SENSATIONAL CHARGE BY JOHN BRIGHT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume v, Issue 1533, 15 April 1887, Page 3

SENSATIONAL CHARGE BY JOHN BRIGHT

Speaking at the West minister Friends' Meotlng-houae, St Martiu's-lane, latoly, Mr Bright, m the couree of a long speech on the evil of war, made the following statement: — *■ I heard a Btory the other day whioh 1 know to bo true. I am not able to give the name of the officer who told it, Ido not know what would happen to him. He would not bo able to go up the ladder any more if it was known ," but it waa stated, and it ia true, that after one of the battles— l think that battle was called Abu Klea. m which some persons whose names are well known were killed on the English side— that m the evening, after the battle was over, this gentleman heard ehota and some noise which Burprised him. He did not know what was going on, but when he made inquiry he found that the English soldiers were going about the field of battle, after the ht t blood was gone and the battle was over, and they were bayoneting and Bhooting tbe poor Arab soldiers lying wounded upon the field, (Cries of ' Shame,' ane hisses.) Wby, these people have all got a chaplain with them. (Laughter.) They ure Buppoßed to have religious service at least once a week if they are not fighting on that day. (Renewed laughter.) And yet theae borrows are perpetrated, and men come home and they are put Into the House of Lords and are granted a large sum of money, and you ace m the newspapers whole columns of persons on whom promotions and decorations of one kind or aii other have been conferred, and we go along enjoying thete occasional pieces of rapine wbich M. Pelletau spoke of m the French Chamber. And Ido not know but we ii) ay be on the point of d. lag it almost any day." Ln consequence of the above startling statement bo positively made by Mr Bight, a representative of the Pall Mali Gazette waited upon Ljrd Wolseley, aa the peraon moat likely to be acquainted with every detail of the management of our forces during the Egyptian campaign. Lord Wolaeley read the paragraph with indignation, and anthorlses the cuoßt emphatic contradiction to Mr Bright's statements. " I was not, of couree," Lord Wolaeley added, "present myaelf upon that occasion, but I am perfectly certain, Bret, that such practices could not have taken place without aome report of it reaching me at some time ; and, Becond, that the statement is m direct and flagrun contradiction to the uuiveraal tendency of our men which ia to run even unwise risk m doing friendly services to wounded enemies After the battle of Tel-e!-Kohir more than one soldier waa treacherovaly killed and an officer wai dangerously wounded while giving water to woundel Arabe. Anyone who knows anything about soldiera knowa perfectly well that they , have no auoh bloodthirsty instincts aa are attributed to them by Mr Bright. While you're fighting, if a man reaiats you he's shot, of couree ; but when the battle's over, and with wounded man — never ! Indeed, the very details cf Mr Bruht's story make it preposterous to a military man. You may contradict it mmy name ln tbe most emphatic manner." '