Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1879-11-01
CAVAGNARI'S DEATH.
The Story of the Cabul Massacre as Mar
rated by an Eyewitness.

The Story of the CabuI massacre as Mar
rated by an Eyewitness.
The best story OF the Cabul massacre
is the following, taken down from-th
lips of one of the survivors, and fur
nishcd to the London iStanddrd. Says
the writer:
| have just had long conversation
with one of Sir Louis Cavagnari's serv-
ants, who escaped; he and three others
are, rs far rs is known, the sole surviv-
ors of the hideOus massacre, of which,
doubtless, you have been already in
formed by wire. The particulars of the
occurrences are rs follows: At about
half-past seven Il. m. on the I'd crowds
of armed Afghan soldiers were per-
ceived rushing toward the Rcsidency.
Sir Louis Cavagnari must have expected
something, as he ordered all the Sowars
inside, and had the gates closed. Soon
a mob of about 4, 900 men had collected
The gate was broken down, and in few
seconds the Sowars, though they fought
nobly, were borne down by numbers
and massacred to Il man. A few SOL
diers, with four white men, met the as
sault of the infuriated throng, who, wild
with fanaticism and the exultation of
feeling their prey in their grasp, ,swarmed
to the attack. No flinching, no wild
firing was to be seen in the gallant little
band that met and repealed the attack
Again and again did the Afghans, like Il
recurring wave, forced on by the press
ure of those behind, vainly essay TO win
their way into the house. Each effort but
increased the heap of slain that fast ac-
cumulated round the house. Cowed
by their reception, they withdrew to the
cover available from walls and houses,
and from their vantage ground poured
hail of lead into every opening of the
building. Gallant Hamilton, SO lately
adorned with the Victoria Cross, adorned
it with his heroic bravery. He exposed
himself undoubtedly to the hottest fire /;
for a time he seemed to bear n charmed
life, but at length n bullet pierced his
heart, and he fighting nobly fell. Dr.
Kelly ran to his aid and n bullet speedily
laid him low, too. Jenkyns was the
next to fall. Cavagnari, still unhurt,
cheered on the gradually lessening band !;
his presence inspired all. Cheerfully
and resolutely they dealt out death to
many treacherous Afghan. Cavag-
mari would strike while he could; he or
dered the treasure chest to be carried
into the courtyard; his fire momentari-
ly ceased. The Afghans, yielding to
their greed, and, thinking resistance
over, crowded to seize the glittering
rupees. In moment our men con-
centrated their fire on the crowd strug-
Cling for the plunder. A fire more in
fernal than before was soon rcopened by
the attackers, and now, to their other
misfortunes, the magazine of the de-
tenders exploded, and the roof was set
On fire. With numbers reduced by half,
fire within, bullets from without, moth
ing daunted, each man stood to his post !;
but the reduced numbers told-a sudden
rush of the enemy gained the door; that
feeble barrier gave way; yet no sign of
fear was SNOWFALL met their death
fighting.
CAyAGNARI'S DEATH.
A surging throng filled the room
where C;ivasgsasrii, Il jemadar and three
natives were. Cayagnari's revolver
spoke three times the death-knell of as
many Afghans, and then blow from u
heavy Afghan knife laid him low. His
murderer did not long survive; with one
blow of his saber the jemadar swept off
his head. A few more such blows he
made, and then he lay beside his master.
But one escaped, the narrator of the
tale to me he hid in bath. The roof
was now blazing, part had fallen on
the dead body of Cavagnari, so the
crowd did not wait to search, but drag
ging the bodies of the killed from the
burning house, they did not search for
any concealed persons, and So my in
formant escaped. He was man who
was thoroughly conversant with the Al
CHAN tongue, and, being Mussulman,
he managed after his escape from the
house to pass himself off rs Cabuli.
The bodies were treated with all the un-
mentionable indignities which Asiatics
inilict on their enemies. From 8 Il. m.
till ? p. III. the attack on the residency
continued. Yakoob had plenty of other
Rcsidency, yet he made no attempt
even to send them to the rescue. Dad
Shah, the commander-in-chief, found Il
sufficient reason in the pelting of Il
couple of stones at him not to interfere.
Yakoob's son, Il mere boy, visited the
scene of attack, but being politely told
not to interfere could not conquer his
feelings of sympathy with the slayers of
the Kaffirs; he, too, did nothing. One
noble man there was, II Mollah Ga Mus
selman priesD, who sought Yakoob
during the attack and begged him to in
terfere, and reproached him with the
disgrace of killing Il friend and an am
bassador, but Yakoob said, Il can do
nothing" 1t is stated that all was Ya-
koob's design, and the seeming mutiny
of troops was but skillful cloak for the
murderous act of his own origination.
1t is strange that, at the massacre OF
McNaghten, of the former mission, Il
Mollah had similarly reproached the
Ameer, and that his words were the
means of saving the lives of George
Lawrence and others of the mission who
had been seized and were momentarily
expecting their death. No such good
fortune was in store for our unfortunate
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