On this page

• Text (1)

  Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

  • 

    84* ' THE LEADE R. _JNo. 3S9 ^ September...

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    "3the Is30qda.N Revolt. The Full Ded»Ils...

    bathe almost lost his seat , and palled up . I had almost done so , too , but pushed along and he fell behind . I now thought X . should reach the fort , but was disappointed . Seeing some more men ahead of me , I turned to the right , and took , a pull at my horse . I now saw that my wound -was bleeding , ' and haying lost my sbako , muBt have been a pretty figure . I went across the kbets for some half a mile to get rid of the city , when I came upon a road . I asked a villager where it went to ? He said to Lahore ; but it turned out to be Wuzeerabad .. I pushed on at a hand gallop some five miles , when , the sun getting warm , I pulled up . I tried to persuade some one to give me a turban ; they all said they had only one , and were not fools enough to give it me , so I

    pushed along again . On passing a village , an old raan rushed out , and began potting at me with a pellet bow . I did not mind this , but on looking back thought I saw two troopers coming after me . This was rather a nuisance , as my right arm was now quite stiff , utterly useless , and painful . So , having been sparing my horse , I put him oat again , and did not draw rein for some eight miles . I then went on more slowly , all pursuit having stopped . Some sixteen miles from Sealkote , coming on a police thanah , pulled up to get water , and have my wound looked at , as it was now very painful .

    I got off , and the men mustered round me , and were as kind as could be . I found now the bullet had entered about two inches below , and gone about an inch above the elbow-joint . How it escaped the bone I don ' t know . Having been bound up as well as it could be , and Laving drunk some water and washed my horse ' s mouth out , I Trent on to Wuzeerabad , accompanied by the head man , who had made me a sling and given me a turban . I poshed along , and after a good deal of pain managed to reach Wuzeerabad at eleven a . m ., having started from Sealkote at half-past four- My nag was completely done up , having come a good thirty miles . '

    A lady writes that the men who mutinied at Sealkote , though they murdered their officers , protected the ladies and children , and saw them safely into the fort . Several writers concur in saying that the outrages and cruelties committed on our country men . and countrywomen—more especially the latter—together with their children , are too ghastly and revolting ever to appear in print , or to be communicated in letters . Some details , however , have found their way into the daily papers which we cannot prevail on ourselves to reproduce . Our soldiers and officers

    are described as furious . They talk but little on the subject ; but , whenever it is mentioned , it produces , says one writer , " a stern compression of the lips and a fierce glance of the eye , which show that , when the tinie comes , no mercy will be shown to those who have shown none . Can you wonder , " he adds , " that we feel more like fiends than men ? Our fellowa have crossed their bayonets , and sworn to give no quarter . " Let us hope , however , that , even under their great provocation , our men will not consider themselves justified in committing similar atrocities to those committed by the natives .

    A correspondent of the Daily News states that , " incredible as it may appear , it is nevertheless a fact that a mercantile house in Calcutta has actually sold a thousand Minie" rifles to the natives , and that no attempt has been made by the local government to check the sale which is still proceeding . This intelligence comes from a highly respectable firm in Calcutta , and may be relied upon . " Other houses , it is affirmed , have also joined in this infamous traffic . From Sangor we learn , under date June 28 th , that " all the ladies and children are safe in the fort . " The same writer , dating July 16 th , says : —

    " Remember we are in the fort , making ourselves stronger every day . All Europeans ! We aie provisioned for many months—medical stores , doctors , everything we can possibly w & nt , and wo will hold it against all coiners , with God ' s help . We have hanged all the mutineers and rebcla wo captured , and all 1 b quiet . " A frightful tragedy is thus described in a letter from Jhansi : — " It is all true about poor Frank Gordon . He , Alick Skene , his wife , and a few Peons managed to got into a small round tower when the disturbance began ; tho children and all tho rost wore in other parts of the fort—¦ altogether sixty . Gordon had a regular battery of guns , also revolvers ; and he and Skene picked olf the rebels as fast as they could fire , Mrs . Skene loading ; for them . The Peons say they never missed once , and before it was all over they killed thirty-sevon , besides many wounded , The rebels , after butchering all in the fort , brought ladders against the tower , and commenced swarming up . Frank Gordon was shot through tho forehead and killed at once . Skene th « n saw it was of no uae going on any more , so ho kissed his wife , shot her , and then himself . " The officers hero alluded to wore Captain Skeno . Superintendent of tho Jhansi district , and Captain Gordon , Assistant Superintendent . A letter from nn officer who , together with somo others , and several ladies , ilod from Indorc on tho breaking out of the mutiny there , gives another proof of tho good faith of llolkar , tho Mahrattn . chief of Indore and the neighbouring country . The writer states : —

    " Hardly had we turned our / backs on the station ere it was taken possession of by the Urajbeerra people . I suppose they were at first too busy plundering to think of us , and we continued to push on . In the afternoon we had got about fifteen miles away , having travelled over shocking roads . Our cattle were quite knocked up , and we were obliged to halt . Happily for us the spot which we had reached was in the state of a petty chief called the Rajah of Jabwa . About an hour after -we had halted , we were overtaken by a party sent in pursuit of us from Bhopawur . We gave ourselves up for lost , but Lieutenant Hutchinson and myself prepared to sell our lives as dearly as we could . Fortunately , we ; werewell armed , having five guns between us . Our

    resolution probably deterred the villains from making an open attack upon us , for they knew we should in all likelihood knock over some of them . They thought we should endeavour to escape as soon as it got dark , and , in the hope of killing us without any risk to themselves , the scoundrels took up their position about a quarter of a mile in advance , at a very difficult and broken part of the road , where the jungle came down to the edge on both sides , and afforded them every facility for their murderous purposes . This we only discovered next morning , but in the meantime , knowing that there were more than a dozen , of them , horse and foot , we every moment expected their attack . Fatigued as we were , Lieutenant Hutchinson and myself kept watch all night

    hour and hour about , each awaking his companion ( if he slept ) at the slightest cause for alarm . You may imagine how dreadful a night the poor ladies passed ; indeed , few of our party will be disposed , I fancy , ever to forget it . Nothing but jungle all round , one miserable hut within sight , belonging to some dak runners , deserted again by the few people who accompanied us so far from Bhopawur , and a band of assassins at hand thirsting for our blood—where could we look to for aid but to Him whose merciful hand did shield us in that hour of danger ? I told you that we had just entered the state of the Itajan or Jntnrro ^ -JL . Shnel , who had observed what was going oh , carried intelligence to the nearest town , a small place called Para , of the invasion of the Umjheerra

    people . Firing at the insult , a party started from Para to drive them away . Just as the grey of the morning appeared , we had the pleasure of being rescued by them ; and thus did God raise up instruments for our delivery when death seemed near at hand . But had the villains not been snoh cowards , nothing could have saved us , if they had attacked us in the night . This frost party carried us to Para , and - « rere civil enough at first , but towards evening , [ for some reason or other , they began to get very insolent and commenced plundering us . "We saw our position had but little improved , and we prepared again to sell our lives as dearly as could be . But just as things appeared to be getting desperate a party arrived from Jabwa , ten miles away , sent by the chief to our rescue as soon as he had heard of our being at Para . They

    carried us to Jabwa that same evening , and we reached the town early in the morning , having rested for some hours on the road . The young chief , who is a very pleasing-looking boy of sixteen or seventeen , received us very kindly . The managing authority , however , is an old lady , -who is , I believe , grandmother to the chief , and by her directions everything that could be done for out safety or comfort was effected . To protect us , howevor , was as much as she « ould do , for there were a number of Arabs and men of that class in the employ of the chief , and these fanatics loudly demanded our surrender that they might put us to death . The family themselves are Rajpoots , and had fortunately a number of Rajpoot retainers about them . To these they assigned our protection , and faithfully did they execute their trust . "

    Another contrast to the general rule of native treachery is related by Mr . John P . Gubbin 3 , brother of the judge of Benares , who thus writes to the Times : — " Rajah Soorut Sing , a Sikh chieftain , who was living at Benares under a slight surveillance at the time of the mutiny , and who wa 3 on intimate terms with my brother , used hia exertions successfully to keop a company of his countrymen steady who were on guard at tho Mint , ¦ where all the ladies and children were collected , and has since proved himself so brave and true that the Europeans liavo subscribed 100 ? ., in order to present him with a handsome sot of firearms .

    " It may also bo pleasing to you to know that tho murdor of poor Moore was speedily avenged . Tho villages wore burnt , and sixty or more of tho inhabitants , who had threatened to como down on Benares witU 5000 men , cut to pieces . " An engineer , writing fSrom the camp before Delhi on July 12 tli , says : — " I must toll you of a noble action of Hills , of the Artillery . He was in my term at Addiscombo , and one of

    my greatest friends . Three days ago , ho was on picket with bis two-horao artillery guns , when the alarm was sounded and an order sent him to advance , given under tho impression that the onomy wore at some distance . Ho waa supported by a body of Carlnuiors , eighty , I beliovo , in number . Ho advanced nbout one hundred yards , while hia guns woro being limhercd up to follow , and suddenly cmno on about one hundred nnd twenty of tho enemy's cavalry closoouhim . Disgraceful to say , tho Carbiniers turned nnd bolted . Ilia guns

    being Umbered up , he could do nothing , but , rather than fly he charged them by himself . Hefired four barrels ' Itol in S f f tW ° > throwin S *• "SS w £ T / ° ailOtlier ' knocking him off hfa TX J ™ , rsemea then charged full tilt at him and rolled him and his horse over . He got up with no weapons and , seeing a tnan on foot coming at him to cut him down rushed at him , got inside his sword , and hit him full in the face with his fet . At that moment he was cut down from behind , and a second Wow would have done for him , had not Tombs , his captain the finest fellow in the service ( who bad been in his ' tent when the row began ) , arrived at the critical moment and shot his assailant . Hills was able to walk home , thouch his wound was severe , and on the road Tombs saved bis life once more , by sticking another man who attacked him . If they don ' t both get the Victoria Cross , it won ' t be worth having . "

    An oflBcer in command at Agra thus relates his escape from that city with his wife : — " As soon as I got out into the road I was joined bv M'Kellar and Ryves ( 12 th ) , who had just escaped from . Jhansi , and we were regularly hustled down to parade by crowds of Sepoya , who put their arms between our legs and the saddles , as much as to say , 'Do not attempt to bolt . ' Before we got a hundred yards we sustained three volleys from men not fifteen yards off , but were

    not touched . The fourth volley saluted us just as we passed the head of the Grenadier Gompany , one ball of which slot my poor charger right through the heart . He fell dead on me , and I had the greatest difficulty in extricating myself , expecting a bayonet in my back every moment . In getting from under him I tore off my boot , so proceeded to parade without it , as retreat was hopeless . After -we got into the light cavalry lines the firing was very brisk , and we all thought it was all over with us : but a merciful Providence watchefl

    over us , and not a ball hit -us . Those who were mounted w « a then able to get off , made a rush for it , crossed the river , and made straight across country for Agra , leaving me in this delightful predicament . Just at this moment three Sepoys caught hold of me , and said they would try and save me . They threw off my hat , tore off my trousers and the remaining boot , covered me as well as they could with my horse-cloth , which my groom had brought along with us , and , putting me between the two , the third walked in front , and what between knocking up one man ' s musket ¦ whose bayonet was just at my back and declaring I waa one of their wives , we got through all the sentries and . crossed the river . They then wanted me to make the best of my off that the

    way , saying chances were ten to one that my wife was killed by that time , but I told them plaiuly I would not try to escape without her . After a great deal of persuading they took me down the banks of the river ( the opposite side of which was regularly lined with sentries to prevent escape ) till we came opposite our house , where they set me down , and one man said , Now I will go and bring your wife to you if ah * , io alive ; ' so off he went , and after about twenty minutes of the most agonizing suspense , dear M and I met again . But how ? As beggars , turned out of house and home , and without a farthing in the world ; no clothes but those on our backs ; and in this plight we commenced our journey , deeply thankful for our escape ; but in despair at leaving our homes and the little things

    that made it dear to us—all your likenesses hung up , our nice . hooks , my dear old violin , and all our piste , glas 3 , clothes , papers , even our money and letterseverything we had in the world . My own guard at the house robbed the bearer of the money T gave him to do what he could for M ; her watch and chain , w hich she had in her hand , were taken from her also . I must say the three Sepoya with us behaved splendidly . Seeing poor M was unable to walk , they tied my horsecloth in a sort of bag fashion on to a musket , put her into it , and placing the butt and muzzle on their shoulders , carried her in tills way soven miles till we readied tho Residency , by which time I could hardly put my feet to tho ground , from walking barefoot over the thorny ground , "

    The Memorial Bordelais makes the ^ following appeal to the French people : — " All Christian hearts , without distinction of nationality , will sympathize with tho sufferings of their brethren in Bengal , and in tho other provinces -where tho rebellion prevails , and will bo ready to come forth to their aid . "But wo Frenchmen , who in recent and cliflercnt calamities—especially at tho time of the cartlujuako in Martinique , and ut the time of tha inundations of 1856 , received such substantial proof of English sympathy— we w 3 io fought and suflbrcd side Ivy side with tho English in tho luto Crimean w « r—w « i bold it as our duty to bo tho first to coin * forward tu offer help to those of our friends nnd allied who arc in misfortune

    11 We theroforo express tho wish that u public a » uacription may bo opened -without delay to receive tho gifts of thoso who are desirous of giving a proof of their sympathy for tho unhappy victims of tho Indian insurrection . 41 At tho hoad of this list wo doubt not will appear the names of tho most August personages and of tho hig hest

    84* ' The Leade R. _Jno. 3s9 ^ September...

    84 * ' THE LEADE R . _ JNo . 3 S 9 ^ September 5 , 1857 .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 5, 1857, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05091857/page/4/