St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-05
FIGHTING IN INDIA.
Thrilling Story Of an Attack
on a Village in Hin
doStan.
Cunning Natives Spring a
Mine on the British
Troops.
A Willy HindO Who Was SuS-
ceptible to a Money
Bride.
Desperate Charge Over a
Bpidge--A Budmash
Fort.
San Francisco Call.

San Francisco Call.
In previous sketch published in the
Sunday Call showed where we were
close to the banks of the Pandanuddy
river, making ready for night attack
on the enemy's works.
1t was about o'clock in the evening,
and our intention was to carry the
bridge which crossed the river and then
attack the village. The surprise, how
ever, did not turn outas we anticipated.
as about 8 o'clock hurricane of mis-
siles, consisting Of round shot. grape,
canister and musket bullets, was sent
in among us, killing and wounding
many The fire was not returned upon
our side at the time, but an order quiet
ly passed for the men to take shelter
and lie down, excepting those who were
necessarily employed in erecting the
mortar and heavy gun batteries. About
a quarter to 9 o'clock everything was
ready, the men still lying down in the
shelter, and, of course, prepared to meet
an attack If one were made.
In few minutes our guns belched
forth their deadly contents along the
whole line into the enemy's works and
the village. The fire from our guns
was directed by the continuous blaze
from the muzzles of the foes weapons.
This continued for some time. The
flashes from the numerous guns and the
dreadful roar of the discharges, to-
gether with the Kissing and hurting
noise through the agitated air, caused
by the numerous deadly missiles, made
the surroundings brilliant, binding,
deafening and horribly grand.
In Bold Relief
The figures of the enemy's gunners
and others lingering around their guns
stood out In bold relief at every flash,
their hastily constructed parapets not
being high enough to cover their per-
sons. This was good hint, and very
soon taken advantage of by us. Some
companies of us were ordered to the
front, and from behind the trees at the
rivers bank they could with compara-
tive safety observe the scene. This
was enough, and every time the
enemy's guns flashed forth two,
three and sometimes four Of the
surrounding men went down to death
or were severely wounded. Soon there
was perceptible slackening of their
fire for time, and the enemy's Infantry
tried the same tactics OH us, but they
had only embrasures to fire through,
while we had the whole tops OF their
batteries open to us.
By this time six of their guns were
silenced and disabled and two of ours.
Shortly dfterward, to our great surprise.
the whole OF their guns ceased fire, and,
as if by mutual consent, so did ours for
d short time. The circumstance was
soon explained by the enemy again
opening furious fire upon US. showing
the tops of their gabions and parapets
we'll topped with solid and numerous
sand. bags. Ammunition of all sorts
was not plentiful with US, so the gem
eral decided to concentrate his fire on
the bridge, storm it and take the village
and fords by bayonet assault in flank.
At this time six straightforward
mOrtars were brought into action, and,
as their shells were discharged with
their fuses burning, they presented an
imposing but ominOus sight in the
darkness of the night, hut when they
fell and burst in the village the fearful
shock was terrible.
Awfu! Havoc.
Especially was this so when we could
appreciate the cruel havoc that they
made were they fell. The beautiful
tropic moon had now risen. and conceal
sible. The fire was concentrated on the
bridge. The enemy followed suit, but
we slenced two or three of their six
guns. In short time, though. they
were replaced. For two hours heavy
and continuous artillery fire was kept
up upon the bridge. the enemy nothing
behind us.
At length a strong storming party of
picked men-braveSt and strongest
with a reserve, were drawn up under
cover of the batteries and trees.
Young HavelOck-aS then called
asked the generals permission to be al
lowed to lead the party. The permission
was granted. but Major Mcclure. with
demonstratve gesture and furious
voice that was heard above the thunder
sions, insisted that he should be the
leader. He was the senior field officer
of his rank present with the forces of
the companies of his regiment-the
Eighty-fourth. He insisted upon the
right Ito lead," and his reasoning was
convincing to the general, and Maj. Nc
CURE won the leadership, the adjutant
general-young Havelock-belng al
lowed to accompany the stormers as
volunteer Alas for the brave
major! In some twenty-five or thirty
minutes afterward he, in common
with nineteen men of his regiment. was
powder-burned and mangled corpse.
AS last resource of destruction, shells
from the mortarS were thrown into the
enemy'S batteries at the bridge. Our
heavy guns almost doubled the guam
tlty of their dreadful missiles, and the
rocket batteries sent their terrible en-
gines of destruction fierceiy Kissing
and tearing into the enemy. The COM
mand was given. The storming party
jumped to their feet, and in double time
advanced to the bridge in columns of
sections right in front, with Maj. Nc
CURE leading, the adjutant general one
pace to the right and rear of the major.
The moon was we'll up. and its brilliant
light made every object on and sur
rounding the bridge as plain as at noon
day.
The Enemy'S Mine.
1 could see from where I was the men
thickly falling on the bridge from the
hre of the enemy's musketry, and the
gaping lanes made in their ranks from
the passage of the rOund-shot through
their column. Our eight-pOund
shell were being thrown into the en-
emy's works all this time. Our STORM
! CTS, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. tilO COlCCHtl ulOu
and terrible heavy fire brought to bear
upon them, were CALAMITY approaching
| the end of the bridge with cheer, the
reserves being not far from them. when
| in moment, there occurred binding,
widespread and ascending flash of
light, a dreadful shock, clouds of dust
and all was still. The firing had
ceased on both sides, as If the gunners
were paralyzed. The enemy had mined
their ground at their side of the bridge,
and at the approach of the party fired the
mine, blowing to atoms some fifteen
feet of the bridge, with Maj. Mcclure
and nineteen OF his party along with it.
Curious enough. the adiutant general
was rescued from the river almost I'M
hurt. He was very much shaken up,
and the hair on the back partof his head
was singed. The remainder of the
stormers retired under cover and the
| firing recommended.
A circumstance occurred that shows
the great power that money possesses
in all parts of the world. a peasant
was captured during the day. and when
| he was questioned as to the strength of
i 4