The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-12-16

NOA@AAAAA4CdkAOA WILL bIl0 OubCI WOI1Qs
| The last paper which reached us gave a
CHASTITY account of the tragedy at ALA
habad, where the Sixth regiment, after
having paraded in the afternoon to re-
ceive the thanks of the Governor Gen
| eral for their loyalty, cut the threats Of
| all their officers of mess in the evening,
To add to our troubles, there were
great differences Of opinion among Our
leaders. The Brigadier, worn out old
man who should have been doing away
the evening of his life at Bath or Chef-
tenham, was quite unequal to the emer-
gency and changed his plans from day
to day. An intrenchment round the
European barracks WIS begun, and
within week the work was stopped,
owing to the circumstances of the ma
tive officers, who declared that their
feelings were hurt by such want of
confidence In them and their men,
Shortly afterward, to our great telief,
the Brigadier broke down altogether,
took to bis bed, and handed over the
command to our Colonel, one of the best
and bravest officers in the army, whose
breyet rank, gained by distinguished
service in the field, placed him over the
older officers who commanded the other
regiments. He at once set to work on
the intrenchments, which were COM
pleted in a fortnight, and at the time,
by his personal influence over the Sc.
poys, checked to some extent the spirit
of disafection which had shown itself in
the shape of fires. These had been Of
nearly nightly occurrence, and were un-
doubtedly the work of incendiaries.
They. however, ceased for time, and
the midnight meetings of men of all
regiments, of which we had received Sc
cret but sure information, were also
| discontinued.
One Monday afternoon Mussulfnall
fanatic, who had come from Delhi to
incite the men to mutiny, was seized by
some troopers and brought up to our
Colonel. A court-martial was held at
once, and he was hanged the same even
ing in the presence of the whole force,
without the slightest attempt being
made to rescue him or even a murmur
being heard in the ranks, even when the
wretched man cried out that he was
dying for the faith and called on oil true
believers to save him from the intidelss
All was quiet during the night, but
next morning, when Hampden's Horse
was drawn up for drill, trooper sud
| denly shouted out The murder of our
saint must be avenged" and fired his
carbine at the Colonel. In another min
ute the officers were riding for their
lives, followed by score of Sowars,
while the rest of the regiment galloped
furiously through the infantry and ar
tillery lines, calling on the men to join
them. They, however, met with ne
answer, and, being fired on by a few
faithful Sepoys, who, at the first alarm,
had gathered round their officers, they
rode off in great disorder, after having
set fire to their own lines and their off
GERS bungalows, and cut down two or
three Europeans whom they happened
| to come across.
Much relieved by their sudden de-
parture and the apparent staunchness
of the mass of the Sepoys, we hattered
ourselves that we had tided over the
worst of the danger, and that order
would soon be restored; but within forty
eight hours we were undeceived. OF
the next great outbreak I can tell but
little, for exposure to the sun had brought
on fever and partial delirium. I have
but confused recollection of sudden
alarm; cry that the Sowars had come
back and were numbering every one q
rush from my blazing house through d
surging crowd of natives, and then find
ing myself safe inside the intrenchment.
A week passed before I was able to take
part in the defense, and by that time
there was need of every man who could
handle rifle. for the casualties had all
ready been many. For three long weeks
we held out, suffering terribly from heat
and scarcity of water, DIS we'll as from in
sufficient food, having from the very first
been on half, and latterly on quarter ra-
tions. Still we did not despair, for q
faithful Sepoy, who, at the risk of his
own life, had passed through the enemys
lines, brought note in Greek charac-
ters from Col. Adair, of the Twenty
fifth Lancers, informing us that he hoped
to be able to relieve us on the following
Sunday. On that day the mutineers left
us in peace, the greater part of them
having moved off to oppose the relieving
force. From earliest dawn until late. at
night we watched in vain for any sight
or sound that might tell us how the fight
was going. At last we heard distant
gun, then heavy firing, which at first
sounded nearer and nearer, then re-
manned stationary for time,
then gradually grew fainter and
fainter, until at last it died away in
the distance, and not sound broke the
silence of the night. Then our hearts
sank within us, for we knew that all
hope of succor was at an end, and that
we were left to our fate. The rising sun
| showed us the camp of our enemies
swarming with armed men, villagers as
well as Sepoys, who shouted out that
they had conquered the Feringhees, and
held up the uniforms and accoutrements
of English soldiers in token of their
victory.
We fully expected that they would
now make final attack in force, but
they had probably formed pretty good
idea of the state to which we had been
reduced, and, like wise men, determined
| to starve us out.
On Tuesday afternoon council OF
war was held at which it was decided
that we should sally out as soon as the
moon had set; try to cut our way
through the enemy, and then make for
Col. Adair's camp, which, we had reason
to believe. was somewhere in the Iii.
rectlon OF Devipur, about twenty miles
off. This was indeed a very forlorn
hope but our last morsel having been
eaten, and with only few cartridges
remaining in our pouches, no other
course was open to us. We were less
hampered with sick aud wounded than
might have been expected, for death had
been very busy among the women and
children, while of our fighting men
scarcely one-third of those who had en-
tered the intrenchments answered to
their names at our last roll-call. This
great mortality was owing, partly to our
having been entirely without medical
aid Of any sort, all three of our surgeons
having been killed, and the hospital
shed, with all its contents, burnt by q
shell which burst right in it on the third
day of the siege.
During this, our last day, the heat
had been more than usually intense. and
the atmosphere perfectly sufocating
| but toward evening a strong wind snrano