The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-11-13
CAVAGNARPS DEATH.
The Story of the CabuI Massacre as N
rated by an FEYe-yNitness

The Story of the CabuI Massacre as Mar
rated by an Eyewitness.
The best story of the CabuI massacre
is the following, taken down from the
lips of one of the survivors, and fur
nished to the London Standard. Saws
the writer:
l have just had a long conversation
with one of Sir Louis Cavagnari's serv-
ants, who escaped; he and three others
are, as far as 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 as follows: At about
half-past seven a. N. on the I'd crowds
of armed Afghan soldiers were per-
ceived rushing toward the Residency.
Sir Louis Cavagnari must have expected
something, as he ordered all the Sowars
inside, and had the gates closed. Soon
a mob of about 1000 men had collected.
The gate was broken down, andin few
seoonds the Sowars, though they fought
nobly, were borne down by numbers
and massacred to a 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 fiinching, no wild
firing was to be seen in the gallant little
band that met and repelled the attack
Again and again did the Afghans, ike a
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 a charmed
life, but at length a bullet pierced his
heart, and he fighting nobly fell. DR..
Kelly ran to his aid and 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 a treacherous Afghan. Cavag-
mari would strike while he could; he or
deTed 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 q moment our men con-
centrated their fire on the crowd strug-
Cling for the plumber. A fire more in
fernal than before was soon reOpened 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
iyarr cfr, to
but the reduced numbers toId-a sudden
rush of the enemy gained the door; that
feeble barrier gave way; yet no sign of
fear was shown-all met their death
fighting.
CAvAGNARI's DEATH
A surging throng filled the room
where Cavagnari, jemadar and three
natives were. Cavagnari's revolver
spoke three times the death-knelI of as
many Afghans, and then a blow from a
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 a bath. The roof
was now blazing, a part had fallen on
the dead body of Cayagnari, 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 a man who
was thoroughly conversant with the AT
CHAN tongue, and, being a Mussuiman,
he managed after his escape from the
house to pass himself off as a Cabuli.
The bodies were treated with all the un-
inflict on their enemies. From 8 a. m.
till p. IN. the attack on the residency
continued YakOob had plenty of other
troops besides those that attacked the
Residency, yet he made no attempt
even to send them to the rescue. Dad
Shah, the commander-in-chief found
sufficient reason in the pelting of a
couple of stones at him not to interfere.
YakOOb's son, a 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, Mollah Ga Mus
selman priest), who sought YakOoh
during the attack and begged him to in
terfere, and reprOached him with the
disgrace of killing a friend and an am
bassadOr, but YakOob said, 81 can do
nothing 1t is stated that all was Va
/ 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
/ NcNaghten, of the former mission, a
/ AIollah 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 tn 9ir death. No such good
fortune was in store for our unfortunate
] cClI1r,f I.rr1nnnrn