Tenth cavalry arc from the central nnd New England states. Many come from Massachusetts , New York , Pennsylvania , Ohio n nil Illinois , some big fellows from Tennessee and Kentucky. Southern negroes are not so likely to bo educated as those from the north ; they know less of the world , and are less likely to learn the ad vantages of army life. The fact that the men rome so largely from the north led to certain troubles in Florida before the Fifth army corps sailed for Cuba. Having been stationed in the northwest , where their race subjected them to no great In convenience , the men of the Tenth cavalry resented the restrictions placed on them In Lakeland. There was some rioting In con sequence of their being unable to buy arti cles In shops patronized by whllo men. It Is not pretended that the negro soldiers are Sunday school saints , but , in general , they are quite as amenable to discipline as any other men. In the ordinary routine of post llfo they are even more tractable than white soldiers. Many of them have b en accustomed to obey , and do It readily and cheerfully. A man In another regiment may have been wealthy and have employed serv ants himself ; at any rate , the Instinct of obedience Is not so strongly developed lu lilm as In his dark-skinned fellow. The coed nature of the negro soldier Is remarkable. Ho Is always fond of a Joke : and never too tired to enjoy one. OfQcers have wondered to sea a whole company of I them , at the close of a long practice march nnJo with heavy baggage , chasing a rab bit which some ono may have started. They will . run for several hundred yards , whoopIng - Ing and yelling and laughing , and comeback back to camp feeling as If they had bad lots of fun. The whltn soldier , oven If not tired , would never sec any Joke In running after a rabbit. To the colored- man the diversion Is n delight. Ilia Kind Heart. In caring for the sick the negro's tender heartedness Is conspicuous. On one of the transports loaded with rick men a white Foldler asked to be helped to his bunk be low. No one of his color stirred , but two negro convalescents at once went to his assistance. When volunteers were called for to cook for the sick only negroes re sponded. They are pleased to bo of serv ice to their officers. If the captain's child Is 111 every man In the company Is solicitous ; half of them want to act as nurse. They feel honored to be hired to look after an officer's horse nnd clothing. The "striker , " as ho Is called , soon cets to look on him self as a part of his master ; It is not "cap tain has been ordered away , " but "we have been ordered away. " Every concern of h'ls employer about which he knows Interests htm and a Blight to his superior la vastly more of an offense than If offered to him self. Indeed , If the army know how well officers of the colored regiments are looked . after by their men thcro would be less dis inclination to servo In such commands. After years with a negro company officers find It difficult to get along with white soldiers. They must bo much moru careful to avoid hurting sensibilities and must do without many little services to which they have been accustomed. Apparently , the negro Is equally available for Infantry or cavalry. The mounled branch Involves art that the other does , and much more besides. In would seem that the simpler arm of the service would bo better suited for the colored men , but they show great aptitude for the care and riding ot horses. They feel the full significance of their uniforms , and are ambitious for pro motion. A negro drlllmastcr with a squad of recruits Is about as proud a human being as the earth affords. The mere brass but tons and whtto and yellow stripes appeal strongly to htm. A promotion to bo cor poral or sergeant is highly prized. The suggestion has been made that at a reward for their fine showing the ncgroca should have an opportunity to become com missioned officers second lieutenants , If nothing more. Some Brat sergeants are capable of commanding a company , but the number Is probably rare. Then there ore other objections. Such officers could not associate , wlth their men without detriment to discipline , the whlDo officers would not admit them to companionship. For another thing , they could hardly exact obedience , Their former companions would not look on them as they would on a white officer , and there would bo friction. However , It Is likely that most enlisted men are content to have a first sergeantcy the limit of their ambition. STOPS A STAMPEDE. Cnvnlry Home * Check Their Bind Iltmh lu Aniwcr to IJuelc Cnlli. A stampede of 800 cavalry horses through the streets ot San Antonio last week caused a panic and sent the blood of frontiersmen jumping through their veins as It has not jumped since the days when Texas was a republic , according to the New York Sun The mounta of the First Toxoa cavalry broke away from a corral at Fort Sam Houston , on Government hill , about three uii'- ' ir f > 'utao , Some of the horses hail been In the service for years , but the majority of them were "cow ponies" that hail never been drilled. Across tbo parade ground they dashed , following a dun mare with Mowing mano. Two cavalrymen at tempted to round up the herd. On went the flying steeds across the parade and into the drill ground they galloped , when suddenly there came from the direction of the officers' houses a bugle call. Chargers which had often responded to this call Insensibly slack ened their speed. Again rang out a call. The dun mare and one-third ot the stampeded horses continued their flight whllo the other two-thirds turned squarely ai right augl.-H. The buglrr repeated "columiiH right , " and tbo two-thirds again turned a right angles nnd galloped back in the dlrec tlon from which they came. Once moro the builo rang out. The plunging mass took form and steadied its gall. Again the bug ! sounded. The battalion broke the gallop , went Into a trot , and wheeled Into the parade ground. The bugler sounded "halt , " and thai part of the stampede was over. But the dun pony and her followers from the ranges continued their mad fllgh through the streets of San Antonio. Every thing movable in the way of the horse ; was overturned and demolished. Pedestrian : fled in every direction , whllo many carriage horses joined the horses of the plains. Ovc the bridge flew the wild steeds. One hors tlas'acd its head against a telegraph pole , am the dun mare lost a fo'lovor. Another' forelegs weut through a basement hole in the sidewalk , and the unfortunate horse wa,1 quickly trampled to death. A saloon was reached and one of the cow ponies was forced through Us doors by the pushing horses a : they continued. A railroad train came rush Ing along. With a bound the dun mar cleared the track In front of the locomotive , but several ot her companions were hurlc to death in au endeavor to follow. The hoi sen dlv'ded , only to como togcthe : agatu when the tri.ln clashed by , and re sumed their flight toward the prairies. Ou Into the mesqulte and sagebrush the dun mare led them , and soon ri.thlng was seen bu' a cloud of dust. The trail of tbo stampede was as plain as the path of a cyclono. No lives wcri lost , but proper ! } " damage was very heavy , Squads of cavalrymen starled out and sue cceilcd In roping all but thirty of the cov ponies. American and European expositions hav awarded premiums to Cook's Imperial Cham pagne for Its excellent qualities. CHANGED THE EAGLE'S EGGS. nird of Freedom Hutched Oat Chick eiiN mid Couldn't Hiiderntnnd It. Mrs. Wilson , who lives on the Norwa : Drive , within a mlle or more of Bar Har < bor , Me. , has lately had a peculiar cxperl enco with a white-headed eagle. Mrs. Wll eon , whose husband owns a small farm , j an enterprising little woman , and during j j tbo last few months has been earning for j herself pin money by raising chickens for ! the Bar Harbor market. Not long ago she ; | , had a brood of about a dozen chickens , and ono after another they began to disappear , i until finally only four or five remained. Mrs. ' Wilson laid the cause of their going to some Intruding fox , skunk or hawk ; but ono evening when the had gone Into the yard to feed her scattered flock she saw a big eagle In the act of carrying away ono of her brood. Then she knew who the thief was i and at. once beean to devise some plan to ] get even with the pilfering bird. The next morning she went into the neigh boring wood , and after a most persistent search she succeeded In finding the eagle's nest in the top of a big pine tree. She told her husband about It , and they went to the nest , where they found two eggs , upon which Mri. Eajln was sitting. Mrs. Wilson put the eggs In her apron and carried them home , Then she took two of the eggs upon which one of her bens had been sitting and placed them In the eagle's nest. Mrs. Wilson and her husband visited the nest frequently , watching tbo results. Ono day last week they went to the nest to ) gether and found the mother eagle sitting upon the edge of her neat In a brown study , and she did not offer to fly away until Mr. Wilson dislodged her with a big stone. The eagle eeemed quite bewildered and behaved very strangely. And no Bender , for when Mr. Wilson bad climbed the tree and peeped Into the nest he beheld two young chickens. These being of Mrs. Wilson's favorite breed , i she carried them home , and Intends to rtlje > them for the fall market , If the eagle does not como some night and claim them as her ? own. i When you call for tieWitt's Witch Ha7 * Salve , the great pile cure , don't accept any- thing else. Don't be talked into accepting a substitute , for piles , for sores , for bruises. PENNED IN BUFFALO WALLOW Bat Masterson's ' Story of the Bravo Deeds of a Frontiersman. , IFE RISKED TO SAVE A SOLDIER ilnrrclotiK Heroism of Anton Clinitiiinn [ In n Ucupcrntc Iliittlc with In dian * In the Southwciit Peril of the Scout * . Mr. Bat Masterson ot Denver , a gentleman - . man with considerable experience ot flght- ' ng men , remarked the other day that ho { new of no parallel to the heroism of Amos Chapman , To flght Indians was bad enough , " Mr. , lasterson said to a correspondent ot the > | S'ew York Sun , "but to bo corralled by j 1 hem In a buffalo wallow , and held thcro by hem , and water up to your neck that Is h 1 with the lid off. "I know Chapman quite well. Ho had been on the frontier a long time. He was rom the cast. Ho had hunted buffalo , raded with Indians , fought with them In 868 , and finally married a Cheyenne. Ho I , was not more than 30 years old , tough , sure ' hot , a good Interpreter , fearless rider and as brave a man as could be. I "It was In September , 1874 , that General Miles' command was camped on the Red river , In the Texas panhandle , where It had 'allowed ' the retreating Indians , or rather ho main body of them. Prairie Dop Dave and I were selected as the two scouts to carry dispatches from General Miles to I i | Major Compton , whoso command was ocalcd on McClelland creek , about seventy- five miles to the north. Some of the dls- patches were really intended for Camp Supply , In the Indian Territory , still further north , but our Instrucllons were simply to deliver them lo Major Compton. Dave nnd I hoped to be Bent on to Camp Supply with them , for wo needed some new and warmer clothes , as It was beginning to bo cold nights. "We were not clad In buckskin nnd beads , ] as scouts are usually pictured. Our cloth- ng simply consisted ot a pair of cheap j overalls , calico shirt , soft hats and a pair i of boots. Wo had lived In them all summer , and thought It about tlmo to change them. Wo reached Compton's camp without in cident , and cursed our luck when wo rc- celved return dispatches to Miles , while ours | wcra turned over to Billy Dlxon and Amos ! > Chapman to take to Camp Supply. Later when wo learned what they went through ( wo look It all back. It was known that there was a maraud- Ing band of red devils somewhere in the vicinity , but , like the Irishman's flea , it was a difficult matter to put a linger ou them. They might be in one spot one day and fifty miles or more away the next. It was considered best to send a sergeant and five- soldiers with the scouts for greater security , and , as was customary , they took an unbeaten , trail to their detlnatlon. i Attacked ! > > IIoMtllcM. Now it happened that this roving band of reds , numbering fully 300 warriors , had been laying a five days' siege to Jack Calla- han's twenty-five Blx-mule government sup ply train in the sand hllfa of the Wachlta river. The train was bringing supplies from Camp Supply down to General Miles. It was surprised at this bad place for a flght and was forced to go Into corral. This Is done by punting two wagons together In A shape , stringing the rest down the sides , and closing them up at the other end V way. "Tho mules and horses are kept compar atively Bafo In the inclosure made by the wagons , whllo the teamsters and soldiers get what protection they can from behind the wheels or by digging rltteplls beneath the wagons. There they can shoot with lit tle danger of being hit. Such a corral can stand off an army of Indians untlF the water gives out. The Indians attacked the train for flvo days , killing ono lieutenant , two soldiers and some of the animals. Their loss was heavy. Soldiers ot Company K , SlxCh cavalry , Captain Klngsbury , from Camp Supply , had appeared upon tbo scene , driven off the Chcycnnes and relieved the besieged. "Chapman nnd Dlxon , with their little escort cert , had crossed the Wachlta , some three or four miles below where the pack train had been held up , but , of course , knew nothing of Its presence or that of the In dians. On a rolling pralrlo country such as they were in It Is a difficult matter to see . any great distance on account of the knolls and hollows. They were coming out of a small draw or canyon , when suddenly they espied the savages , who were almost di rectly upon them. There was but ono thing to do , and that was to got out on the open prairie , where there would bo a chance to fight. Temporary protection would bo afforded by getting behind things In the canyon , but It would only bo n matter of a short time when they would bo surrounded and shot at from all directions. As expe rienced men , they knew this. A dash was made for the prairie , and they reached It In a shower of shot. IB Is Impossible to shoot well from the back of a rapidly moving horse. In the WnlltMv. "It was the plan to find a buffalo wallow , lie as flat as possible In It , and shoot until dead. Before such a place was found the scouts and toldlcrs dismounted , so as to shoot better and keep the Indians from getting too close before Ihoy could got Into cover. A couple of dead Indians will stop 100 live ones from coming too near. Ono soldier held the bridal reins of the horses while the rest ot the men retreated behind them and shot at the advancing hast. The In dians likewise dismounted , so that they could also shoot better nnd not be such good targets. It may seem strange that such a largo body of Indians would not make Just one charge and overwhelm the white men by force of numbers , but that Is not the Indian way. They will not toke a risk If they can help It. They will not trade anywhere near even with the white man when llfo Is at stake , "Before a Buffalo wallow could bo found the soldier holding the horses was shot and J killed and the animals stampeded. Then j there was a race for llfo to the nearest bole. I Some thirty feet from one another soldier | I was shot , but not killed. Ho lay there and yelled In the agony of fear and pain. " 'Don't let them scalp me , boys ! For God's sake , don't let them get me ! ' he shrieked. The rest had safely got into the wallow. "It was with this appeal ringing In bis ears that Amos Chapman , without a word to his mates , hut just a yell , 'I'm coming , ' sprang up out of the wallow , his six-shooter ' in hand , ran to the wounded man , seized and j sought to drag him back , The Indians fired j a volley at htm and make a rush toward him. I don't know how many shots were fired at Chapman , but the only place ho was j 1 hit was below the left knee. The bone was shattered to splinters. Some of the bullets hit the dying soldier and hastened his end. 1 Chapman's leg gave way under him like a piece of rubber , but he never weakened , or let go. Reaching ahead with bis good leg , and with the knee of the left , he dragged the soldier along with bis left hand , piece by piece , firing his gun with his right. Iteiculnir n Wounded Soldier. "The men In the wallow kept up a fusillade and the Indians were held back. Painfully but persistently Chapman dragged himself and the man along. Sometimes he sought ) to rise , hoping that the leg nould hold , but K doubled under him. It did not uke many minutes for ell this to happen. Chapman and the wounded soldier reached < the hole , where the fatter died In a little while. ! Now , tt that Isn't an example of heroic bravery , then I don't know what Is. heOi Ono might criticise his Judgment , but not Oihi his bravery. Ho could not and would not see that soldier slaughtered and scalped , and put ! his own life In peril to prevent It. . . Had he been killed , the lives of all It.th the others would have been placed In stllf greater jeopardy by the loss of a defender , but thoto things were not thought of. There btw was but one Idea , and the Instant It wan conceived it was put Into execution. Dlxon would have done the same thing had not Chapman been quicker. When I think ot such things today I believe that men llko Chapman should have a monument. Ho got a cork leg from the government and a second lieutenant's pension when he re tired. "I cannot go Into the details ot the un even flght that followed , for I was not there , and only know the story from whao Dlxon nnd Chapman afterward told me. The ordinary buffalo wallow , which Is made . by buffaloes rolling nnd wallowing around In the soft earth , Is about a dozen feet in . diameter , and perhaps t\\o or three feet deep. The men cut away the dirt from around . the edge with their knives , and threw the loose material up In front. This afforded greater protection , as only the head was exposed , and then only when firing , which had to be kept up. "Thoy stood off that big band of cowards all that day , and It must have been some thing awful. The shooting on the part of . , the ' Indians was almost continuous , for there were a lot of them , nnd they had plenty of ammunition , as they captured a lot on the horses. Three moro of the soldiers ' wcro killed , the sergeant was shot twice , and , In fact , the only ono to escape with a whole skin was Bill Dlxou. "Just to illustrate \\hat curs Indians are , . . they . Just camped around that buffalo wal low J , hiding behind their horses , shooting , \\hllo : ! some of them yelled in English to Chapman to como out nnd flcht. Just ; ; think . , they wanted him to stand up and bo shot nt by the 300. They were anxious J5 to kill him particularly , for he had married one of their squaws and was against them. Terrors of a Stormy "That nlcbt there was a terrible rain storm , which filled the wallow to the brim with water. The wounded men had to keep their heads above water so as not to drown , and they had to keep their guns and ammunition dry and bo constantly on the watch for an attack. I need not dwell upon the horrors of that night and of tbo sufferings of these men , who rested their bodies upon these of the dead ones below , and sat through the long hours In the water , thick with the blood that oozed from their wounds and from the remains of their companions. It must have been a fearful experience. "As Dlxon was the only ono uninjured , he crawled out of the wallow durlug the worst of the storm and started south toward Major Compton's command for help. Ho had no trouble in passing the Indians , for they were Intent upon protccllng themselves from the downpour. Indians do not llko water. Dlxon traveled fully thirty miles on foot that night In the drenching rain and as day broke he took refuge In a clump of wild plum bushes. During tbo forenoon ho saw a body of horsemen In the distance , but It was some time before ho assured himself that it was a party of soldiers out scouting. Ho fired his gun and attracted their attention. "Tho party nt once started back to the rescue , but some precaution bad to bo taken. Dlxou , with remarkable Instinct , brought them back to within n few rods of the wallow , but It was dusk , and there was danger ot being mistaken for Indians , who , by the way , had cleared out for reasons known to themselves/1 It was some time before Chapman could he convinced that It was Dlxon calling him and not the Indians , who had tried to lure him out by talking English. "All that day the men had been In torture and still they were a long way from the hospital. Chapman rode scvcnty-flvo miles on horseback to Camp Supply , where the leg was amputated below the knee. Ho was out In a month , but always had to mount his horse afterward with his right leg , ns the Indians do. He and Ben Clark escorted Dull Knife's band of Cheycnnes down from the Dakotaa to the Indian reser vation lu 1877. Chapman Is living with the Indians now nnd Billy Dlxon has a ranch at the old 'Doby Walls.1 " Tim GHEAT "STAKED PLAINS. " Vimt ClinnuPX "Wroimht Durlnff the I'n t Sixteen Yearn The vast changes that have been made- out on the great "Staked plains" the last six teen years nro phenomenal. That largo ex panse of unbroken pralrlo derived Its narno from the Mexicans and Indians , who called It "Llano Estacado" long before the advent of tbo Americans. The scarcity of water during the summer months rendered It a dangerous matter to attempt the Journey across thorn , and it is known that many car- avanu of Mexicans in early days making their way from the Rio Grande river into New Mexico perished among their Bandy wastes. For many years after the country on ever } ' sldo had been in a measure settled up , relates > the Globe-Democrat , the plains wcro looked upon as a sort of forbidden re gion , 'tho epitome of everything that was Inhospitable - hospitable In nature nnd totally useless for supplying any of the wants of man. Those adventurous individuals who ventured far Into Its dangerous depths reported It a trce- loss , silent waste , without a sign of life , except - cept 'tho buzzards that circled high In the heavens or the coyote that hurried across the trail and disappeared like a flash among the sagebrush and tall grass that lined the banks of the dry arroyos. Hugo whirlwinds would appear to block the way for a time and then hurry off , as if disturbed by the presence of men inthose grim solitudes. In the early morning wreaths of dust went spinning around bcforo tbo breeze , as it some dosent sands had arisen nnd had Just begun to envelop the great expanse. The last case known of anyone perishing on the plains was in 1800 , when two Amerl- cans nnd ono Mexican , a sheepherder , at tempted to make their way from Pccos City to Amarlllo In midsummer , and , being poorly provisioned with water and losing the trail as well , soon died of thirst , as did their horses. A peculiar feature of this accident was that , although the- coyotes and buzzards had picked the bones of tbo Americans clean , the body of the Mexican bad baked and dried in the sun and was practically intact , owing to the fact that the diet of the Mexicans on the border Is always com posed In great part of chile and red pepper , substances apparently not appreciated by either the buzzards or the coyotes. Since that day no other fatality that is known has occurred on the plains. The progressive rancher and cattleman has year by year en croached on this vast area , sinking wells , running wire fences and rearing a better breed of stock than Is to be seen today any where In Texas. Water Is found from twenty to 100 feet , nnd In abundance. The attitude of the "Staked Plains" district In- I.sures the health of the stock the year around , and fever , anthrax or blackleg are seldom heard of In that region. Such great cattle magnates as Colonel Slaughter of Dallas , John Scharbauer of Fort Worth , C. C. Goodnight of Midland , and many others ot equal note , are now heavily Interested In tfcb once forbidden territory. I.oeomollvK Holler Ilxplodev. KANSAS CITY , Sept. 14. A special to the Star from Ottawa , Kan. , saya the engine on freight train No. 30 , out of Emporla , on tbo Santa Ft , was blown up near Quenemo , a few miles west of hero , today. Fireman J. J. Murray was killed instantly. Head Brakeman Ben Wclit and Engineer Tom Grady were both Injured. Grady will get I well , but thereIs not much hopa lor Weist. ) Omaha Bee Special Excursion to Transmississippi Exposition VIA THE B. & M. R. R. September 21st , 1898. Marvelously Low Rates Limit , Five Days- * . Secures your hotel accommodations Admits you to the Exposition Takes you through the Midway All for one price , The midway is the place where you have the fun at the Exposi tion. But it costs a lot of money to see the different shows , We have picked out ten of the best Midway attractions , The Cream of the Midway 1 Hagenbcak's Trained Wild Annimals. 6 The Bombardment of Matanzae. 2 The Chinese Village and Chinese Theatre 7 The German Village , 3 Pabst on the Midway. 8 The Scenic Railway and Battle of Manila. 4 The Streets of Cairo and Theatre. 9 Shooting the Chutes. 5 The Flying Lady. 10 The Palace of Mysteries. This offer is for Bee Subscribers Only. If you are not a subscriber , Subscribe at once. For information address Exposition Excursion Department , Omaha Bee , Omaha. SUCCESSOR OF THE PROPHET Leader of the Dervishes Eoutad by the British at Khartoum. HOT CHIEFTAIN OF DESERT TRIBES Itecollectlong of the Denth of Gordon Strntejjlc Importance nnd Coin- mnrclnl I'omllillltlc * of the Conquered With the fall of Khartoum Us sur render to General Sir Herbert Kitchener the Khalifa Abullah's power will bo practically overthrown and Kordofan and the Soudan restored to the rule of Egypt. A point of great strategic Importance and of vast commercial posolbllltles fall to tbo British In the capture of Khartoum , rel- ports the St. Louis Republic. Seated at the confluence of the Dluo Nllo and the White Nile , the city Is the natural center of Soudanese trade. It Is shaped like the head of an elephant , from -which It derives Ha name. In the old days It was very beauti ful , with white walls nnd domes and minarets , gleaming through green palm groves , and , notwithstanding the devasta tion wrought by the Khalifa's followers , It doubtless retains its natural beauty to this day. day.Khartoum Khartoum has bad an eventful history since 1SS2. In that year Rnouf Pacha was sent to the Soudan as the representative of the Khedive of Egypt , to strengthen the hand of the monarch in this far away dominion. News was beginning to arrive then of a certain dcrvlsH wandering In tbo Soudan who was drawing all the natives to him , and especially those Arabs who lived by the slave trade , which Qeasl Pacha of the Egyptian army had been extirpating. This dervish , Mohammed Ahmad , by name , could turn , It waa said , all hostile bullets Into water , and had , In truth , once I i and again defeated Egyptian troops sent ( o | arrest him. Then , becoming bolder , the pretender openly called himself the Mabdl , a name derived from a word in the open ing chapter of the Koran , or Mohammedan bible. He shortly afterwards started to lay siege to El Obeld. A Kordofan Arab of th desert type , tbo appearance of "El Mahdl" was strangely fascinating. Ho was a man of strong- con stitution , very dark complexion and his face always wore a pleasant smile , to which he had by long practice accustomed him self. Under Ibis sinllo gleamed a set of singularly white teeth , and between the two upper middle ones was a V-shaped space which In the Soudan is considered a sign of good luck. Ills mode of conversation also had by training become exceptionally pleasant and sweet. I'reteniilonH of the Mnntrr. As a messenger of God he pretended to be In direct communication with the Deity. AH orders which he gave were supposed tto have come to him by Inspiration , and It' 1 became therefore a sin to refuse to obey ' them. Disobedience to the Mahdl's orders was tantamount , in a word , to resistance to ! the will of Qed , and therefore was punish I able by death. He called himself Mahdl Khallfal Er Rasul ( "the successor of the propheD ) , while I his adherents called him Sayld ( "the mas ter" ) and Sayld Na El Mahdl ( "our master , the leader" ) . This troublesome and extraordinary per son , with no wtspoca or military science to speak of , but plenty ot ferocious foriorr- er , principally of the Daggara race , marched through the towns and villages of Kordofan , and with 30,000 men besieged El Obeld and took fbo town after ono repulse , cruelly murdering Us native defenders , ' whose last days had been sustained upon tree gum and the food laid up in the nests of white ants. That conquest Increased the name and fame of the mahdl , who settled down llko a king at El Obeld , whllo preparing for a further advance to Khartoum. Dy this time he had Inflamed with his preaching and success the whole Soudanese country , except that corner where the city of Khartoum sits upon the Junction of the White and Dluo Nile. Before ho coufj master the central posi tion he had Co confront the expedition under Hicks Pacha , sent by the Egyptian governt mcnt to arrest his march. Everybody knows the miserable Issue. The mahdl cut tbo force to pieces , so that hardly a man ca- capcd , and by this victor } ' gained almost the entire Soudan and opened the way to the conquest of Khartoum. Darfur fell ; Slatln Bey surrendered , and after the terrible butchering of Dlrket , the mahdl was looked upon as divine. Tbo : Arabs declared they had Been the angels of God fighting on his side , and the water in I which he washed himself was sold in the bazaar as a precious antidote against all sorts of disease. The Fate of Gordon. At tbo beginning of 1884 Gordon arrived at Khartoum , a solitary and helpless man , sent out to perform an Impossibility. From this palnco In the city the lonely dreamer offered the mahdl all the Western Soudan as his own territory , with the recognized rank of sultan. In bitter reply the mabdl sent him back a complete set ot dervish garments. Then the victorious fanatic and pious jjlavo dealer set out for Khartoum , where the hapless people , deceived by the hope of English help , had lingered to sea Gordon. No notice was taken of that hero's procla mations to the Soudanese. Very soon a horde numbering 200,000 swarmed at the heels ot the mahdt Into Omdurman and the outskirts of Khartoum. This was In Octo ber , 18S4. The low Nile left a part of the ramparts broken and Indefensible. The vast mass of assailing dervishes made thereby their rush , In two bands , just bcforo the British re- llcvlng force came In sight of the whlto walls and green palm groves of the city. How Gordon died at his hopeless post Is thus related : "Ono party dashed along the parapet , breaking down all resistance and slaughter ing the eoldlcrs In all directions , tbo other party made for the town. The Inhabitants , aroused from their sleep by the shouts of the Arabs and the din of rifle shots , hur ried out. "Uke a pent up stream suddenly released more than CO,000 wild dervishes with blileous yells rushed upon the 40,000 Inhabitants of Khartoum , besides the E.OOO soldiers all that were left of the 9,000 at the commence ment of the siege. "Tho surging mass throw Itself on the palace , overflowed into the lovely garden and burst through the doors In wild search for their prey , but Gordon went alone to meet them. As they rushed up the stairs he carao toward them nnd tried to speak to them , but they could not or would not listen , and the first Arab plunged his huge spear Into his body. Ho fell forward on his face and was dragged down the stairs , many stubbing him with their spears , and bis head was cut off and sent to the Madhl. "On Gordon's head being brought to the Mahdl he appeared to have been much dls- pleased at bis death , not berause he felt pity for him , but ho believed that Gordon might join bis army. Gordon's bead was hung on a tree In Omdurman and the wild multitude rejoiced In heaping curses on It and Insulting it. " Intoxicated 1 > > " Victory. This undoubted triumph Intoxicated his followers with faith , but demoralized the Mahdl. Ho took to unbridled luxury , and died of its consequences Juno 22 , 18S5. The desert ascetic whose bed baa been a mat of straw expired upon Persian carpets la all the splendor and state of a great east ern prince , having founded In his brief career an' empire built on the basis of j slavery and reckless bloodshed. Bcforo death ho had himself nominated Abdullah as his successor , who thus Inherited a dominion stretching from the Bahr-El- Ghazal to Egypt , and from Darfur to the Ked sea. The new tyrant began with very great Ideas. Ho proclaimed that bo would con quer all Egypt , as well as Abyssinia. Put ting all laws on one side , ho made him self absolute master over llfo and death in t the Soudan , and oven the valor of King \ John and his Abyssinlans could not eland j against the ardor of the dervishes. With the death of < tbo original Mahdl tbcro befell a split In tholr ranks , but they j wuro united enough nevertheless to go down tha Nile as far as Koioako and to send iu- Rultlng letters to Queen Victoria , to the sultan ot Turkey and to the khedlve. At this time K was General Grcnfel , who. In the cause of Egypt , stopped the Invasion ot that country. The battle of Toskl , August 3 , ISS'J ' , avenced the cruel fnto of Hicks Pasha ; but for several years Osman Dlgna harassed and besieged Suakln , while El Tel ) and Tnmal wcro fought in vain , and all that fair and fertile region south of Berber was abandoned to the tyranny of the Baggaras , under the second Mahdl. With tbo adhesion of the numerous and warlike tribes of the Baggara the Khalifa Abdullah has kept down all other local races under his own fierce will , as well as keep ing nllvo tbo spell of the name of the first Mahdl , within whoso tomb ho was often wont to lock himself up , spending the dark ness In pretended communion with his mu ter. ter.In In Eome districts half the people are dead , In others the loss of llfo Is even greater. ' Whole tribes have been blotted out , and In their places roam the wild beasts , spread ing and Increasing In fierceness and in num , bers , until they bid fair to finish the de struction of the human race , for they enter ' huts , and women and children are no longer safe. safe.Tho I The Anglo-Egyptian army Is divided Into six brigades , two of them being British ' and four of them being composed ot native soldiers under British officers. The whole force numbers about 25,000 men , ot which , 10,000 ore British troops and 15,000 Egyptian troops , all perfectly equipped. The llrnt Heinuily for I < 'lnx. Mr. John Mathlas , a well known stock dealer of I'ulankl , Ky. , says : "After suffer ing for over a week with flux , and my phy sician having failed to relieve mo , I was advised to tiy Chaml'crlaln's ' Colic , Cholera and Diarrhoea Hcmody , and have the pleas ure ot stating that the half of ono bottle cured me. " Wenturn Union Knrulujri. NEW YOUK , Sept. 14. The quarterly re port Issued today by the Western Union TplTrnt'h cortina" * p ow * lhD't rrvrmics of that company for the quarter ended Jun 30 last to have been. $1,677,262. Tbo not 30 next , based upon nearly complete returns for July , partial returns for August and estimating the business tor September , will be about jl , 050,000. In view of this showing tbo comrnltteo has recommended the adop tion by the board of a resolution calling for tbo declaration of a dividend of IVi per cent , payable October 15 next to Block- holders of record. Reported Denth Unfounded. WICHITA. Sept. H. A Newklrk , Okl. , special to tbo Deacon says Elour M. Wet- more , ono of Hooeovelt's Rough Illdere , has just been heard from for the first time since the battle of Santiago , In which bo was reported killed. The Knights of Pythian lodge at Newklrk wired President McKlnley about him , and today received word that h Is in the hospital III , but convalescing. To Mve Well nnd Ilnpjillr - Use "Garland" Stoves and Ilancc *
