Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-08-19

tacle soon to occur.
Al half-past four the troops composing tn
n garrison moved to the ground. OF the En-
glish soIdiery there were only some two hun
dgcd Of her Mqjesty's Nmety-ffth regiment
just arrived from the Cape OF Good Hope
E two hundred American and Eng
lish-had hastily landed from the ships in tn,
harbor, armed with musllet and bayonet
There were also a four gun battery of ioot
artillery, and three guns manned by the arti-
sans of the Grand Arsenel.
The whole English force numbering only
five hundred men-against which were some
six thousand; near them was a group Of En-
glish and American captains Of merchants
ships, and numbers of the civilian population.
/ The parade formed three sides of oquare.d
The base was occupied by the artillery at
the center; the right and left sides were com
posed Of the Tenth and Eleventh Sepoy regi-
mentss to which the prisoners belonged.
Facing these Sepoys were placed three
guns, behind which the artilIerymen. stood,
with matches lighted, ready to meet with
deadly ball the first movement toward re-
volt.
Between the six cannons, three pointing
obliquely to either side, were placed at right
angles to the base of the square, the two guns
assigned for the awful vengeance or justice of
the hour. Between and in the rear Of them
were arranged the stern guard and the con
demned wretches whose lives were so soon
to terminate.
Thanks to the corutesy Of Brgadier Shout.
commanding the garrison, and Captain VIM
Walser, was permitted to take my position
within six feet of the right hand gun, and
such a spectacle as I then witnessed viii
live in my memory forever.
There was no outward excitement such as
attends ordinary public executions; no sway
ing to and fro Of the multitude.
In all that vast assemblage Of 100000 hu-
man beings, a whisper would have broken the
stiffness. -U
The English officers rode along the lines,
silent and severe Of aspect. The champ Of
their horses bits, the clank Of their saJres,
seemed lond and troublesome, as they Jared
thesall-Pervading quiet.
AtGve clock the Brigadier rode in front
Of the death guns aud for moment the 81 +
Ience Of the grave prevailed. It was only
interrupted when a voice audible to the most
distant OF the listening multitude, read in
tones clear, solemn and firm, the sentence Of
the Court Martial.
In the language Of Hindoostan, it smote the (
ear and hearts OF the conyicts.
Thus i was rendered to me:
The Court having found you guilty ofat-4
tending seditious meeting in Bombay, and
of having made uae of highly mutinous Ian
guage, evincing a traitorous disposition to-
wards the government, tending to promote
rebellion against the State, and to subyert its
Ghe above being in breach Of the
article Of war;, sentence you, Drill HayiIdar
Syneed Hoseen, of the Marine battalion.
Native Infantry, TO suffer death by being
blown away from the nuzzle or a cannon.
The two men were then ordered to diyest
themselves Of their rcgimental jackets. This
was quickly done; they were then marched
between files Of the European guard, each to
a cannOn's mouth, and there bound tightly
with ropes.
The culprit Drill Havildar" appeared com
posed, and assumed an attitude erect and even
dignifcd, until he found himself in the grasp r
Of the artiIlerymen.
He gazed imploringly upon the regiment to I
which he had belonged-expecting, thought 1
that. they might rush to his rescue. Il
He made last appeal!
cob! Sahib captain-Salib!- pardon
captainl'
They stood before him motonless! and
that guilty breast where sangiinary resolves
had arranged the midnight slaughter of de-
enceless men, women and children, now
leayed with the mental agony of tie doomcd \
7
While the two men were being boand not 7
j syllable was uttered by the assembled I
'roWd; the suspense heightened seconds in 7
o inmates. % 7
All eyes we're turned for an instant from /.
he prisoners 10 the native regiments-but
hey moved not.
A rafting Of steel along the line gave no /
ice that the Enfield rifle was preparing to L
-ist muliny with slaughter t
As the word "prime' fell upon the ear, I /
loticed the Tenth Native Infantry shook, as J
y an electric thrill sL p
1t was now quite evident they might have +
cared that at the next moment the deadly
lfes might be leveled against their front. I
simultaneously with the loading Of the in
antry, the guns to the right and left of the v
riminals were pointed at the two native reg Q
nents, loaded to the muzzle with canister a
nd grape, and there the gunners stood with l.
ignal match lighted t
From the ramparts Of the fort four sixty 9
light Founders looked threateningly upon the l.
eeno
When the final summons was giyen--the !
andcufs and uniform jackets remoyed-and
he English gunners were lashiug the traitors,
With their backs to the. cannon's mouth, It
vas really fearful to notice the wild, despair
lg expressions IN the faces Of the doomed
There was another pause; again the silence :
ecame oppressive-thousands and thousands
f eyes rivcted their gaze upon the victims:
nd The heart ol the slougefl Here stirred