The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-07

s,oYnbrance' before 1 heard loud noise in
the hall adjoining my bedroom. moved
softly. and looking through the door discov-
cred two Sepoys knocking chest of drawers
| TO pieces 1 was struck with horror, con-
cIudinu their next visit would be to my apart
ment.
"My children and their female servants
,,o,e at this time lying on the mat, Just before
tbe door. which opened into the back veranda,
| and which at the time of the commencement
of the mutiny seemed the safest place, as
ebots beinp fired at the windows. we were
Obliged to move as far as possible from them.
1 whispered my ayah that the Sepoys were in
the hall, and told her to move from the door.
She took my children under the bed and
begged me to go there also. / had not time
for reply, for the door we had just left was at
that instant burst open. got under the bed,
and was no sooner there than several shots
were fired into the room; but although the
door was opened, no one entered. 1 took up
bullet which fell close to me under the bed
'"Ihe children were screaming with terror
at the firing, and expected that our last mo-
ment had come; but willing to make one
effort to save my babes, crept from my
hiding-place into small adjoining room, off
the back of the staircase l opened the win
dow, from which l saw two horse keepers I
returned instantly to my bedroom, and de-
sired the ayah to take my little babe in her
arms. l took Charles st. John in my own,
and opening the door of the back staircase,
ran down as quickly as 1 could. When we got
to the bottom we found several Sepoys on
guard at the back of the house. 1 showed
them my babes, and told my ayah to inform
them they might take all we had if they would
spare our lives.
lone of them desired us to sit down in the
stable with the horses Another looked very
surly, but did not prevent our going there.
Whilst we stayed in the stable, told the
ayah l had my husbands watch; and requested
she would hide it for me. She dug up some
earth with her fingers, threw it over the
watch, and put some chattles omit. We had
not been seated many minutes before we were
ordered away by kind Sepoy. He told me
to go into the fowl-house, which had only a
bamboo 'front.' and we we're, in consequence
exposed to view until the same Sepoy brought
us a mat, which we made use of by placing it
before the door to hide ourselves; and after
wards the same man gave my little boy half a
loaf of bread to appease his hunger.
''Ihere, L suppose, we sat about three
hours in the greatest agony of mind, endea-
voring to quiet my dear little Charles, whom
l found it very difficult to pacify, so terrified
was he by the constant firing, and cried sadly
to get out, and go to his papa. Several times
from my concealment | saw the Sepoys
taking out immense loads of our goods on
their backs, tied up in table-cloths and sheets.
which made me fear that they still had pos
session of the works. know not how L sup
ported myself through all the horrors of that
night and morning. What L dreaded most
was to hear of my husbands murder, and l
really believe should have braved death, and
searched for him on the parade, had not the
situation of my babes withheld me from the
rash attempt. My dread of having them
murdered during my absence, or of leaving
hyraf nrtNho ,na in
| the place of refuge.
81 hoped for the arrival of the 10Th Dra-
| goons from Arcot. The few lines Colonel
| Fancourt wrote in his room, | thought most
! probably were intended to be sent express to
Colonel Gillespie, who was, on that morning,
coming to spend few days with us. But
whether Colonel Fancourt had the means of
sending his despatch or not, was quite igno-
rant. STILL however, 1 thought the news
might reach Colonel Gillespie on the road by
some chance or other, and hearing a tremen-
dous firing at the gate strengthened my hopes
that the regiment had arrived.
"Our house appeared, at this time, quite
deserted by the Sepoys but suddenly several
of them rushed into the compound and called
out, as the ayah said, for me, determined to
find and murder me. She requested me to
go into the farthest corner of the fowl-house,
which 1 did, taking my Charles with me, and
covering him with my gown. 1 had much
difficulty in keeping him quiet. He screamed
at every instant. l expected we should all be
massacred; but the firing at the gate became
now so strong that the Sepoys were obliged
to fly to it, and once more vacated the house,
by which unexpected incident we escaped
impending death i was SO thirsty as several
times to drink dirty water out of dirty
chatty, and give the same to my dear Charles
also.
cat last 1 heard distinctly the horses of the
10Th Dragons upon the drawbridge, ant
huzzas loudly repeated Then hoped every
thing, and a moment after they entered the
, fort. An officer rode in and called for me by
name, but / could neither answer nor move.
Again, heard my name repeated, and saw al
officer in a red jacket who l thought looked
like my husband. 1 made an effort anC
sprang forward to meet him. 1t was Mr.
Maclean. l called for my husband He tolC
me he was alive. Colonel Gillespie and Mrs
, Maclean then Joined us, and both gave m,
, the same assurance. They took me NJ
, stairs and forced me to drink some wine anC
water. When the agitation of my mind haC
little calmed down. they told me tina
Colonel Fancourt was wounded, though no
[ dangerously, and that he must be kept quiet
| About an hour after was told by the sur
Z; geon of the 10th that my husband was il
danger, but that worse wounds had beer
| cured; his were flesh wounds, and the ball
t had not lodged. Hope still made me think h
l would recover. / would not even ask to SCI
t him, thinking the interview might agitat
d him too much. Alas / found too late Their
s were no hopes of him from the first, for h
n breathed his last about o'clock on the sam,
Q afternoon. Thank God he died without
t much suffering. That his death was happy
q am fulV satisfied for he liVed relioicnSl,,