A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2145, 30 July 1907, Page 3

A TALE OF THE INDIAN MUTINY

In an article in the Cavalry Journal/ Sergeant Forbes-Mitchell, 93rd Sutherland Highlanders, gives some reminiscences of the Indian Mutiny, and incidentally relates an instance of Lucknow that came under his own notice of the force of a sword-cut from a curved sword of rigil steel: — “There w.ere three brothers of the name of Heady m the 93rd, called David, James, and John. They were all powerful, tall men, in the prime of life, and all threo had served through the Crimea. David was a sergeant, and his -two brothers were privates. "When falling in for the as sault on the Begum’s palace, John Beady took off his Crimean medal and gave it to his brother David, telling him that he felt a presentiment that he would be killed in the attack, and that David, had. better keep his medal and send it home .to their mother. David" tried to reason him out of his fears, but to no purpose. John Beady replied that he had no fear, and his mother might know that he had died doing his duty. Well, the assault took place, and ir the inner courts of the palace there was one division held by a regiment of dismounted cavalry, armed with swords as 'keen as razors, and circular shields, and the party of the 93rd who got into the court were far outnumbered on this occasion, as in fact we were everywhere else. On entering James Beady was attacked by sowar armed with sword and shield .Beady’s feather bonnet was knocked off, and the sowar got one cut at him, right over his head, which sev ered the skull clean in two, the sword cutting right' through his neck and half-way down through the breast bono. John Beady sprang to the as sistance of his brother, but too late and. although his bayonet reached tht side of his opponent and was driven home with a fatal thrust, in doing so he came within the swoop of that terrible sword, wielded by the powerfuarm of a tall man, and he was alsc • cut right through the left shouldei diagonally across the chest, ■ and hi* head and right arm were clean sev ered from the body. The sowar de livered his stroke of the sword at the .same moment that ho received the bayonet of John Beady through hit heart, and both men fell dead toge ther. David Beady, the sergeant seized the tulyar that had killed botl his brothers, and used it with terriblt, effect, cutting off the heads of men a< if they had been more heads of cab bage. When the fight was over 1 examined the sword. It was of ordinary weight, well balanced, curved about a quarter-circle, as -sharp ai the sharpest razor, and the blade a* rigid as cast-iron. Now, my experience is that none of our -very best English swords could have cut like this one. A sword, of that quality could cut through a' man’s sknll or thighbone without the least quiver, as easily as an ordinary Birmingham blade would cut through a willow.