Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1894-12-26

with tablets AMI epltaphs. ] copied two or
three OF the Inscriptions "nhese are they
who come out OF great fluctuations !" also,
"The dead shall be raise lncorruptible !"
also, SIN the world ye shall have tribuation,
! but be of good cheer. | have overcome the
world !" also, "The Lord gave. The Lord
hath taken away = also, "Cone unto Ne, all
yethat labor and are heavy laden"
sect into the carriage said Mr.. Leo. and
| we rode on to the Ganges and got out at
Hlndoo temple standing on the banks.
Now" said Mr. Lee, there Is the place to
which General Wheeler AN his people came
under the escort of Mana Sahib." went
! down the steps to tho margin OF the river.
| Down these steps went General Wheeler and
| the men, women an children under his
care. They stool on one se Of the steps,
ind Mana Snhb AMI his stat stood on the
other side As the women were getting into
the boats Mana Sahlb objected that only the
aged and intlrm women AMI children should
go on board the boats. The young and at-
tractive women were kept out Twenty
eight boats were filled with men, women and
children and floated out into the river. Each
boat contained ten armed natives. Then
three boats fastened together were brought
up, and General Wheeler and his staff got In.
Although orders were given 10 start, the
juncture boy OF twelve years of age hoisted
on the top OF the Hindoo temple on the
banks two rngs, Hlndoo AMI Moham-
medan flag, at which signal the boatmen and
armed natives jumped from the boats and
swan Tor the shore, and from innumerable
guns the natives on the bank fired ON the
boats, and masked batteries above and below
roIred with destruction, 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 sashed to
pieces General Wheeler AMI his staff, who
had not got well away from the shore.
said that the young and attractive wo-
men were not allowed to get into the boats
These were marched away under the guard
OF the sepoys.
(Which way?" inquired. "I will show
you, said Mr.. Lee. Again we took seats In
the carriage and started for the climax OF
desperation and diubOism. Now we are on
the way to Il summer honse, called the as
sembIy rooms, which had been built for req
reation AM pleasure. 1t had two rooms,
each twenty-nlne by ten. and some win low.
less closets, and here were imprisoned 206
helpless people, 1t was to become the pri-
son OF these women and children Some OF
these sepoys got permission OF Mana Sahb
to take one or more of these ladies to their
own place on the promise they should be
brought back to the summer garden next
morning. A daughter Of General Wheeler
was 50 taken an did not return. She after
ward married the Mohammedan who had
taken her to his tent Some snpoys amused
themselves by thrusting children through
with bayonets and holding them up before
their mot hppl in a 81 u,t / I.
doors closed and the sepoys stan ling guard,
the crowded women and children waited
their doom for eighteen days and nights
amid sickness ami flies anu stensh an |
starvation.
The butchers came out exhausted, think
ing they had done their work, and the doors
were closed, but when they were again
opened three women and three boys wore
still alive. All these were soon diSpatche1
and not Christian or European was left in
Cawnpur. The murderers were paid fifty
cents for each lady slain. The Mohamme-
dan assassins dragged by the hair tho dead
BOZ lies out OF the summer hous, and threw
them into well, by which l stood with such
feelings as you cannot imagine. But after
the mutilated DO lies had been thrown into
well the record OF the scene remained in
hieroglyphics OF crimson on the floor and
says that rs he walked in the blood was shoe
deep, and on this blood were tufts of hair,
pieces OF muslin, broken combs, fragments
ot pinaIores, chill irons straw hats, card
case containing a curl, with the inscription,
'Nei' hair, with love !" few leaves of an
Episcopal prayer book also book entitled
"Preparation Tor Death :" n Bible on the hy
leaf on which WAS written, "For darling
mamma, from her aiIectiOnate daughter,
Isabella Blair both the one who presented
it and the one to whom it was presented de-
parte forever.
Then Mana Sahib hoard that Havelock
was coming, and his name was II terror to
the sepOys. Lest the women an children
imprisoned in the summer house, or assem-
bly, rooms, should be liberated, he ordered
that their Threats SHOULD be cut. The off,
GERS Were commanded to do the work and
attempted it, but failed because the law OF
caste would not allow the Hindoo to hold |
the victims while they wero being slain !
Ihen 100 men were Orlcrel to fire through ,
the windows, but they fired over the heads
OF the imprisoned ones, and only few were
killed. Then Mana Subib was in IL rage and |
ordera professional butchers from among
me lowest OF the gypsie5 o 90 at the work.
Five OF them, with hatchets and swords and !
knives, began the work, but three OF them
collapsed an fajntei under the ghastiness,
and it was left TO two butchers to complete
the slaughter. The struggle the sharp cut,
the bliniing blow the ceaving through !
scalp an skull, the begging for life, the
death agony OF hour after hour. the tangled |
limbs oil tue corpses, the pilei up dead
only Col and those who were inside the
summer house can ever know.
said: "Mr. Lee, | have heard that in
deIita,e things We're found written on the
walls" He answered "No, but these poor
creatures wrote in charcoal and scratched
on the wall the story OF the bru.alities they
had suffere T."
When the English and Scotch troops came
upon the scene, their wrath was so great
that General Neil had the butchers arrested, |
and before being shot compelled them to
wipe up part of tho floor OF this place Of
massacre. this being the worst OF their pun.
ishment, forthere is nothing that Hindoo
so hates as to touch blood
When Havelock came upon the scene, he
had this order amulet. The well was now |
not only iull OF human bodies, but corpses
piled onthc outside. The soldiers We're for
many hours engaged in covering the dead. J
1t was about o'clock in the evening when
came upon this place in Cawnpur. The
building In which tho massacre took place |
mas been torn down, and a garden Of ex-
qulste and fragrant flowers surrounds the
scene. Mr.. Lee pointed out to us some
seventy mounds containing bodies or por-
tions OF bodies of those not thrown into the
well. A soldier stands on guard to keep the
foliage aud flowers from being ruthlessly
pulled. asked n soldier If I-mght takea
rose as memenlO. and he handed me
cluster OF roses, red and white, both colors
suggestive to me-the red typical of tho car
mage there enacted. AMI the white for the
purity of those who from that spot assembled.
But OF course the most absorbing interest
concentrated at the well, into which hun
dreds OF women and children We're flung or |
lowered. A circular wall of white marble !
inclosas this wall. The wall Is about twenty !
feet high. Inside this wall there lisa marble |
pavement. paced 1t and found it fifty |
seven PAGES around. In the center of this
incosure and Immediately above the we'll OF !
the dead is sculpturel angel Of resurrec-
ton, with iluminel face, AMI two palm
branches meaning victory. THIS angel Is
looking down toward the slumberers be-
meath, but the two wings suggest the rising
OF the last day. Mighty consolation In mar
BILE! They went down under the hatchets OF
the sepovs. They shall come up under the
trumpet that shall wake the dead. | felt
weak and all a-trembe as | stOo reading
these worts on the stone that covers the
well: "S'cred to the perpetual memory OF
great company OF Christian people, chiefly
women and children, cruelty mastered
near this spot by the rebel, Mann Sahib, and
thrown, the dying with tho dead. into the
well beneath on the 18th day OF July, 1857"
On the arch OF the mausoeum were cut the
words, "These are they who came out OF
great tribulation."
The sun was sinking beneath the horizon
| came down thn envnn or ai,yht utans ~