The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-02-10
Shah Jehan, Woman who May Cut
OF Heads at Will.

The Prince of Wales has been receiving
with royal honors in Calcutta a reigning In
dian queen of great beauty, dash and de-
termination. Shah Jehan, Begun of Bho-
pal, is the first reigning female sovereign
whom the Prince of Wales has had to re-
ceive in Hindustan. Her Highness Jum-
nebal was after all only the mother and
protectress of her son, the new GMkwar
The Princess of Tanjore exercises no legal
rights, but is almost a prisoner, usually in
her great South Indian fort. But Shah
Jehan is an independent potentate, who
has her salute of seventeen guns, and who
can at her own sweet will chop off her sub
jects' heads. She rules over States 6764
square miles in extent, with a population
which ten years ago was supposed to num-
ber nearly a million of souls, and which is
known to have greatly increased since. Her
subjects are, as whole, prosperous Hers
is realm of park like lanos, with spread
ing pastures and wooded uplands and well
titled valleys. South of her territory flashes
the Nerbudda, the most incOnstant of all the
rivers in lndia-now like ribbon of silver
and now mighty volume of rushing water
With her subjects Shah Jehan is extremely
popular. She is "a daughter of the Prophet,
and the men over whom she rules arc ninety
nine in hundred Mussulmaus.
The Begun of Bnopal is the remarkable
daughter of a remarkable woman. In 1865;
when NJ. Louis Rousseet met her, the for
mer queen was about fifty years of age. Her
predecessor was a Nawab. Being woman,
she had vast difficulties to overcome before
she could feel assured of her throne. The
English, above all, were against her. Her
husband, JebanghIr, was the favored claim
ant for the throne of Bhopal, which he as
Aad IN f1 L. -.
mysterious fashion. Begun Secunder at
once seized the reius of government as the
self-appointed regent of her daughter, Shah
JehaD, then a minor. She tcorned the
'fabled divisions of SEX" as she called
them. She rode about like u man, on a
| fiery Arab. On one occasion she heard that
q ''sowar" of hers had spoken on this ac-
count disrespectfully of her, and riding
fHriously at him, this woman of fifty three
cleft his skull. Secunder Begun was
splendid horsewoman, and her daughter, IL
is SAID. has often speared pig in her day.
Secunder had an ugly cash across her left
shoulder. She received it in skirmsh
when she was about tbirty-five years old.
She rode full tilt ut rebel with a spear,
and she ran him through. He had, how
ever, strength left to give her a parting
slash.
6tCunucI WAS u HOuldO as DeduLlIul e0e
was bold. She staltled ali the Mussulmans
Of Indis by casting of her purda nGsheen
(''behind the curtaIn'') customs. she made
no difficulty of executing any one who TOO
stoutly opposed her own dominiOns; and on
one occasion she shot an over b iii minister
through the head with her own hand.
When the mutiny rose she played deter
mined part. Her dominions were in the
center Of the infected districts She sided
boldly with England and there is n story
Gll or well-founded we kRow noi) that she
struck q rusty knife, used for pruning the
flowers in the palace garden, into the heart
Of counsellor with anti-EngIIsh symPa-
thles.
Some uncomfortable things are said about
the present Begun of Bhopal. IL il acknowl-
edged that she is q clever woman, and she
is decidedly handsome, with regular fea-
lures, and isblack -fre-giaRce, as the ma
tives say. Her complexion is Of very
tipht olive Her usual state costume Is sin
gular, for il is her fancy 70 ape the man in
| her attire. Ugly things have been said Of
her. In Col. Buckles translation Of n.
Louis Rousselet's handsome volume we
read:
ssThe Princess, in obedience to the in
functions Of the Mussulman laws, Of which
her husband, Prince 0umra Daula, was
fanatic observer, did not, however, exhibit
herself 10 our eyes. She WAS separated
] from rs by blind Of fine straw, which per-
mitted her to see rs without being seen her