Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1857-12-25
Incidents in the Siege of Delhi

We extract from the letter Of the Del
hi correspondent of the Illustrated Netcs,
extending from the 18th to the 28th Of
August, some interesting incidents OF the
siege:
A few days ago, there arrived in our
camp. guised rs an afghan, one OF the
many unhappy victims OF the late atroci-
ties. The young wife of Il warrant Off
Ger, gentle and fair, had taken refuge,
with her three children, in the cellar Of
house TO which she and one Of her
aunts had fed for safety. On the first
outburst of the mutiuy, 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 her bosom /;
and how, when morning came, she heard
the footsteps of men in riot u5eve and
around her, and the tramp Of feet on the
staircase Of her hiding place. A postern
door led her out on the strand, and here
she was met by two Mahometau soldiers,
who stripped her Of all she had, She
hoped then they would allow her to flee
with her children, but she was told that
she must 20 before the King. They
dragged her back through the college
garden, under the walls of the palace
Within was lumult and a scene of demo
Mac orgie, from which even Imagination
rccoils. A flash, 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 muir
mur, " We will come and die with mann
ma, and their tiny hands tenderly uursed
her dropping head, a. she had often be-
fore nursed their, ; but as they crcpi
round her, a 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-
plaiuingly she bad pressed closer 10 the
1 bleeding mothers bosom, whose glazing
eyes were riveted on this, her last
Again the stroke desccnded-not fatal
yet. For six long hours, " Water. wa
teri fainter and fainter yet, til the little
mutilated face was hushcd at last. A
moulvie had watched her, and when
night closed in, and when all was quiet
once more in that noisy place, he came
I like the good Samaritan, aud poured oil
on her wounds, and laid her on bed
and carried her 10 his home. The wo
/ men Of his house attended her, aud iec
and clothed her as one Of themselves
Slowly strength came again, and tie
stream of life flowed On, not all bitter, loI
she hoped that, though her children hac
r been taken from her, her husband nigh
still be living aud she hopes on, and re
fuses to believe she is utterly bereft.-
She tells Of panics in the city--of ia,
encouragement Of the Sepoys at fhei
uniform i'll success. At length the Wo
wen Of the house obtained leave on
/ high festival 10 go to iomb aud pray
I and. veiied as a Mosiem. she passed ia
/ gates in their company. She had bee
r able 10 communicate with some Of ou
3 Afghan allies, many Of whom pass fre'
Iy 10 and from the city. il was planne
! that at dark one Of these should come /
= the mosque and guide her TO the cam
They lelt it together. Twice she sl
+ nearly discovered by patrols, bul 10 sa
o ly morning they found thenseiyes outsid
4 Of our pickets. AZ first si'e was take
: for a spy, but soon oyereame all diibcn
. ties, and was received by the one lady
4 our foree-a refugee Ike herself