The Express.
London, England, 1857-11-03 00:00:00

THE KOLAPORE MURDERS.

The followins authentic and interesting narrative
of this episode in the Indian Mutiny, contains details
wo have not met with elsewhere.
The venous accounts which have appeared in the pubSc
pinta of the mutiny of the 27th Regiment Bombay N.I. at
Eolapire, giving contradictory statements with regard to the
sad fate of the only European lives then lost, one who his
had access to the few details amertainrd on the spot regard-
ing the deaths of Lieutenant Norris and Ensigns liesthfield
and Stubbs, is desirous of affording a melancholy .•tiefaction
to their friends by a short narrative of facts, chiefly collected
from the confusions of mutineers since executed and the
testimony of native eyes ituesaes, *terming in the main with
that of the brother camas of those lamented young men.

On the night of the 31st of July no apprehenitions were
entertained by the English at Kotonere, no precautions had
been taken, nor any place of rendezvous or ?slugs ap-
pointed in Care of a mutiny amongst the Sepoys. The
night was very dark and rainy ; after mesa, about ten
o'clock, the °fibers separated as natal ; some went to have
a game et billiards, some went home to bed ; the major
(commanding the regiment) was at home ; the doctor
and his wife ware speeding the evening at the house of a
friend; Norris and De Limey, who lived together, had gone
home to bed ; Stubbs (who was adjutant of the regiment)
I was one of the party at billiards; his younger brother had
gone home to bed. The Elam wee given in the billiard-room
that there was a row in the lines. Stubbs's servant brought
him his cloak, and ran to awake his brother. Stubba wort off
to the lines, where be was soon joined by the major. They
tried to get the faithful portion of the regiment together, and
a few did follow them, but could not be got to act in quelling
the mutiny, raving the arras and treasure or the lives of the
officers, more than by giving them warning to fly.
Heatldield and Jones rashed into Norrhis hens% and
begged him and De Lancey to "Get up quirk," saying,
"The men have mutinied, and are coming up here."
Norris at first would not get up, nor take alarm ; but, an
De Tansy's request, he got up and loaded his gun, De
Laney loaded hi. pistols, and they went towards the lines,
having previonely been joined by Ensign Stubbs. On the
way they met Captain M'Calloch, who advised theta to go
back to their home and waft till he sent them word what
to do. They returned, and sat in the verandah listemiog
is the firing and noire in the lines. Suddenly a havildar
Wished in and said, " For God's sake fly for your lime I
There are 150 men maim to murder the officers ; they
are now in the mem :" Norria's home was within two
doors of the meet. The four officers rushed through the
house, Norris calling out, "Come along—l know a capital
place." De Laney, however, stepped into Lis room for hie
sword, and this eared his life ; for when he attempted to fol-
low his comrades he could not see them for the darkneas, but
found himself alone with his Sepoy wean, who urged him
to " run, or he had no chance of escape, as the men were
mad with drink, and longing to kill the Europeans." He '
made for the residency, not without fear that the Irregulars
quartered there might also be in mutiny, and fire on him;
but he resolved to Kok it, having no other place in view,
and afraid to call out to his friends lest he should
attract the attention of the mutineers, who were plundering
the major's house neat door. At the residency he found the
major and Ida wife, and by degrees, with much danger and
difficulty. all the European. of the place assembled thank
Mrs. Rolland, and the other ladies and children, had escaped
by miracle—for the most part in their eight-drew- end

their first act en reaching the residency:was to kneel down
and think God for their safety.
De Lacey volunteered to assist Captain Schneider that
night, and went off to command 70 men of his Irregulars,
pretecting the magazine, &c. Stubbs, M'Culloch, end other
officers got together about 100 men, and took up • position
at the mesa-house ; but the men were seized with • panic,
fired off their guns, and rushed into the mar, and would not
be persuaded to come out again.
The night of the Ist of August came, and no tidings of the
miming officer'. 4,040/. bad been taken from the treasury,
lots of ammunition carried off, and the shops and the major's
house looted ; a poor old woman, mother of the havilder who
had given the alarm at Major Roland's house and at
Norris's, was found murdered in her house. The mutineers
bad gone, but all was confusion and distrust in the camp
not a native could be trusted, and there were no European
soldiers. When Do Lancey found that Norris was not in the
fort or the neighbourhood, nor to be beard of anywhere, he
volunteered to scour the country for the three missing officers,
if be might have five mounted men ; but he was told " they
could not be spared—all were wanted to protect the station."
Meanwhile the three poor fellows were seen by some
coolies on the Thonda road. They carried their boots over
their shoulders, and walked barefoot because of the deep mud
and difficult roads. Tkey are supposed to have lett the main
road on the 2nd of August, and; turned to the left till they
reached the village of Solunkore before daylight on the 3rd.
Here the villagers gave them some food; they were eating
it in • temple when • party of fifty mutineers came up ;
woman told them there were three kaffirs in the temple, e;ad
they instantly surrounded it and shot the two unarmed men
(Stabs and Iteathileld). Norris an • little ?dormice
and turned to fire upon the murderers, bat before he
could draw the trigger three bullets entered lift side.
The mutineers passed on, and the villagers, 'rearing to to
blamed, threw the bodies into the Doodgr.nga river. The

bodies of Norris and Heathfield have been ;we found and
buried.

Thu fell three poetising younr; men, the eldest not 24

years old, beloved and regretted by allwlio knew them. His
commanding officer says of 'Norris, that " he wu a greet
eremite with hie brother officers, and from his abilities
would have beer, a great ornament to the navies which has
lost him. Nothing but their innate eendish disposition could
have indeed, the mutineers to murder him, u he was always
conciliator/ end kind towards the nieri."
One ot his brother officers speaks even more warmly of
hint as " the best fellow in the regiment, end my greatest
frieird, with whom I have always lived, and never had a
quarrel, or anything like a quarrel. Poor, dear old Nora;
whom I loved se a brother I I mime him more and more
every day ; he wee so good and kind, and never hurt a living
thing. I am so unhappy I scarcely know what to do. How
I feel for his poor parents! It seems almost like a dreams
and I can gamely imagine I shall never see him again."
Heathaeld is also spoken of as an officer of great promise
for the very short time he bad been in the service, and was
much esteemed and loved in the regiment, as wu poor
&ebbe, " whose sweetness of temper won him all hearte."
• " '"

It hie been said that these three " mimed their way to the
residency, " but there is no reason to suppose they intended
to go there, or thought they would be more secure at Colonel
Maughan's than elsewhere. In fact, they knew nothing of
its being a partial mutiny. All the troops at Kolspore were
native to a man, and the three officers probably thought to
escape, u Norris's words would imply, to some of their old
haunts in the Ohauts, where they were frequently in the
habit of hunting and shooting.
Since their deaths Kolapore has been, like many other
places in Indio, a scene of terrible and bloody rettibution.
Vp to the 6th September daily coertiemartial were sitting.
Six men bad been blown from guns, 11 shot, and many more
hung ; the gaol was still full, and the work going on. Such
are the scenes of "evil " from which these three young sows
have been suddenly and ►wfully "taken." May God have
mercy on their murderers I " Vengeance ie mine, saith the
Lord."

SUPPOSED N. ÜBDER NEAR HALSTEAD, ESSEI.

(From the Euex Herald of this day).

Much excitement was caused in the neighbourhood
of Coins Entrains, on Saturday night, by • meet of the sud-
den death of • respectable dader in that perla, under such
suspicions cirmunetancee that !idle doubt Is Left on the mind
of the public that • foul wad cold-blooded murder, accom-
panied by robbery, has been committed, almost in open day.
light.
Mr. loose Butcher, the victim, was a respectable tnhabi.
tent of Coins Repine, where he bad recently taken a small
farm, besides carrying on a somewhat extensive dealing in
farming sleek.
The following is an outline of the cirsomstsnees elucidated
, to the present tines
On the morning of Saturday, Mr. Butcher, fa hie usual
course of business, attended Cokhester market. After
dining, he obtained the offer of a ride home with Mr.
' Johnson, • dealer, at Wakes Collie, who gave him " a lift"
as far as Mr. Skingley's farm, • distance of two or three
miles from hie residence. Rae he got out, and taking two
or throe packages of tea, groceries, ace. walked on briskly
towards home apparently in his usual health. Deceased,
after leaving 'Johnson, was met by several parsons who
also observed two men following him at • short distance.
When abont ten rods from the spot when the alleged
minder took place be wee met by • person named
Hubbard, who bade him " Good night," to which deceased
respouded and p•saed quickly on. A few step. further
on the read Hubbard met a stranger, whom be also
saluted, but received no audible reply, and close behind
followed a second men, also unknown. This was about
its o'clock, and wee the hat occasion on which deceased
was seen alive. Two or three minutes after six Thomas
Bettie under-gardens to Robert Hills, Faq., was croseng
the park, end when at a distanceof about fifty rode front
the road which bounds the park grounds, beard a noise ap-
parently of persona scuffling. Thinking it arose probably
front persons intoxicated he walked on quietly to the lodge
gala, which is within a stone's throw of the spot. Passing
through the gate, which closed loudly after him, and pro-
bably alarmed the maiden's, he walked towards deceased,
but stopped when about halt way to listen fora moment,
when he distinctly heard the footsteps of mere than one,
permn running in • direction from him. Butler's suapicira
being aroused, he then commenced running at the top of
his speed and, to his horror, intently on turning the
coiner, discovered the deceased lying on his back by the
ride of the road, his head, which use lying nearest Coins
Ellgtille, his intended destinetion smeared wife Weed.
His clothes were in a very disordered state, the waistcoat
and under clothes being elan, the shirt partly ep, and the
high boots pushed partly down to the noddle of the caves.
Hastily making these mend obeervationa, Butler ran to the
neat earner, when be owe more beard foot falls near the
plantation, some distance off. Soon after• thinking it dan-
gerous to go further alone in purruit, he retraced his steps,
and endeavoured to obtain assistance. laths meantime, end
before ho %turned with help, J. J. blaybew, jun., Esq.,
drove up with the deceased's brother, and, o
the body of a man in the road, Mr. Butt her :riegriV,
and raising it, he recognised (with what feelings
_may be
imagined) the corpse of his own brother. Medical
aeeiet-
•nee was immediately, bat fruitlessly, obtain, d ; deceased
was quite dead. On examination, it was diecovered that
he had received a wound on the forehead, but whether
sufficient of itself to cause death must be a point for
medical inquiry. It is said that deeessed had a quantity of
both geld and silver in his peewees:on, but not a cobs of any
kind was found upon the body. After escaping hem the
scene of the murder, it is presumed that the two men who
are supposed to have committed the atrocious act, made their
way across the country, as footprints of two persons have
been found leading from a gate on the roadside, over a field
of tam, through a fallow Mid, end a portion of • field of
mougold warm], from whence they impose by matte on the
sand to have leaped over • hedge to the adjoining meadow,
but here, unfortunately, all traces cease.
It is but right to add that deceased Mitred from disease of
the heart, which has been suggested by some persona as the
' cause of his death.
He had just entered his Pith year, and Laves a widow and
six children to lament him untimely end.
Very great esitement prevails in the neighbourhood, mod
the vicinity of his death has been visited by hundreds of
persons.
We understand that the police are in possession of certain
facts respecting the suspected parties, but at present it would
not be advisable to give publicity to them.
We believe it to be a fact that before he left Colchester
deceased paid into one of the Lank, there upwards of 6001.

FREEMARORRY TOLERATED IN RUSSIA.—" The
government of Petersburg," says the lassigsbery Gautt4
"Lae decided on not preventing, for the future, the masonic)
lodges from bumming in Russia. Hitherto that association
ham been strictly interdicted there, each public fructionsry
being obliged to pledge himself not to form part of it. The
Greek church bad, in fact, at one time, visited it eith OB
anathema. Notwithstanding these precautions, there is OD
doubt that masonic lodges have long existed secretly in the
interior of Russia."

.....
THE CA3lt AT CHALONS.—" Since the departure
of the troops from the camp at Chalons," say. the Courrier
de la Champagne, " ovule are actively going on there. The
Emperor has despatched M. Gautherot, the hydroscope who
rendered considerable services in Africa, to discover wells.
`and it ia hoped that each division will. in future, beat=
provided with water. A canal along the rivulet of M
is spoken of. Some hundred cows am about to be sent to
the stables lately occupied by the horses of (ha Cent Garda.
In order to turn the building into monist Finally,
ovens are about to be ronetructcd, which will
campaigning ovens (in cast iron) used daring the replace
Milln•
bly of troops."