Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 1896)
A CAPTIVE PASHA. TpiTvm.n Treatment of ah Ex plorer by African Mahdists. The Prisoner Was Loaded Down with Chain Which He Was Compelled to Wear for Eight Months Gen. Gordon's Death. " . I was kept for eight months in chains by the mahdi. The chains were of the thickness of my wrist, one round my neck aud two about my arms and legs. In addition to this, I was 9ed to a pole like a dog1 or a bear. This treatment ' did not begin immediately upon my capture. The mahdists never, of coarse, treated me very cordially, but considering their fanaticism toward all unbelievers, I had really not very much to complain of before I was cast into ' chains. To the mahdists, all non mahdists are infidels, whether Moham medan, Christian, Jews, or anything else, and all infidels are de :med worthy only to be slain. I was taken in the mahdf s suite to Khartum, and when - we arrived at the walls the mahdi J T 1 don calling upon him to surrender. Accordingly I wrote a letter in Ger man, which no one in the mahdi's camp could control in any way, and it was duly dispatched. No answer, however, was returned, and from that, as well i as from other indications, the mahdi m- concluded that I had not carried out his wishes. Therefore he cast me into chains. . nor tne next eignt montns 1 was very badly treated. The chains were so heavy that I could scarcely rise up at all. When we moved from place to place I was put on to a donkey, and two men walked by my side to prop me up. The object of this was to prevent my escaping1 into Khartum, which they suspected I intended to da When Khartum fell, the mahdists found certain documents which they considered incriminating, so they in creased my irons and their severity toward me. Within an hour of Gor- don's death his - head was brought to me in my prison wrapped up in a doth which they unfolded before me. I had no difficulty in recognizing it at once. For some reason or other they had t- taken it into their heads that I was Gordons nephew,' and no "amount of arguing could disabuse them of that ; notion. They thought they recognized a likeness, and they kept repeating that we both had fair hair and blue eyes, as if that . were conclusive. Alter au, one European seems very like another to them, just as one negro seems like another tons. I heard full details of Gordon's death' afterward. - wiuua ueieuueu juisriam as well as f J 1 . M J 5 T-l . ' if was possible for him to do under the circumstances. I think Gordon might nave escaped from Khartum, had he wished to do so, at the last moment. He was killed on the top of the steps of the palace during the first rush of the invaders.. One of the- foremost men plunged a spear into his bodv; he was araggea aown the steps in a wild tumult, and pierced through and throuirh bv countless sneara. : ' For three months my diet consisted only of various kirfds of corn, chiefly T I ill ptt Ytrtr lppnnn1 hut In it. h.wl . n cngestiDie. state. Alter ward x was given beans and a kind of polenta. They would no doubt have killed me. but that they considered me too valua ble a prisoner. I had been governor general of the province of Darfur. and : it added 'to their prestiee -to take me about with them to make use of the influence I possessed in the district. I suffered a good deal in health during my confinement, being attacked by fever and - dysentery. No one made any attempt at nursing me, or pro vided me with any remedies. I had to lie on the bare ground with a stone for my pillow, and was afforded no comfort or relaxation of any kind. was released a couple of months or so before the mahdi died, but the strictest watch was kept over me. " On tne death oi tne madbi 1 was made one of the khalifa's bodyguard, which meant that I was nracticallv nl ways under ms eye. i usea generally to be stationed outside his door, and was liable to be called in to do his bidding' at any moment. Of the two, I preferred the mad hi to the khalifa. Until he threw me into chains, the mahdi was comparatively amiable to me. He was a man of some education, knew how to read and 4 write, and possessed an intimate ac quaintance with the Mohammedan re ligioD. The khalifa has not the reli gious prestige of his pedecessor, and is alienating-many of his supporters-by an attempt to found a dynasty. This he has no earthly right to do, either by law or tradition. Before his son could Bucceed him, other khalifas. - ap pointed by the late mahdi would have a prior claim. Very strict rules are in Vorce against either drinking spir fVaous liquors or smoking tobacco. Nor do the mahdists use opium or hash'ush for one reason, because they are not-, procurable. Anyone caught smoking tobacco is liable to a punish ment of one hundred lashes, and the confiscation of all his property. In spite of that, there are still a good many persons who venture to do it secretly. All these regulations are simply a cloak for the most monstrous immorality. The khalifa has a harem of four hundred or , five hundred women, and devotes a large part of his time to its amenities. The khalifa maintains his influence by tyranny and despotism, and the in habitants other than his own tribe look forward, anxiously, to the time when Egypt will once again claim her lost provinces. But that is not a project to be undertaken too lightly, and when we do set about it we must be sure that we are able to carry it out to a successful issue. Slatin Pasha, in London Saturday Eeview. Great w York Editor--"What Joes this mean? Why was my editorial en the decadence of journalism left over?" Trembling Assistant "Please, sir, so much room was taken -up by the 'How to Kat fornert Tieef Hash. sym posium." Ciuoiiiiiati Enpiirer. SNOW MADNESS. Awful Effect of the Beautiful Upon Peo ple Way Down Sooth. Any person who haslived in countries where snow is an ordinary circumstance and condition of the winter season must, if he had witnessed the extraordi nary behavior of the people of New Or leans in the snowstorm, have been thoroughly astonished, says the New Orleans Picayune. The falling of the feathery flakes seemed to have operated on the people like wine, and from the highest to the lowest, young and old, grave and gay, the dignified and the comical, reveled in the unwonted conditions and fell to pelting each other with snowballs as if they had been a gang of schoolboys. The result of this midwinter mad ness was that every person who passed ilong the streets was unmercifully pelted, and in many cases no considera tion was shown to age, sex or condition. There were men who were posted at street corners with magazines of snow balls ready to fall upon the unwary passenger, whether on foot or in vehi cles. Many of these balls had been dipped in water and compressed until they were solid lumps of ice, and when they struck a victim about the head and face inflicted severe injury. One gentleman who was passing on Gravier street, near the Citizens' bank, got a blow in the eye which may cost his sight, and many others were knocked down and otherwise injured. Glasses in windows of houses, of street cars and of private carriages were broken by the volleys of balls and nobody was safe from attack. The people afflicted with this snow madness, although many were respect able citizens, did not seem to realize that they were violating private rights ; or disturbing the peace, or, if they did. they were too intent on making the most of an opportunity which occurs only at long intervals to pelt all com ers without fear of punishment', to care. In countries where snow is common,lirolicn hns strength, agility and every winter there are ethics of snow balling, just as well as of any other sport or business. There the fun is only indulged in between friends and acquaintances who consent to li Denies ( taken, while to strike a stranger or an j unwilling person with a snowball is as much an assault as would be striking with a stone. Of course some allow ance must be made here for the ex traordinary excitement caused by so rare an occurrence as a snowfall, but even the maddest of the revelers ought to understand that a ball of ice or one mixed with mud, lumps of coal and oyster shells is capable of inflicting a serious wound upon the head and face, and the deliberate use of such missiles is more like an act of malice than sport. BANANAS IN A BLIZZARD. Combination Which Excited the Rlalblll ' ttee of Some Mfreet Railway Men. ' Two Italians were trudging down the street-car tracks under the $outh bide elevated road in Chicago during the blizzard the other day. Great clouds of snow were swept by them by the wind, so .that half the tune they were invisible or "-only dimly outlined two block away. -The tracks were covered faster than, the sweepers, could clear . them and the cars had a time of it in getting along. Each Italian had a huge basket of bananas on his head, protected from the unfriendly - elements by a - piece of oilcloth, and trudged along in the teeth of the blast as serenely as if he were un der the skies of Italy, and the howling northwester was a summer zephyr from summer seas. An employe of .the street car compa ny, a strapping trig fellow with seven league boots on, faced about for a mo ment to let his back stand the brunt of the storm for awhile, and in doing so caught sight of the two banana mer chants. Immediately his half-frozen features relaxed into a broad grin. and. turning to the other men who were at work with him. he shouted: "Say, boys! look at them Eyetalians with their banans. I guess we ain't got no kick eomin. " All the men joined in the laugh, and after a few moments returned to their work much relieved by this little di version. Would Be More Land Than Water. If old ocean's waters were lowered three miles more than half its great depth would be taken away. All the jjltrtlb aris, SUVil a lilir .umuciiaucaiii the Caribbean, and those of the China coast, would vanish or be reduced to small baisins inclosed within a rim separating them from the shrunken field of waters. The lands, after a sub sidence of two miles, would rather ex ceed the ocean in area; with a subsid dence of three they would occupy more than two-thirds of the earth's surface. The seas which would remain would - form, not a connected ocean of consid erable size, but separate basins, the largest gathered around the south pole. A Spring; That Runs I'p Hill. One of the few instances of a stream running up hill can be found in White county, Ga., says the. Cincinnati En quirer. . Near the top of a mountain is a spring, evidently a siphon, and the water rushes from it with sufficient force to carry it up the side of a very steep hill for nearly half a mile. Reach ing the crest, the water flows on to the east, and eventually finds its way into the Atlantic ocean. Of course, it is of the same nature as a geyser, but the spectacle of a stream of water flowing up a steep incline can probably be found nowhere else in the country, and appears even more remarkable than the geysers of the Yellowstone. Pearls for the Poor. By the will of the late Caroline, duchess of Montrose, the amount realized by the gem of her casket of jewels the wonderful . neckl ace of over three hundred pearls is to be devoted to the relief of the East end poor. As the necklace realized no less than eleven thousand five hundred pounds sterling I hope the money will be wisely expended. One coiiici do a great deal of good with eleven thou sand five hundred pounds sterling, but one could also dp a great deal of harm with such a sum, and create quite a small army of paupers with it. PONY PENNING. A Favorite Sport of the People of Chlncoteaffue Island. IIow Hundreds of the Little Animals Are Rounded l-p and Captured by the Hen and Boys A Gala Occasion. Chincoteague and Assateague have had their hundredth annual pony pen ning. Chincoteague is a small island in the Allantic close to the shore of Ac comack county, Va. Assateaue is a long, narrow peninsula lying outside of Chincoteague and protecting it from the assaults of the Atlantic. Chin coteague is a glittering little island, brilliant with sand and salt water, densely peopled, well wooded and haunted by mocking birds. There is neither poverty nor crime there, drunk enness is almost unknown, and doors are always unlocked. It is the boast of Chincoteague that no slave ever lived upon its soil, and that the island re mained true to the union throughout the war. There are no better sailors anywhere than the people of Chin coteague, and there are no stancher little boats than the Chincoteague ca noe with double leg-of-mutton sails. Nobody knows positively the origin of the Chincoteague ponies. It is only known that they have roamed the marshy pastures of the islands for at toast a century, and there is a tradition that the ancestors of the ponies came n.shoie from a wrecked ship in the eighteenth century. These, doubtless, were full grown horses, and the Chin coteague pony of to-day is a degener- ate, through droughts in summer and j exposure in the open pastures through long winters. But degenerate as he is, the Chincoteague pony is a flue, hardy, and often beauti ful animal, with strength out of nronortion to his size. and. when well .peed. He is from ten to twelve hands high and from six to eight hundred pounds in weight. From two hundred and fifty to four hundred of these little creatures roam the island pastures. jhere are. perhaps, half as many on the lower end of Assateague. A stallion leads upon the pastures a group of from ten to twenty-five marcs aud colts. The leader is on the con stant lookout for danecr. and at his snort his whole polygamous family take to their heels. The ponies are really far from wild, and one may easily ap proach within fifty or twenty yards of a group at pasture. The older stallions become fierce and quarrelsome, and have to be removed from the pastures from time to time, lest they should de stroy one another or the younger staV lions. They are all excellent swimmers and when the pastures become bare on Chincoteague they frequently swim to the neighboring islets, where the salt grass is still green. It is not uncoro man to see from the top of Assateague light a crroup of horses bathing in the surf. The colts are born and nurtured in the open pastures, and the annual pony penning is for the double purpose of branding these colts and selling some of the older horses. Pony-penning day is still a fete day on Chincoteague. The pen for the horses is built near the center of the village, and on the morning of the pony penning men and boys mounted on swift and well-broken ponies ride out to the pastures to drive in the wild creatures. The groups of pomes are slowly driven together on the pasture and then started townward. As the pen is neared the guards thicken, so that the whole band is easily driven into the mclosure. Branding irons are heated; men with rope nooses on the end of long poles leap into the pens. The colts are thrown to the ground and held there while the iron is applied, The branding done, the auction fol lows. Unbroken horses fetch from twentv-five to forty dollars each. Oth ers, broken to harness, fetch as high as sixty dollars. ell-mntcheu pairs sometimes fetch one hundred and fifty dollars. The ponies have long lcen the pets of children of well-to-do fain Hies on the mainland, and of lute years have been sold over large part of the United States. They are lnrirer than r Shetland ponies and more beautiful. . Y. Press. DIFFERENT KINDS OF GIRLS How They May Be DUIInituUhrd by the Young Men of the rrrlod. It has occurred to me. says a writer in London Truth, to compile a "Guide to Girls," for the use of young men who are beginners in society. To give some idea of the scope of that work, I sub mit the following extracts: "Not exactly pretty, but such a good daughter" Plain beyond description. and as tenacious as a barnacle. To be scrupulously avoided. "Knows everyone and goes every where. Middle-aged and unprepos sessing; has been hawked about for years. Not only knows everybody, but knows more than they do themselves. "So clever" Clear eyes, high fore head, masterful. Talks pretentiously upon pretentious subjects. "Very artistic" Untidy, unwhole some, unkempt; voice which sounds as if it had come from her boots. Too much "soul" and too much "body." To be well shaken before taken. "So good-natured" Chatters unceas ingly: agrees with everybody. Looks stupid and amiable, but is shrewd and selfish. -An neiress imperious and super cilious; forehead generally shiny. Needs a fortune and more to make her not only presentable but bearable. "Writes" Affects a far-away, preoc cupied air; dresses curiously, and talks riskily. Depreciates the work of others, and by inference magnifies the excellence of .her own. -Has nothing more original in her than original sin "Sings beautifully" Bursting with trills and trolls; with the slightest en couragement wouia set to singing, even in the middle of a dinner. Hov ers hungrily around the piano. To be taken in homeopathic doses. HIGH PRICES FOR HORSES. The Horseless Ago Is Evidently Very Far Dlstnnt Still. When a puir of registered Hackney mares sells in harness ut public auction for 1,000 guineas it is somewhat diffi cult to conjure up a vision of "the horseless age." "The passing of the horse" that phrase which now so rhythmically glides from the daily press is not without its real signifi cance. It means that the horse is pass ing old marks as to time on the track and price in the market place. His royal highness the prince of Wales caused a selection of Hackney brood marcs and fillies and hacks and harness horses to be sold from his Bandring ham stud July 11, and fifty-three head made an average of $050. Thirty-one Hackneys made an average of SC05 aud twenty-two hacl s and harness horses averaged $(5C0. Included in this last average are the Hackney mares which In harness brought $5,000. These were the 4-year-olds Bay of Ancona (5,004), by Aconeus 2d, and . Viola (0.27$), by our own Cadet. The purchaser was Wil liam Waldorf Astor. Red Ruin, hy Cadet, and Kit-Cat, by Vigorous, brought $1,750, the next highest priee for a pair. Thoroughbred, Arab, Cleve land Buy and Hackney stallions sired the harness horses, and the Hackney progeny led considerably in the sell ing. Among the Hackney breeding stock the highest price was 82,000 for the Confidence marc Jessy, which fell to Sir Walter Gil bey; but Cadeau. by Cadet, was hard after this figure, with a bid of 1 1,750 from Lord Durham. Seven of the mares and fillies each brought 11.000 or upward, while only ten sold for less than (500. Col. North, the "nitrate king," was the heaviest purchaser, although Mr. Astor bought five, including the highest-priced pair. WEAPONS INDIANS FEAR. They Don't IJke to Face Telescopic Sights and Heavy Bullets. "Indians sometimes face light fire arms with great courage, but they fight shy of the attentions of any weapon that sends a large projectile," said Col. F. A. Blake, who has had wide experi ence on the western plains. "The rush and scream of the heavy bullets fright ens them, and they prefer to keep away from their range. To that not unrea sonable prejudice is due the fact that the buffalo hunters of the early "70s, who in following their business were constantly exposed to the attacks of hostile Indians, were molested com paratively little by them. The long, heavy rifle, with its telescopic sights and the knowledge of the deadly cer tainty of the buffalo hunter's aim, al most invariably served to make the red man keep his distance, and set him tem porarily free from the notion of scalp hunting. "One buffalo hunter by the name of M unlock, that I knew, was creeping upon a herd on the Staked Plain when he spied a band of Comanches riding toward him. He instantly leveled his gun upon them as a warning that they should not approach too near. Check ing his warriors, the chief of the hand pointed with his hand to a buffalo in the distant herd, then mentioned in the Indian language that the hunter should shoot it, Murdock fired as the chief in dicated and the buffalo fell. The In dians gave a loud 'How of approval, waived their hands, turned their ponies and swept on past the hunter, leaving him to pursue his shooting of the buf falo unmolested." Lobsters Milked by Eela. Capt, Asbury Adams, who has been connected with the United States fish commission for a numU-r of years, and has had a large experience in hatching oeep-sea fish at Ten Pound island and Woods Hole, gave a talk on fish hatch ing U-fore the Business Men's associa tion the other evening, says a Glouces ter (Mass.) dispatch to the Boston Her ald, lie said t hat last year t he work of hatching lobster rggx was lx'gun at Ten Pound island, and one hundred million young lobsters were hatched and liberated. He said he had seen eels suck eggs from lobsters in an aquarium and he had lceoine convinced that the greater part of lobster spawn is de bt rbyed in this manner. NEVER TOO LATE TO MEND the bad habits and early vices of young men and their dis astrous consequen ces. Young" men and old men, those who suffer from nervous debility and exhaustion, the wasting away of the vital strength and power from hidden drains or intemper ate habits can readi ly find relief for body and mind by writing the World's Dispensary Medical Associa tion, of Buffalo, N. Y. They employ a full staff of physicians and Specialists, who treat at a distance by correspondence or at the Invalids' Hotel and Surgical Institute of Buffalo, all this class of diseases. Those who suffer from low spirits, irritable temper, a " broken-down ", nervous sys tem, and such distressing symptoms as backache, dizziness, shooting pains in head or chest and indigestion, sexual excesses or abuses, all the result of exhausting dis eases or drains upon the system, will find a permanent cure after taking the special prescriptions sent them from the Invalids' Hotel and Surgical Institute. This associa tion of medical men have prepared a book, written in plain but chaste language, treat ing of the nature, symptoms and curability, by home treatment, of such diseases. The World's Dispensary Medical Association, Proprietors of the Invalids' Hotel and Sur gical Institute, Buffalo, N. Y., will, on re ceipt of this notice, with 10 cents (in stamps for postage) mail, sealed in plain envelope, a copy of this useful book. It should be read by every young man, parent and guar dian in the land. The Key to the Situation if you suffer from Sick or Bil ious Headache, Constipation, Indigestion, Bilious Attacks, or any derangement of the stomach, liver and bowels is Dr. Picrce'a Pleasant Pellets. Mildly and gentlv. but thoroughly and ef- Ufcctively, they cleanse, renovate find rpoiilnte th entire avRtpm One little "Pellet" for a gentls laxative three for a cathartic. They're purely vege table and perfectly harmless : these tiuy, angar-coaled granules of Dr. Pierce. ffoir SENT POSTPAID IN EXCHANGE FOB 100 COUPONS, OR. IT VOW PREFER, FOE 2 COUPONS AND $1.00 IN CASH. The watch Is nickel, rood timekeeper, quick stem wind and set. You will nod one coupon inside each 2 ounce bag and two coupons inside each 4 ounce bag of BLACHWELL'S GENUINE DURHAM TOBACCO. Send coupons with nam and address to BLACKWELL'3 DURHAM TOBACCO CO., Durham, N. C Buy a bag of this Celebrated Smoking Tobacco, and read the coupon, which gives a list of other premiums and how to get them. 2 CENT 8TAMPS P. fr n NVWNfKMl A 52 for Infants and Children, OTHERS, Do You Know that Paregoric, Bateman's Drops, Godfrey's Cordial, many ao-called Soothing- Syrups, and M most remedies for children are composed of opium or morphine? 1H Vera Know that opium and morphine are stupefying narcotic poisons? Be Yon Know that in moat countries druggist are not permitted tosell narcotics without labeling them poisons ? Bo Yon Know that you should not permit any medicine to be gin your child unless you or your phyxkian know of what it is composed t TX Yen Know that Castoria is a purely vegetable preparation, and that a list of its ingredients is pubiisncd with every bottle ? IX Yon Know that Castoria is the prescription of the famous Dr. Samuel Pitcher. That it has been in nse for nearly thirty years, and that more Castoria is now sold than of all other remedies for children combined ? Do Yon Know that the Patent Office Department of the United States. aad of other countries, have issued exclusive right to Dr. Pitcher and his assigns to use the word CMtorla " and its formula, and that to imitate them is a state prison offense? Io Von Know that one of the reasons for framing- this government protection was because Castoria bad been provrn to be absoltxtely hatnilleaaT Po Von Know that 35 average doses of Castoria are furnished for S cestui, or one cent a dote? To Yon Know that when poscessed of this perfect preparation, your children may be kept well, and that you may have unbroken rest ? Well, these thinsrw are worth knowing. They are facts. The ffntc-oltss Igrnsitnre Children Cry for L H, CONTRACTOR JOBBING OF . . - . AH work guaranteed hm-class. nil kind of work Hills ol l-fMIIEKot .li kinds filled on short notice. Sash. Doors and Mill work ot al ainritt any tuin in the shape of wcod work can be had on short notice. !Medford, j Union Liiveiy Stables C. HINGUS & SON, Proprietors, Successor to ED. WORMAN. ... Having latelv purchased this popular stable and stocked it with" new rigs, safe and fast teams I am now prepared ' to meet the wants of the traveling public in a satisfactory manner. ? " , CORNER SEVENTH AND B, MEDFORD, OREU0X. THE VERY BEST OF BRICK AND MASON WORK. S. CHILDERS, mW$ HAOt OR aub IPIJL I manufacture a splendid article ol Brick see- samples everywhere about the city. Yard one block north f Brewery. Residence north 0 street, Medford, Oregon. MEDFORD BRICK a. W. PRIDDY, IProp'r. MEDFORD. - - - OREGON. First-class quality of Brick always promptly filled. . . BRICK WORK OF ALL KINDS PROMPTLY EXECUTED. Give me a call when in need of anything in my line Legal Blanks at o o o ACCEPTED. o "OOOOO - Pitcher's Castoria LY0H and T3TTTTjD"ETL ALL K1ITSTDS. w-k . r ! nans ana estimates iurnisnea or either brick or wood. Oregon YARD, on hand. Large and small ...... The Mail Office