Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-11-26

900 against 60, ,oO0. and the residency
and the earthworks around Il were not
pat mp for such an attack. II was only
from the mercy Of God that we were
not massacred soon after the besioge-
ment. We were resolved not to allow
ourselves to get into the hands of those
desperadoes. You must remember that
we and all the women had heard of tho
butchery at Cawnpur. and we knew
what defeat meant. If unable to hold
out any longer, we would have blown
ourselves up and oil gone out of life to-
gether.
"Show me, " said, "the rooms where
the women and children staid during
those awful months. " Then we crossed
over and went down into the cellar Of
the residency. With n shudder of hor.
ror indescribable l entered the collars
where 629 women and children had been
crowded until the whole floor was full.
l know the exact number, for l counted
their names on the roll AS one of the
ladies wrote in her diary-speaking of
these women she said, '"They lay upon
the floor fitting into each other like bits
in puzzle. Wives had obtained from
their husbands the promise that the hus-
bands would shoot them rather than let
them fall into the hands of these desper-
ADDE'S. The women within the resi-
dency were kept ON the smallest allow
ance that would maintain life. No op-
portunity of privacy. The death angel
and the birth angel touched wings as
they passed. Flies. mosquitoes, vermin
in full possession of the place. and these
women in momentary expectation that
the enraged savages would rush upon
them, in a violence of which club and
sword and torch and throat cutting
would be the milder forms.
Our escort told us again and again of
the bravery of these women. They did
not despair They encouraged tho sol
diery. They waited on the wounded and
dying in the hospital. They gave up
their stockings for holders Of tho grape
shot They solaced each other when
their children died. When husband
or father fell, such prayers of sympathy
were offered rs only women eah offer.
They endured without complaint They
prepared their own children for burial
They were inspiration for the men who
stood at their posts fighting till they
dropped.
The Guns of Relief
Our escort told us that again and
again news had come that Havelock and
Outram were on tho way to fetch these
besieged ones out Of their wretchedness
They had received o letter from Havelock
rolled up in quill and carried in this
mouth of disguised messenger, lettet
telling them he was on the way, but the
next news was that Havelock had been
compelled to retreat. 1t was constant
vacillation between hope and despair.
But one day they heard the guns Of re-
lief sounding nearer and nearer. Yet all
the houses of Lucknow were fortresses
filled with armed miscreants, and every
step of Havelock and his army was con-
tested-firing from housetops, firing
from windows, firing from doorwSys.
asked our friend if he thought that
The world famous story of Scotch lass
In her delirium hearing the Scotch bag
pipes advancing with the Scotch regi-
ment was true story. He said he did
not know but that is was true. Without
this mans telling me / knew from my
own observation that delirium some.
times quickens some of the faculties,
and rather think the Scotch lass in her
delirium was the first to hear the bag
pipes. ! decline to believe that class Of
people who would like to kill all the
poetry Of the world and Danish all the
fine sentiment They tell us that Whit
tiers poem about Barbara Freitchie was
founded on delusion, and that Long
fellow poems immortalized things that
never occurred. The Scotch lass did
hear the slogan, | almost heard IL my
self as stood inside the residency while
my escort told Of the coming on Of the
Seventy eighth highland regiment
"Were you present when Hayelook
came INF" / asked, for could suppress
the question no longer. His answer
came:
II was not at the moment present, but
WIN holHo ptH'i 9ouilS itiipWb raw
soldiers dancing while two highland
pipers played, and ! said, What il all
this eHcitementf Then we came up and
saw that Hayolock was In, and Outram
was in, aud the regiments were pouring
In.
"show US where they came IN, OK
for knew that they did not
enter through the gate of the residonoy,
that being banked up inside 10 keep the
murderers out Hero IL is" answered
my escort Hero IL is-the embrasnre
through which they came
Wo walked mp 10 tho spot IL Is now
a broken down pil0 u bricks a dozen
yards from tho gate Long grass now,
bat then o blood spattered, bullet soar
rcd opening IN tho wall
A. We stood there, although the soona
Was 81 years aRo ! saw thom come IN
-Hayelook pale aud sick, but tHum
phant and OuiTam, whom AL the equos
Inan statues in Calcutta and Europe
cannot 200 Mandly pFosent
DriiFeraaoe - fasi,
What thou happenedf' ! said ~ my
escort ron, he said, "ihat h imp0s
.flI. L.. fnII ulD aarfl gVaa FDuovrd