The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-06-01 00:00:00

INDIAN PANICS.

Mr. Syed AbdoMali sends the following translation m
a letter he has received from A native of India
Eenares, April 8, 1872, The recent Ininlnxinstion •
have thrown the entire population of India into a state
of fearful sonsternation. What curse impends over th.
country God only knows, but all kind. of vague and
preposterous 1.1111101111.1 aro ill circulation. The Maim
melons are everywhere throughout India regarded with
suspicion by the English residents, and although there
io no tangible proof of any kind, it is confidently
believed that they are on the eve of a fresh insurree
tion. An incident which I witnessed with ipv own
eyes will chow the state of feeling to which [ allude.
"The 10th day of Mohurrum was ti xed for the 20th
ult. An absurd rumour had become current among
the English population that the Mussulinana would
assassinate them on that day: while among the Mos
sulmans a no less absurd notion prevailed that if they
attempted to assemble in large numbers at the usual
burying of taziahs, they would be arrested and rum
manly sent beyond the seas. Those who believed in
these reports went secretly erased with daggers and
thick bamboo cudgels furnished with iron pikes, deter -
mined to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Many
of them took an affecting farewell of their females,
and left hi me amid tremendous crying and weeping.
The Chrisiian inhabitants, for their part, left town,
and sought shelter in the European lines, many
ladies changed their usual residence, and formed
parties in a large kothi (or palace), while others
left the station altogether. I accompanied the crowds
of people bearing tazialis of every shape and colour.
some most gorgeously and expensively got up. The
mournful chanting of the Mareiyah (or dirge), the
beating of breasts, the noise of drums, fifes, and tons
toms, the shontiag of ' Demi char pm,' the simulated
weeping of the excited multitude -all these combined
to make a perfect pandemonium o Ithe scene. The
crowd appeared to be going simulaaneously mad, and I
should have sought an early opportunity for (steam had
it been possible; as it was, [ wee borne along by the
resistless !dream of people. When we reached the Mandan
Fatman Karballah, the crowd was immenae, and for
miles anaind there was hardly a foot of ground unoccu-
pied. About 12 o'clock an English gentleman wee seen
advancing on horseback, when at the sound of some
drum, or cracker, his horse suddenly took fright, and
I threw bins to the ground. The animal becoming more
frightened than before, now dashed off at headlong
speed, knocking down and trampling under foot every
thing and person which came in its way. The English•
man coins recovered himself and regained his feet and
with his face bleeding and his garments covered with
, dust set off in pursuit of his horse, closely followed by
his groans, both shouting at the top of their voices
Pekin, pabro. khabar dar gene na pawe ' (Catch him.
catch him, take care, don't let himgod Thin shout, taken
up by some thousands of voices, and the confusion
caused by the runaway horse, seemed to confirm
the reports which had been vaguely whispered earlier
in the day, and the conviction gained ground that the
day of retribution had arrived and the massacre COM-
' meneed. A fearful panic seized upon the crowd and a
ridden stampede resulted, some ran as fast as their legs
coal carry them 801110 climbed up into the trees, and
others even sough refuge in the prickly pear bushes
In less than five minutes the immense crowd had en-
tirely disappeared, and the Englishman and his horse
were left is sole possession of the deserted Maidan.
I am glad to say there was no toes of life on the
occasion.
"Surely the English Government aught to interfere
to put aster to the disgraceful scenes yearly enacted
at these Mehurrum festivals, and ought to take pre
cautionary measures against the recurrence of euch a
panic as that which I have related, and which cannot
fail to be productive of bad feeling between the Ma
homedan and Christian communitiea in India. '

CUTTINGS FROM AMERICAN PAPERS_
A genuine lion is sauntering about San Jose in
California, and the citizens are keeping re:market:2y gonl
hours.
At Cheyenne the belle of the evening was Miss W
She dressed faultlesely In a linsey-woelsey of the palest shade
of cafe au hitt, cut en train, mid trimmed with Chicago roller
The Louisville Courier-Journal inforras a corm,-
pendent that Nilsson was net the cue whe ought al
Trafalgar.
The Master of Ceremonies at a teoent St. Loun
funeral announced The corpses cousLts, will now condi.
forward.'
Why is it always said, "Poor but reapeotable
people?" and why are rich ones never designated "slat td.t
respectable" dittot leit an anomaly to say so:
It has been calculated that the combined mouths c.
the twenty-five thousand singers at the Boston Jubilee will
form a cavity of over seven hundred and thirty-six square
feet !
Few ladiee consiler that they carry some forty or
fifty miles of hair on their head the fair-haired may even
have to drew seventy miles of threeds of gold emery morn
The following marriatte notice is from the Cad,
Itardits Thorn—' Merricd. in their bury on the etreet
Fairfax, on the 22n4 nit l-y Squire Phipps, L. Bead
and Mire Catherine gibson."
Philadelphiarestanraton haveinventecithe" Caudle.'
If consists of a small bee cent:slide= fried tooter, a
1,10. deo., and Benedict beys it to prapitinte Beatrice when
he goes bums lore
A well- drcs--• 7 who
detect-of In F.," " ' rcraam attri.
burst into tear . • _ • • . ,
and offered him 20 dellaro. 't " -•--. or quirtly
censuring heic he cherged • , -
hese, and handed bock the y exeoeverey.
that the it dollar bill was ' -
A laYMan , enb.tnstc•d.
at eveuirrg meetings. the, 'in the ex-
i strive. of a Deily —" Urctiln i yetlidtth°'e
there tea Eel,: 5, 1 API that tile, is tour in ale:-
smirk, and that I know to a certainty, as I yesterday re-
ceived from therr a lot of three hundred barrels of fret-is
superene, wl,ieh I will s, II no low AR any person in town.'
The Teutonic tailcr of o Penneyleleia havir,
married a second wife iteleeently VAAI utter the funeral of
the first, the young men of the place signified their dis-
approval by a tinh .1,11 serenade during the progress of the
I wedding feast. The vulgar fraction of a man expostulated
In the following style I say, poys, you ought te he
ashamed of yourself to be making all oils noise yen der vas a
funeral here no eoen
An American paper says :—The credit system had
been carried to a pretty tine point in corny of the rural dis-
tricts, if we may judge from the following dialogue, said to
have recently occurred between a customer' and the pro-
prietor oaw's trade, square ?" "Wall, cash trade's
kinder mill naow, major. Betsy Nipper has bort an egger
worth of ten, and got trusted for It 'till her !pealed pullet
lays."
THE LAST INVENTIdN.—A paper says the Late Mr.
Dickens In to be " monumented."
A MAN TRAP.—A. Cleveland modiste. IA doing a large
business in ladies' dresses made up with an Alexis polonaise,
the waist of whieb containe a steel trap concealed by a
malqued muster. When a young gentleman calif' and acci-
dentally or otherwise places his arm around the wearer's
waist, he hears a "click and finds his arm caught... A ble
brother and lamp enter, and the victim a rroully atarta
for the jewelleFs to examine some wedding-rings.
WHERE ARE THE MISSIONARIES ? A New York
paper, after making this inquiry, eed remarks—" Better let
the heathen elide for the present and attend to the home
trade in 8,-,IAI demoraliaation and general wickedness.
Sreacelv one crime or one horror is announced ere it Is
• telescoped' Into another, and .0 it guns on from one day
to another, without and LO the chapter.

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