The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-10-18
THE GREAT SEP0Y MUTlNY.
AN OLD STORY OF TERRIBLE MASSACRE
AND CARNAGE RETOLD.


81 shudder yet when think
about it," were the words which
prefaced the remarkable story rela-
ted to Commercial Gazette repor-
ter yesterday by Mr.. William Bent
ley of 910 Duquesne way. This
gentleman is one of the few surviv-
ing European officers who witnessed
the bloodcurdling terrors of the Sc
poy mutiny in India in 1857 and
1858. 81 was a lieutenant attached
to the corps of engineers in the Ben
gal Army" he continued. eve
were stationed at Meerut. 1t was
the 10 of May, 1857, that the up
rising of the Sepoys occurred there.
That was Sunday evening. l sad
died my horse to 60 and see friend
who was an officer of one of the ma
tive regiments of the infantry. The
Sepoys in this regiment belonged to
the disaffected troops, but were not
suspected. OF course l had no sus-
picion. l had just arrived at my
friends bungalo when the natives
broke open the bells of arms and
began the slaughter of officers, who
had just arrived from their quarters.
"Each was killed on sight. One
whom l spoke with few moments
before was Colonel Finnis, the bro
ther of the then Lord Mayor of
London. My friend told me to look
sharp and save my life. l at once
gallopped off. The natives, how
eyer, saw me and gave chase, but l
escaped with only a bullet in my
leg. l took refuge with the officers
of the Sixth Gardiner Regiment,
and when they turned out on parade
shortly afterward l was requested to
stay in their lines. l stayed there
all night. The massacre of the
officers and their ladies' continued
throughout the night, and the scenes
among the killed and wounded were
frightful beyond description. For
instance, on the stage of the theater
at Meerut l counted thirty-siX
corpses. The following morning l
returned to my regular quarters.
All the dead were brought on artil-
lery wagons. At this time the Ben
gal army consisted of % ,69S Euro
peans and 118 1868 natives.
ssThose were nothing in compa-
rison with the scenes at Cawnpoor-
awful scenes, which at this long dis
lance of time 1 am quite unable to
wholly Danish from my mind when
it reverts to that country and time.
1t was here that, by orders of Mana
Sahib, Brigadier-General Wheeler
and his brave soldiers were slaugh-
tered in trenches and fired upon by
masked batteries. The Mana put to
death all the women found in the
town after cutting their feet off and
subjecting them to other outrages.
''Miss Wheeler, the lovely daugh-
ter of the General, rather than sub
nit to the gross violence, leaped
into a deep well. The Mana at once
seized upon this horrible idea and as
the European ladies were massacred
their bodies were flung into this well.
Az ZIG cuu VI ehio i"hho"o W ~ W
Cawnpoor,' / stood within week
after it was filled with its human
contents. The stence arising from
it was something that is sickenine
even to think of now. Over thai
site now rises one of the most mag
nificent pieces of architecture to b'
seen in all India. 1t is fine octa
gon marble building around the wei
without a roof, and inclosing an ella
borate tomb. 1t is near the theate
and close to the bank of the fines
canal in the world, the Gauges. Me
mortal gardens have also been lal'
out around the scene of the massa
ere and beautiful church erected