Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-04-29
Entombment Alive in India.

EntOmbment Alive in India.
A writer in Household Words gives an
account of his "Wanderings in India" ~
Al Agra he was introduced 10 Lall Singh,
IN whose garden was discovered the re-
mains of former residence. OF this be
says, SIN several of the inches fiu an mn
derground room) where little lamps, such
as are burnt upon the tombs of Moslems.
and hookah and pair of marble chairs
were found in this subterraneous apartment,
of which the sky was now the roof
Whilst examining the room observed that,
upon one side, there was a ledge about six
feet high from the floor (and carried up
therefrom,) and about foot in width
This ledge, which was of brick and plaster,
resembled huge mantle piece, and was
continued from one end of the apartment
to the other. I asked the Rajah the rea-
son of such a structure in the apartment.
He replied that he did not know, nor could
any of the workmen account for it; one
of them, however took pick-axe and dug
out portion, when to my surprise and
horror, discovered that in this wall a ht-
man being had been bricked up. The skin
was still upon the bon S, which were cover
ed with a costly dress of white muslin,
spangled all over with gold; around the
neck was string ofpearls; on the wrists
and ancies were gold bangles, and on the
feet We're pair of slippers, embroidered all
over with silver wire or thread: such slip
pers as only Mohammedau women of rank
or wealth can afford to wear. The body
resembled welLpreserved mummy. The
features were very distinct, and were those
of woman, whose age could not, at the
time of her death, have exceeded eighteen
or nineteen years. The head was partially
covered with the white dress. Long black
hair was still clingipg to the scalp, and par
ted across the forehead and carried behind
the ears. 1t was the most horrible and
ghastlv figure that I ever beheld. The
workmen appeared to take this discovery
as a matter of course; or rather to regard
it only with reference to the gold and silver
ornaments upon the skeleton, and it was
with great difficulty that / could prevent
their stripping it forthwith. As for the
Rajeh, he simply smiled and cody remark
ed: GA case Of jealousy. Her husband
was jealous of her, and thought her guilty,
and punished her thus,-bricked her up
alive in this wall, with no room to move
about, only standing room. Perhaps she
deserved it-perhaps she was plotting
against his life; perhaps she was innocent;
who can say? Hindoos as well as Mobom-
edans punish their wives in that way
'You mean that they used to do SO in for
mer times previous TO British rule in In
dia; but such thing could not occur 50
often as it did; but it does occur somtimes
even in these days. How do ron know
what happens in the establishment Of .
wealthy native? Let us look little fur
ther into the wall. 1t strikes me that We
shall find some more of them. Orders
were given accordingly to the workmeu,to
remove, with great care, the whole of the
ledge; in short, to pull away its entire face.
This was done: and how shall | describe
the awful spectacle then presenteda In
that wall there were no less than five bo-
besides that already alluded to.
One of the number was young man, who,
from his dress and the jewels on his finger
bones. must have been person of high
rank, perhaps the lover of one. or both Of
the young women, for he had been bricked
up between two of them.. The Others were
those of confidential servants; old women.
for they had gray hair. They possibly
had been cognisant, or were supposed 10
be cognisant, of whatever offence the Others
had been deemed guilty of. The sun was
now shining brightly on these ghastly re-
mains, covered with garments embroidered
in gold and silver. The air had speedy
effect on them, and, one by one, they fell,
each forming heap of boues, hair, shrivel-
ed skin, dust, jewels and fnery. The lat
ter were now gathered up, placed in small
basket, and sent to the Lallah. Their
value, possibly, was upwards of q thousand
pounds. How many years had passed since
that horrible sentence had been put into
execution? Not less than one hundred
md seventy, or perhaps two hundred