The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-12-12

rounded his death couch Save the
| ladies. God help the poor women and chill
| drenp He gave directions for the desperate
defense Of the place. He asked forgiveness
| OF all those whom he might unintentionally
have neglected or offended. He left g mes
| sage for all his friends. He forgot not to
| give directions for the care OF his favorite
horse. He charged his officers, saying: by
| no means surrender. Make no treaty or
compromise with the desperadoes. Die
| fighting Hetook charge Of the asylum he
had established for the children Of soldiers.
He gave directions for his burial, say
me be buried with the men, He dictated
his own epitaph, which read above his
tomb. Here lies Henry Lawrence, who
tried to do his duty. May the Lord have
| mercy on his SOUL He said: Il would like
| to have passage OF Scripture added to the
words on my grave, such as, "To the Lord
our God belong mercles and forglvenesses.
though we have rebelled against Him."
Isn't it from Dsniel? SO az brave man as
England or India ever saw expired. The
soldiers lifted the cover from his face
and kissed him before they carried him
out. The chaplain offered prayer. Then
tling hail OF the guns and put him down
among other soldiers buried at the same
time" All of which state for the benefit
OF those who would have US believe that the
Christian religion is fit only for women In
| the eighties and children under seven. There
was glory enough In that departure to halo
Chrlstendom.
"There," said our escort, "Bob tho
Mailer did the work. "Who was Bob the
Nailer2" sob, he was the African who sat
at that point, and when any, one OF our men
ha ha
him by rife ball. Bob was sure marks
man. The only way to get across the road
for water from the we'll was to wait until
his gun flashed and then instantly cross
before he had time to load. The only way
we could get rid Of him was by digging
mine under the house where he was
hidden. When the house was blown up,
Bob the Mailer went with It." I said to him,
"Had you made up your minds what you
and the other sufferers would do In case the
fends actually broke in?" "Oh, yes" said
INV escort. 1--WE had it all planned, for the
probability was every hour for nearly five
months that they would break in. You must
remember it was 1900 against 10000, and
for the latter part OF the time it was
900 against $4,000, and the residency and
the earthworks around 1t were not put up
for such an attack. It was only from the
mercy Of God that We were not massacred
soon after the besiegement. We were re-
solved not to allow ourselves to get into the
hands of those desperadoes. You must re-
member that we and all the women had
heard OF the butchery at Cawnpur, and We
knew what defeat meant. II unable to hold
out any longer we would have blown our
selves up and all gone out of life together"
"Show me" I 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 shudder OF horror indescribable en-
tered the cellars where 622 women and chill
dren had been crowded until the whole floor
was full. know the exact number, for I
counted their names on the roll. AS one oil
the ladies wrote in her diary-spsakng of
these women she said, 'They lay upon the
floor fitting into each other like bits in a
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 residency
were kept on the smallest allowance that
would maintain life. No opportunity 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 ex-
pectation that the enraged savaSes would
rush upon them, in 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 de.
spair. They encouraged the soldiery. They
waited on the wounded and dying in the
hospital. They gave up their stockings for
holders of the grapeshot. They solaced
each other when their children died. When
husband or father fell, such prayers Of
sympathy were offered as only women can
offer. They endured without complaint.
They prepared their own children for burial.
They were inspired for the men who stood
at their posts lighting till they dropped.
Our escort told US that again and again
news had come that Havelock and Outram
were on the why to fetch these besieged
ones out o. their wretchednes. They had
received letter from Havelock rolled up in
a Quill and carried in the mouth OF dis
guised messenger, letter telling them that
he was on the way, but the next news was
that Havelock had been compelled to re-
treat. 1t was constant vacillatlon between
hope and despair. But one day they heard
the guns of relief sounding nearer and
nearer. Yet all the houses OF Lucknow were
fortresses filed with armed miscreants, and
every step OF Havelock and his army. was
contested-hrlng from housetops, firing
from windows, firing from doorways.
asked our friend If he thought that the
world famous story Of a Scotch lass in her
delirium hearing the Scotch bagpipes adj
vancing with the Scotch regiment was true
story. He said he did not know but that it
was true. Without this mans telling mel
knew from my own observation that de-
lirium sometimes quickens some Of the fac
ulties. and rather think the Scotch lass in
her delirium was the first to hear the bag
pipes. 1 decline to believe that class OF
people who would like to kill all the poetry
OF the world and Danish all the fine sem
timent. They tell US that Whit.
tiers poem about Barbara Freitchie was
founded on delusion, and that Longfellow's
poems immortalized things that never oc-
CURED. The Scotch lass did hear the slo-
gan. I almost heard 1t myself as stood in
the coming Of the Seyenty-eighth Highland
Regiment.
"Were you present when Hsvelock came
IMP" asked, for could suppress the ques-
ton no longer. His answer came:
II was not at the moment present, but
with. some other young fellows saw SOL
diers dancing while two highland pipers
played, and said, what is all this excite.
mentp Then we came up and saw that
Havelock was in, and Outram was in, and
the regiments were pouring in."
"Show US where they came in," I ex-
claimed, for knew that they did not enter .
through the gate Of the residency, that be-
ing banked up inside to keep the murderers
out. "Here it Is" answered my escort.
"Here it is-the embrasure through which
they came"
We walked up to the spot. It is now q
broken down pile OF bricks dozen yards
from the gate. Long grass now, but then O
blood spattered, bullet scattered opening in
the wall.
AS we stood there, although the scene was
thirty seven years ago. 1 saw them come IN