Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-01-27

perfect balance was effected. This money was
given to Henry sewall as his wife's portion
Henry Sewall afterwards founded Newbury,
in Massachusetts,
lorIginal.!
THE BLACK HOLE.
The East India Company, for the purpose
of protecting its trade, erected fort at Cal
cutta. Governor Drake incurred the anger
of the Nabob of Bengal, by unjustly impris'
oning merchant by the name of Omychund'
The Nabob raised large army and advanced
against the fort So soon as Drake saw that
the fort was to be attacked, he determined to
leave, believing it could not be successfully
defended against so large an army as that
under the Nabob. Drake, with several Of
the principal men in the fort, collected their
most valuable effects and escaped on board a
ship.
The defence of the fort devolved on Hol.
we'll, the second in command. He and the
men under him made the best defence they
could, but were unsuccessful. On the 26th
of June, 1855, the fort surrendered. Now the
tale of the horrid suferings of the prisoners
begins.
Calcutta is in about the same latitude as
the Island of Cuba. 1t was in midsummer.
About six in the evening, the fort, with one
hundred and forty-six prisoners, fell into the
possession of the Viceroy of Bengal He as
sured Howell that the prisoners should not
be hurt. Some of the subaltern officers, how
ever. ,Saso. so.-AHaoodinsly -Anrased- On account
of the number of their men that had been
killed during the siege. So soon as it became
dark, they were surrounded by guard Of
near five hundred soldiers, and ordered to
march into the barracks. Here the soldiers
surrounded them with fixed bayonets, and or
dered them to the southern extremity Of the
barracks. At this point there was prison
called the Black Hole. 1t was eighteen feet
square, surrounded by massive walls. There
was door which opened in the inside on the
north side, and two windows closely barred
with iron bars on the west side. Into this
small hole one hundred and forty-six men
were driven by force. Several of them were
severely, and some of them mortally, wound
ed. Howell, not suspecting anything, led
the way, and the rest, like so many sheep,
So soon as they were all in, the
door was fastened. Every effort was made to
break the door down, but as it shut from the
inside, this was impossible. The men had
room to stand. The perspiration be-
gan to flow in torrents Some one suggested
that they strip off all their clothes in order
that they might make more room for them
selves, and also decrease the exhausting heat.
This was done, and a momentary relief was
secured.
Howell begged one Of the gue: is, who
stood near the window, to 60 to the comman-
der and have the prisoners divided, securing
one half in some other place. For this SER
vice he was promised large reward. He
went, but came back and reported that no d.
vision of the prisoners could be made. Hol-
we'll doubled the amount of his promise Still
he was unsuccessful, giving as his reason for
failing, the fact that the viceroy was asleep,
and no one dared wake him.
The poor prisoners were worn out when
they entered the Black Hole, and the intense
heat and the profuse perspiration soon brought
on feeling of great weakness. They had
not room to sit down. The heat and perspira-
ton brought on the most painful thirst. The
cry was raised by all "Water ! water! For
Gods sake give me water" Some one of the
guard brought water, but the only way that it
could be got into the Black Hole was through
the bars of the windows. Only small guam
tity of water, at time, could be thus intro
duced; and so intense was the thirst Of all,
that much of the little conveyed into them,
was wasted by snatching it. By nine
o'clock, most of the prisoners-all except those
nearest the windows-were delirious. The
guard was abused and Intentionally insulted
by the prisoners, with the hope that it would
fire upon and kill them. So great was the
anxiety to be shot, that each one was desirous
that he would fall at the first fire.
By midnight, the greater number Of those
imprisoned had fallen dead, and the stencil
and heat Of the place was so great, that all
wished for death. At four, in the morning,
the Viceroy awoke, and the terrible condition
of things in the Black Hole was communi-
Gated to him.
An order was sent to open the door and let
the prisoners out; but as the door opened into
the room, it was impossible to open it from the
outside, until the dead were removed. This
task had to be performed by the few living
prisoners within. So weak were they, that al
though their lives depended upon completing
the task promptly, it took them twenty min
utes to perform it. Of the one hundred and
forty.six who we're driven into the Black
Hole, only twenty-three came out alive, and
several of these died afterward. Those who
survived preserved their lives by standing as
near the windows as possible. Howell and
several others, who had not stripped of their
shirts, supported life by sucking the perspira-
ton out of their own shirt sleeves.