DECEMBER 17TH, 1945: The death in 1945 of Edmund Dwyer Gray, one-time chairman of the Freeman's Journal, later a member of the Australian Labour Party and premier of Tasmania, gave an obituarist inThe Irish Times the opportunity to recall some of the dramatic events in which the Freeman's Journal, the main voice of nationalist Ireland, had been involved in the late 19th century. They included this tale of journalistic derring-do which had an unhappy outcome for the reporter involved.
HIS [GRAY’S] father, in his last years, had made a name for himself in journalism as a man of exceptional qualities. By his initiative and enterprise he had made his newspaper one of the best provided in Europe, up-to- date in its presentation of news, and fearless in its comments on events at home and abroad.
It was in May, 1883, that the chairman of the Freeman's Journalconceived the idea of making his paper a pioneer in providing its readers with foreign news. The Soudan, as it was then known, was in a state of wild unrest. The Mahdi's followers had revolted, and British troops in and around Khartoum were having a bad time. The years 1884 and '85 were fraught with gravest apprehensions for their safety.
No American or English journals had correspondents in any part of North Africa, and since a brief message had come through to London announcing the destruction of Hicks Pasha's [Col William Hicks's] Army – annihilated on its way to attack the Mahdi's headquarters – nothing had been learned of subsequent events. It was then that Mr Gray [snr] seized the occasion which led to his bringing off the greatest "stunt" in 19th century journalism, and made the Dublin Freeman's Journalone of the most frequently-quoted publications of our time.
The man he chose, Mr Frank Power, known to his colleagues in [Dublin’s] Prince’s street as “Ghazi” Power, was the most dare-devil, resourceful and versatile member of his staff, equal to any emergency and avid for the ordeal that would try his mettle. His employer sprang his proposal on Power without any preliminary notice. He handed him a blank cheque, and told him to make all speed from Gravesend to Cairo, and, by hook or crook, to penetrate into Khartoum and dispatch all that he could gather about the state of affairs there and in the country around.
At home it was believed that General Gordon and thousands of his men had been surrounded in Khartoum since the early summer of 1884, but no official news had come through from any source. While the outside world was thirsty for news, the painful silence was broken when one night members of the House of Commons and visitors heard Mr Gladstone, the Prime Minister, reply to a question, say: “We have just received a most important message from our Consul at Khartoum, Mr Frank Power.”
The Government replies that followed were based on Freeman's Journaldespatches or telegrams to Whitehall, and all revealed the growing gravity of the situation. Before many weeks of 1885 had expired the tragic news came from Mr Power that General Gordon and several of his staff had been butchered in January by the Mahdi's mercenaries. The Irishman was in Khartoum from August, 1883, until September, 1884, and as The Timesstated: "It was almost exclusively through Mr Power's despatches that England and Europe first of all learned of the disaster to Hicks Pasha's army, the triumph of the Mahdi, and the gradual closing of his army around Khartoum."
Mr Power’s letters brought the story of the siege down to July 31st, 1884 . . . A fearful state of things, as Power’s accounts show, existed in Khartoum. Prices, he said, had gone up 3,000 per cent. He braved the situation with inflexible spirit, and, in his last letter, wrote: “General Gordon is quite well, and I am well and happy.”
[ The Timeslater published a book of Power's letters to his family describing the siege of Khartoum. He apparently died in a separate incident in September 1884, before Khartoum was finally overrun and Gen Gordon killed.]
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