Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-30 00:00:00

AN ESCAPE FROSI MASSACRE AT DELHI.

The Edinburgh Courant has a letter from a lady named
Wood, the wife of Dr. Wool, a medical officer of the 38th
Bengal Light Infantry, who barely esctpee with•her life •
from on the 11th of 'May. Mrs. Wood is now at
Simla *sill her husband, who was severely wounded, having
h's lower jiw nearly shot away. She was one of those
Englivh ladies and gentlemen who assembled at the flagstaff,'
and got away when all hope of the immediate suppression of
.the outbreak was over. Dr Wood was placed in a palanquin,
and Mrs. Wood mounted on horseback. They started ie
company with Major Patterscn tied Mrs. Peile,- wile were
in a buggy but a few miles from D..lhi. She says :
Bands of savages from the neighbouring villages pouted
upon us, armed with immense sticks 'bound with ion •
rigs, and-swords, demandicg all W 3 possess .d. We had
the 'besets containing our few valuables with us—thesa
we were compelled to give up to these ruthless plun-
derers, and, not satisfies with these, they robbed Mrs.
Peile of her bonnet and . cape, also taking my dress,.
leaving me only a thin whi'e petticoat,' besides making '
as open our clothe.; and irsultingly searching oar person-
for concealed articles ; also a pillow' 'lend two sheets
literally soaked in bloeci ; breaking up the cerriaee and.
buggy before us, and riding off with the horses, thus, by
depriving us of otir conveyance., rendering our escape
almost hepelese. From day to day we crawled along,
travelling at the rate of ab tut seven miles a night, begging
food from vi loge to village, and dredging a wounded
men with us who was utterly helpless, sometimes re-
ceiving food and kindness from the villagers, at ethers
insult on insult—drinking water from the pu lellea and
ditches on the rettisides—sleeping on the bare
ground, exposed to the burning sun and fiery wind of an
Indian climate. With the ever present terror that
_otir lives were at stake—indeed, our lives were threatened
several times—we lived through it alt. •-0 it iast dad's
journey on foot `was one of twenty, miles, through
scorching sandy plains, in many places covered with
thorns. This journey Major P— and I performed
without shoes. Mine were -worn out, and though a
native pair had beeti given to me, they hurt my feet so
much I was obliged to take them off and carry them.
After the gentlemen joined us our insults were fewer, aed
attempts-at violence were not so common ; still our fatigues
and rough mode of travelling still continued-. However,
we bore up through it all till we reached Kainaull, where
we were most kindly and hospitably treated 'by youngelldr.
Rigby there. Here we stayed a week ere we started for
the hills to recruit our exhausted strength. Thus have we
been made beggars. I had only retu'rned from Rnglend with
a good (t may say handeeme)outfit, and the jewels I have lost
were many of them presents from dear, kind friends, never
to be replaced again; the others wet e purchased with my
own hard-earned savings for fitteen ye 'vs past. You will
sto in this Ivey how heavy our losses have been, and if
any of your kind readers, after the perusal of my sad tele,
feel inclined to assist us in our di-tress, I will not say how
gratefully-it will be received." The Edinburgh Courant
says :—`• f o.add to the hardship •of the case, we believe
that so long as her husband, Dr. Wood, holds no appOint-
ment (and from the nature of his wound that may ba no
brief term), half kis pay and alowances are cut cif, while
by a late government order all officers are now kept three
motths in arrears of pay."