Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-09-27
INDIA.
A Fearful Picture of Suffering.

4 correspondent of the London Times, !
writing from Calcutta on July 81, gives a !
fearful picture Of the suffering caused by
the famine. in India. lie says:
] started for Midnapore, a civil station
about 70 miles southwest of the capital, !
on the morning of the Goth of June, and
had hardly proceeded some seven miles
when commenced the painful sights which,
varying only in intensity, continued until
l again returned to this place. Rain had
fallen heavily during the night, and the
palki men were trudging slowly through
the mud, when q little after day-break |
saw two bodies under a tree. As there
seemed to be a slight motion in one, |
alighted, and on going up TO it found,
covered under an old cloth, with Just a
spark of life left in him, an old man slow
ly dying from hunger. He appeard as if
he had thin piece Of transparent India
rubber tightly drawn over his skeleton
frame, so emanciated had he become l
gave him some beer, and he slowly faltered
out his tale Of woe He said that heand his
companion had left their homes, after
seeing their families die from the effects
Of cholera or famine, and had got thus
far on their journey toward Midnapore,
hoping TO get relief there, when one,
struck by damp and hunger, dies on the
road under Il tree, and the other wakes TO
find his friend a corpse, and himself, ex-
hausted and drcnched by the heavy rains
that had fallen during the night, unable
to move. The dogs and jackals feast off
the body, while this living skeleton but
few PAGES off is unable to prevent them.
lie family begs from the passer-by, but in
vain. Hunger is gnawing their vitals
| also. They all turn a deaf ear to his cry.
The beer seemed to revive him, and l
went to my palki to get some biscuits,
bat returned to find the poor sufferer in a
state of coma, and in a few minutes he
was dead. The half-picked body of his
| companion attested his tale. | continued
>my journey, passing at intervals the dead,
as they lay unburied and in every stage
| Of decomposition on the side Of the road.
! Sometimes l would see a cluster together.
! IN one place there were twenty-five bodies
within the space of half mile; in an
other six close together, all more or less
mangled and torn by the jackals, dogs and
yultures. Pushing my way through the
| jungle and over paddy fields, often obliged
| to swim suEdry streams swollen by the
late floods, in one Of which my palki was
( upset, ] trayersed one hundred and twenty
miles of country, when l reached the
/ house Of Il Mr.. Falls, an assistant in
/ Messrs. Watson &co's indigo concern
! Ioro ,o, InC, 49,, Fl,
a woman had died by the roadside, and
! that living child was said to be at her
| breast. He sent out his servants, who
returned saying that they had found the
corpse and the child, but the mothers arm
clasped the latter so tight that in bending
it back, stiff and cold, it broke. They
say that the living and the dead had been
| thus linked together for two days st any
rate, the poor little infant, exhausted by
exposure and want, died as it was being
released. The above gentleman and my
self were travelling through dense jun
/ gle. Miles away from any human habi
tation we perceived famished native Of
the Sonthal tribe, lying on the ground, he
had thrown himself down 10 meet GER
tain death; but a little brandy rekindles
the vital spark, and, 10th 10 leave him to
be prey for the .jackal and leopard, we
had him placed on the roof of a palki.
The palki bearers, however, refused to
bulge an inch, saying that their caste
would be gone. ''.Saaciter IN mOao," is
tried, but . no go" - tortte' IL re - then
came into play. They murmered, looked
at the palki, asked for bottle of grog,
and then trudged along with their tipsy
burden. The brandy had been too strong
for him. | am glad to add that in twcn-
ty-four hours after this the burden was
walking about. The misery entailed by
the famine has brought ont all the worst
qualities Of the lower class Of natives. As
"A rule, affectionate and fond of their
homes, they have H too many instances
fed, leaving their wives and families to
starge but as az eye witness in two
where nobler feelings held their sway,
here record them: A woman with her
three young children, crawls up TO plan
ter's house Just as luncheon was being
carried from the table; she begs for the
remainder Of the curry and rice, which
are at once taken out into the veranda
and placed before her. Without attempt
ing to eat, she quietly sets the three chill
dren round the dish, who in a few minutes
demolish its contents, and although the
mother is wasted to a skeleton, yet, num-