THE FATAL EXPEDITION IN EGYPT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3588, 11 January 1883, Page 4

THE FATAL EXPEDITION IN EGYPT.

Now that the sad fate of the gentlemen who formed the expedition to the Bedouin Arabs for the purpose of inducing them to join the cause of the Khedive in the late war had become known, the following particulars concerning their earlier movements and subsequent cruel murders will be found interesting:—• It now appears that while Colonel Warren, who conducted the search for the missing party —Professor .Palmer, Captain Gill and Lieutenant Charrington—was at Suez, he heard that at Moses Wells there was a man who had been with Professor Palmer's party when they were attacked on the 10th of August last. He thereupon induced some Bedouins who were in the town to go to Moses' Wells and seize this man andbring him to him. This they succeeded iv doing, and the evidence he gave, which tended to confirm that of the man previously given, was to the effect that he was employed by the Sheikh Abdullah (Professor Palmcrj to go with him into the desert. The party, he stated, consisted of three Englishmen, one dragoman, one cook, and" the Sheikh Meter, with his nephew Salen Adu, who had then two camels with them. At Moses' Wells, he says, they engaged five camel drivers, and had in all ten camels. Professor Palmer rode on a camel of the Sheikh Meter, and another Englishman rode on the nephew's camel. The party journeyed without hindrance during the day, going in the direction of Wady 'Sadr towards Nakhl. They crieamped three-quarters of a day's jouniey from Wady Sadr. On the 10th of August the party remained in camp while the three Englishmen, the dragoman, the Sheikh Meter, and his nephew mounted, and went forward. Orders were left in camp that the rest of the party was to start in about an hour in the cool of the evening, and wore to halt when they reached Wady Sadr, but they were not to" travel in the darkness. They arrived safely at their destination, and failing to find the rest of their party, they uuloaded and remained for the night. It was supposed that they were going to Abu Sufieh's camp. On 12th August "the baggage started at dawn and went up the Wady into a place where there were high hills on either side. They had not gone 300 yards before a. troop of Bedouins (about fifty in number), Haweitat, Teyanah, and some Towarah came galloping on camels towards them, shouting and firing their guns. The Bedouins sacked the baggage and took all the camels except three. They put th c cook on a camel and took him with them. The Sheikh Umbagkhal did not take part in the looting, but said he would go and tell the Sheikh Meter what had. happened. The witness told Colonel Warren that he could recognise the robbers again, and he gave filenames of two of the Haweitat present as Salem Sheikh and Salem Sulhak. He said that he learnt that the people who had attacked the baggage were the same as those who had attacked Professor Palmer and also the same as those who subsequently sacked the gardens at Moses' Wells. To this evidence thus secured by Colonel Warren must be added that obtained by Mr Pickard, of the Telegraph department at Ismailia. Mr Pickard went to Gaza, where he made inquiries with regard to Professor Palmer and his party, and he was informed by some men of "the Teyahah and Terabin tribes that they had learnt from the Bedouins who had come into their camp that two white men had been murdered with four Bedouins who had accompanied them at a place two days' journey east of Suez. He also heard that Captain" Gill had been in the Terabin encampment, and that he had started back to Suez, which he expected to reach on 25th August. Mr Pickard also learnt at Gaza that a Bedouin had boasted of having been present at the murder of two white men, and it was known that the governor of El Arish had sent out a party with orders to Professor Palmer to him, dead or alive. It will be remembered that the special duty which Captain Gill joined the party to perform was to cut the telegraph line "which supplied the communication be-t-ween Egypt and Constantinople, and which runs across the desert from Kantara to El Arish. To do this the route which, on leaving Moses' Wells, Captain Gill would probably have followed, would have taken him due north, while that which Professor Palmer and Lieut Charrington would have pursued, as they were going to Nakhl, would have' been almost due east. We have no distinct evidence that Captain Gill separated from Professor Palmer ; but the fact that Mr Pickard heard of his having been in the Terabin camp just about the time which it would be probable that he would arrive there is certainly encouraging, so far as he is concerned. With regard to Professor Palmer and Lieut. Charrington, it must be remembered that they had in their party a cook and a dragoman, so that there were in all five white men in the expedition. All doubts, however, as to the fate of the three gentlemen above named who formed the expedition, were definitely removed ou 27th October, when the following telegram from Cairo, dated 26th October, gave the dreadful particulars of their murder: —"News just received from Colonel Warren puts an end to all doubt as to the fate of Messrs Palmer, Gill, and Charrington. They were led, it is believed, by order of the Governor of Nakhl, to the edge of a precipice, and there offered the alternative of throwing- themselves over or being shot. Professor Palmer covered his eyes with his hand and leapt. Messrs Gill and Charrington chose the other alternative, and were shot. Their two bodies were recovered; Palmer's not yet. This horrible news became public when the Duke of Cannaught was having a farewell dinner at Madame Fitzgerald's.'' The following telegram has also been received at the Admiralty from Captain Stephenson, of Her Majesty's ship Carysfort, at Suoz, dated 27th October: — " News from Warren, dated 24th instant, writing from scene of attack, confirms the death of Professor Palmer's party, who were attacked by Bedouins, midnight, 10th August. Shots were exchanged, and the professor's party ultimately overpowered in WadyLudr. Everythinglootcdby Bedouins, who "evidently endeavored to destroy all traces of attack. Only a few articles of clothing' belonging to Gill and Charrington found; -also a volume of Byron's works, much torn, with inscription on cover, ' John Charrington, 1523,* Nothing found belonging to Palmer but small truss supposed to be his. Warren prosecuting search, and expected to reach Manekl yesterday."