The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-12-28


board the boats. The young and at
tractive women were kept out. Twenty
eight boats were filled with men, WON
en- and children, and foated out into
the river. Each boat contained ten
armed natives. Then three boats
fastened together were brought III
and Gen. Wheeler and his staff got
in. Although orders were given to
start, the three boats were detained.
At this juncture boy twelve years OF
age hoisted on the top of the Hin
doc temple on the banks two flags,
Hindoo and Mohammedan flag, at
which signal the boatmen and armed
natives jumped from the boats and
swan for the shore; and from innu-
merable guns the natives on the bank
fred on the boats and masked bat
teries above and below roared with de-
struction, and the boats sank with
their precious cargo, and all went
down, save three strong swimmers,
who got to the opposite shore. Those
who struggled out near by were
dashed to death. Mana Sahib and his
staff with their swords slashed to
pieces Gen. Wheeler and his staff, who
had not got well away from the shore.
said that the young and attractive
woman were not allowed to get into
| the boat. These were marched away
under the guard of the Sepoys.
(which way" 1 inquired, II will
show you," said Mr.. Lee. Again we
took seats in the carriage and started
| for the climax of desperation and di.
abolish. Now we are on the way to q
summer house, called the Assembly
Rooms, which had been built for
recreation and pleasure. 1t had
two rooms each twenty-nine by
ten, and some windowless closets,
and here were imprisoned two hundred
and six helpless people. 1t was to be-
come the prison of these women and
children. Some of these Sepoys got
permission of Mana Sahib to take one
or more of these ladies to their own
place, on the promise that they should
| be brought back to the summer gar
den next morning. A daughter OF Gen.
| Wheeler was SO taken, and did not re-
turn. She afterward married the Mo-
hammedan who had taken her to
his tent. Some Sepoys amused them
selves by thrusting children through
with bayonets and holding them up
before their mothers in the summer
house. All the doors closed and the
Sepoys standing guard, the crowded
women and children waited their doom
for eighteen days and nights amid
sickness and flies and stencil and STAR
walton.
Then Mana Sahib heard that Have
lock was coming, and his name was
terror to the Sepoys. Lest the women
and children imprisoned in the Sum
mer house, or assembly rooms shoult
be liberated. he ordered that theil
throats should be cut. The officer:
were commanded to do the work, ane
attempted it, but failed because the
law of caste would not allow the Hindot
to hold the victims while they were be
ing slain. Then one hundred men were
ordered to fire through the windows
but they fired over the heads of the
imprisoned ones, and only few were
killed. Then Mana Sahib was in ;
rage, and ordered professional butcher
from among the lowest of the gypsie'
to 90 at the work. Five of them, will
hatchets, and swords, and knives, be
gan the work. but three OF them col
lapsed and tainted under the ghastli
ness. and it was left to two butchers t.
complete the slaughter. The struggle
the sharp cut, the binding blow, TIN
cleaving through scalp and skull, tn
begging for life, the death agon.
of hour after hour, the tangle'
limbs of the copses, the piled-ul
dead-only God and those wit
were inside the summer house can eve
know. The butchers came out exhaust
ed, thinking they had done their work
and the doors were closed. But whel
they were again opened three womel
and three boys were still alive. Al
these were soon dispatched, and not I
Christian or a European was left IL
Cawnpore. The murderers were pat
fifty cents for each lady slain. TIL
Mohammedan assassins dragged b.
the hair the dead bodies out o
the summer house and threw then
into a we'll, by which ! stoo'
with such feelings as you can no
IMAGINE. But after the mutilate
bodies had been thrown into the well
the record of the scene remained il
hieroglyphics of crimson on the foo
and wall of the slaughter house. Al
eve witness says that as he walked il
the blood was shoe deep, and on thi
blood were tufts of hair, pieces Q
muslin. broken combs, fragments o
pinafores, children's straw hats, car
case containing a curl with the in
; scription: ''Ned's hair, with love;"
fay leaves of an Episcopal praye