The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-03-21 00:00:00

A BOON TO THE MILLION
Tax A to stye to B, C,
otaxed sugar ; ditto tea.
That's year Breakfast Table agee:
Fairer what demand cau be ?

"QUALIS AB INCEPTO."

A correspondent, rightly thinking that anything about
the hero of the wonderful march with twenty natives
through the heart of Ashantee will be Int-reeting, mends us
(The 7'unee) the followtrg sketch of t'aptan Wartorins'S
rimier career. It reveals the same combination of coolness
and daring which alone made that gallant enterprise pos-
sible :

" Captain Reginald Sartorius, G:h Bengal Cavalry,
is the second son of Sir G' eorge Rose Sartorius, K.C.8.,
Admiral of the Fleet. He went out to India as •
cadet in January, 1868, and was shortly after attached
to the 13th Light Infantry, under Lord Mark Kerr.
It Was not long before he saw active service, for on
the 6th April in the same year he Was at the siege of
Azinghur. The company to which he belongssi, and
winch was commanded by Capta!n Jones, was in
charge of baggage and ammunition wh!ii it was ordered
to the rear to help the rear-guard, winch was hotly
attacked. At the very outset, Ca„tain Jones WAS shot
dead, and Sartorius led on the company and dislodged
the enemy, kink g several with his own nand, and amongst
them the man who had shot his captain. After this
he was entirely surrounded, when some caval. y came
to his assistance. The major in command, seeing the
danger of the situation, was at a loss for means of
communication with the colcnel, who was in front
attacking a fortified village. Sartoriue volunteered
to carry any message, if the major would lend him his
horse, his own having been shot. The major did so,
and Sartorius dashed throu4ll the enemy, who fired at
him all the way along. One ball took off the top of his
helmet, anosher bruised his ankle, but he succeeded in
delivering his message to the colonel, and returning to
the rear-guard with another company, with the assist-
ance of which the baggage and ammunition were safely
brought up under a heavy tire. On the same day Sartorias
voluntserel to head a storming party against a number
of rebels who were firing from a loopholed
mosque, but this Lord Mark Kerr refused to
sanction, as he considered it would be certain destruc-
tion. It was no small gratification to this young
officer, then only 17 years of ags, when at the close of
the battle, Lord Mask Kerr publicly complimented him
upon the courage and coolness he had shown through-
out the day. Sartorial; subsequently saw much fight-
ing, the more important engagements at which he was
present being as follows :—At Hurreah, the 19th of
September, 11t58; at Doineragnnge, the 28th of No-
vember; at Tulsepore on the 25th of December, 1858;
and at I3otwal, in April, 1859. He later on joined the
expedition to Bhootan, and also took part in the
Kossia campaign, where he so distinguished himself as
to merit the special thanks of the Commander-in-Chief
in India, He also volunteered for the Abyssinian
campaign, but was unsuccessful in his application. He
is decorated with the Indian Mutiny and Frontier
medals. How last autumn, when on furlough, he
volunteered for Captain Glover's lioness Force, and
what have been his achievements in this difficult ser-
vice, it will be for Captain Glover himself to tell."