Episode of the Indian Mutiny.

Manawatu Herald, 11 October 1898, Page 2

Episode of the Indian Mutiny.

THE MASSACRE AT CAWNPORE.

I The action of the Sirdar of the Egyptian army in having the tomb i of the Mahdi blown up having been unfavourably commented upon in various papers, we reproduce a story of cruelty and horror unequalled in this century, being acts committed by as fanatical Mahomedans as the Mahdi or any of his followers, and which we think prove how necessary a strong hand is with these people. The tale is as follows : — The native troops had mutinied at Oawnpore and Sir Hugh Wheeler who commanded, had shut up his handful of Europeans, some 400 men and nearly 600 women and children in a slight entrenchment thrown round two barracks, and in a position that was utterly untenable. He expected to be relieved at once and put faith in the friendly promises of the Nana Sahib, a rich Mahratta,of high family, who was a pensioner of the British Government and had always been on good terms with the officers of the cantonment. This man, whose name will be execrable to English ears until English cease? to be spoken, saw our helpless poai tion, declared himself ruler in the name of King Delhi, and with his own retainers and the mutininus Sepoy a attacked our position. The garrison was outnumbered by a hundred to one and they fought as Englishmen fight when brought to bay and with no hope of succour. The annals of warfare contain no episode so painful as the story of this melancholy conflict. The Bun never before looked on such a sight as a crowd of women and children cooped within a small space, and exposed during twenty days and nights to the concentrated fire of thousands of muskets and a score of cannon. At first every projectile which struck the barracks was the signal for heart-rending shrieks and low wailing more heart-rending, yet, but ere Ion?, time and habit taught them to suffer and to fear in silence. Before the third evening every window and door had been beaten in while the walls themselves were shattered through and through. Some ladies were slain outright by grape or round shot. Others were struck down by bullets. Many were crushed by fallen brickwork or mutilated by the splinters, which flew from shattered flash and panel. At length the thatched roofs of one of the two barracks caught fire, and for the rest of the siege 200 women and children, from lack of room, had not even a roof to cover them from the burning sun, while perpetually exposed to shot, shell and bullet. Provisions to were scanty and the water from one well paid for at the rate of a man's life for almost every bucketful. Some went mad — the most fortunate were slain by the enemy— others died of fever, apoplexy, cholera, or neglected wounds. The dead bodies were 'hrown at night down a dry well hard by, not to be confounded with another well yet more terrible still. At length when one third of the whole force had been destroyed— when there was scarcely any food snd but little ammunition, worn out and utterly despairing of succour — the little garrison in an evil hour surrendered themselves prisoners, on the sworn promise of the Nana to provide them with boats and send them down the river to Allahabad. The boats were provided, the garrison was marched down to the river side, and then, when counted on board and resistance was impossible the mask was thrown off. From every direction a storm of musket bullets fell on the uuhappy fugitives and a frightful massacre ensued, but more than 100 of the women and children were taken prisoners and brought back to Oawnpore to be kept a? hostages for the Nana's own safety. Of the fugitives in the boats, two officers aud two privates alone escaped by swimming, and one of the latter subsequently perished. Meanwhile the helpless condition of the Gawnpore garrison was known at Calcutta, and great efforts had been made to save them. The 64th, 78th and 84th Regiments had arrived from Persia and to these were attached some artillery a few cavalry volunteers and some native levies. General Havelook received the com mand and he hastened up to join the Ist Madras Fusiliers and Uraziers Sikhs, who under Col. Neill were already at Allahabad. But the railway in these days extended little over 100 miles from Calcutta, there were no means of pushing on the troops sa ve by marching on in small detachments by bullock trains, and the tains had set in. Progress there*

fore was necessarily slow, and it was not till the 13th July that Havelook and Neill reached Futtehpore, half, way between Allahabad and Cawnpore. Here they found the way barred by the rebels, but the British troops were not to be denied, and after a short struggle the enemy were defeated and driven down the road and^ the force resumed its march to Oawnpore. Already they had heard the fearful tidings of Sir Hugh Wheeler's surrender and of the massacre in the boats, but it was known that many women and children were kept prisoners, and Havelock hurried on to save them* At tha Pandoo Nuddee and again outside Oawnpore the enemy at" tempted opposition and were again *-• defeated, and the troops pushed on hoping they were in time. Suddenly | a horrible rumour ran through the force. Scouts and spies had brought word that all their labour had been in vain, and that filled with rage and ferrar the Nana had massacred hi" helpless victims. A death-like still n^-; brooded over the canton- . meats as the foroe marched in— the ' I enemy had fled, but no exalting jsh mis welcomed the conquerors. In the garden of a wretched little house where the unhappy captives 1 had b?en confined was a well, and chat well was piled deep and high with the bloody corpses of the victims. In the house itself the blood lay thick on the floor while tresses of hair, fragments of women's apparel and children's shoes and toys lay strewn about in terrible confusion. The plaster was scored with sword cuts, not high up as whore men bad fought, but low down and about the corners as if a creature had crouched to avoid the blow. War-worn soldiers and. grey- . haired veterans sobbed like children as they surveyed the mournful relics and vowed deep oaths of vengeance against the bloody perpetrators of this tragedy. The flying enemy were pursued to Bithoor where the Nana's palace was sacked and burnt, but the traitor himself escaped and was reported to have died some months afterwards in the jungles through which he was hunted like a hare. The terrible well was covered in, and is now surrounded by a beautiful screen standing in a garden and on which an inscription tells how a great company of Christian men and women were murdered and ca,st into the well, the dying with rhe dead, by the rebel Nana of Bithoor, on 16th July, 1857. Equally terrible was the fate of Futttghur, though fortunately there were f»wr vicr,i«n. The Sepoys had ri?pn .\nd i.h j it' officers with a few repir!f-n s had betaken themselves to the Fir. But the fighting men were sca»-o-»{y 80 in number, the fort waa attack* d, the walls were breached by cannon and by mining, and nearly al! fell in defending them against overwhelming odds. It was told afserwarda by native witnesses h>w one officer had stood shooting down man after man, his wife by hn ide bravnly loading for him, anfi how when all resistance was in vain, he bai kis-ed her 'ere he shot her dead vmb his own hand and then turned his last barrel againßff himsef. A few of the defenders escaped by boat to Cawnpore, only to perish with tin rest in that fearful magsaciv. i