Brookings County sentinel. (Brookings, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1890, 1882-05-25
THE SLAUGHTER At DELHI.
RsseIlsstiess efths sspoy estshsU.--Ths Terri
Sis vssssssss Exsestsd BY the Esslish Trsep.
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RsssIlssSess sfths sspey Bstshsy...Ths Terri.
t's vssssssss Exsestsd BY the EssIish Trssp.
(Deihi Corr. n. Y. Times.I
But as the last gleam of sunset falls
lpon the mighty red battlements, dye
ing them as If with fresh blood, the
ominous hue recalls suddenly and terri
bly, the great national tragedy upon
which this stately pile looked down less
than one generation ago. One fine May
morning in 1857, when Delhi was rs
bright and gay and busy as ever, there
came pouring into the city along the
Meerut road Q great throDg of wild-look-
ing men in British uniform, but with
the color and featunes of Hindus, max
ing the air ring with their yells and
brandishing weapons stained with q red
der dye than that Of their uniforms.
Their news was soon told. The first
blow in the great rebellion against the
British Raj (rule) had been struck at
Meerut, and the English Sahibs there
had been destroyed to o man. Would
their brethren Of Delhi make common
cause with them and help to exterminate
all that remained OF the evil brood? In
stantly the whole city Was in blaze.
Murder and outrage ran riot in every
street. The few Europeans who succeed
ed in escaping into the pathless jungle,
to the companionship OF the tiger and
the serpent and the jackal, might count
themselves happy compared with those
who died by torture and hideous mutila-
tion amid the jeers of the rabble Of
Delhi. The British flag was trampled
under foot and Bahadur Shah, the last
and most worthless of the ancient Moeul
line, was proclaimed emperor of Hin
dustan and Of the world"
But among the Sepoys who took part
in this butchery there may possibly
have been one or two gray haired men
from the Indus Valley, to whose men,
ory would recur unpleasantly, at such a
time, the words which they had heard
spoken at Mooltan eight years before by
another Englisbmau who was dying in
like manner beneath the blows of count
less murderers: "You may kill us, but
We are not the last Of the English; others
shall come in our places whom this city
shall long remember" Almost before
the stain of the innocent blood shed that
day had dried from the stones of the
"Street of Silver" the avengers we're at
hand. Gen. Wilson, cheerfully accept
ing the fatal command in which two
brave men had already died from their
own superhuman exertions, reached
Delhi by forced marches, and at once
set TO work with 1000 men to besiege a
garrison of 10000. Breaching batteries
sprang up as If by magic around the nc.
Cursed city, and thundered 10 the ears of
Its congregated murderers a summons
defenses in which the slayers of women
and children had put their trust
crumbled fast before the blow of right
eous vengeance. The fire Of the Cash
mere bastian was silenced in ten min
utes. The parapet beyond it was lit
orally beaten TO powder, and the formid-
able Water bashan and Kudsiah- Bagh
battery melted like snow. At length
came the final stroke. Four daring
men, whose names will be remembered
so long as one Englishman remains up
on the earth, laid powder bags against
the Cashmere gate, dropping dead one
by one as they did so before the murder
Gus fire from the rampant. But they
did not fall in vain. The tram was kin
died, and the crash of the explosion that
shattered the strong gate to pieces was
the knel of the IDdian mutipy. Many a
brave man died in struggling through
the hellfire Of the narrow street beyond,
every house of which was fortress.
But once fairly at close quarters, the
British bayonet and the Goorkha knife
made short work Of the Sepoy rabble;
and in Delhi, as in Egypt of old, "there
was not house in which there was not
one dead"
But although the minor ruffians lay
strewn along every street like leaves, the
two arch-villians in whose name all these
evil deeds had been done were still be-
yon6 the reach of the doom appointed
for them. Cowardly as they were cruel,
the sons of the mock Emperor OF Delhi
had fed from the town to hide with q
miscellaneous rabble Of fugitives in the
tomb of their ancestor, Humayoon.
But there was one upon their trail from
whom there was no escape. A few hours
later a detachment of troopers rode up
to the gate of the tomb, headed by q
bronzed, bearded, keen-eye ed man who,
not many years before, had been known
merely as the best runner and football
player in Rugby School, little dreaming
OF the terrible renown which was one
day to make the name of Hodson, of
Hodson's Horse, by word throughout
the whole civilized world. 1t was long
before the two towards crept trembling
forth, to be instantly bound and sent off
under escort, while Hodson, with his
handful of men, overawed and disarmed
the thousands of armed rufiians around
him. Then he rode back to Join his
prisoners, and not a moment too soon.
The escort was already hemmed in by an
overwhelming mob; but Hodson was a
man for such crises. Two shots, fired
by hand that never wavered, laid the
prisoners dead on the spot, and their
despoiled corpses were flung into the
dust Of the Silver Street, to be meat for
the beasts OF the field and the fowls of
the air.