The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1884-03-07

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The Andaman md sNisqbss Islands,
situated q ths snsyof Bengal afsw3
days al nom Calcutta, are The great
psnal settlement ~ IIIdiia, especially the 4
former, where mere than ten thousand
natiye convicts. many ot them belonging
g the most desperate class Of criminals,
are kept under restraint, o. employed
II out-of-door labor under viglant su-
pervision. A branch convict settlement
exists at Camorta, the capital of the
Nicobar Islands, where there are al
present 800 convicts, guarded by thirty
men Of the Second Madras Native In
fantry anda like number Of police under
. native chief constable. The. officers
in charge Of the station was Mr. de
RoepsterG, . Danish gentleman belong
ing TO the Indian Civil Uncovenanteds
Service. A hayildar, or native sergeant
sof the Madras Infantry, q man of
thirty years. service, had been accused
by . native watchman of appropriating
oocoanuts, and had in return struck the
watchman and put him for. a short time
under sentry. The next .day Mr.. de
Roepsterf commenced the Investigation
Of the case, and having taken the evidence
for the prosecutions, adjourned the.
hearing till the following day, when the
havildar was ordered to bring up his
witness. Shortly Gftcrward he was.
riding past the native infantry barracks,
about thirty yards off, when the hayildar
fred at him from his room and hit him
between the shoulders, the bullet
coming out at the breast. He fell from
his horse, and the orderly and groom
who We're with him went instantly to his
assistance. He was only able to say:
:" Do not le confused; take care of the
'mem-sahib' (llis wife) or she will be
shot too" Mrs. de Rocpsterff, who
was riding little behind, came up, but
her husband was unable to speak further,
and he died in few minutes. The
havildar Immediately afterward reloaded
his rifle and blew his own brains out.
The position of the poor lady was de-
able-her husband killed before her
eyes, not soul who could speak a word
of English nearer than three hundred
miles off by sea, two hundred convicts
to keep in order, without a prison to
eehfine them in, and bad feeling exist
ing to dangerous extent between the
Sikh police and the Madras native in
fantry. In'thesc trying circumstances
the lady cvinced force of character
amounting to hcroisln. She had her
husbands body carried at once to the
bungalow AMI afterward buried. She
dispatched native craft, which hap
pened to be in the harbor at Port Blair,
the seat of government in tho Anda-
mans, with two constables to report
what had taken place. In the mean
time she assumed command
pf the station, ordering, lll reports to
he made to herself, and managed
with perfect success, an illustration of
how naturally Orientals submit to andL
rely on u European mind when exercised
with firmness and discretion. In six or
seven days Maj. ProtIleroe. tho acting
commandment at Port Blair. arrived.
accompanied by some other officers and
the chaplain, and relieved her of her
terrible responsibilities. Then, OH the
chaplain reading the funeral service over
her husbands grave, she broke down.
threw herself OH the grave, and had to
be removed by force.
It appears that Mr.. dc Roepsterff,
with his wife's assistance, had nearly
completed q dictionary Of the Nicobarese
language, and had also made consider
able progress in translation of the
Bible. His widow desires to remain for
some time at Port Blair to finish work.
London Times.