The Portland daily press., 1889-05-20
BLEW THEM FROM the CANNON
A Portland cobbIer who Fought In
the Conquest OF india.

At No. 81 Washington street lives John
Matthews, the cobbler. AS be hammers al
his last these pleasant spring days he Is as
near the ideal representative of the village
cobbler as the surroundings Of Washington
street will admit. lis peaceful indu try
and the gray hairs Of SO years have won the
good will Of the neighbors, who take a kind
ly interest In the uneventful ways Of the old
mans life. But those who have drawn from
him the story Of his youth know that long
years ago he was an unwilling participant In
one Of the most horrible wars ever waged by
civilized man. In 1918 he was an adventu-
r0us young man In Dublin. the son OF tail
or who had twice used his hard earned saw
ings to buy bis boy QUO Of madeap enlist
ments in the English army. At last. In this
year 1918 the father became tired Of keeping
his son out OF the army at such an expense
and the boy was allowed to 90 on TO Wool
wicb, where for two years he was trained
as an artillerist. In 1920 he was sent to Bonn
bay where the British were yet carving out
BY conquest their magnificent empire In In
dia. At that tiue the Sikhs, the proudest
race OF Indian warriors, were lords from the
Indus to the Ganges, and were able 70 bring
into the held an army Of 10000. all horse
men. Against these Skins the army Of
which John Matthews was a soldier was
sent TO serve. AS the old man tells Of those
days his eyes will sparkle as he describes
the superb horsemanship Of those Sikhs.
Every Sikh was a n0rseman. and the women
rode as well and fought as well as the men.
No circus riders have left upon the old mans
memory so vivid an impression Of equestrian
skill as those Sikh riders that flashed In the
quest Of India. II was a horrible
war. I'VE destroyed every village" says
the old veteran, I'VE tore up
the rice swamps, and we spared neither man,
prisoners they were stood In line, the women
with their babes, the other children and
the. men, and a British cannon, charged 10
the muzzle with chainshot and grape. moved
them down. IL was horrible, but they did as
cruelty by our people. L remember one
night we captured a party Of men. women
and children. IL was late, and we decided
10 walt until morning before putting them 20
death. The prisoners were chained by one
long chain, and left to await their fate. They
were very proud, and would not die by the
hands Of white man II they could help Ii.
Sometime that night they found a dry we'll
In the camp, about 30 feet deep, and rather
than die by the cannon Of their foes, they
came to the horrible decision to cast them
selves into this well. The women, with
their children. went Arst, 50 far as the chain
would allow, and the rest followed In the or
der In which they were changed. In the
morning we found them, most Of them suuo-
Gated. The sappers and miners were ordered
vs. VoAbh 1na NdALAhb VS. - 49,
them, and the well became their grave.
remember that at the time the occurrence
| was regretted because we lost the chain.
"In that awful campaign participated In
| two forlorn hopes, where we scaled Sikh en-
| trenchments with ladders and fought
hand to hand with the Slkhs with
In. Yet l escaped without
scratch The heat troubled me more than
anything. 1t was terrible. The hot sand
blistered our feet and the suns rays made
the cannon so hot that we could not bear our
hands upon them. In battle Il was only BY
the most persistent wetting and sponging
that we could keep them cool enough for
| firing"
From India and its horrible wars the sol
| dier came to Halifax. where he obtained his
discharge. lie settled In the Province Of
| New Brunswick, aud at Frederiekton and
| later at Point lie Preux lived for years q life
/ as peaceful and uneYentful as his earlier
/ years were exciting and terrible. He had
| enough of the English army In those Sikh
battles Of his youth.
A few years ago he came to this city,
/ where he has daughter living. About six
/ years ago he injured his hip, and has been
| lame since He manages % make both ends
| meet bv cObbling, and II he hives until next
| August, which will be his S9th birthday, he
| will be not only one OF the oldest eobblers In
| America, but perhaps the only one In
| America Of the veterans who fought the
| magnificent horsemen Of the Sikhs and
| helped blow men, women and children from
| the mouths Of British cannon.