The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-06-07
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ssiilness, folleNd gie nfueities q
Cswnpore. Dslbi ia fuck nov, 81 which
time England, fl the white heat Of Ter
wrath, had tkRUtn her leeions into TIE
Hindostan jq1eles. and the sWarthy dev-
III we're sent bowling TO the mountains,
or dieGib1ted over The surrounding coun.
try nom the thruats Of her cannon, while
Nsna Sahib slipped across the northefa
boundary Into Thibet, where he seems to
hsys vanished forever nom human pur-.
suit 8 g IS I 49, Z
Ii wss during the early summer II 1857,
when the luFid nres OF insufrecfidn famed
for hundreds of miles along the Upper
Ganges. that the banking firm Of bore,
man q Brother, Of Calcutta, became
much exercised over the non arrival Of 3
messenger Of theirs that had started from,
AtiRhahad, In the month Of May. This
city lies on the Ganges about 80 miles
from Calcutta, in the very heaFt Of the
mutinous district. afm
Boreman u Brother had purchased the
famous Sineee diaI loud II. Allahabad, at
an enormous price, the draft having been
forwarded by their messenger. In the
early part of May telegram was re-
ceived from the parties fr0ma whom the
gem was purchased, saying That tie draft
was In their hands, and the diamond hail
been turned over to Nuddee, the meesen-
ger, who had .starIed honevexd 81 The
day preceding. - q
This was well enough; though their man
was fully a fortnight late, due, no doubt,
to the disturbed state Of theresion through
which he was travelling. Just one week
later came dispatch in cipher from
Nuddee, stating that he had reached
Bcnares, and would leave again In the
course of few hours, the diamond being
safely in his possession. This telegram
was delivered to Foreman & Brother 80
soon after being sent that they Immediate
ly replied, advising their agent in case he
found himself in personal danger to con
ceal the jewel in some secure place, tele-
graphing them at the same time cipher
directions how they should ind it.
This message was returned from the
Calcutta office with the information that
it could not be forwarded. as the telegraph
wire had just been cut east of Benares,
which was IN the hands of the mutipeers.
Some months must yet elapse before any
Roadway could be made against the Sc
poys, during which it is well known that
they were guilty of massacres and atroci-
ties unr aralleled in savage warfare.
Boreman & Brother could only wait in
the hope that the shrewdness and cunning
of their agent would bring him and his
jewel through in safety. There was SO
much anguish and apprehension in CAL
cutta, and indeed through all England at
that day for the thousands exposed to the
fury of the mutineers, that it was Tot
likely the bankers would have received
much sympathy, great us was the financial
stakeinvolved.
Nuddee. carried two thirds of their en-
tire wealth about him in the shape of that
wonderful brilliant diamond, and it was
natural that they should feel solicitous. 4
There seemed To be good reason to hope
for the best. The agent was q native, VINO |
had travelled up and down tie Gahges for
the preceding ten years in the interest CT
the bankers, and no one could be mOrej
familiar than he with his own country and
people.
The peril lay, perhaps, in this very fact.
Nudflee had been ia the busihess sd long
that there must be- many whe knew it,
aware, too, that he frequently carried the
most valuable kind OF property about
him. Beside this, he was adevouf Him.
doc, wherein lay the unknown quxnfity, |
as it may be called. 1t was not al all i'm
possible that he would be swept away byj
the rush and swirl of the insurrecfion, in
which event the diamond would be sure to
60 with him.
Benares lies AGO miles from Calcutta.
and in the state of broken com.
munication, and the rebellion surround
ing the city, the bankers concluded tnat
a fortnight, at the utmost, ought to bring
him home, especially as fully half that
distance could be made by public convey
ance. u esis fat5fse
But three weeks had come and gone,
and not a word had been heard from
Nuddee, who, they began to suspect, was
robbed, killed, or drawn into the ranks of3
the mutineers
CASH, the Splendid-as the name
Benares signifies has been regarded for |
ages as the hottest OF the holy cities Of the |
Hindo0s, apd its stationary population |
twenty years ago was over half million.
During certain festivals it is three and |
four times as great. Here is the famous
temple, Visweswar or Bisesar, dedicated1
to silva, the destroyer, before whom for
ages the most bloody sacrifices OF idol.
airy had been made. The European pop
ul 'tion mainly dwell in the suburb of
Scroll, several miles from the main city.
There was no trouble with the troops
OF Benares through the month of May.
Early in June, however, there was mutiny
in the Loodiana Sikh Regiment, which,
fortunately, was suppressed. About the
same time a number of incendiary fires
broke out In the environments, short d is
lance from the city. Col. Neill attempted |
to disarm the insubordinate Thirty seventh
Regiment on the 4th, when bloody con.
fiict occurred. Without attempting, how
ever, to give an account of the siege of
Benares, we havconly to say that il was
at the very. gloomiest period that Mud
dee, the messenger, made his way out the
city and resumed his journey toward Cal
cutta
As matter Of precaution he assumed
the character Of member of the Loodiana
Regiment, mounted on horse stolen from
a murdered English officer, and CARVING
secret message from Mana Sahib to Pat
>>ssf "'AAShS hO AiORNu W ul0hC IOuOlc. he
counted on his intimate knowledge of the
county, but he was little uneasy lest hed
should meet a party who would recognize
MIN and go for the property he carried
about his clothes. 81
Nuddee debated The question more than
once of buryingr the diamond, but after
the perfection Of little artifice of his he
was not convinced of the necessity lust
yet. and SO he pushed ahead, hopeful that1
II the worst should come he would be able
10 hide the precious jewel somewhere
about his person where the pfying fingers
and eyes OF his, enemies would fail to
ind 1t. 177 s. s.
There must have been . tumultuous
struggle In the heart Of the swarthy Hin
loo, when he saw the multitudes OF his
[anatical countryInen rushing into the
nutiny as if 9 to ,afesivh1" but to his
credit be it said, he remained faithful 10 4
ais employers, and used all his wonderful
ngennitv, skill and daring, in hurrying
owayd Calcutta. liafsy
such servant ought to have succeeded.
nd yet before he was out of sight of Benz
res he was stopped by . squad of native
avxlry, the leader of which Commanded /.
i'm to hand over the Singee diamond
vhich he knew was in his possession.
Vuddee did mot hesitate to lie point blank
nd assert that he had no valuables about !
is person, Inviting them at the same time
D search him. This, of course, they in
ended TO do, and they did it'thoroughly:
III from head to foot there was nothing
pund worth their while to take. and the .
xamination Of the 'trappings Of his horse
1as equally fruitless. +
The search was repeated. and still fbAl /.