AN INCIDENT OF THE BURMESE WAR.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1253, 5 March 1886, Page 3

AN INCIDENT OF THE BURMESE WAR.

The special correspondent of the Melbourne ‘ Argus’ gives the following particulars of the murder of some of the employes of the Burmese Trading Company:— When we arrived at Mandalay and found all the European residents alive and well, there was much satisfaction expressed at the happv termination of the expedition without the massacre of our fellow countrymen and the French and Italians who had been in Theebaw’s power while we were ad* vancing up the river. But there were still inward many employes of th-Bombay-Burmah Trading Company, who have for years past leased many hundreds of square miles of forest, sending the leak timber down to Rangoon, where it finds a ready market. We could not hear of any of these hav--1 iog been murdered or ill-treated, but Mr Jones, the manager of the Company, who had come up with the expedition, was anxious about his agents up the Chindwin River, the principal tributary of tho Irrawaddy between Mandalay and the sea. The river rises in the hills to tho north-east on our own Assam frontier, and has a length of some 500 miles, falling eventually into tho Irrawaddy about 90 miles below Mandalay. The Trading Company’s agents had three stations viz, Ahlone, Mingin, and Kendat—on the Chindwin, Kendat being f u> thest to the north, and distant about 300 miles from the In awaddy. After we had been in Mandalay some days, disquieting rumours reached ns regarding tho murder of three Furopcaus up 1 the Chindwin, and then came a note from Mr lloss, oneot iho agents, dated Ahlone, December 9, in which he stated that three of his companions had indeed been killed. A relief expedition was sent out, but missed the sur vivors,'who came down under the pros lection of the Mingin Woo i, the Burman district officer, and reached our military post at Myingyan on December 4-7, and at Mandalay the following ' day. There were four ol them, named

Ross, Hill, Bate?, and 0. Ruokatuhl, and they told a story of treachery and murder which shocked all. who heard it. It appears that these four and Messrs Allen, Roberts, Honour and Degois, all in the employ of the Trad** ing Company, were at Ahlone when news of the actual outbreaks were received. They had a steam launch with them, and they resolved to steam up to Kendat, so as to be as far away from Mandalay as possible. There were at Kendat Messrs Margin and T. Ruokstnhl and a clerk named Bretto. The hope was that if the party wore marked they could escape into Manipur, a protected state on the borders of Assam, only forty miles across the hills from Kendat. The seven at Ahlone fitted up their launch as'beat they could, nailing up planks to protect them from bullet five. The Woon of the place was friendly to them,’and they had arranged with him that when he sent a message “ Come on shore,” they must take this as a warning to escape, at once. The significant message was sent on, I think, November 25, and a start was made up stream. But the paddles had. not made a dozen revolutions when a heavy musketry fire was opened frocd the brnk, and bullets began to strike the launch. Bands of armed men appeared ahead, and a hasty consultation was held on the launch as to what should be done. It was determined not to exasperate the Burtnahs by firing in return, but to push on and try to steam out of fire. Mr Roberts was hit in the knee by a bullet, and two natives were wounded; and then, to add to the troubles of those on board, the Lascars became panicstricken and hid in the bold. So one of the Europeans steered, two threw the lead, one stoked, another looked .after the engines, and another tried to keep order among the natives. The woodwork about the chimney-stack caught fire, and Mr Ross pluokily climbed on the roof and cut it away, escaping the shots directed at him. After this the condenser of the engines got out of order, and the launch made no headway. In despair, the unfortu* nate men agreed to put her about and run down stream. This was done, and the gauntlet was run in safety. At risk they anchored for the night, and were unmolested, but next morning after the usual mist had cleared they saw a strange launch coming up stream. Their troubles now began in earnest, for this launch was full of armed men under the command of a Thandawzin, or Royal Herald, named -San Eon, a man notorious for his cruelties and villainy. He parleyed with them, and eventually Messrs Ross, Hill, Bates, and 0. Ruckstuhl went on board his launch. They had to row the boat themselves, as the Lascars were still panic-stricken. San Bon received them in a most friendly way, saying they would not be hurt, but they must give up their launch, and he produced an order from- Mandalay empowering him to seize all property belonging to the Trading Company. Ho sent ofi his boat to their launch with an armed party, and Eecurcdfall the rifles, revolvers, etc, of the Europeans. Having done this he unmasked himself. The four men still on his steamer were suddenly seized, pinioned, and thrown into the hold ; while the 'three remaining on the Company’s launch met with a worse fate. They ■seem to have madesnme resistance, hut they were overpowered. Poor Mr -Allen was slaughtered in the cabin ; Mr Roberts jumped overboard, receive ing a cut from a sword as he went; while Honour also sprang into the water and was drowned. All three had been pinioned before this. When Roberts and Moncur saw what had hj appened to Allen, they chose rather to risk death from drowning than be cut to pieces. The four survivors were heavily ironed and kept iu the filthy hold till the Thandawzin reached Mi'ngiu, when he marched th ;m, bares footed, bareheaded, and in fetters, to the common gaol, where they were placed anion * the decoits and murderers awaiting trial. San Bon then went off to Kimdat, and we have since hcird from Manipur that he there murdered Messrs Morgan, 0. Kuck stnhl, and Bretto. The Woon of Min gin treated the prisoners well during .San Boa’s absence, but dared not release them. On October 5 the muidercr re urned and demanded tho prisoners that he might kill them. The Woon, hoping to gain time, as he heard the English had advanced up the river, refused to give them up, saying cunningly he would kill them himself, as ho cordially hated all foreigners. So their lives were saved. The next day news came of the English having really passed to Mandalav, and tho Woon having got some 300 men together, 1 set San Bon at defiance and released I the prisoners, taking them to his own house. The Thandawzin got alarmed, and fled down s’ream in his launch, which ho ran ashore. Ho went into die jungles inland, and has not since been hoard of, though one report says he was killed so m after by Ids own men. The engineer, Degois, who is half Burraan by birth, is said to have been carried with him. He certainly is missing. The Mingin Woon treated Mr Ross and his three companions very kindly, recovered their launch, and took them iu it to Mynigynn. 1 need scarcely say if San Bon fads into our hands ho will have very short shrift; a reward has been offered for his capture. He was a creature of Queen Sapialat’s, Thcobaw’s chief wife, who seems to have been the evil genius of her husband.