Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-12-13
the women had heard Of the butchery

tuc WOncu udu HedrO OF the Dutcnery
at Cawnpur, and we lznc~ what defeat
meant. Ii unable to hold ont any
longer, we would have blown our lives
Up end al gone out of life together"
''sAow re- said. 1.-THE rooms where
the women and children staid during
these awful MONTHS Then we crossed
over and went down into the cellar of
J .he residency. With shudder of horror
ipdescribable / entered the cellars
where GO women and children had been
crowded until the whole room was full.
] know the exact number. for counted
their names on the roll. As one OF the
ladies wrote in her dairy-sp ealing of
these women she said. They lay upon
the floor fitting into each other like bits
in n puzzle" Wives had obtained from
their husbands the promise that the hus-
bands would shoot them rather than
let them fail into the hands of these
desperadoes. 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, ver-
min in full possession of the place. and
these women in momentary expeeta-
ton that the enraged savages 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 rgain Of
the bravery Of these women They
did not despair They encouraged the
soldiery, They waited on the wounds
ed and dying in the hospital. They
gave up their stockings for holders Of
the grape-shot They solaced each
other when their children died When
husband or father fell such prayers
Of sympathy were offered as only wom-
en- can offer. They endured without
complaint They prepared their own
children for burial They were inspi-
ration for the men who sto, At their
posts lighting till they dropped.
Our escort told US that again and
again news had come that Have
lock and outram were on the way to
fetch these besieged ones out of their
wretchedness. They had received
letter from Havelock rolled up in a
quill and carried in the mouth of
disguised messenger, letter 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 fort
tresses filled with armed miscreants,
and every step of Havelock and his
army was contested firing from house,
tops, firing from windows, firing from
doorways.
asked our friend IL he thought that
the world famous story ola 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 il was true Without
this mans telling me knew from my
own observation that delirium some
times quioSens 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 |
tier poem about Barbara Freitchie WAS
foun-led on a delusion. and that Long !
fellows poems immortalized things |
that never occurred. The Scotch lass |
did hear the slogan. almost heard it
myself as ] stood inside the residency |
while my escort told of the coming on |
of the Seventy-eighth highland regi- |
ment.
Were you present when Havelock /
came in?" ] asked. for / could suppress /
the question no longer. His answer
came:
II was not at the moment present. but /
with some other young fellows saw
soldiers dancing while two highland
pipers played, and ] said, What is all
up and saw that HIavelock was in. and
Outram was in, and the regiments We're
pouring in.
"Show us where they came in Tex
for knew that they did not
enter through the gate of the residency,
that being 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 1t is now
4 broken down pile of bricks dozeL
Yards from the gate. Long grass nov.
but then a blood-spattered, bullet scar
red opening in the wall.
As we stood there. although the scene
gas thirty-seven years ago saw them
come in IIavelock pale and sick. bnt
and Outram, whom all the
equestrian statues in Calcutta and Eu-
rope can not too grandly present.
What then happened?' ! said to my
escort. "Oh," he said. ''that is impos-
,ible to tell The earth was removed
from the gate, and soon all the army of
relief entered. and some of us laughed,
and some cried, and some prayed. and
,ome danced. Highlanders so dust COW
red and enough blood and wounds on
heir faces TO make them unrecogniza-
Die snatched the babes out of their
arms and kissed them and
passed the babies along for other sol
HERS IN l.isS and tho xvounled men |