Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1857-12-12
Incidents in the S.ege OF Delhi.

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We extract from the letter of the
Delhi correspondent of the Illustrated
Ns,os, extending from the 18th to the
18th Of August, some interesting Incl
dents of the seige:"
One-armed Guns and One-arnsed
Gunners Our sunken one-armed
howitzers have been doing good service
lately. Their practice on the palace
has been mischievous, and the General
issimo, Buhtor Kahn, endeavors to es-
tablish rocket practice on our camp
Several Of these have fallen among our
tents, but happily without mischief
one Of them trans6xed the water-skin
"bheesty," which was acting as shower
bath Of an artillery officer, and explo-
ded harmlessly in his tent. A few days
ago Col. NJ, of the artillery, who had
lost an'arm in the service, was super
intending our long-range mortar prac-
tice from the disabled, half buried guns,
which were so difficult to work, that a
half disguised gunner was heard to
mutter to his comrade, sBill, does that
one armed Colonel Of ours think he's
going to take Delhi with these here
one-armed guns ?"
II Sad Story.-A few days ago
there arrived in our camp, guised as an
afghan, one Of the many unhappy
victims Of the late atrocities. The
young wife of warrant officer, gentle
and fair, had taken refuge, with her
three children, in tho cellar Of house,
to which she and one of her aunts had
fled for safety. On the first outbreak
Of the mutiny, the husbands of both
were absent from Delhi. OF her babes,
the eldest was only four years old /; and
she told how patiently they lay till
night, sitting their sobs in their bosom;
and how, when morning came, she heard
tho footsteps of men in riot, above and
around her, and the tramp of feet on
the staircase of her hiding place. A
postern door led her out OH the strand,
and here she was met by two Mahome-
tan soldiers, who stripped her of all she
had. She hoped then they would allow
her to fee with her children, but she
was told that she must go. before the
King They dragged her back through
the college garden under the walls Of
the palace. Within was tumult and
scene of demoniac orgie from which
even imagination recoils. A fash close
enough to scorch her, a sharp blow, and
she fell to the earth, holding in her arms
a dying infant, pierced through by the
same bullet which had ploughed its way
through her own side. Faint with
loss Of blood, she long lay there; at
last in baby tones she so well knew,
she heard her little ones murmur, " we
will come and die with mamma, and
their tiny hands tenderly nursed her
dropping head as she had often before
nursed theirs but, as they crept round
her, savage seized her eldest born
the little throat hardly needed so sharp
and heavy sword-one blow and the
babbling voice was hushed forever
There was one yet left her. Uncom-
plainingly she had pressed closer to her
bleeding mothers bosom, whose gla-
zing eyes were riveted on this her last.
Again the stroke descended, not fatal
yet. For six long hours, "water, wa
ter J" fainter and fainter yet, till the
little mutilated face was hushed at last.
A moulvie had watched her, and when
night closed in and when all Was quiet
once more in the noisy place, he came,
like the good Samaritan, and poured
oil on her wounds, and laid her on
bed, and carried her to his home. The
Of his house tended her, and fed
and clothed her as one Of themselves.
Slowly strength came again, and the
stream Of life flowed on, not all bitter,
for she hoped that, though her children
had been taken from her, her husband
night still be living; and she hopes on,
Ind refuses to believe she is utterly be-
eft. She tells Of panics in the city,
II the encouragement Of the Sepoys at
heir uniform i'll success. At length
he women Of the house obtained leave
IN a high festival to 60 to a tomb to
pray; and, yelled as Moslem, she
passed the gates in their company
She had hAcn shlo 70 roynmur;ca to with