Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1857-12-15
J From The Albany Ege63klJ6urnal.
ri 1TlnIo I,tG:ia tG:iraea,scd 4 e CarsfI.IScs. ! I. (

iol Among The British army reghlations for
loadug iirelock5, is on stiat viii be mem
orable in English history ~ the words
following: .araltd1
"The firelock being, at theiword fpre-
pare TO load placed on the ground, six
inches in front of the body and held at
the full ex.ent f The left arm, the recruit
receives the order 'load,.' upon which he
brinys the cartridge to the mouth, holding
il between tho furetinger and thumb, with
the ball in the hand, aud .1gte. Off the top,
elbow close to the BODY -,.. r.da
4, Amono the arms used ~ Iudis Ly the
Sepoy, .tfoo5 Is is tie El||Ieid rifle, The
'ball end Vf fhd fafi' male for this
weapon, has 10 be QreI 50 as to lubri
cate the bore of thcsgstI .5,,, (, III,
The reader will now be Prepared to ap-
preciate an event which happened at a
school of rifle practice at Dunn DUN in
January, 1857. A low caste native, an
arsenal laborer asked Sepoy of the 2l
Grenadiers to give him II drink out Of his
water vessel With the religious propriety
of Hindoo, the soldier refused, saying
II have secured my lotah clean-you will
defle it with your Louch." The other re-
torted: :t'You think much OF your caste; but
wait awhile! The Sahib -logue will make
YOU eat cartridges soaked in COW and hog
fat, and then where will your caste be?''
This speech was reported by the grea-
adler to Ills comrades. .er 1t travelled speed
ilv to the nearest military sthtion, ana from
there catherine n Growth of distortion and
exayoeratlon. il went through the ranks of
the Whole Indian army. Twas in its final
shape the fat of the iackasg which was to
be smeared upon the Enfield cartridges,
AMI forced between the lips. of the Hin1oo
so,diers--and the British government pur-
posed to initiate with this profound abomi-
nation, a forcible conversion of all the peo-
pie of India to Professionalism. The social
standing, the personal respect, the family
ties. and the spiritual well being. of lhe
Sepoys-all thai was valuable to them in
this world and the next-was placed in i'm :
mediate and extreme peril. They stepped
out of their ranks on parade, and respect
fully but firmly statedotheir objections 10
the regulation method of pfeparine grease
to the Enfell cartridge. They asked MS
concession to their religious feelings,
that composition OF wax and oil shoull
be used in place of the uacIean mixture.
An inauirv into the constitution of the
Laboratory crease" used nj Wo ,lwich, IN
the making 1p of the cartriIres for India.
showed that it wa; composed of five parts
Of tallow, five parts of stearine, and one
part of wax. The Government male an
order that the cartridges should be issued
free from grease, and that the Sepoys
should be allowed to apply any suitable
lucubra!ing material that they preferred
This order was read publicly on paale.-
But it was too late. Suspicion had gaineJ
complete possession OF the minds OF the
soldiers. The whisper that the paper o
which the new cartridges were made, has
been soaked in bulock's taIlow. gained gen
eral credence. The soldiers refused to dc
the biting required by the order above
quoted. Their officers went INTO the rank
with the cartridg dges-to9e them open
showed them the paper-male them fee
and examine it--et them take 1t to thei
quarters to be tested. But it was of n
use. Some of the Sepoys affirmed tina
when burned. the paper ''phizzed' an
''smeit greasy''-others said it locke
"glazed like wax CLOTH = others said
was "stiH and different ON the old pa
per-" and therefore had COWS ana pigs
grease" in it, The Chemical Examine
TO the Government was ordered to test tn
, paper with chemical analysis and the m
croscope, and to report upon it. He di
SO, and his report that there was not pa
ucle OF grease Or oil in the paper, wa
: made public. but avalled not to persuad
the Sepoys to take it between their teetl
All this time the belief that the Bntis
government entertained the design OF con
. pellhg the Indians by force to becoT
e Christians, spread AMI grew confines
e A feeling of fierce hostility vas klndle
: among the Sepoys. Their priests lnt1amt
: it. To avoid the difficulty about the y
: creased cartridges and the new paper
: the ungreased, it was recommended by
d sensible officer, to the Government tn
: the regulation requiring the cartridges
!; be bitten should be modified by allpwl'
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