The Massacre in Alexandria.
By S. N. Haskell
The following account of the late massacre at Alexandria, is substantially as given by Sister Ribton and her daughter. It had been the custom of Brn. Rupp, Allegretti, and De Vito, to meet at Dr. Ribton's house each Sunday afternoon, and, after selecting suitable tracts and papers for distribution on ships, to visit such as might be in the harbor, distribute reading matter, talk with the sailors, and, when opportunity presented itself, to hold religious services on board the vessels. Saturday, May 27, Dervish Pasha arrived in Alexandria from Constantinople, and virtually took command. The following day the soldiers patrolled the streets with fixed bayonets, and on account of the excitement, Dr. Ribton did not go out. On the next Sunday, also, the ships were not visited. The consuls, by a public proclamation, besought the people not to make any demonstrations, and the day passed off quietly. It was reported that Arabi had guaranteed the safety of all Christians while he had command. Sunday, the 11th of June, the friends assembled at Dr. Ribton's, intending to visit the ships. One of the number stated that there had been a fight on the street between a Maltese and an Arab, in which the latter was killed. Dr. Ribton was very busy writing, and at first was not inclined to go out; but his daughter, thinking that he looked tired, and that the fresh air would do him good, urged him to do so, at the same time inquiring if it was necessary that he should write so continuously. He replied that he wished to finish what he was writing so that if anything happened to him, others could have the light which God had given to him, and added: "If I die before I finish it, you must finish it," referring to some notes that were to be copied. Neither Dr. Ribton nor his daughter knew of the fight on the street, and finally they both decided to go. The party, which included the three gentlemen previously named, Dr. Ribton, his daughter Nina, and their landlord's wife and child, and its nurse, left the house at about four P. M. Sister Ribton, as was her custom, immediately retired to her room for the purpose of seeking God's blessing upon their work. She thinks that they had not been gone more than five minutes before she heard an unusual noise from without, which caused her much uneasiness. Soon she heard the sound of breaking glass, and a loud and rapid knocking on the street-door. Dr. Ribton was living in a large three-story house with several other families. She reached out and called to the door-keeper, "What is it? pray, What is it?" He replied that some drunken Greeks were making a row in the street. Still the noise increased, and a lot of goods were shoved in at the door for safe keeping. After locking her door, Sister Ribton ran to the top of the house, where those living in the house were assembled, and looking over the parapet into the street, she says: "An indescribable scene met my sight. I tried again and again to focus an eye-glass on the crowd, but failed. The uproar and confusion was something awful. People seemed to fall, but I could not determine definitely. Household and shop effects were taken and hurled about. Windows and doors were broken into. People were barricading their houses against much opposition. Finally our landlord, a Syrian Arab Christian, commanded us to lie down, for if the crowd should see us we would be killed. Some, however, would peep over the parapet." "The massacre in our quarter lasted until 6 or 6:30, P. M. Soon after it ceased, De Vito came to see me. He was attacked while returning from the harbor, and could scarcely tell how he escaped. An Arab struck at him, but he warded off the blow with his umbrella. At 9 P. M., Nina was brought to me in safety, but covered with bruises, and portions of her clothing saturated with blood." From Nina's account we give the following. While on board the ships she noticed that the officers were using their eye-glasses in the direction of the English men of war, and that these ships were signaling to each other in an unusual manner. The flags were running up and down very fast. On board one of the vessels Rupp asked what this signaling meant, but received no satisfactory answer. The Arab who took them in his boat from one ship to another, becoming very angry at some affront that was given him, gave expression to violent threats against the Christians, and they had intimation that something had happened on shore, but were not alarmed. On arriving at the landing, they found several vessels, but noticed that no one was landing from them. Two or three Arab officers were standing on shore, to prevent, it was said, the mariners from landing. The absurdity of so small a force opposing the mariners caused our friends considerable merriment, and the remark was made by one of the party, "What fools these Arabs are, and what ideas they have of themselves and foreign forces." We give Nina's account of what followed, in her own words: "Up to this moment we had not the slightest idea that any danger was at hand. Several other small boat-loads landed, and preceded us. We met our bow nab (door-keeper) with another Arab, carrying large sticks in their hands, of whom we inquired, 'What is the matter? Who sent you here?' They replied that they had come for our landlord's wife and child. They then said something in Arabic, which I did not understand, and Mrs. — became very much frightened. I said, 'Pray, what is the matter?' She replied, 'I am so frightened I cannot understand a word he is saying.' The only thing I could understand from her that they said, was, 'Hurry home, for there has been a great row, and now it is over. You must hurry home before anything more happens.'" "We afterward learned that the massacre had been fixed at 6 P. M., when all the Europeans would be out walking or driving with their wives and children, so that they could be easily made way with; but the Maltese affair taking place at 2 P. M. had hastened matters. It principally took place in the great square, and did not reach the part where we were to pass until about 6 o'clock. When we landed we found, to our surprise, the gate closed, which was not usually done till 9 P. M. We passed through a small gate at one side, where there were from fifteen to twenty soldiers. A little farther on we saw soldiers posted right and left, flourishing their bayonets. They cried out to us 'Go on, go on.' We had not gone far before we saw some Arabs dragging a dead man by the feet. Still we thought that the fight was over, and that we might get home before there was any more commotion. In less than five minutes, however, we met a crowd of people rushing toward us, followed by Arabs who were beating them with their clubs. Seeing them coming, I said to papa, 'Let us turn into this narrow street;' but he thought it not best to do so. The soldiers immediately closed in behind us, and pressed us forward, with their bayonets, among the deathly strokes of the Arabs' clubs. We had agreed to keep together, but Allegretti and De Vito became separated from us, also papa for a few steps. Rupp tried to seize my hand, but the pressure of the crowd soon separated us, and I saw him turn to the left in the direction of the police station, we supposed to seek protection, and where he was stabbed to death by the soldiers." "The moment Rupp let go my hand, I saw papa fall, and then I fell, but soon rose again, and saw him rise from the ground near by, me, and run back to the side of the street, in a stooping position. But the blows soon felled him again. I came near him, and stood defending my head with my arms, and noticed that he did not move. Still the beating went on. Soon some Arabs began to lift him by the feet to take him away. At this moment a big Arab seized me and rushed back the way we had come. I resisted, but a soldier threatened me with his bayonet, and told me to go on or he would kill me. Thus by forcibly dragging, or carrying me, the Arab took me into a by-street. As I was crying, 'Papa,' he told me to be quiet or he would kill me, and that my father was dead; but I thought it was deceiving me. Several tried to strike me, but he prevented them from doing so. As we were passing a house a Sheik rushed out and demanded me. The Arab refused to give me up, but the Sheik was the stronger, especially as I struggled to get away. The Sheik took me into his house, and his wife and daughter were very kind. They were alarmed by my crying, and made me stop, for they said people would come in and kill us all. An Englishman and a Frenchman had also taken refuge there. The whole affair, from the attack on us till I was carried away, lasted but three or four minutes. The yelling and blows were fearful. One would strike a person, and another would finish killing him, and still another would drag him away." "After a while our door-keeper came for me with a servant from our house, but I was afraid to go with them. Then the Sheik's wife dressed me in an Arab's veil and sent her brother with us. Thus disguised I went with them to my mother, but they cautioned me not to speak in the street. On the way I had to step in pools of blood. When I got home, blood was found on the shoulders of my dress where the bloody clubs struck me. All the lower part of my dress and my shoes were stained with blood from the street. I received blows on my side, back of my neck and head, on my right shoulder and arm." Vigorous measures were taken to recover the bodies of Dr. Ribton and his companions, but it was not until Tuesday morning that Sister Ribton heard anything from them. She then went to the hospital to which her husband's body had been removed, but could only recognize it by his hair. After killing their victims, the Arabs disfigured them by dragging them on the ground by the feet, face downward. Sister Ribton and her daughter remained in their house until Friday, when, through the kindness of an American gentleman, they reached a vessel which was under command of the English. It was only by tact that they succeeded in reaching the vessel without being robbed. The charges for the carriage and boat were enormous, and they were obliged to "bribe the Arabs right and left" in order to get through the city. On board this vessel they remained until Monday night, when they were transferred to a coal vessel, and placed in the hold, where they nearly suffocated. From this suffering condition they were relieved Wednesday. The next week Saturday they arrived at Malta, where they took passage on a vessel bound from Australia to London, and arrived there on the thirteenth of July. On Wednesday evening, the nineteenth, they left for Ireland, and arrived at Sr. Ribton's sister's the twenty-first of July.