Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-06-19
FIGHTING. THE SER0Ya..
4 Survivor Of the indian Mutiny Tells How:He
Fought His Way Through India andWas.s
: &hnt LIN in Relea3uered lllcknQX.

Survivor OF the Indian Mut1nY TELLS HOW'He
Fought His Way Through India andiWas,,
Shut Up in Beleaguered lucknow.
There is an entry in the books of the
insane department., 1T BlockleY, which
reads: "Feb. 26, 1884, admitted trans
ferred to insane. department Sept. s.,
1884; James E.. Dockrey, aged As
years; nativity. New York; occupa-
ton, teacher; social state, widower;
diagnosis,-,", and here there is a
blank, which was yesterday filled up
by DR.. Richardson verbally by the sim
gle word elemental" This Is a spe-
'ies of partial or temporary insanity,
which. IN the case of James Dockrey,
:akes the form OF almost total oblivion
regarding comparative recent events,
while his memory of circumstances
which occurred prior to his present
lfliction seems to be nearly if not
| thoroughly unimpaired.
James E. Dockrey has a history
which, without any hesitation and
with but one misstatement, he related
| yesterday afternoon as he sat in DR..
Richardson Office, on the third loo
of the mems wing of the insane de-
partment. A short, broad-shouldered
man of powerful build, somewhat fall
len away from protracted confinement,
very intelligent face, covered with a
stubby iron-gray beard, straight hair
Of the same color, brushed away from
the face and cut strai CHIT around, as if
| in the old-fashioned nautical manner
by means of a basin, and pair OF
gray eyes which,, but for a weakness of
the lids, rendering them somewhat
bloodshot. would have been very mild
and intelligent.
"In 1856, when the terrible mutiny
of the Sepoys broke out in India, said
he, II was in Australia, near the town
of Melbourne. The news came to us
of the horrible deeds of the brutal
blacks, and my blood boiled to go and
fight against them. Although l was
born in America, my father was a
Scotchman from the city of Aberdeen
| and my mother an Irishwoman, so
not only had fighting blood in me, but
could almost think they were my own
fellow-country people the Sepoys were
mascereing. I had been in India sew.
eral times, and could speak one or two
of the dialects quite tuently. I there
fore shipped ON a trader for Bombay
on the condition that l should leave
the ship when arrived As soon as
got ashore I joined the Volunteer
naval brigade, under the command OF
an officer named Stewart. We
marched through the peninsula toward
Calcutta. But before we got there
many a time we thought we never
should arrive. The volunteer naval
brigade was part Of the army under Sir
Henry Hayelock, and it would be nc
news to tell you how that army was
cut to pieces and decimated long be.
fore it reached the coast.
1--WE literally fought our way
through the country, leaving thousands
of our men, women and children on
the road, killed by the most cruel and
cunning enemy in the world. The
sights l saw during that terrible march
will never be eradicated from my
memory. Delicate women staked
alive and their limbs torn from their
bodies while still living, children tied
by the feet to two animals and then
torn in halves-the horrible atrocities
are still fresh in the minds of many
who were but children then, and it is
not so long ago but that most adults
remember the story. We came hand
to nand several times with the black
devils, at Kootapoor and at Shanghai
and Rodar, and then at Cawnpore
until, on the 18th of October, 1857, we
reached Lucknow. There we were
nearly overpowered, for there were
only few of US left. We had to fight
our way through the streets Of Luck
now, keeping together and holding
our own as we'll as we could. You
must remember that, although these
Sepoys were more than half savages,
they had had the advantage OF mil
itary training under European officers.
So we had to keep our eyes very wide
open when fighting against well-arm'
ed, well-trained forces far outuumber-
ing us and combining the European
with eastern war tactics. Besides,
they were natives, and could
stand the terrible climate better
than we.
"Well, we managed to fight our way
through them till we reached the res.
idency, where we found weary and
horrible resting-place for nearly 8
month. Men and women were there
already. The place was ill-adapted
for a barricade, but they had made il
comparatively secure for 50 long as
the ammunition held out. Day after
day passed away, and watchfu
sentries, carefully saving their powder
and bullets, would only use them te
pick off some too jealous Sepoy who
seemed to be inclined to creep tor
near to our barricades. At night we
would count our dead-for the priva
ton and horrible atmosphere killed
some nearly every day--and burned
them IN the yard as far from the build
ing as possible. And each night spe.
cial precaution was taken to guard
against the expected incendiary of the
blacks or a possible assault on our en-.
feebled garrison.
II think / will never forget the Joy
with which we poor. starving, besieged
folk heard the distant sounds OF the
Highland bagpipes, nor the shout
which burst upon the pestilence-th thick
ened air when the British red-coats
rushed along through the streets OF
Lucknow yelling with the rage OF
avengers, aud released rs from ou1
prison. ! seem to have gotten mixed
up somewhere there, and guess near
ly all of us did, for we were half mad
with starvation and constant watch.
ing. Anyhow, l was taken to Calcut-
ia to recuperate my health, and as the
mutiny was suppressed shortly after
that, and | was only volunteer.
thought Id had enough of soldering
for time. and gave up the army.
went to Bombay when my health was
better and remained in business fol-
some time, but had a roaming spirit
and had to take to my old calling-the