Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-05-07
AROUND THE WORLD.

AhUUND l1E WUhlus
a Paiaces-The Siege er Lucknew-Lnci
dents Of the sepoy Rsbellien-Th
House ef Massaers-The CawnPors o
To-day-GorEeeus Gardens-Ame erie nj
: Missionary Work.
CAwNPoRE, India, March 25.
! To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND CoURIER:
''Gst me two coolies for my luggage please,
I said to the genial hotel proprietor at BE
mares in parting. A few moments later
couple of women came around in obedi enc
to the request. was a little abashed at thl
idea of turning over my heavy satche!s t.
the tender care of members of the gentlel
sex, and perhaps glanced around to see i
there was any American looking on; but
had witnessed exhibitions of female strength
ever since reached India, and had not the
remotest doubt that they would be equal tc
the emergency as they were abundantly.
So marched along at the head of the pro-
cession, Gan Oriental always follows you in
all meekness) and soon took the night ex-
press on the Oudh and Rohilkund railway
for Lucknow. perceived that some wag
had written "Old and Rotten railway" under
the name at the station, but am sure this
paraphrase was the verdict of malice rather
than truth, for 1 found the accommodations
frst-class. The coaches we're upper, lower
reserved and lower, instead of first, second
and third class. The upper coach proved to
be comfortably furnished In the lavatory
room was an actual bath-tub, SO that we dust
begrimed travellers could enjoy genuine
shower-bath while whirling along through
India
I arrived at Lucknow early the next morn
ing. More than any other place in India
Lucknow is entitled to be called the City of
Palaces. There seems to be practically no
limit to the number of lofty mosques tombs,
and other monuments. The law that dis
| tance lands enchantment to the view" holds
| there, however, for as you approach these
| wonderful architectural triumphs which had
| seemed like glimpse of fairyland from the
| distance they turn out to be ''stucco-work. ="
| The pure marble melts into whitewashed
plaster. The FURNISHED domes and minarets
prove to be cheap dingy gilt. Nevertheless,
| the buildings are majestic in their proper
| tions, and quite unique; while the wilderness
| of them gives out idea of profuse opulence
| that the traveller does not easily forget.
Among the most celebrated of the palaces is
the Imambara, which is real gem In the
| way of architecture, most suspicious Proph-
ecy of the alories of Indian architecture
pore.
Among the ruins which 1 inspected were
the Presidency, where the famous siege of
Lucknow was resisted from June to Novem-
Der by mere handful of Christians, and
the Secunder Bagh, the garden where 2 600
Sspoys were massacred in atonement for the
indignities endured by the British. Lucknow
has the credit of being the source from
where the great Sepoy rebellion sprang.
From Lucknow I proceeded to this city.
The train crossed the Ganges on long iron
bridge just before entering CaWnpore. The
river is very low at this season of the year
and accordingly the crocodiles with which it
is filled appear all the more numerous
great many storks were also wading along
the margin. Cawnpore is thriving mans-
featuring city of some 125, 600 inhabitants
In commercial Importance it is only second
to Calcutta and Bombay. 1t furnishes the
railways centuring here with more traffic
than any two or three other interior towns
put together. Its greatest notoriety, how
ever, is associated with its past. Here was
perpstrated what many have called ''the
blacklist crime in human history" the horri,
BILE CaWnpore massacre. l shall only review
the incidents of this massacre which are
necessary in connection with my visi i:ation of
the scenes which it involved. Early one
morning after Chota Rnzree I rode over to
the Memorial church in company With citi-
zen. The Memorial church, as lhe name i'm
ed near thescene of the memorable resistance
of General Wheeler. The church is splendid
European built structure, with marble me
mortal tablets exquisite tile floors, and all
the appointments of a high-toned house of
worship. Indeed, the building is SO modern
and elegant, without regard to the climate,
that in the summer it is found impossible to
use it. Summer services by the way, com
mence at six o'clock in the morning in this
part of the country universally. just with
out the church was the entreRchment of
1857, miserable mud wall about four feet
high, svery vsstige of which has now disap-
peared. Here 1000 persons defended them
selves for twenty-five days against the hot
test kisd of fire from thousands of blood
thirsty pagan foes. OF the number $50 were
women and children and only 40 men. The
sufsrings of these women and children are
almost beyond belief. They had no shelter
except such SIS their distraught male protec-
tors could improvise for tkem. The ther
mometer went up to 14Oo in the shade and
the SUMS rays penetrated every part of the
entrenchmest. Many persisted from sun
stroke disease. Their food was scarcely
sufficient to keep them alive. When they
wanted water they had to risk their lives by
ventaring out to well, which is still to be
seen here, in plain view of the enemy Shot
and shell wrought sad mischief, until the
9th of June, when the men ordered
semi-surrender, chiefly out of con
children. The Mana Sahib, leader of the
Sepoy mutineers, had promised to honorably
conduct the party to the Ganges, embark
them and send them down the river in per-
feet safety. Accordingly the people who
were not sick emerged from the entrench-
ment and confded themselves to the protec-
tion of the treacherous Mana. It was under |
stood that the sick should be returned for. |
The eager prisoners marched down to the |
river and embarked from the Gate Chowra |
Chat. No sooner had they been loaded upon |
the boats than hundreds of unseen natives |
opened fire upon them. Their sQats were |
stranded, and although they did their best to |
return the fire and get off, they could but |
become easy victims 10 this the foulest in
staAce of treachery on record in military
history. Only three men in all that compa-
ny of one thousand escaped death, and but |
2O6 women and children were left. Among
the massacred were a few Americans. These
2O6 women and children were then dragged
to building which has gone down into his
tory as the House of Massacre. They were
crowded into two small rooms, twenty by
ten feet in dimensions. and kept there until
July 15, when by the order of this same
Mana they were every one slaughtered. Mana
had heard of General Hsvelock's advance,
and while he boasted of the strength to van
quish him in battle, he gave orders that this
most shocking deed should be carried into
execution lest by any chance a rescue should
De 6UeeteO buG even tue cruel o6pOy6 |
bellsd at the thought of such a crime, and
Mana had to hire five butchers of the city to
enter the house and professionally carry out
bis will. This they did, the five men con-
suming an hour and a half in taking the 20S
lives. They were paid one rupee per victim,
or in American money about $85 jointly for
the bloody deed. Then by order of Mana
the mangled bodies were dragged to well in
the immediate vicinity and cast down, the
dying with the dead, into its crimson waters
fifty feet below It is matter of regret to
every sympathetic traveller to know that this
inhuman monster Mana soon after Nd1sap-
pearsd and has never since been heard from
so that he probably escaped the punishment
he meritsd. When General Havelock, the
pious soldier, at length arrived al Cawppore
and repaired to this assembly room, he found
himself just thirty-six hours too elate. The
floor was ttill nearly ankle deep with coagu-
lating blood, while shreds of flesh and tufts
of hair told of the barbarous violence that
had been administered. The outs on the
walls that had been made with the butchers |
knives were low down, showing how the I
poor victims had crouched before their as |