The morning news., 1894-11-26
The SIEGE OF LUCKNOW.
A Graphic Story Of One Of the Worlds
Greatest Horrors.


The Causes of the Mutiny-The Resi-
denoy Where the Europeans We're
Huddled Together for Five Months.
Arrival of the Relief Column.
Brooklyn, Nov. 25.-Rcv. Dr. Talmage to-
day began his series of round-the-world
sermons through the press, the first sub
tect selected being Lucknow, India. The
text chosen was: Deuteronomy % xix:
when thou shalt besiege a city a long
time in making war against it to take it,
thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by
forcing an ak against them"
The awfulest thing in war is besiege-
ment, for to the work of deadly weapons
it adds hunger and starvation and plague.
Besiegement is sometimes necessary, but
my text commands mercy even in that.
The fruit trees must be spared because
they afford food for man. Thou shalt not
destroy the trees thereof by forcing an
ak against them" But in my recent
journey round the world I found at Luck
now, India, the remains Of the most merci-
less besiegement of the ages and
I proceed to tell you that
story for four great reasons;
TO show you what a horrid thing war is
and to make you all advocates for peace:
to show you what genuine Christian char
acter is under bombardment; to put a cor
Onation on Christian courage; and TO
show you how splendidly good people die.
As our train glided into the dimly lighted
station, l asked the guard, rs this Luck
now?" and he answered, Lucknow" at
the pronunciation, of which proper name
strong emotions rushed through body.
mind and soul
The word is a synonym of suffering of
cruelty, Of herOism, of horror such as
Is suggested by hardly any other word
We have for thirty-tive years been reading
of the agonies there endured and the dar-
ing deeds there witnessed 1t was nv
great desire to have some one who had
witnessed the scenes transacted in Luck
now in 1857 conduct us over the place. We
found just the man. He was a young sol
der at the time the greatest mutiny of
the ages broke out, and he was put with
others inside the Resdency. which was a
cluster of buildings making a fort
Tess in which the representatives
of the English government lived and
which was to be the scene of an endur-
ance and a bombardment the story of
which, poetry, and painting, and history
and secular and sacred elOquence have
been trying to depict our escort not only
had good memory of what had happened
but had talent enough to rehearse the
tragedy.
In the early part of 1857 all over India
the natives were ready to break out in re
beliion against all foreigners and espec-
tally against the civil and military repre-
sentatives of the English government
ha1F ffTlv,
the feeling of discomfort and insurrection
that was evidenced throughout India. The
most of these causes were mere pretexts.
Creased cartridges We're no doubt an eNas-
per2tion. The grease ordered by the En-
glish government to be used on these cart
ridges was taken from cows or pigs, and
grease to the HindOos Is unclean. and to
bite these cartridges at the loading of the
guns would be an offense to the HindOos'
religion. The leaders of the Hindoos said
that these creased cartridges were only
part Of an attempt by the English govern
ment 10 make the natives give up their
religion; hence unbounded indignation was
aroused.
Another cause of the mutiny was that
another large province of India had been
annexed to the British empire and thou
sands Of officials in the employ of the
king OF that province were thrown out
Of position, and they were all ready for
trouble-making
Another cause was said to be the bad
government exercised by some English
officials in India
The simple fact was that the natives
of India were a conquered race, and the
English were the conquerers For 100
years the British scepter had been waved
over India, and the Indians wanted to
break that scepter. There never had been
any love or sympathy between the natives
of India and the Europeans; there is none
now.
Before the time of the great mutiny the
English government risked much power in
the hands of the natives Too many of
them manned the forts. Too many of
them were in governmental emlpv. And
now the time had come for a wide out
break. The natives had persuaded them
selves that they could send the English
government flying, and to accomplish it
dagger, and sword. and firearms, and
muulauon, and slaughter must do their
worst.
It was evident in Lucknow that the
natives were about to rise and put to
death all the Europeans they could lay
their hands on, and into the Residency
the Christian population of Lucknow
FASTENED for defense from the tigers I'm
human form which were growing for their
victims. The occupants Of the Residency,
or fort, We're military and non-combat-
ants. men, women and children, in num-
Der about ,6y2 l suggest in one sentence
some of the chief woes to which they were
subjected, when I say that these people
were in the ResidenCy five months with
out single change of clothing; some Of
the time the heat at IN degrees and l3O
degrees; the place black with flies and
all asquirm with vermiu; firing of the
enemy upon them ceasnE neither day
nor night: the hospital crowded with the
dying smallpox. scurvy cholera, adding
their work to that Of shot and shell:
women brought up in all comfort and
never having known want. crowded and
sacrificed in a cellar where nine children
were born, less and less food: no water
except that which was brought from "A we'll
under the enemy's FIRE so that the water
obtained was at the price OF blood; the
stencil Of the dead horses added TO the
eflluvia Of corpses, and all waiting for the
moment when the army of G),0QO shrek
ing Hindoo devils should break IN upon
tho garrison Of the Residency: now re-
duced by wounds and sickness and death
20 $40 men, women and children.
"C1ll me early" I said, Tomorrow
morning, and let us be at the Residency
before the sun becomes too hot" At
O'Clock in the morning We left our hotel
On Lucknow, ana ] said 90 our oblieiup
Heutltmaulv escort. "Ilpgse take. tfe. atou1