The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-02-01 00:00:00

TM] STOURERTDGE OBSERVER.

HANDING A SEPOY.

The Standard's Special Correspondent with General
Roberts, writing from Ibrahimzaie, on DecemDer 23, gives
the following account of the banging of a Sepoy
"On Tuesday, the 24th, IChurum Valley beheld
probably the most singu'ar scene that has ever been
enacted in it. A sepoy belonging to the 29th Punjab
Native Infantry, was hanged before the whole force, -
and the Tunis belonging to the adjacent villages occu-
pied every coign of vantage in order to see the execu-
tion. Ever since the night of the Ist—that night
when General Roberts set out to turn the position of
the enemy in the Peiwar Kotal-L-there have been dis-
agreeable rumours about the conduct of the 29th Regi-
ment. It was said that certain Pathans who claim
the Cabulees as their countrymen, had declared that
they would not fight against the enemy; that when
the brigade was silently plodding onwards and up-
wards, preserving the utmost silence, so that the "
enemy might not hear what was going on, '
suddenly one shot rang out on the still I
air, and then another; and that there shots had been
fired by men in the 29th to warn the occupants of the
Peiwar Kotal that the British force was advancing
upon them. When we returned to Khurum Camp
from our promenade to the Shaturgardan Pass, courts-
martial sat daily, and it soon leaked out that the
conduct of the Pathans in one of the companies of the
29th was being inquired into. Hazrat shah and Mira
Baz were accused of treacherously. firing their rifles
to alarm the enemy on the night of the Ist;
the jemadar of their company was put on his
trial for not. giving information of their serious
offence ; • and eighteen other Pathans were tried
for taking advantage of the darkness of the
night of the Ist, deserting, and returning back to their
camp. Elaborate evidence was taken in each case, and
at last all the prisoners were found more or less guilty.
Hazrat Shah was found guilty of firing off his rifle with
the intention of alarming the foe, and he was sen-
tenced to he hanged; Mira Bey, the younger Sepoy..
who had behaved with great bravery on the 28th,
When the first action with the enemy took place,
pleaded that, hearing a shot fired close to him, he
loaded hurriedly and fired also, merely because he was
confused, and his plea was accepted, and his offence
of firing carelessly punished by a sentence of a year's'
imprisonment; the offence of the jemadar was
I proved, and he was sentenced to fourteen years'
imprisonment; desertions were proved 'against the
remaining eighteen prisoners, and they were sentenced
to terms of imprisonment varying from two to four-
teen years. General Roberts confirmed the various
sentences, and at the same time published an order
sympathising with the officers of the 29th, a 'gallant
and distinguished regiment,' for the disgrace which the
conduct of certain of their men had cast upon the
name of the corps. The order was kindly and timely.
Notwithstanding the unfortunate conduct of the con-
victed men, the 29th fought splendidly on the 2nd,
and scarcely another regiment suffered more' heavily.
"Hazrat Shah was condemned to suffer death at
eleven o'clock on the forenoon of the 24th. He
was told what was to happen on the 23rd, and
exhibited great emotion. He protested that his
crime had not been proved, and he wished to know
what kind of justice it was when he was condemned to
death, although he never said he had fired a shot on
the Ist, while another man, who said he had fired a
shot, was allowed to escape. At night he broke into
fitful wailings. As there was just a probability that
some of the other Pathans in the regiment might help
him either to escape or to do away with himself, a
strong, guard of Sikhs was placed over his tent.
Towards morning he became quite quiet, but refused
either to eat or drink. Out on the plain, on a rocky
knoll, stood the scaffold, with the hills around,
and a blue and fleecy sky overhead. ,It was a rude
and undisguised instrument of ieath. No curtain
hung round it to disappoint the gaze of morbid
sightseers. Thera it stood—a thick, round beam fixed
across two trowels, while the noosed rope dangled in
the middle of it. Turis flocked out from their villages
to have a look at it. They had never seen anything
of the kind before, and they walked round and round
it till they were tired, and then they went and sat
down upon piles of stones, waiting for the appear-
ance of the felon. They had no sorrow expressed
in their faces. They simply drew their blun sheets
close around them, and gazed stolidly in front. By
eleven o'clock all the troops of the brigade had
arrived at the place of execution. The 29th P.N.1.,
the sth P. 1., and the 24 P. 1., were drawn up at the
back of the scaffold. On one side the Royal Artillery
were drawn up, and the 10th Hussars and the Moun-
tain Batteries occupied the other. In front of the
scaffold were the 72nd Highlanders, the sth Ghoorkas,
and 23rd Pioneers. This square of men were looking
on in silence at the grim centrepiece, when a small
band of Sikhs belonging to the 29th stepped forward,
with the prisoner in their midst. He wore the regular
Afreedee head-dress, and. a thin cotton suit of a dull
grey colour. Captain Reneick rode into the
centre of the square, and read in Hindo-
stanee the abstract of the proceedings at the trial
of the condemned man and the warrant of death.
Captain Scott, N.C., read the same in English to the
European troops. These ceremonies ended, the Sikhs
shouldered arms and marched quickly with the prisoner
to a place near the steps leading to the scaffold.
Intense silence reigned. Not a whisper was heard in
any of the surrounding regiments. Four European
soMiers stepped to the side of the prisoner and
pinioned him. He now turned round to where his
old regiment was standing, and shouted that his
offence had not been proved, and that be wished.to
be taken to his own country and hanged there.
Such was the silence that his voice rang out dis-
tinctly over the whole place. Colonel Barry Drew, the
Brigadier, gave the word of command that the whole
brigade should stand at 'attention.' The prisoner
was led up the scaffold steps. A soldier removed his
turban, and drew over his face a dark cap. .A few
seconds were spent in fixing the rope round his
neck, during which he stood muttering prayers.
He was left standing on the scaffold alone. The
steps were removed. Four soldiers caught hold
of ropes that were connected with the scaffold.
A signal was made. A vigorous jerk was given
to the ropes. The whole platform was swept from
under the condetnned man's feet, and the next
second Hazrat Shah , was hanging in the air.
After he had hung for about ten minutes the various
regiments were ordered to march to their respective
camps without music. The body was allowed to hang
for an hour, and then it was cut down and buried
beneath the gallows. All traces of the grave were
obliterated, the scaffold was removed, and in a short
time there were no signs visible of the military tragedy
which had been performed, except groups of soldiers,
natives and Europeans, disuissing earnestly the event
of the day, and the crime of which it was an expiation.
The military authorities here believe that the execution
will stop whatever insubordination among the Pathans
may be incipient in the Khurum force."